Security Issue
- Thread starter runboy
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S
s pudsey
Guest
NB What car list the NCSR rating for the A2 as 4/5 (both out of 5) - these are official ratings of theft from/of a vehicle. The Golf is unrated - everyone and his wife has a golf - common as dog dirt if U ask me and about as alluring....
Mar01 1.4A2 Open Sky, Bad electrics,odd clutch and very nasty paint effect caused by a "bug shifter", not polishable.....
Mar01 1.4A2 Open Sky, Bad electrics,odd clutch and very nasty paint effect caused by a "bug shifter", not polishable.....
chivers
Member
I just looked on the internet and found details of how to break into a Golf. It took less than five minutes to find out how. If I can find it then any teenaged thief could too. Even I could break into a car in a few minutes using the simple instructions I found, and my experience is limited to getting filing cabinets open in the office when people took the keys home by accident. It's very disappointing...
Chivers '
'
'02 A2 1.4TDi SE
Chivers '
''02 A2 1.4TDi SE
The official line from VW is that only certain cars from certain ages are prone to this type of security issue. (JD has the list)
S Pudsey...
Thanks for your veiw on the Golf.[V] For the record I don't agree but due to the fact that you won't be buying one, I suppose that means thats one less on the road...
S Pudsey...
Thanks for your veiw on the Golf.[V] For the record I don't agree but due to the fact that you won't be buying one, I suppose that means thats one less on the road...
maersk
Member
All this discussion is interesting but boolox. I can get unto ANY car in less than five seconds.
I require a self acuating centre punch or if desperate half a house brick. Come on guys get real the things have glass in them. Side windows - bosh.
Don't leave stuff in the car where it can be seen. They rarely manage to drive them away now thanks to chips and stuff but the internals are up for grabs. Smashing eh?
I quite like that last one.
I require a self acuating centre punch or if desperate half a house brick. Come on guys get real the things have glass in them. Side windows - bosh.
Don't leave stuff in the car where it can be seen. They rarely manage to drive them away now thanks to chips and stuff but the internals are up for grabs. Smashing eh?
I quite like that last one.
John Disdale
Member
Maersk,
One aspect which of course you highlight is the fact that manufacturers could use a higher spec glass in order to prevent the countless smash and grabs that do happen. I might add the theory of not leaving a car with valuables inside sounds good, but what are we to do with Sat Nav systems or jukebox CD players ? Often they are a target in themselves.
In terms of security concerns I wonder whether you missed the boat in not understanding that when many VW’s were broken into there was a trick of disarming the alarm. This is totally different than a brick through the window which will set the alarm off – and hopefully give the owner some warning that something is wrong.
Regarding your comment that you can break into any car within 5 seconds, I do hope that this does not mean disarming the alarm at the same time.
Regards
John Disdale
One aspect which of course you highlight is the fact that manufacturers could use a higher spec glass in order to prevent the countless smash and grabs that do happen. I might add the theory of not leaving a car with valuables inside sounds good, but what are we to do with Sat Nav systems or jukebox CD players ? Often they are a target in themselves.
In terms of security concerns I wonder whether you missed the boat in not understanding that when many VW’s were broken into there was a trick of disarming the alarm. This is totally different than a brick through the window which will set the alarm off – and hopefully give the owner some warning that something is wrong.
Regarding your comment that you can break into any car within 5 seconds, I do hope that this does not mean disarming the alarm at the same time.
Regards
John Disdale
ben
Administrator
I think this thread is very funny to be honest. All this chat of disabling the alarm, what alarm, is that the quiet beeping the car makes when I leave the windows down and lock the door ? The one I can't hear inside my house, the one that is as loud as my old BMWs lights are on indicator when the door is open ?
Is that the alarm ?
David
Is that the alarm ?
David
John Disdale
Member
Come on David be honest, if you were in a sleeping bag 1 metre away from your A2 surely you would hear some sort of a noise if the alarm went off ? That said I am presuming that you do not have a neighbour whose snoring might not over power the sound of the alarm.
Actually I have been working on an enhancement for the A2 alarm which is cheap and simple. It involves placing a metal upturned dustbin lid on the ground below the drivers door, and then balancing a 50 pence piece on the moulding at the bottom of the drivers windows. Now if a thief opens the drivers door the coin will drop down into the dustbin lid where it will form a really loud clatter. The great thing is that a 4 door car can be done for £2 – with no VAT involved.
Regards
John Disdale
Actually I have been working on an enhancement for the A2 alarm which is cheap and simple. It involves placing a metal upturned dustbin lid on the ground below the drivers door, and then balancing a 50 pence piece on the moulding at the bottom of the drivers windows. Now if a thief opens the drivers door the coin will drop down into the dustbin lid where it will form a really loud clatter. The great thing is that a 4 door car can be done for £2 – with no VAT involved.
Regards
John Disdale
ianjohnsonws14
Member
As we have an early 2000 Passat (Company car) and a 2002 A2 (ours) this is a big concern to me. Both have the same features - open all electric windows with key etc.
Audi tell me that on VWs the switches which achieve the window and alarm functions are mounted on the lock barrel but on the A2 they are mounted on the door catch and operated by a rod from the lock barrel. They advise that this means the method used to get into a VW does not work with A2s.
As one message I have picked up from the forum is "do not believe a word Audi tell you" I will compare the two cars at the weekend to check I am being given the right story and will advise.
2002 1.4 Petrol SE, silver with climate control.
Audi tell me that on VWs the switches which achieve the window and alarm functions are mounted on the lock barrel but on the A2 they are mounted on the door catch and operated by a rod from the lock barrel. They advise that this means the method used to get into a VW does not work with A2s.
As one message I have picked up from the forum is "do not believe a word Audi tell you" I will compare the two cars at the weekend to check I am being given the right story and will advise.
2002 1.4 Petrol SE, silver with climate control.
John Disdale
Member
An interesting question to ascertain is whether the A2 conforms to the British Government Home Office (and EU) Guidelines on security – where the doors/locks on a car should prevent falsed entry for at least 2 minutes. I have put this question to VW UK, but it has taken them 10 days to confirm that they do not know the answer, but will reply again in 10 days time.
Regards
John Disdale
Regards
John Disdale
John Disdale
Member
Steve,
Get your counting beads out 10+10 = 23.
You have I think misunderstood. It took them 10 days to reply to the letter confirming that they need another 10 days to ascertain if they know the answer. Of course I could get another letter saying they have the answer and will reply in another 10 days – presuming I suppose that at that time the Customer Care Dept has not gone off on a 10 day holiday.
What I think is blatantly apparent is that 10 is a lucky number for VAG.
Regards
John Disdale
Get your counting beads out 10+10 = 23.
You have I think misunderstood. It took them 10 days to reply to the letter confirming that they need another 10 days to ascertain if they know the answer. Of course I could get another letter saying they have the answer and will reply in another 10 days – presuming I suppose that at that time the Customer Care Dept has not gone off on a 10 day holiday.
What I think is blatantly apparent is that 10 is a lucky number for VAG.
Regards
John Disdale
John Disdale
Member
Do you need telling 10 times ?
Just seen this on What Car? website:
"Volkswagen has come up with solutions to a security weakness on the Golf, but owners will have to pay up to £120 for the enhancements.
What Car? highlighted the potential weakness on the hatchback last year, before the BBC’s Watchdog TV programme recently demonstrated the Achilles heel again.
The chink in the armour gives thieves easy access to the cabin, either by activating the central locking or a system which winds down all of the windows.
The locks were strengthened on new cars last summer. Now, VW is offering two upgrades, costing around £40 and £80, to the 180,000 owners of Golfs bought before then.
A spokesman for the manufacturer said it would not pay for the upgrades itself. He said: ‘It’s not as if we fitted cardboard locks when we brought out the Golf. At the time its security was rated very highly. Now things have moved on and we’ve come up with a solution.’
VW points out that Golfs still cannot be easily driven away by criminals, thanks to its highly effective immobiliser."
So cough up and be protected (said the chemist to the 17 year old boy buying.....)
Steve - 2003 1.4SE petrol, Silver, black/black interior
"Volkswagen has come up with solutions to a security weakness on the Golf, but owners will have to pay up to £120 for the enhancements.
What Car? highlighted the potential weakness on the hatchback last year, before the BBC’s Watchdog TV programme recently demonstrated the Achilles heel again.
The chink in the armour gives thieves easy access to the cabin, either by activating the central locking or a system which winds down all of the windows.
The locks were strengthened on new cars last summer. Now, VW is offering two upgrades, costing around £40 and £80, to the 180,000 owners of Golfs bought before then.
A spokesman for the manufacturer said it would not pay for the upgrades itself. He said: ‘It’s not as if we fitted cardboard locks when we brought out the Golf. At the time its security was rated very highly. Now things have moved on and we’ve come up with a solution.’
VW points out that Golfs still cannot be easily driven away by criminals, thanks to its highly effective immobiliser."
So cough up and be protected (said the chemist to the 17 year old boy buying.....)
Steve - 2003 1.4SE petrol, Silver, black/black interior
John Disdale
Member
Yes, why should VW pay for what is very poor design, when the guilty party is surely Tesco’s.
It makes you wonder if Audi could have cashed in on replacing drive shafts by perhaps charging £500 – or maybe they could charge £100 for fixing a squeaky seat.
It makes you wonder if Audi could have cashed in on replacing drive shafts by perhaps charging £500 – or maybe they could charge £100 for fixing a squeaky seat.
It's the same with banks-they started off with cardboard safety deposit boxes until someone burnt a hole in one with a Mcdonalds apple pie. They then charged the customers more because they provided metal boxes. Round spherical items if you ask me.
How have things "moved on" according to VW?. A new type of screwdriver maybe?. The recent invention of paperclips?. I wonder if Ford could have tried that on the Escort "well, it has the same locks as it did 20 years ago, but things move on...".
Steve - 2003 1.4SE petrol, Silver, black/black interior
How have things "moved on" according to VW?. A new type of screwdriver maybe?. The recent invention of paperclips?. I wonder if Ford could have tried that on the Escort "well, it has the same locks as it did 20 years ago, but things move on...".
Steve - 2003 1.4SE petrol, Silver, black/black interior
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