Car is a traditional plip (ie not keyless entry) to unlock and disable car with key to start.
It was broken into recently. Car ransacked but was locked afterwards. I’m certain it was locked before the event. I suspect the key signal was scanned before break in. My question is – can they gain entry again having already scanned the plip signal.
Car has a security bar on steering wheel.
I’ve asked dealer – no reply after a week. I’ve googled but everything relates to keyless entry. I’ve asked AA – no definitive answer.
The *one* place I know will know the answer is singletrack.
Do I need some sort of key reprogram or does it generate a different signal each time? Car likely to be parked at the location of breakin again.

It doesnt really matter. There are a number of ways they can get in, depending on car and if its alarmed. If its not alarmed they can pick the lock in seconds, they can scan the plip of the key but thats not that feasible. They can just use kit to open the car anyway, but unlikely if it wasn’t taken tbh.

Id say are you sure it was locked, how do you know it was locked after? Most people would just open the car on the key and not try to open the door first. An opportunist trying car doors and stumbling upon an unlocked one is probably most likely in this scenario unless youve got a pinchable car, depending where it is parked if you had a fast hatchback id be thinking a but more about security.

When you phone the aa after locking the keys in the car, they dont come round with a hammer anymore.

Thanks Nick. It was definitely locked. Unsavoury area. Parked up for a few days on a drive but locked on arrival. No sign of forced entry. My concern is that it may be vulnerable when parked up again (steering bar on and emptied of valuables). It is a car that would attract attention from a want to nick pov. It had a portable satnav on standby in the glovebox (which was stolen) and I’m told (how reliable, I don’t know) that scanners can pick up satnav or wireless signal to know if a satnav or laptop is inside vehicle.

I’d lay money it was unlocked (possibly a door not quite shut or something) then they went in, shut the door and car locked when all doors were closed. All the stuff about scanning for items seems very unlikely, wouldn’t be worth the time just smash and grab (let alone the cost of the alleged thing that can scan for items that aren’t turned on).

I’m somewhat dubious that the whole wireless key cloning thing actually happens. But scanning for wireless signals from sat navs etc., that is 100% utter bollocks.

Thanks. I’m not sure about ability to pick up signal from items inside either. I guess my main concern is if the plip signal has been intercepted to gain entry, that it can be entered again at will from now on using that signal and, if that’s the case, whether I need to do anything like getting key transponder reprogrammed etc. The steering bar will remain! Driver is certain that door was checked on locking, so entry seems to have been gained without smashing windows.

Could it have been the “wedge in the passenger handle” trick to make you think you’d locked the car, but due to the handle not being in the right place the door not locking?

Could be. Car was unloaded (locked each time) over about 3 trips before finally locking. Break in wasn’t noticed until a few days later but definitely wasn’t ransacked when last locked, but lights flashed and central lovking motors heard when locked before theft (if that makes sense)

Modern remotes and keys work using rolling codes.

The way to test, is make sure your remote is out of range of the vehicle, press a button probably 20 times, then go back to the car, and see if it unlocks. If it’s using rolling codes, the remote won’t work until the key has either been placed in the ignition so the codes re-sync, or for some will need the remote re-learned.

I’d say either it’s been left unlocked, or they’ve gained access through other non-destructive ways. A good lock picker will be in quickly. If the deadlocks have not been put on, then a airbag and bar/hook will get you in quickly.

For a chance thief, they’re not likely to go the hassle of playing with remote signals. They’ll pick vehicles they know they can get into easily.
The type of thief that will go to the hassle of grabbing key/remote signals, quite simply wouldn’t just be going through the contents. Your car would simply be gone.

What car? How old?

Most roll the code these days I think;
https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/automotive/unlock-car-door-remote1.htm

Driver is certain that door was checked on locking

aha! A key detail omitted from the OP. I am going with definitely left unlocked, now 😀 Easily done, especially after making 3 trips and trying to carry everything so you don’t have to make a 4th! You’d better play along though, if you know what’s good for you. Fiendish these car thieves today aren’t they, with all their whizzy hi-tech gadgets 😂

Will you need to leave anything valuable in it again?
If you can take the satnav and whatever out maybe just leave it unlocked, that way they don’t have to break a window to find out there’s nothing worth nicking, and the steering bar stops them taking the whole thing.

If it’s a ford then an eBay Tibbe key will have them in seconds and locked again afterwards.

The cars on our road are regularly unlocked overnight by some automated means. There is a pattern and it seems to be that cars from the same manufacturer are done i.e. vw and Skoda, or BMW or Nissan.

It’s been going on for years – ours was unlocked 4 or 5 times last year. It’s possible to tell it’s been done other than the glovebox being open / the car ransacked because typically in the morning the car will be ransacked but locked or unlocked but the wing mirrors are folded in (they fold in when locking).

I’ve also seen a neighbours cctv of his locked car (wing mirrors folded) by a guy who walked straight up to it and opened the door – the lights didn’t flash to show the car was unlocking. The guy also knew the car was unlocked and went directly to the car even though it was for all intents and purposes “locked”.

Our neighbour has also noticed a pattern between early evening drive by activity by people with their hoods up on bikes looking through the car windows and the same cars being ransacked overnight.

The police haven’t been interested enough to even view the cctv but have said they are aware of it and there’s nothing they can do.

Fit a quality aftermarket alarm that notifys you perhaps?

Thanks. Really useful information here. There won’t be valuables left in there anymore and the (empty) glovebox will be left open.
Use of steering bar was intermittent but will now be permanent. I’m grateful for your comments and advice. Thanks for taking time out to answer. It’s an unsavoury city area, known for crime so no surprise I guess. There is something in handbook about resyncing the fob so sounds like it’s a rolling code type of thing. That said, probably makes no difference and I guess they’ll have another go in future.

We have had work vans done this way.
Press lock button once go back later and it’s empty.
Put the dead locks on and it’s locked it’s either a cheap jammer that blocks the signal the first time or a design fault. the door cannot be slightly open as the horn beeps twice.
Ford’s are prone and some mercs according to guy who fitted the extra lock on the vans.
My van can be locked but one door will open sometimes also it will unlock and a door will stay locked.
I’ve seen CCTV of the vans lights flashing to indicate locked then a young man in a hoodie help himself.

Cheapo bright red flashing led pn the dash
Secret squirel switch so just switch it on before locking up
Might mean scrote ecpecting to be able to rummage silently gives it a miss as it doesn’t stop flashing, if they do have a grabber

But scanning for wireless signals from sat navs etc., that is 100% utter bollocks.

If it’s on stand-by, and has Bluetooth switched on, it would be easily picked up by a smart phone. Though precise location wouldn’t be given (I know both my neighbours have either a Samsung and/or a LG TV, but not who has which one)

As a post script to this story, I’ve had a reply from the manufacturer if anyone is interested:
“I have spoken to our Technical Team and they have advised the following.
Your car has a rolling code signal, meaning someone would need to be close by when the key is used to obtain the remote signal.
This signal changes every time the car is used, meaning they would not have access to your car with just recording the signal and getting in to the car once”.
Will be using heavyweight steering bar all the time from now on and not leaving portable SatNav in the car.

I’m somewhat dubious that the whole wireless key cloning thing actually happens.

Wireless copying of key signals definitely happens though. My wife was an insurance investigator for a short while and has seen security camera footage of it happening.

Biggest targets? Any Range Rover, and any Audi especially, but other VAG group stuff too. They were the vast majority (90%) of all stolen from owners property jobs, whether cloned keys, relay unlocking or breaking into houses and stealing car keys – on one occasion she spoke to someone who was asleep as the car thief took the keys from her bedside table 1 foot away from her head. 😳😳😳

One way remotes (remote to car) are a doddle to jam and then replay.

High end systems have full diplex comms with challenge response algorithms, very smiliar to how SSL works between your web browser and server. Those are impossible to break in, at least in theory

The RFID keyless entry is a different story though, because it doesn’t need the owner to perform action (button press) and thiefs are known to be able to extend the range between the car and RFID remote significantly without the knowledge of the owner

Who the hell ransacks a car and then locks it again on the way out? Something’s not right there, you’re doing well if they’ve bothered to close the door during a blizzard.

Where do you keep the keys when in the house? Hanging behind the front door? Rolling codes or no, can it be “plipped” with a stick or wire through the letterbox?

We had something similar on our estate and the one across the road a couple of years ago. Then 2 months later in a neighbouring area. 5-10 cars each time, all VAG. I don’t know about the others but ours was not keyless entry. Nothing much taken from ours as I disturbed them, funnily enough they left some items from my wife’s colleagues car that they had also done on the other estate.