1M almost stolen in Switzerland

[1M]

Hi guys,

My 1M was almost gone this afternoon, while parked in a residential underground private carpark, close to Geneva, in a very calm area.
Pretty sure they knew that the car was there.

This is how I found the car with both windows open, inside light on.



This is how they got inside:



And obviously they have connected to the OBD:



It's June 2011 car, with the keyless access and the BMW factory alarm.

So....

How come the car is still there?!...it should be gone...have they been disturbed? What do you think?

I will bring the car to the dealer on Monday, and, in the meantime, I have moved the car to a secured parking elsewhere.

Sad world, really.


.........

NOTE: I'm cross posting this thread.

Dackelone


Video: My BMW 1M Coupe Stolen in 3 Min as Part of Recent UK BMW Theft Spree Using OBD...
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=712717

[eeghie]

Horrifying experience, but so much better than without an 1M in your possession.

My guess why they did not succeed would be that at some point your dealer upgraded your CAS module software so that you can't program new keys without at least one existing key in the key socket ... (cars that left factory from 1st of September '11 onwards have this as default)

[Shroom]

Wow, thats crazy. Satisfying they didn't get it!!

[Rikx1M]

Glad ur car is still with you! The ease in which these BMWs are stolen by using OBD to program a new key is one reason i had my dealership move my OBD port!

[champignon]

These kind of thefts and attempted thefts, from what I have read on this forum, appear to be happening with much more frequency in Europe than in N. America, or at least the USA.

I am guessing it is because of proximity to where the thieves would want to ship them, with most of them probably going to Russia or the Ukraine and perhaps some to other authoritarian countries such as N. Korea.

In addition, the clusters of the US vehicles are in mph whereas in the rest of the world, including Canada, they are in kph. The cluster for these vehicles is presumably unique to the 1M, so too many orders coming in for cluster changes might alert the factory and the authorities to stolen vehicles, another reason for preferring ones outfitted with kph for vehicles to "relocated" to most of the places where a stolen one might go and be "undetected," or at least not looked for.

But Geneva? Now that is scary, if it is that easy to steal a vehicle like this in Switzerland, which by most any measure would be considered among the most "civilized" places on earth, we are really in trouble in the developed world.

[1M]

Yes it is scary, in a small village outside Geneva in very calm Switzerland.
Obviously, it was an order, someone who knew it was there and came specifically for it.

I will install whatever systems are required to protect better this car and will find another parking place to hide it.

To all 1M owners, especially in Switzerland: think about it, be very careful and protect your car.

[Nagata-San]

This is why I got a double safe parking lot + an IP camera spotted on the car with phone alarm.

[arvinz]

What is everyone's suggestions on an internal security cam to be placed in the car?

[Johann77]

sad news !! I'm also living in Switzerland and my 1M is always in a private parking near lausanne

I will have a look after if things are going well

good luck Mate

[CarJunkie]

Glad you still have your car!

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by eeghie

Horrifying experience, but so much better than without an 1M in your possession.
My guess why they did not succeed would be that at some point your dealer upgraded your CAS module software so that you can't program new keys without at least one existing key in the key socket ... (cars that left factory from 1st of September '11 onwards have this as default)

I guess too that the theft failed because your system got upgraded. Thieves try to (re)program the OBD (abusing a firmware feature as loophole).

Since mid November 2012 BMW offers two solutions as so-called "OBD fix":

• implementing modified firmware which prevents key (re)programming without the assistance of a BMW dealership;
• deleting the "automatic window-drop" feature when the key is kept in the left position inside the door lock.

See issue #19 of the 1M issues log sticky ("car theft vulnerability of 1M cars built before September 2011"):
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showp...27&postcount=1

Keep positive: you can have the damage repaired, which is always better than thieves repairing it somewhere in a dodgy outskirt on the face of the earth.

[ayao]

Has anyone in the USA had this firmware update?

[champignon]

Originally Posted by ayao

Has anyone in the USA had this firmware update?

My car was originally Canadian, and was manufactured on 9/1/2011. When I had the car into the BMW dealer recently I asked them to check on this issue, and they told me there was nothing that was needed to be done to the car, as it either wasn't needed to begin with, or had already been done in Canada. I think the key is the date of manufacture.

[Dackelone]

Maybe the thieves did know how to drive a manual ? <jk>

Looks like your car's sw update prevented the car from being stolen. Tow trucks are hard to get down inside most parking garage. I've seen new reports where thieves are using an amplifier at the person's house... the amp picks up the CA signal and allows them to start and drive the car. The car thinks the thief has the CA key on them, while in reality the key is several hundred feet away in the house. Bottom line... IF someone really wants your car... it will be theirs.

Maybe put the car away off the grid for awhile. They might be coming back to check up on the car. Also... IF you have Nav... don't ever put your exact home address in. Lots of thieves break in the car... looking for your home address - only to come to your home a few weeks later to take your auto.

You don't really need to relocate the OBDII port... but you could put in a secret switch to remove any +12volt power to the port. I put some HD black tape over the pins/port on my car.

Dack

[Traf]

I use JB4, pretty good for tuning and awesome for preventing OBD access.

[Ringer]

Jesus...

Glad you find it there.

[RS375]

In the UK there are a few 'desirable' cars that seem to be a hit with thieves using OBD access, some areas more than others.

Quite a few owners are doing the OBD improvements but are also fitting good old fashioned mechanical protection also. It's a bit old school but acts as a decent visual deterrent.

The disklok is proving popular:
http://www.disklokuk.co.uk/

I can confirm it works with the 1M steering wheel but would strongly advise using a wheel cover too, just to protect against indentations on the wheel.

As stated earlier, if professional thieves really want your car they'll probably get it, but in the meantime you can add layers of protection as a deterrent.

[Doctor///M]

Wow, that's insane. Glad the outcome wasn't a stolen car. Best of luck in getting it back to its original condition.

[BMWFanofone]

Wow... Didn't think there was much demand for these cars... at least not by your typical crooks.

[evolution80]

man i feel for you

in may 2012 a team of car thieves tried to steal my 1m as well - the lock from my girlfriends car which was parked behind my 1m looked exactly the same - luckily i disturbed them - but my girlfriends car needed a new door...

would have loved to shoot these low lives

[geeyore]

Originally Posted by champignon

appear to be happening with much more frequency in Europe than in N. America, or at least the USA.

My understanding is that EU laws mandate much looser availability of the device used to program new keys, and the keys themselves. Any allegedly legitimate service shop (including those that are not legitimate and are working in concert with criminal groups) can obtain the key components.

Whereas outside of the EU (e.g., in the USA) both components are very tightly controlled by the authorized BMW dealer network.

[eeghie]

Originally Posted by geeyore

My understanding is that EU laws mandate much looser availability of the device used to program new keys, and the keys themselves. Any allegedly legitimate service shop (including those that are not legitimate and are working in concert with criminal groups) can obtain the key components.

Whereas outside of the EU (e.g., in the USA) both components are very tightly controlled by the authorized BMW dealer network.

indeed, and the basic thought was that it should provide a healthy car service market by providing freedom of choice to the customer on where to buy their new car keys. Looks like it backfired, now that owners are less ripped of by the brand dealers but instead by common crooks that steal their cars ;-)

I would not mind having to disclose the colour of my underwear before any brand dealer would sell me a spare key and certainly when selling the equipment to program any blank key.