Steering wheel locks

Cyber-Mav

Cyber-Mav

Cyber-Mav

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Joined
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Just spotted a 2016 audi a4 sline with a steering wheel lock on it at a supermarket carpark.
Iv seen these locks on older cars but first time seeing it on a such a new car.

Anyone else use these sort of devices on new cars? I know they were popular on cars made in the 80s and 90s
 
Yup - bought for my Abarth when I had it as they come with zero security - and a nice visible deterrent works wonders, now use on the 500x out of habit
 
I was under the assumption all cars 2000 onwards had decent factory immobilizer as standard.
If yours is the abarth 500 thats a modern car and i thought factory standard alarm and immobilizer would be thatcham cat 2 or better.
Interesting that.
 
Totally get why people would want to do this - I've considered it myself.

My sisters car (2019 Fiesta) was stolen off her drive-way in the night without the keys. It was shown on CCTV to flash as if opened with the keys, started and driven off. Turns out they had used some kind of scanner to make a replica key.

An old fashioned lock still has a place.
 
Airbags are being stolen at an alarming rate these days so any deterrent that bolts over it will work. Some will mark a steering wheel though if not careful....
 
Having watched various YouTube videos of how easy these are to remove, I wouldn't bother tbh, someone who has gone to the effort of a key relay attack or similar is unlikely to be put off by a lock which takes 10 seconds to shim or rake open
 
Really don’t want one taking up storage space and rattling around, at home the cars are covered by CCTV and if out and about the chances are far slimmer of the car being targeted. If someone wants the car that much then I’d rather it was just taken, that’s what insurance is for.
 
They made a comeback when manufacturers decided that gimmicks and convinence > security. They went wireless but used weak encryption and there is nothing to prevent man-in-the-middle or relay attacks.

I'm think someone has cracked the encryption on some of them and can now open them without even relaying the key signal though. A couple of neighbours had the cars opened and ransacked while the keys were in a signal blocker (a Merc and a LR).

The big problem with these wireless devices is unless the manufacturer constantly updates the firmware and fixes security holes, after a few years they will be easily crackable. What would have taken a million years 10 years ago is probably now only a few months, or weeks.
 
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They can be a good visual deterrent these days, a lot of modern car thieves have become lazy with all this keyless entry and the ability for it to be hacked etc, they are not as likley to to put in as much physical effort and brute force as the old school criminals. Of course if somebody really wants the car they will find a way to get it no matter what but a steering lock can be enough for them to skip your car and go after an easier target that doesn't have one.

Steering lock saves this rs6 from being stolen WALSALL

 
Cyber-Mav said:
I was under the assumption all cars 2000 onwards had decent factory immobilizer as standard.
If yours is the abarth 500 thats a modern car and i thought factory standard alarm and immobilizer would be thatcham cat 2 or better.
Interesting that.
Click to expand...
Nope no alarm from the factory - immobiliser yes, which takes seconds to bypass via the OBD port
 
always used one even when i was in the security business best advice i was given was make your car look harder to steal than the one parked next to you .....modern technology has got better but also to a degree as said made it easier to steal vehicles. was long ago keys coded to ecus etc were heralded as the best security... then a company in europe made a obd plug to overide the ecu , now we have a rise in car thefts from hacking and signal generating for keyless etc.

if it was designed by man it doesnt take long for another man to work out how to bypass it..so any extra detterant you can fit will help
 
One of the best ways is still a hidden kill switch to the coils or fuel pump etc. Or if it's going to be parked up for a while un-used, yank some fuses out.

Simple stuff but it would take ages for someone else to figure out. Too long for a thief.

Definitely pull out the OBD port fuse if you aren't using it.
 
Keyless is convenient, but an absolute liability for security. You can build a Rolljam kit for £35ish, physical security (or as above physically disabling the car) is realistically the better option if you want the car to still be where you left it.
 
However some new cars have a fob that goes to sleep after not detecting motion, thus preventing relay attacks. Audi, BMW, Ford and Mercedes have this. Don't about other manufacturers. It wasn't that long ago that cars could be stolen with a 50p screwdriver or a coat hanger...
 
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