Security

[phope]

In the village where we stay, the street where we used to live was targeted one evening some years ago by three opportunistic thieves - went up and down the whole street at 3am trying every house door and car door - I had them on CCTV trying our front door and my Mk7 Golf GTD that I had at the time - thankfully everything was locked, but a neighbour a few doors up had a Mercedes E Class stolen but recovered within a couple of days.

 

The neighbouring village had a very similar opportunistic theft just a few weeks back where someone had two cars taken. Thankfully, these are the only two attempts I know about in the last five years or so - both looking for easy steals where someone has left a door or window open, or keys in easy reach.

 

We're in a different part of the same village now (with some social housing close by which has had 2-3 police visits already in a few months!) and it always crosses my mind that there could be others out there looking for specific cars rather than opportunistic thefts - the new neighbourhood has various BMW M cars, Audi RS, umpteen Jaguar/Land Rovers and Golf GTI/R - we plan on getting a couple of hi-resCCTV cameras installed soon into our new house to compliment the top rated door locks I specced.

[BernieMat]

On 11/07/2021 at 18:40, ExSkoda said:

get a ghost it saved my last car and my new ones getting one fitted the day i get it,  also means you don't have to worry about faraday bags as they might unlock it but it they won't be able to start it.

Thanks - booked in for Wednesday 👍🏻

[BernieMat]

10 hours ago, phope said:

In the village where we stay, the street where we used to live was targeted one evening some years ago by three opportunistic thieves - went up and down the whole street at 3am trying every house door and car door - I had them on CCTV trying our front door and my Mk7 Golf GTD that I had at the time - thankfully everything was locked, but a neighbour a few doors up had a Mercedes E Class stolen but recovered within a couple of days.

 

The neighbouring village had a very similar opportunistic theft just a few weeks back where someone had two cars taken. Thankfully, these are the only two attempts I know about in the last five years or so - both looking for easy steals where someone has left a door or window open, or keys in easy reach.

 

We're in a different part of the same village now (with some social housing close by which has had 2-3 police visits already in a few months!) and it always crosses my mind that there could be others out there looking for specific cars rather than opportunistic thefts - the new neighbourhood has various BMW M cars, Audi RS, umpteen Jaguar/Land Rovers and Golf GTI/R - we plan on getting a couple of hi-resCCTV cameras installed soon into our new house to compliment the top rated door locks I specced.

Thanks - Helpful and incidentally police called today, based on my blackvue footage they think the same gang did 4 other burglaries on the same day in local towns so as you say, might not happen again for years if at all. 👍🏻 Getting a ghost 2 fitted on Wednesday .

[BernieMat]

21 hours ago, NRW said:

 

I am Truly Sorry to hear of this ordeal.  An Awful thing to happen.  Hope your Lad quickly  feels better- so I’d be thinking the same way as you.  About it all.  My repertoire of Swear words won’t help here, but I”m guessing you anticipated this with added security measures needed above a GTI. 

 

Got to say, honestly, I would be un-nerved by this.   I am fortunate that my Car is only rarely “on display” on the drive, languishing in our garage behind a remote door, - and in any case we too live in a decent area where there are far richer pickings nearby for such Scrotes.  I’m not so hung-Ho now as I was in earlier years. 

 

The Ghost is worth considering carefully. They’d only get your R by winching it onto a trailer, without the code.  But that’s a concern too, as they’d likely want the code from you/yours.   A tracker might interest you, but so might comprehensive GAP cover - so if the worst happens you get put back to square one, financially at least, over your ownership.

 

It’s down to different personality / mind set.  Is it “this car isn’t worth this sort of stress & hassle” which we’d all respect.   Or is it “ Ive worked hard, saved, sacrificed to get this car and I’m going to get my enjoyment from it” which would be readily understood too, along with the attached risks.   

I can’t decide for you, and you might feel differently once the shock, fear and anger subside over time.    But the idea of other family getting caught up in it is the hardest aspect and most difficult to resolve.  I couldn’t put a car in front of family.

if I think seriously of the same events unfolding for me, even tho Lovely wife would be saying for me to keep it as long as I wanted…..honestly, I’d be 100% looking at new  car adverts and getting valuations from Trade sources to get out of the R.   Your unlikely to lose much, if anything. Get a lesser model. You can always return in a few years if you still have the itch.  

My views & thoughts only here.  All you can do is what you feel is right and best - so whatever you decide is fine with me.  Good luck, and better days ahead for all of you. 👍

Thanks for the advice, very helpful. I’m going to stick with it, worked hard to get this and don’t want to be bullied into selling it. I’m getting a ghost 2 fitted this week and extra cctv and will be more careful about how empty the house looks next time we go away. 👍🏻

[BernieMat]

12 hours ago, Booth11 said:

@BernieMat What a truly awful ordeal. I do hope your son is ok, it must have been terrifying for him, and for the whole family.  It’s difficult but family comes first. 

Thanks Rebecca, hopefully a random one off and with some extra security we can hopefully relax and give it another chance 👍🏻

[NRW]

26 minutes ago, BernieMat said:

Thanks for the advice, very helpful. I’m going to stick with it, worked hard to get this and don’t want to be bullied into selling it. I’m getting a ghost 2 fitted this week and extra cctv and will be more careful about how empty the house looks next time we go away. 👍🏻

Thanks. You manage the risks in the way that works best for you mate. 
Hope it all pans out. 👍

[golfrnotgolfer]

Hi all. Hoping for some last minute reassurance before I collect my MK8 Golf R on the weekend. 

 

My home is in a nice part of a high car-crime UK city (you can probably guess which). 

It's a terraced street, so lots of neighbours.

My car is often not parked directly outside my house.

All cars are parked in a row bumper-to-bumper.

 

Based on the above (that the car's not on a driveway of a house so hopefully it's not obvious where the owner lives), I'm hoping a stoplock and ghost will be a great solution for the car's security. What do you guys think?

 

 

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

With the recent spike in car thefts, and the attendant publicity (BBC programme available on iPlayer) I have been giving some thought to security, and this thought has led me towards a Ghost immobiliser, possibly combined with a tracker.  

 

I mentioned this to the salesman at the VW dealership when I picked the car up (2026 R with Performance Pack), and he mentioned that the warranty might be affected by the fitment of a Ghost, although said dealership does have a "tuning" department which can fit Ghosts.

 

Has anybody had any experience of electrical maladies after fitment of a Ghost III (the current model) to an 8.5R?

 

 

[Dollyman]

Would that be Peter Cooper ? When I took their Mk8 R for a test drive it had Ghost fitted so bit of double standards re warranty from them.


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[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

The very same!

 

Interesting, thanks for the reply.  I'm keen to get their reaction.

[dv52]

@Dr Mike Oxgreen: Hi.

 

To add to the previous reply and as I'm sure you already know - the entire question of what level of theft protection to add to a new car is fundamentally a risk-management issue. This means that it is an individual choice based on a series of personal value judgements. And perhaps more importantly, it also means that there will be a wide range of correct answers.

 

I'm not sure if you are aware - but VW already add a number of anti-theft facilities in MQB-evo platform cars! These features include:

• Component Protection (CP): This prevents the trade of stolen modules on the black-market (CP modules are uniquely tied to the car's VIN, so a stolen module won't work if installed in another car without specific autorization by the deities on the VW mother-ship)
• Immobilizer - version 6:  This is an enhanced of the V5 immobilizer used in the older MQB build cars. V6 has stronger cryptography and better integration with CP and the Telematics function (see next dot-point)
• Telematics: The telematics systems allow police-assisted recovery by transmitting the vehicle’s location. Thieves can remove or power‑cut GPS/telematics hardware, or use illegal GPS jammers - but these methods require skill
• Cybersecurity Protection: MQB-evo introduced a new protection protocol called SFD2 specifically to combat unauthorized access to the car by unauthorized agents. I've criticized some of the consequences of SFD2 - but it fundamentally works as an anti-theft protection facility  

Of course, the facilities above won't guarantee that a Golf mk8/mk8.5 will not be stolen- but they do provide a degree of anti-theft protection.

 

Your risk management question asks how much protection is prudent on your new car? Don't get me wrong - I reckon that it's a good question. However and IMO, the answer should be informed by an understanding of the stuff above - maybe read THIS which is from a local UK locksmith?

 

Don 

 

[Scudgie]

The dealer's response to aftermarket security systems is a very important factor when deciding whether to buy a car.

 

When I placed my order for the mk8r in 2021, I asked the supplying dealer if fitting an aftermarket immobiliser and tracker would void my warranty.  I was told that it wouldn't providing it was fitted by a professional. When placing my order for the mk8.5r in 2024 I didn't bother asking because I thought the same would apply.

 

Both cars had their fair share of gremlins but VW dealers attitude to this aspect has changed in my opinion. I lost count of how many times I visited the garage  about the mk8.5 PV4 debacle and I was so frustrated when they started suggesting the tracker was at fault. Felt like I was being fobbed off 100% of the time.

 

Whether this is indicative of all manufacturers approach to aftermarket security nowadays I could not say, but it's a concern nonetheless.

 

 

[Scudgie]

9 hours ago, dv52 said:

Your risk management question asks how much protection is prudent on your new car? Don't get me wrong - I reckon that it's a good question. However and IMO, the answer should be informed by an understanding of the stuff above - maybe read THIS which is from a local UK locksmith?

 

It's a good shout acknowledging the advancement in Manufacturer's security systems fitted to cars these days, but I don't think consumers' desire for convenience upgrades etc ultimately helps the situation. 

 

Take, for example, the keyless entry feature which, in the UK at least, has resulted in an increase in the amount of curtains being measured by opportunists during the early hours of the morning.

 

According to the Metropolitan Police, electronic devices - including relay theft - accounts  for more than 60% of car thefts in London.

 

Whilst there's some very simply steps you can take to mitigate relay thefts (faraday etc), and Manufacturers now program key fobs to stop corresponding if inactive for a given period of time, the question has to be asked whether this technology is really worth it?

 

As for VW's telematics module, I seem to remember that one of the first mk8r stolen in the uk in 2021 had that module ripped out.

[dv52]

12 hours ago, Scudgie said:

As for VW's telematics module, I seem to remember that one of the first mk8r stolen in the uk in 2021 had that module ripped out.

John: As I said, the resolution of risk management issues is like the answer to the question: how long is a piece of string? Everyone's different answer is correct and no-one bothers to revisit their decision unless the car is actually stolen!

 

Yes, the module can be "ripped out" - but then what happens to the car? It can be driven, but the vehicle will complain and I can't imagine that the car could be sold as a working vehicle. I guess that the car could be stripped apart - but again, Component Protection would limit the sale value of components on the black market!

 

Also, I didn't include the point about the Telematics module in my reply - but it's probably worth saying now that you referred to this module in your response. The protections that the Telematics module provide as anti-theft are very-much after the car has been stolen. If the focus of the decision maker is about mitigating the theft of the car in the first place - I doubt that the Telematics protections will be given any consideration!

 

Don 

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Don, I would like to thank you sincerely for your informative responses on this subject.

 

I'm still undecided about the fitment of a Ghost, but I'm reassured that VW have paid some attention to theft-proofing the R, it had become the Escort Cosworth/Jaguar Mk2 of its era, in being the getaway car of choice for the criminal classes, and a target for joyriders, resulting in a reduction in the pleasure of ownership for many of us.

 

Thanks again, and kind regards

 

 

Ian