There is a rash of thefts concerning someone having a device that will open car doors in my Long Island neighborhood. It started this Christmas when my next door neighbor hid all her children's Christmas presents in her Ford SUV. The next morning all were gone. Now last month 6 cars on my block (all different makes and models) were entered and the interiors were ransacked in one night. Luckily my 2016 RDX wasn't touched. Someone said if you press the key fob twice no one can enter. The dealer debunked that, but was mystified how anyone could enter so many different cars in such a short period of time. I'm hearing other parts of my area are having the same problem. Short of disconnecting the battery, is there any way of preventing this?

 

yes, a faraday cage. the key fobs send out radio information which a $60 device bought on ebay can pick up and emulate to unlock doors.
the only way to prevent this from happening is by not using the key fob and use the actual Key.

i've heard of people sticking their keys in the freezer, but the key fob still has to come out and activate or deactivate the alarm...so if a crook is nearby, he could still intercept these codes...

 

Pull the fuse for the door lock actuators???

Assuming parking in a garage is not an option??

Guard dog?

 

There are lots of ways to unlock car doors. And the 'device' doesn't have to be electronic. With the right tool car doors can be unlocked in seconds. If they're using a 'shim', disconnecting the battery wouldn't help.

 

i park my car in the garage and if i stay the night in a shady area, i'm taking my fancy wheels off and putting the stock ones on, temp.

 

Although you are right, using a "shim" would set off the alarm when the door is opened. Disconnecting the alarm would disable the alarm system. I was thinking if the car locks didn't open remotely (pull the fuse) that might work. Admittedly pulling the fuse and replacing daily would be a pain in the ass. Ultimately if someone wants into your car they can do it - just how much effort are they willing to exert in doing so.

 

OTOH, not all cars have alarms. That might be why his RDX has been left unmolested. Stupid as those guys are, they probably know which cars to avoid.

 

On 6/18/17 at 4:00 am a woman in my neighborhood happened to look out her window and saw 2 individuals in her car and one rifling through her trunk, that she was sure she locked. She immediately called the police who responded within 5 minutes. The three seventeen year old males scattered leading the police on a foot chase through yards. All were eventually caught. They had stolen one of the cars that they had previously broken into that night adding to their felonies. Not sure if these 3 are the only ones breaking into cars. Am curious how they were able to break into all these cars without detection. Hopefully the police will get to the bottom of it.

 

Sounds good - thanks for the update.

 

teens - most likely gambling and just checking to see if doors are un-locked.

I know here in Houston and I think California, inside jobs allowed thieves to take jeep wranglers without setting off alarms, because they had master key code