Volkswagen: theft risks and protection
According to the Ministry of Interior, Volkswagen has been at the top of the list of stolen cars in Serbia for years, and the most stolen are the Golf, Passat, Polo, Touran, Tiguan and Caddy. Thieves steal newer Volkswagens through the OBD port under the steering wheel or by relaying the signal of a keyless key. OBD port relocation is 100 €, and the call-out to your address in Belgrade is included. We also install immobilisers, alarms and GPS.
All you need to tell or write us is the make, model and year of the car.
We work in several cities in Serbia. Tell us your city.
Why thieves choose Volkswagen
First on the Ministry of Interior list is the Golf, from the second to the seventh generation, followed by the Passat, Polo, Touran, Tiguan and Caddy. These models have the biggest market for used parts, so they pay off best for a thief.
A stolen car is taken apart at a scrapyard and sold part by part, or it leaves Serbia with a false chassis number.
In Belgrade the most stolen makes are Volkswagen, Renault, Audi and BMW. Of the vehicles stolen in 2022, fewer than half were found. From parked cars, headlights, mirrors and catalytic converters go missing most often.
On a Volkswagen the OBD port is under the dashboard on the driver's side, above the pedals or behind a small cover. On every car of the same model the port is in the same place, so a thief knows where to look.
A spare key for a Volkswagen is also programmed through that port. The same devices are used for theft: the thief programs his own key and drives the car away. Relocation closes that route. The factory port stays intact and works only when your adapter is in the hidden socket. More about OBD port relocation
What to watch out for by model
Golf 2 to 7
Top of the Ministry of Interior list. On the Golf 7 a key is programmed through the OBD port, so relocation closes that route. On older generations an immobiliser keeps the car from being driven away for parts: the engine does not start without your fob.
Passat
Second on the Ministry of Interior list. A newer Passat often has a keyless key, so a key pouch and an immobiliser go with OBD relocation.
Tiguan
A keyless key for the Tiguan has existed since 2010. For an older Tiguan with a keyless key, a pouch and an immobiliser go with OBD relocation.
Polo, Touran and Caddy
On the Ministry of Interior list, because their parts sell easily. OBD relocation stops a new key from being programmed, and an immobiliser stops the engine from starting without your fob.
What we recommend
- Every Volkswagen
- OBD port relocation, so a thief cannot program a new key
- Keyless Access
- a pouch that blocks the signal and an immobiliser
- Older model
- an immobiliser: the engine does not start without your fob
- Parts from the car
- an alarm with a shock sensor, a siren when someone moves or lifts the car
- Where the car is
- GPS tracking, you see the car on your phone
Keyless Access: how it is stolen and what helps
Keyless Access is Volkswagen's name for unlocking and starting with the key in your pocket. A thief picks up the signal of your key and relays it to the car, so the car unlocks and starts. In a large test in Germany, 710 of 850 cars were opened this way. The Golf 8 and the newest Tiguan were not opened in that test, because their key measures the distance to the car. Older generations of the same models partly were. OBD relocation does not stop this theft. A pouch that blocks the signal helps, and so does an immobiliser, because the engine does not start without your fob.
Diagnostics for Volkswagen: VCDS
For Volkswagen group cars there is VCDS, a diagnostic program made for exactly these makes. It checks every module in the car in turn, not only the engine, and reads the faults from each one. The EPC light on a Volkswagen usually means a fault in the throttle system. The car can usually still be driven, but the fault should be read as soon as possible, so it does not cause more damage. More about diagnostics
Coding: what can be switched on in a Volkswagen
With coding we switch on what the car has but was switched off at the factory. On the Golf 7, for example, the mirrors fold by themselves when you lock the car, if they have a folding motor. The coming home lights switch on by themselves, and start-stop can be switched off completely. On the Golf 7 after 2019, start-stop can no longer be switched off this way. Before any change we write down the factory values, because there is no other way to undo a change. More about coding
A new battery is registered in the car
On the Golf 7 and other Volkswagens that need it a new battery is registered in the car's computer. Without that the car does not know what battery it has, so charging and start-stop do not work as they should. Whether your car needs it, we will tell you when you send the model and year. More about battery replacement
CarPlay and Android Auto: App-Connect
Volkswagen introduced CarPlay and Android Auto in 2015, with the second generation of screens, under the name App-Connect. On a second-generation Discover screen App-Connect can also be activated later, and on the Passat B8 CarPlay sometimes also needs a new USB socket. More about CarPlay activation The Golf 6, Passat B6 and other Volkswagens from before 2015 do not have App-Connect in the screen. For them we install new multimedia with CarPlay and Android Auto. More about multimedia installation For an early Golf 7 we will tell you what is possible when you send the year and a photo of the screen.
Reversing camera on the factory screen
On a Golf 7 with a Discover screen the camera is connected to the screen unit, and after fitting the car is coded to recognise it. One version of the camera has fixed lines on the image, and the other also has lines that follow the turning of the steering wheel. More about the reversing camera
Known fault: a Golf 4 stalls shortly after starting
On some Golf 4 cars from 2002 the engine stalls shortly after starting. The voltage at ignition disturbs the link between the instrument cluster and the immobiliser. We confirm the fault with diagnostics, from the immobiliser and cluster fault codes. The cluster is replaced with a corrected one, and the immobiliser is set up again with diagnostic equipment. More about the immobiliser light
Frequently asked questions
All questions about relocation are on a separate page.
Advice
All advice on protection
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Keyless car theft: how the relay attack works and how to protect yourselfKeyless theft: thieves relay your key signal to the car, open it and drive away in a few seconds, with no break-in. Where they catch the signal, which cars are at risk and what protects: an immobiliser, a key pouch, an alarm with a fob and GPS.Theft protection · 6 min read
Send us the make, model and year
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067 774 1606Email: kontakt@autoindustrija.rs