The Highway Loss Data Institute has conducted a study to determine which vehicles are most likely to be stolen in the US. The 3 Series was named the least stolen car on the institute’s list, followed by the Tesla Model S and Model X, which is good news for BMW owners. That could potentially be somewhat unfortunate news. Is the 3 Series less stolen because it is less desirable than other cars or is it simply too difficult to steal?
Sadly, there isn’t a simple response to that. HLDI claims that the Dodge Charger Hemi and the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat are the two cars that are most likely to be stolen, but this is fairly painlessly evident. The Infiniti Q50 is third on the list. These three automobiles all have claim rates for total vehicle theft that are more than five times higher than the national average.
According to Matt Moore, senior vice president of the institute, “the models most likely to be stolen tend to be powerful, expensive, or pickups, but car theft is also a crime of opportunity.” The best solution to the issue would be to install better security systems on all automobiles. The Cadillac Escalade managed to surprise us in one small way. The large SUV had long dominated lists of the most stolen vehicles, but this time it didn’t even make the cut.
The Infiniti QX80 and the Land Rover Range Rover, which are currently among the most stolen vehicles, are among the competition that the large luxury SUV now faces in that category, according to the statement. The fact that Cadillac has made steps to make its vehicles more difficult to steal starting in 2015 may possibly play a role. Making your car unstealable is the greatest method to prevent it from being on one of these lists, as Moore advised.
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How to Steal a BMW in less three minutes by hackers
The bad guys are utilizing technology to steal our beloved four-wheeled buddies as it is being employed to secure cars.
An claimed YouTube video depicts the theft of a BMW 1 Series using a novel method.
The theft happens along these lines. The burglars must first obtain entry to the car. In the video up above, they appear to exploit a weakness in the vehicle’s ultrasonic alarm sensor system to break a window without sending off the alarm. Then, while the thieves are at work, an RF jammer is employed to keep the rightful owner from getting into the car. The bad guys then easily reprogram a new key for the automobile using a readily available key programmer by connecting it to the car’s OBD-II on-board diagnostics connection.
Because cars sold in Europe must permit unsecured access to OBD codes so that independent mechanics can read codes and service vehicles, this hack is made possible. It appears that the bad guys are now taking advantage of this consumer-friendly flexibility.
According to some accounts, this method may have been used to steal up to 300 BMWs this year alone. All BMW series cars, from the 1 to the X6, are reportedly susceptible to this method.
Gavin Ward, the UK media relations manager at BMW, provided the following statement to the auto blog Jalopnik:
All auto manufacturers have a continuing challenge in the fight against more cunning criminals. Desirable, high-end vehicles like BMW and its rivals have historically been the focus. BMW has always been at the forefront of auto security and is continually pushing the limits of cutting-edge defense technologies. To accomplish this, we collaborate closely with the government and other manufacturers.
We are aware of recent allegations that criminal gangs are allegedly targeting expensive cars made by a number of different manufacturers. Investigations are being done in this area.
In order to comprehend any patterns that might appear, we are in continual communication with police forces. Based on this information, we improve our defense systems. Currently, all international legal requirements for vehicle security are met or exceeded by BMW Group products.
Nowadays, it seems that a car’s entertainment system is protected better than the actual vehicle.
Overnight, thieves stole a BMW 3-Series, causing $22,000 in damages.
Most car enthusiasts worry about parking their vehicles in public places since accidents could happen overnight, but this BMW owner from Germany had a much worse experience. Their 3-Series had various parts removed, including the dashboard and the entire front end, with estimated losses of about EUR20,000 ($22,000).
Last weekend’s tragedy happened in Hilden, Germany’s Lindenplatz neighborhood. The 3-Series’ 22-year-old owner left it locked in a parking lot overnight. Two persons discovered the car had been “cannibalized” by thieves early in the morning and called the police.
The whole front end of the 3-Series, including the bumper, hood, and headlights, are absent, rendering it completely unrecognisable. The engine compartment had also been broken into and many parts had been taken, leaving the automobile stranded. Typically, thieves target parked cars’ wheels or catalytic converters, but in this instance, they had other targets in mind.
Interestingly, the theft spree continued inside the BMW’s cabin rather than coming to an end there. The complete dashboard assembly, the steering wheel, the infotainment screen, the gearknob, the center console, and a number of door trim components are all missing from the vehicle.
We can identify that this is a sixth-generation 3-Series (F30) from the appearance of the remaining pieces inside the cabin, which was built at any point between 2012 and 2018. Even though it might make more sense for the owner to buy a new car rather than fix this mess, the $22k estimate for the cost of repairs sounds very true based on the level of missing and damaged components.
In any event, we hope that the insurance provider will reimburse the unfortunate owner and that the authorities will apprehend the bold criminals. The Mettmann police are requesting any information from witnesses who may have seen a big car or a van in the region between the late hours of Friday, June 3rd, and Saturday, June 4th. On that front, the investigation hasn’t produced any suspects to date.
Automobile makers appear unwilling (or helpless) to protect their new key systems.
With a firmly entrenched tongue in cheek and a cynical eye, Absurdly Driven approaches the corporate world.
a bonus for their achievement, their social standing, or even their dedication to social mobility.
Strangely, though, I read a headline this week that made me pause and reflect about my life’s course.
The Daily Mail murmured, “BMW confesses it is helpless to stop thieves from stealing its newer keyless cars using equipment that are easily available online.”
I can finally attain my rightful, superior station in life, and my reward (and happiness) can be taken away from me instantly?
Those keys that you don’t have to put into the ignition appear to be the problem.
They let your automobile know that you have the key fob by sending a signal from your pocket, and as a result, it follows your commands.
On the other hand, thieves can purchase a “relay box” online. The signal from your key fob is extended and bounced to a person nearby the car, who then gets in and takes off with it.
I repeatedly phoned BMW to get its opinion. The automaker remained silent in response.
However, The Mail claims to have seen an email from BMW to a client that contained the following statement: “We cannot take responsibility.”
According to reports, the corporation admitted that it was “powerless” in the face of “the highest level of criminal energy.”
Oh, I’m not sure if it’s the highest amount of criminal energy I’ve ever witnessed to go online, buy a gadget, and then take off with a companion to steal a car in a matter of seconds.
However, David Jamieson, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner in the UK, is not pleased with the automaker’s strategy.
He told the Mail that BMW’s treatment of the driver was “arrogant and outrageous.”
However, this is a smaller aspect of a larger problem with technology’s quick acceptance of human sloth.
People only want things to be made simpler. It was discovered that inserting a key into a hole was exceedingly laborious.
Of course, these problems aren’t exclusive to BMW. Every manufacturer is adding this alleged “convenient access” to autos.
It’s a part of a desperate attempt to use every technical trick in the book in an effort to thrill.
Some could scoff that the older method of car theft at least had the capacity to cause a commotion when it came to the highest criminal energy BMW break-ins.
When their automobiles are later found with no signs of a break-in, insurance companies start to wonder if the owner is making everything up.
Personally, I’ve found the latest electronics in rental cars to be a little irritating at times.
I constantly forgetting to take the key out of the cup holder after placing it there.
It’s simple to point the finger at automakers, but they would counter that they’re simply providing consumers what they want.
BMW 3 Series: Is it stolen?
Think again if you believed that expensive cars would attract thieves. Believe it or not, a research by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) found that the two-wheel-drive BM3 series had the lowest theft rate. Only one BMW 3 Series was stolen in 2019 out of 104,901 insured vehicles, according to the analysis. The best theft-prevention system in this BMW model, according to experts, deters burglars from targeting it.
BMWs are they easy to steal?
Modern vehicles have excellent security systems that make theft virtually impossible, such as the BMW 3 Series and Tesla Model S.
Modern anti-theft devices have significantly reduced crime rates and discouraged burglars.
A
In recent years, powerful anti-theft technologies like GPS trackers have been installed in many cars so that owners can keep tabs on where their vehicles are at all times. Some vehicles will also notify their owners of any suspicious activities and turn on a kill switch to halt the engine.
Even though there have been fewer documented occurrences of car theft since 1990, residents of high-car theft areas typically pay substantially higher insurance premiums than residents of nearby communities. This is not shocking given how expensive it is for insurance companies to settle theft claims.