Possible way to clone car key/remote

[masertel]

I received an email from Hickleys regarding key programming presentations around the country. Looks interesting and may provide a solution to anyone on the forum wanting to get a replacement key/remote. Details are attached of the presentations. Unfortunately I can't attend as live in Norin Iron and the the presentations are in Leeds and Leyland. If anyone on the forum lives near these venues might be worth a visit as it would seem keys are becoming an issue as our cars get older.

 

[davy83]

interesting

 

[Contigo]

This is why so many cars are stolen via key reprogramming.

 

[masertel]

This is why so many cars are stolen via key reprogramming.

My understanding is most modern cars with sophisticated security are usually stolen by either stealing the keys from the owners house or car jacking the owner while in the car. To clone a key you need the original so not possible to bypass the cars security unless the thief actually has possession of the key. Logic would dictate that if the thief has the key why bother taking the risk of getting it cloned.

Best not to leave car keys where they can easily be stolen at home or when out and about- at the end of the day locks only keep honest people!!

 

[Contigo]

No actually it's usually none of those. Access to the OBD port, programmer and a blank key. Selling things like this only fuels those thefts....

 

[rockits]

A guy that worked with me for a while had his 320d broken into at night. They broken a window, got into the OBD port then could unlock car, boot and would have got the car started I guess but he disturbed them. They run off but it seemed pretty easy with a laptop. cable and software.

 

[Zep]

It’s quite common with the previous generation of a popular van.

The lock can be picked with a cheap tool from China. If you unlock it automatically unlocks the back doors. You leave the tools where they are, but knowing the combination you have a key cut to that, return the following night and code the key to the van using the OBD port. Then drive it off. This saves you the labour of carrying the stolen tools and you get a free van too.

 

[masertel]

No actually it's usually none of those. Access to the OBD port, programmer and a blank key. Selling things like this only fuels those thefts....

I can understand how thieves could grab the code for the alarm system and turn it off however fail to see how they could start and drive away in the car unless it was keyless start. Surely they would still need the original key to cut a blank and then there is the embedded chip in the original key that needs to be present in order for the car to start. Maserati dealers struggle to clone a key hence the difficulties members on this forum are having sourcing a spare key for their cars.

Not sure if other marques are easier to make off in but know from experience trying to get a spare key for my 4200 Spyder it's not possible to reproduce aftermarket unless you have at least one of the original keys and access to the car.

Have no doubt modern cars with keyless starting are prone to being cloned via the OBD port but a good old fashioned 4200 with a chipped key is much harder.

 

[davy83]

I would tend to agree that the 3200 would be pretty hard to run off in, I can barely get mine to go and I have the key and central locking keys . I got my master key re-created and got spares made, but it required the immobiliser to be removed from the car and reprogrammed as well as the keys. I also had to go through a process to get new uncut keys from Maserati. and I still needed the little RFID chip in the key, and my central locking and alarm key fob to get the whole thing to work, its not easy to get round all of that I suspect.