This post has been edited by the site administration team

Yes, I think Tim is right. Even if you just use the button on the door to open/lock it, the car must check if the key is with you (nearby), so it will send some kind of a "handshake" request, to which the key must respond with a correct response (code).

I would suspect these codes get changed every few seconds or so, but it seems hackers found a way around it (cloning the key fobs..)

It seems the best way to protect the car is the old steering wheel lock.

Or maybe cars should be opened/started with a fingerprint sensor? When an iPhone can do this, why that car cannot? Passcode maybe?

If you need to leave the car in a car wash/valet, there might be a feature implemented, that would allow for a temporary enable of use the car jus with a remote key and without the fingerprint , but after an hour or so this should expire...

Having watched my second tracker (Cat 5) device being fitted today I will sleep even better tonight. 

Ive just fitted a telescopic bollard to our driveway after our house was broken into last week and the mrs audi tt stolen off the drive, i would recomend to anyone who has a high value car on the drive to get one installed

SecureMyCar... speak to him (bristol based) i will be very surprised if your car goes missing (£600 mark) MY 11 TDV6 Fuji White Onyx

Gone-
64 E 220 cdi saloon
63 E250 cdi Coupe
62 Slk 250 Cdi
11 E 250 cdi Cab
08 BMW M3
08 ML420 Cdi
07 Cooper S JcW
04 R32

Site administration editited my post where I insulted the thieving scum - maybe I should amened it to say "Top lads"

Tim in Scotland wrote:

Sorry I have to disagree about using the door buttons in preference to the fob. If you have the fob on you it is continuously transmitting a very very week signal looking for the car's correpsondingly weak signals - about 1m range (although yesterday I managed to open my car's boot from about 15m!). When you press the button on the fob it sends a coded command to operate the locks/ lights or whatever. I would suspect either a member of staff at a dealership cloning the fob when the car has been in for a service or the owner has used a valeting service/carwash/ valet parking somewhere and has at sometime handed over the fob to a low life. Near to where I am there used to be a carwash bay inside the local shop centre covered carpark, after a whole lot of car thefts - mostly Audi and BMW saloons - local police put 2+2 together and caught the carwash staff cloning the fobs in a sting operation. As customers had to leave their keys with the car washing team so they could repark the cars elsewhere in the carpark to work on the next car so they had the opertunity to do what they wanted with the car/ key fob while the innocent where shopping for a couple of hours.

If a key had been cloned already here he would have started and driven straight off, rather than sit in darkness for 30 seconds. 

It's quite simple - people just need to refuse to buy vehicles with these systems fitted to them. Manufacturers will listen when the the buying public stops buying.

I don't know why keyless entry and push button start entered the market or why they're seen as a good thing. Whenever I've used one with these features I find it no quicker or easier than using a key to start the car.

Alternatively, mandatory knee-capping for car thieves...  2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

The push button starter is cheaper.... Simple as that! 2008 Factory HST- Sold
Arrived 2016 HSE carpathian grey

That doesn't answer the question of why keyless entry and start are necessary and why they suddenly appeared in cars.

As for punishing thieves - see the last line of my previous post...it was flippant, yes, but the point stands that thieves need to fear getting caught. The chances of them getting caught is slim in the first place, but then they get a slap on the wrists if they get caught. But then if we stuff them in prison we all end up paying for it in higher taxes to run the prisons. 2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed