RCCurtis

Actually, cars have been taken from driveways, where the owner was inside the house and keys were in his pocket or laying in a drawer. It's just a chance thing on the part of the thief. They walk up to a car and pull the handle. If their device is strong enough to reach the key then the door opens. If not, they just move on to the next car. You see that in action in the video in Force-1's post above. If the theft is reported the police just assume the owner forgot to lock the car.

Two thieves, working together, can boost the distance by using two devices. One goes into a restaurant carrying a device in a briefcase. The other thief walks the restaurant parking lot with another device.

Aluminum foil probably won't help, but a real Faraday Cage (fine mesh copper screen box) can definitely put a stop to this.

The final solution is time stamping the packets sent out by the car. But that has to be done by Audi.

iconoclast

yes, i understand but it is not this car that has that issue. the range is approximately three to five feet.

RCCurtis

All cars have a range of about 5 feet. Our TT and RS7 both have that limited range. If I'm on one side of the RS7 and wife is on the other she can't open. If I'm in a good mood I walk around the car and open the door for her. Otherwise I have to punch open on the key fob twice.

But thief with the device can still break in if your keys are within about 50 feet.

iconoclast

gotcha. either way, i am not too concerned. let them steal it... get a new car. life goes on.

i can tell who grabs the handle first because the seats adjust to the person who touched the handle.

RCCurtis

ha! My solution for THAT problem was expensive... got her a TT Mk3. I'm a passenger in that car.

iconoclast

multiple cars is not an issue but we often travel together that is when that issue occurs. in the end for anyone who may be concerned... you can lock the vehicle with the key by physically inserting the key into the lock cylinder and locking it. if it is locked with the key it can only be unlocked with the key.

chingwodapigu

I checked the locks on the vehicle and they haven't been touched. Most likely some kids in the neighborhood with a signal amp since they didn't even bother to take anything.

I'm storing the keys in a tin that has a lid. You can hold touching the door handle on the vehicle with the key inside and it won't unlock. I doubt the signal amplifier would be able to work at this point, but it is a bit of a hassle however doing this everyday. I'll probably just have to get a pet rattlesnake to keep in the car instead.

iconoclast

or just manually lock the door with your key if you are this concerned.

arU4ic

Sorry your car was broken into, that really sucks.

Better than a broken window or a jimmied lock though.

chingwodapigu

Much better than both of those options! Not really a big deal for me, but just wanted to give everyone a heads up that it can happen and wanted to see if anyone had experienced the same and what their solutions were for securing their keyless entry.