Sadly my 2022 Type S was stolen this week , right from my own building's underground garage! I was hoping the TLX had more robust anti-theft security features compared to the Lexuses (which are easy to steal according to the news), but I guess that is not the case. Apparently the thieves were able to drive off without a key, so they probably brought there own programmable one. Aside from the hassle of dealing with insurance adjusters, it's just super inconvenient not having my car! While I really do want another Type S, if they are even available without long delays, I'm wondering if I should get something else. I read in the news another Type S around the region was also stolen a week ago so maybe someone is targeting them for shipment overseas.

 

I am so sorry to hear that! But unfortunately, we are having a big issue with car thefts in Canada. I noticed you’re from Canada so thought to share.

It doesn’t matter what car you buy, your car won’t be safe. Those nasty thieves will steal your car from your garage, driveway, malls or restaurant parking lot. My cousin’s Range Rover was stolen from his driveway last December and I watched the video, it just blew my mind. 3 young kids in their 17-20 age. They stole the car with style and my cousin never heard of it again.

I am sure you have seen the video where a RX350 was stolen under 90 seconds in Toronto.

Good luck with insurance, and I recommend no matter which car you buy. Put more safety measures.

 

Try adding one of those steering wheel clubs as another deterrent. For your next vehicle obviously.

 

What I do for all my vehicles is that I add a hidden kill switch toggle connected to the ignition fuse. It’s easy to do and easy to reverse if you want to remove it

 

Thanks Tony, yes, I am in Ontario where there's a major car theft epidemic - the worst I've seen in over 20 years! It's really disheartening and makes me mad. A quick Google search reveals another Type S stolen in Orangeville two weeks ago
Maybe thieves are targeting this specific model because I doubt it was random. My underground garage is filled with Audis, BMWs, Porsches. Maybe they are less easy to reprogram with code keys compared to the Japanese models?

Ironically, I do have a Club; just didn't have it on that particular evening. However, police said devices like The Club don't really prevent theft because these professionals can defeat them quickly. Are there any other security features that could slow them down short of barricading the vehicle?

 

Sorry to hear, but that's what insurance is for!

 

Maybe these thieves have a connection with an Acura dealer that is assisting them with getting keys/programming etc. Just smells like a dealership employee is involved with these thefts! Explains somewhat why the thieves ignored those other more expensive luxury cars in your garage! Guessing your Type S was the target prior to them even getting there.

 

I believe Japanese cars are easier to steal compared to Germans. I was told it’s very hard to steal Porsches.

Yes, car theft is all time high in Montreal region as well. Most stolen cars
are Honda and Toyota from what I read on the news. I think the sad part is police isn’t doing anything. Cars are getting stolen and sipped to other countries.

 

I doubt that! This whole operation is very well organized. I think they go after two things:
1. cars that are easier to steal
2. High demand in other countries

For example, I constantly hear RX350 and CRVs are getting stolen in Montreal region.

 

you got a link to something like that, would like to get one for my Type-S

 

Add me to the list. My Type S was stolen from my driveway recently. They're definitely easy to steal as compared to the German counterparts as my neighbours S5 and also Merc AMG and other German cars are parked outside over night and they're not touched. Acura system is a cake walk for these guys. They have finally pushed me back to German cars again. Gave up on another Type S as it will definitely get stolen sooner or later. Loving my S5 Sportback and it's not going to spend one night outside.

 

It seems like a lot of thefts have to do with using hardware that can amplify the signal or replay the signal from your key fob. When you are at home with the car in the driveway it's the perfect scenario because the key fob is close by. Maybe storing the key fob inside a thick metal safe would help stop that type of attack.

Many of the Japanese cars are also getting stolen by tapping into the car's canbus system through wires in headlights. If you ever see someone messing around the front fender of a car, they are probably stealing it.

The only real foolproof way of stopping this from happening is a hidden kill switch. That's not as easy as it used to be with all the tech built into the car. Hmmm, maybe something simple like the fuel pump could be wired to a switch.

 

Search on amazon for Key Fob Protector Box. $10-15. They work.

 

Pretty sure we are beyond that as the other member mentioned that in his underground parking his Type S was targeted while German cars were not. Also many are stolen from malls or public parkings, at least in Toronto they are. It's a complete disaster here. Do not leave your car anywhere and invest in some Apple air tags and hide them where they can't easily find them.

 

I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss this as a deterrent. My previous car was a BMW and this topic was discussed at length on its forums. A couple years ago, BMW developed a new key fob with an accelerometer. After a couple minutes with no movement, the key shuts down all signal emission. This is precisely to prevent thieves from catching/repeating the signal from your key sitting in your home or office to start your car nearby. I'm not aware of any such feature with the Acura fob. This may contribute to the apparent targeting of the Acura over the Germans.

 

It wasn't too far back there were reports of theives being able to pickup the signal from the fob in the house and use it to steal cars left in the driveway. For those that are in a parking garage it's probably not gonna help but there is value to it in other homeowner settings and the cost is hardly anything. Putting the fob in the box is the only effort needed which for women who like to leave it in the purse may be too much to ask.

 

RF shielding key fob pouches will block off the key fob signal. Very useful, especially if the vehicle is left parked outside the house.

The only drawback is that you need to take out the key fob to lock and unlock the vehicle.

 

i think so too...Honda and Toyota systems aren't strong enough.

 

There was a story on our local news last night about a rash of new Infiniti thefts. The story said the thieves are buying a black box (which evidently is not regulated in any way) that allows them to program blank fobs and drive the cars away. Supposedly, the boxes cost about 10-12K each, but if the perps can rip off a few Infinitis every night, they're getting a good ROI.

A hidden kill switch may be the only defense.

 

This is one of the most interesting videos you can watch:
Canada is out of control. Highly recommended for our fellow Canadians to watch this.

 

Wow, that's insane. Clear answer is better theft security in the vehicles, strong enforcement efforts against the perps and much stricter surveillance, monitoring, etc. of the shipping container process.

The guys who steal these cars are just minions. There's obviously a well-organized crime effort at the top of the chain here.

 

Absolutely! This is well organized and many government bodies are involved. How these cars leave Montreal port like a piece of cake?

Today, I read 3 posts about stolen cars on Facebook (our community group). Highlander, CRV and RDX. 3 cars in one night in a small community.

 

Roughly 1,000 cars stolen in Seattle just in the month of August. It's absolutely out of control.

 

The scarier part is these guys are so brazen now they wait at the parking lots for nice cars to show up and just take it at gun point as soon as you step out and I agree that we have 2 or 3 ports where these cars are shipped out of. You'd think that Police force would set up a station there and just go through all the containers. We all know where the majority of cars are shipped to!!! You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure this out.

 

The theft rate in Canadian cities is totally insane. I'm afraid to even get a new vehicle because it may get stolen right again - seems like open season on Toyotas and Hondas. The manufacturers bear some blame if they know about all these vulnerabilities in their systems why are they not required to patch them like any other IT infrastructure? It's high time vehicle systems get security reviewed and certified against industry infosec standards like ISO 27001, PCI, etc. Secondly, the laws against auto thieves is too lax. The people doing the stealing, who then offload to other larger criminal enterprises, have no deterrent not to do this again.

 

Yeah, I still don't know how they cloned the signal in my key. I suspect they had something hidden close to my car so when I went to the parking garage it got me there. I typically only use the touch handles to lock and unlock the vehicle. There was one time last week I may have used the remote start so maybe they got me there. I would imagine, it would be very difficult to spot these signal interceptors if they can be placed away from line of sight. Or maybe I was targeted in a public parking lot, air tagged, and they located my vehicle. As I said, they didn't take any of the other high end vehicles in my building, which means they were looking for my particular model.

 

Need that spray from the movie “The Jackal” that he sprayed on the back of his SUV open/close handle. Not good for those touching the handle

 

100%!

Manufacturers should do something about this. I can’t talk about other provinces but Quebec is out of control. I know someone who’s RDX was stolen 2X in less a year!

 

Sadly another TLX was stolen over the weekend. Someone posted this to YouTube. So distressing that this car can be had in less than 2 mins.

 

The timing of this thread I tell ya. My car was parked overnight in the driveway and low-and-behold someone tried stealing it. Around 3 AM there was someone were standing by the door but fortunately, the driveway camera and floodlight turned on, they seemed to get spooked and bee-lined it right away. Hopefully they don't come back. I set up more lights, another camera and got a Faraday box. I'm in Toronto by the way.

 

Wow, sounds like Type S is being targeted in the area. This is so scary for Acura owners. I'm glad they didn't get your Type S.

How do we defend against this? If you look at the video carefully, after they get in, they have a lighted device in the car so it's probably an OBD port attack where they reprogram the computer using a handheld device with a virgin key they brought with them. I wonder if there is any way to block access to OBD? That may be the only way to stop this type of theft because they are literally driving away with the car without the original key. Major fail from Acura not being able to stop this vulnerability from proliferating.

 

They will be back. Try blocking your car in with some old car if you have one. I'm assuming that you don't have a garage.

 

If you guys think Honda/Acuras are easy to steal, then after watching this video you will forget that. In less 2 min a brand new Lexus RX is gone from the owner’s driveway!

 

@ELIN would be great if you know someone to let us know how much their Lexus insurance has gone up as the RX, Rav4 and Highlanders are getting stolen like hot cake in Canada. I know you were curious about Acura....thought to share Lexus as well
6.7% of RX were stolen in Canada between 2016-2022. Highest in ranking!

 

Wonder why Canada has become such a hotbed for car thefts. Thieves have some sort of in with the shipping containers outfits to export stolen vehicles? Hmm!!

 

Good question. Not sure but everything is shipped via Montreal. We have the port, which is located 15 min from the heart of the city. So, I am assuming it’s very easy to bring the car there. Also, as I mentioned before I am sure this is organized crime. Many people are involved in this operations. You can’t just take a stolen car, and ship it to UAE or Africa without proper documentation. That said, unfortunately the situation is bad. We are talking about Honda and Toyotas but a lot of F150s, and Range Rovers are getting stolen. There are two big reasons:
1. Easy to steal (I guess)
2. Higher demand for those brands/cars

 

Not too many folks in my circle have Lexus. At this time last year, I was seriously considering the NX. The dealer wanted ADM for the hybrid version but I wouldn't budge. The NX is a lot smaller than the X3 or RDX so it was ultimately an easy pass for me.

These thefts are a major issue for Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura, and Nissan/Infiniti. There's not a huge differentiator in terms of car security from the parent company to the premium brand. This will not necessarily drive folks to the Germans but a customer on the fence will have to wonder what exactly they're getting for their money in the premium brand.

A real-world example is I'd rather have a well-equipped X5 over the MDX Type S for similar money, especially if it's less likely to be stolen!

 

Hahah. My experience drove me back to Germans after a long time.... I know that my replacement would be stolen again. Just can't be bothered to deal with that again. Can't leave that cat anywhere in the city.

 

Do you know if security measures are tighter for Audi vs Volkswagen?

 

Don't have details on that. When my neighbourhood got hit they stole the usual suspects - Toyota, Lexus, Range Rover and Acura. German cars parked outside are still here months later so they def pick on the ones easier to steal.