There are a number of very interesting points they have highlighted within the article, some of which makes for quite shocking reading.
So in summary:-
1 This fault has been known about by security experts for 3 years, but only in the past year-or-so have there been reports of 'mysterious vehicle thefts'
2 Thatcham has investigated and discovered that keyless entry cars were soft targets and that there is no easy solution to the problem.
3 The thieves process is foolproof (Jason, you were so lucky, mate *phew*) and they use the modus operandi we're all aware of which takes a maximum of 3minutes.
4 National Statistics show car crime fell >10% 2010/11 to 2011/12, but theft of luxury cars increased.
5 Last year in London, 39% of cars stolen were taken without keys. 2years before, that rate was almost zero. It is estimated about 1000 cars were stolen in London by this method last year.
6 Equipment for this type of theft is readily available (ST reporters had no problem obtaining it)
Now, the REALLY SCARY ONE
7 Insurers are beginning to refuse payouts for this kind of theft. There is a case of a guy having his 335i stolen in this manner, to be told by his insurers ' Your vehicle is almost impossible to steal without the keys....without a key the vehicle would not have been removable [unless] via winching the vehicle onto a recovery truck or trailer'. To the owner the implication was very clear: he was in some way complicit in the disappearance of the car - hence their refusal to pay out. The ST has since forced the insurer to back down with their evidence and they have now paid him out.
8 BMW drivers are not the only ones affected (no $h1t sherlock) and Police are concerned that the longer the loophole goes unplugged, the more common the crime will become. They are, however, achieving some convictions (but far from enough IMO)
9 Insurance companies are warning that the thefts will start to affect policies if they continue to rise as they are now fully aware of this issue and I quote ' we'll be monitoring the situation and possibly insisting upon additional security features such as a tracking device'
10 The problem for car makers is that there is no easy way to make their cars more secure. BMW said (usual tripe) that its cars met British security standards but forced them to comply with EU rules re OBD ports. It also said its new models had been updated so keys could not be cloned with CURRENT programming devices.
11 Iain Wallace of Thatcham said ' in terms of a possible solution, the first obvious thing is to somehow restrict physical access to the diagnostic port. This currently would be against EU law.......'
So, guys. If you haven't got one, get at the very least a physical, visible deterrent to theft and USE IT! Always. If you can move/modify your OBD port, do it. Nothing in EU law stops owners modifying this, and you can either supply the servicing dealer with the modified cable, or tell him the new location of your port. Be aware that if you do something 'silly', ie a super-cap across the terminals, and it blows BMW's diag system, they may be after you for damages, so think about it carefully.
I will be sending a link to this post to Matt for his perusal on his return from holiday, and I'm adding it to the thread Charles started, too,
HTH some of you
Nothing on the link, Perry 
