BMW 535D security compromised?

livEwirE · 18-01-2010 3:29pm #1

Hi all,

Posting this on behalf of a work colleague, we'll call him Frank.

This morning Frank looked out his front window onto his driveway and noticed that all of his car windows were open. His car is a BMW 535D E60. The house next door is rented by a Lituanian couple who moved in just before christmas, before than it was owner occupied. The guy does not work, has an old 5 series BMW and he has a friend who regularly comes around to visit. They were standing in front of the rented house this morning having a cigarete. When Frank asked them about the windows they didn't seem too surprised and said that it was probably down to a problem with the alarm. Now Frank is wondering if they somehow scanned his key and were able to unlock the windows. He contacted his BMW dealer and they said there is no way the key could be scanned. They said he probably accidentily pressed the key in his pocket the previus evening and didn't notice. Although he keeps his key in his pocket and has had the car for 3 years and this has never happened before!?! BMW claim there is no way the codes can be scanned from the key.

Frank would really like to hear feedback on what you guys think. Is it possible the the Lithuanians somehow opened the car or is he being paranoid?

PLEASE NOTE: I am NOT discriminating againist Lituanian or unemployed people. I am just including the facts as I have been given them.

Cheers,
~livEwirE~

Cuddlesworth · 18-01-2010 3:38pm

Going to go with Paranoid or electrical problem.

mikewest · 18-01-2010 3:40pm

Don't know how relevant this is but I have seen an E39 roll down its front windows whenever the doors were locked from the key fob. This was corrected by disconnecting the battery and letting everything reset itself. Also with E39's (I know different model) if the battery is running low strange things start happening like ghost error lights and windows operating when they shouldn't.

unkel · 18-01-2010 3:45pm

Hold on a second. There's a Lithuanian man living next door who doesn't seem to have a job and Frank suspects / accuses him of messing with his car. Based on what exactly?

Matt Simis · 18-01-2010 3:50pm

unkel wrote: »

Hold on a second. There's a Lithuanian man living next door who doesn't seem to have a job and Frank suspects / accuses him of messing with his car. Based on what exactly?

Yeah, Frank really needs to get that burning cross fired up.
What happend to "Frank's" car is someone, possibly Frank, sat on or held down the "unlock" button on the remote, which when held opens all the windows.

Most modern cars have this feature, but its a bit a of a dubious one as this happens, a lot. The Phaeton I had also featured this and a power open boot. Several times I came outside in light rain to find the windows (all of them) slightly (or fully) open. Once I was in Tescos in Maynooth and must have sat on the boot open button (in the crappy cafe they have upstairs) and when I came out the boot was fully open, PC sitting in there.

I looked around for minorities, but in the end had to accept it was my fault.

Mena · 18-01-2010 3:52pm

unkel wrote: »

Hold on a second. There's a Lithuanian man living next door who doesn't seem to have a job and Frank suspects / accuses him of messing with his car. Based on what exactly?

This looks like one of those AH threads where 83% of the responses are "Dey Turk our Jawbs!" ...

Voodoomelon · 18-01-2010 3:54pm

Indeed, i've found my boot open more than once because i've somehow pressed the open boot button.

Does Frank know he can open the windows remotely?

fifth · 18-01-2010 3:59pm

Matt Simis wrote: »

Yeah, Frank really needs to get that burning cross fired up.
What happend to "Frank's" car is someone, possibly Frank, sat on or held down the "unlock" button on the remote, which when held opens all the windows.

Most modern cars have this feature, but its a bit a of a dubious one as this happens, a lot. The Phaeton I had also featured this and a power open boot. Several times I came outside in light rain to find the windows (all of them) slightly (or fully) open. Once I was in Tescos in Maynooth and must have sat on the boot open button (in the crappy cafe they have upstairs) and when I came out the boot was fully open, PC sitting in there.

I looked around for minorities, but in the end had to accept it was my fault.

Have to say twice I've also found my accord open the boot when I've gone outside to drive it. The boots operated electronically by the key.

D_BEAR · 18-01-2010 4:12pm

Did he sit on the keys happened to my golf one night keys in my pocket. Neighbour told me my four windows were open as they do if you hold the open door button for as few seconds.

Tipsy Mac · 18-01-2010 4:23pm

Why would anyone bother opening the windows remotely to steal something within the car, they could cut out the gadgetry and just tap the window with a hammer?

langdang · 18-01-2010 4:25pm

As I understand it -
Way way back it was possible to"record" the signal sent by a key to the car, and replay it at a later stage.

These days remote keyfobs where security is important use a rolling code, where the only the key and the receiver (apartment security gates, car whatever) know the next code in the sequence.

So it's unlikely that the key has been cloned by "snooping" on signals - far more likely that the key was inadvertently pressed or maybe some body control module type gremlins?

Anan1 · 18-01-2010 4:44pm

Matt Simis wrote: »

I looked around for minorities, but in the end had to accept it was my fault.

Muckie · 18-01-2010 4:45pm

Was gonna say "they took eur jobs!" But these praticular fella's
didn't. More than lightly he pressed the fob by mistake.

Mr Benevolent · 18-01-2010 4:49pm

Ah xenophobia... the leading cause of car problems since, what, yesterday?

livEwirE · 19-01-2010 10:23am

Cheers for all the replies, Frank's mind has been put at ease as he know says he probabay did just accidentily press the button on his key fob to open the windows.

Seth Brundle · 19-01-2010 10:43am

Good stuff.
Now tell him to buy a present for his Lithuanian neighbours for being racist towards them!

HashSlinging · 19-01-2010 11:19am

Interesting, my wifes 1 year old Honda Civic VTI was stolen (burned out RIP) from her workplace about 10 years ago, and the guards told her that they were using a scanner to pickup the alarm code.

Now I presume in ten years things have moved on somewhat..

mickdw · 19-01-2010 11:30am

Some keys are very poorly designed. I can no longer keep my key in my pocket when at home as it will open the boot at least once each week if I do.

biko · 19-01-2010 11:33am

It's highly unlikely they would scan the alarm and then just roll down the windows.
Does Frank have the car keys in his pocket all the time?

livEwirE · 19-01-2010 12:41pm

@ Magnus yes, he generally does have his keys in his pocket all the time

19-01-2010 12:44pm

Frank sounds like a narrow minded retard to me, I don't mind if I get an infraction or a ban for saying that

_Kaiser_ · 19-01-2010 12:51pm

I'll go with the majority and say that he probably sat on the keys.

Only the other night when I was locking up, I looked outside and saw the boot of my Passat open (lucky it's a quiet cul de sac). Dunno when or how I did it, but I obviously must've hit the boot release button on the remote at some stage. Not the first time either.

Bit of a pain actually now that I think of it.

testicle · 19-01-2010 1:02pm

RoverJames wrote: »

Frank sounds like a narrow minded retard to me, I don't mind if I get an infraction or a ban for saying that

It's OK, Frank doesn't post here. You only get infracted for attacking the poster.

Tipp Man · 19-01-2010 1:05pm

If you hold down the unlock button on the fob doesn't it bring down the windows??

Gurgle · 19-01-2010 1:06pm

Magnus wrote: »

It's highly unlikely they would scan the alarm and then just roll down the windows.
Does Frank have the car keys in his pocket all the time?

Yes, surely the purpose of scanning an unlock code would be to steal the car, rather than to roll down the windows and sit outside the house waiting for the owner to show up so you can laugh at him...

BMW 535D security compromised?

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