How can I stop my new keyless car from being targeted by thieves?

I will take delivery of a new Jaguar XFin a couple of weeks. One downside is the thought that the keyless entry system may allow determined thieves to steal the car. Is my new car more or less vulnerable than any other makes? I have purchased two faraday bags to store the keys, as you have recommended others to do and I am looking to buy a steering lock. Which lock do you recommend? Are there any other security measures that I should consider.
A keyless entry system does make your car more vulnerable to theft so the very first port of call, if you're concerned, should be to check with the dealer, or in the manual, if the keyless entry system can be disabled. On some models, this is a simple case of double pressing the lock button on the keyfob. In keyless theft, generally what happens is one person stands near the house with a relay device to amplify the signal from the keyfob in your home. This signal is extended and is then picked up by a transmitter near your car (which is why it's often a two-man job). This basically tricks your car into thinking the key is present because. Thieves can then enter the car, start the ignition and drive away if you have keyless ignition - if not, they can steal whatever is inside the car. Faraday bags are a good preventative measure, they work by blocking electromagnetic fields. This stops radio frequencies from being amplified, all you have to do is put your key in the little bag. We recommend this one (amzn.to/2WzCkVi) - which we've reviewed here: kit.honestjohn.co.uk/reviews/review-monojoy-keyles.../

If you want a more physical solution to put your mind at ease, I'd take a read of our steering lock reviews. We've tested both the Stoplock Pro (kit.honestjohn.co.uk/reviews/stoplock-pro-review/) and Disklok (kit.honestjohn.co.uk/reviews/review-disklok-steeri.../). If you don't want to pay anything, you can actually just put your keys in a tin with a sealed lid and that sometimes stops the signal being picked up. It's very easy to test, simply put your key in a tin (like an empty biscuit tin) and then walk out to your car. If it doesn't unlock when you're close by then it isn't picking up the signal.

Alternatively, you can buy a security post (amzn.to/2J3Vv6s) or a tracker like the Rewire Security Nano Tracker we've reviewed, which also recently won our Car Security Award: kit.honestjohn.co.uk/reviews/review-spytrack-nano-.../

For a pricier solution, we'd look into something like the Autowatch Ghost Immobiliser.
Answered by Georgia Petrie on

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