[weyland]

Hi all

Sorry for such a newbie question, but i'm in the UK and getting a 2014 plate M235i next weekend. I have googled and it appears that this is not affected by the OBD key cloning issue - can someone in the UK confirm if this is correct, and if it is still affected by the alarm blind spot issue. The reason I ask is that I am aware of a number of vehicles that have been stolen in the UK, though this may be via keyless entry which I don't have.

Are UK peeps doing anything additional security wise to try and protect their vehicles (other than crook locks etc)?

[msej449]

I'm also in the UK with an M235i and I've researched the original data on this from police statistics. If you try and track back, there are actually very few original reports specific to the M235i. That isn't to say the original thefts aren't genuine, but we're not talking about 'hundreds' of cars or some sort of 'epidemic'. As you'll see below, the X5 is a main target, followed by the 5 Series. A lot of the thefts attributed to this port access show no sign of forced entry, and it's speculative that the port is the mechanism, as opposed to cloning or even stealing the key.

There is a complication that if the owner has been careless in leaving the key around then they're reluctant to admit it to an insurer: for example, the key is on the hall table, someone comes to the door, the kids answer and go and get Dad, and the key is taken but the absence is not noticed until after the car is stolen that night. Think how often you've had to use your second/partner's key because you can't find your own and are in a hurry to get to work etc. and then spen a couple of days tracking it down to that coat you wore ....

There's a lot of noise about keyless entry being the 'reason' why cars are stolen, but this is something of a syllogism. Cars prone to theft (below) are almost all keyless, and are popular targets, but not because being keyless makes them any easier to steal. It's because they are in demand for theft to order. They'd still be stolen if they weren't keyless.

I've looked at the UK Police Annual Reports for car thefts 2015 and 2016 and the latest league table of cars stolen, by percentage is

• Audi S3: 8.6%
• Land Rover Defender: 5.8%
• Land Rover Range Rover: 3.8%
• Audi Q7: 3.7%
• Ford Escort: 3.6%
• BMW X5: 3.1%
• Audi A5: 3.1%
• Mitsubishi Shogun: 2.4%
• BMW 5 Series: 2.4%
• Toyota Hilux: 2.4%

The M1xxi and M2xxi are actually below average probability of theft, if I recall the detailed spreadsheet for the 2015 figures. There were about 82,000 cars stolen in 2015 (figures you may see of 200,000 or more are for car-related crimes, including thefts from cars). The BMW X5 topped the list in 2015 at 8.5% - equating to 6,970 X5s stolen that year, which might be regarded as an 'epidemic' I suppose. But note that it clearly became less in demand in 2016, standing at around half that rate, so the league table changes quite a lot each year.

The 2016 Police Report says that for luxury cars, the majority of thefts are now 'to order' for export. This means that while you can take preventive measures, they really don't have a lot of effect. Increasingly, crimes involve passive theft of keys from houses using a variety of scams, most of which involve giving a caller access to you house (so the countermeasure there are fairly obvious). While there are high-profile reports of home key theft with violence (often reported on forums) this is relatively rare. So the odds are that if your luxury car is stolen, then it's by a professional gang who will have been watching you for some time, waiting for an opportunity to clone/steal the key. The message is that things like Krooklocks are pointless against these professionals.

Moreover, given that most luxury cars are stolen to order then police advise not making so difficult for them that they resort to threats or violence because they've no other option. Basically, you may feel that if they want the car that badly, then they're welcome, and that's what insurance is for.

So while this doesn't directly answer your original question what I hope it does is reassure you that (a) the M235i/M240i is statistically a relatively uncommon car to be stolen and (b) there are some simple measures you should take to always keep your keys in a safe place not obvious to visitors, tradespeople etc.

[weyland]

Thanks for the detailed info, but I'm quite up on my cars, stats and criminal activity.

I specifically would like to know if the OBD port on the car can be comprised or whether BMW implemented​ a fix prior to production.

On another forum an M2 owner recently had his car pinched whist being in possession of the keys, and a number of cars have been pinched around by me

[MattUK]

Hi, I raised this with BMW before I got my 240 and they confirmed back there were no known issues with this revision .. can't speak about the 135 but I would simply request it if BMW.