electronic key operating voltage ...

Apparently there are "cheat sequences". You need the specific VIN, then on the Honda Civic, you turn the key, pull the hand brake some number of times, turn the key, pull the hand brake again some different number of times, goign through a whole sequence that is somehow related to the VIN, and it defeats the immobilizer. Apparently, some other makes have similar schemes. Pretty disgusting, it defeats the whole purpose of the immobilizer!

Jon

If that were true, I would not have had an empty driveway where a car should have been. Yes, the police and insurance company wanted us to show them the keys (including spares) and they showed no surprise when we handed all of the keys over. Supposedly it is a routine occurrence. The insurance paid out, but the car was well looked after with very low milage so what we got didn't make up for the loss, let alone inconvenience.

When I bought my first Metcal soldering iron, I bought it second hand from a slightly dodgy guy. He was very surprised when I only wanted the soldering station, handpiece, tips and a stand, and not the "whole kit". Aparently most of his customers basically don't know any electronics but come with a long shopping list including everything they need to do

Maybe someone turned up at my house with the modified replacement ECU and put that in the car and drove off.

I have also noticed that there are some websites selling a box that you plug into the OBD port with a button on it, and when you press the button, the car goes. There are videos on youtube of this too.

I have no idea whether this is how they stole the car, but they did, and lots of other people all over Europe will confirm that it does happen. I don't think it happens so much in some other parts of the world, but then some of the thieves in Europe are very well educated, and probably have access to technical information and software from dealerships and perhaps even indirectly from the designers of the cars.

Most people will go and buy the same car again (we did). I'll bet that someone in each car company has prepared detailled statistics about how many cars of each model year are stolen each year, and what make and model of car is bought to replace the one stolen. I'll bet that thefts of one make of cars results in at least several percent of the same carmaker's turnover, and that they know this, and value these sales.

I have a theory that a bright young engineer at that car company came to work one day and had a brilliant idea how they could fix all of the security problems with their immobilizer system, so that really nobody would have their car stolen without the key ever again. The young engineer told his/her boss, and then the boss made a short phone call to senior management. Next day, young engineer comes to work, gets called into a meeting with HR. Turns out he/she is eligible for a 200% pay rise, the only condition is an immidiate transfer into the bumper-polishing department where he/she will get to shine bumper bars all day long, and never talk about immobilizers ever again.

I have put forth this theory before. Sooner or later one of the car companies will get caught doing something sneaky enough that people will believe me.

Chris

Assuming they don't want to sell more Audis.

Don't get me started on the "smart" windshield wipers with the rain sensor.

Uhhh, if the Volkswagen mess isn't enough indication that SOMETHING fishy is going on, I can't imagine what. Also Takata air bags! Neither of these are related to the immobilizer, but obviously there are crazies in the industry who do not have our best interests (or their companies' interests either) in mind.

Jon

Yup, ali express has a bunch of people selling immobilizer bypass "things". I have no idea if they actually work, but kind of scary! I'm a little skeptical that the $9 universal immobilizer bypass really works on ALL car makes and models.

Maybe putting a locked cover over your OBD port would be a good thing.

Jon

They use the stick not the carrot. A large corporation can't admit anything with a big carrot.

NT

just swap the positive and negative terminals.

And if you like your mechanic, maybe remember to swap them back....

I did also think of something like the USBKiller but for OBD.

Actually I thought of a lot nastier things, when the car went missing.

All of the ones I have seen advertised require either that you actually place a spare key permanently in the unit or use the key to program the unit.

So they aren't directly usable to steal a car without having access to the key.

Their main use is to allow remote start systems to operate.

kevin

some cars basically need a new ECU if you lose all your keys, you need a key to make a key

-Lasse

The smart thing to do is to immediately make another key. My '91 needed two keys for the owner to program a third. The dealer could do it with one but they wanted another $100 labor to do it. We just had a third key made for our '14. It cost $200 and one of the others stopped working. :-(