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Inexpensive Ways to Shield Your Car From Key-Based Theft

While car theft has gone up in technology, protection methods have remained simple and inexpensive. These tips will help reduce the chances of being a victim of car theft significantly because car theft today uses mostly keys and "relay" attacks to get access to the vehicle. This article will provide a detailed plan for reducing the risks.

Understand relay attack

The latest technology to learn about is relay attack. It targets vehicles with a keyless entry system and a push-button start function. Hackers manage to intercept a signal emitted by the key and then fool the car's system into opening and starting. The idea might seem complex, but ways of protecting yourself are surprisingly simple.

Block your fob's signal

Since a thief needs to access a signal from the fob, blocking the signal from reaching the outside becomes an effective preventive measure. There are signal-blocking pouches available at a low price point and they block the signal once placed inside. One can also opt for a metal box or a container to serve the same purpose. Simply place your fob inside and make sure it is not emitting signal anywhere around your house.

Cheapest protection, most efficient solution – put your key in a signal-blocking bag in order to prevent the most common attacks on your vehicle. Also, it's important not to store your fob close to windows or doors.

Protection solutions that won't cost you a dime

Low-cost measures work just fine:

  • Never leave the fob in the car even "for a minute".
  • Make sure to lock the vehicle each and every time; some thefts are entirely opportunistic in nature.
  • Park your car in places where it will be easier to spot any suspicious activity.
  • Never store extra keys inside or on the car; people will look in these places first and find them.
  • Remove any valuable objects from your car to make it less attractive.

Good old deterrents still work wonders

Traditional deterrents still pay off in terms of protecting your car. A visible steering-wheel lock will send a message to potential thieves that the car is not worth their efforts. Same thing with a blinking indicator installed on your dashboard. Criminals tend to pick a victim based on how easy it is for them to break in, which is why any sign of additional security may deter them from taking a chance.

Protect your car keys

Apart from hacking the fob and doing other technological manipulations, there are cases when people manage to steal keys to a car. Once you buy a new car, the best way to ensure your safety is to rekey the locks, this means that any other copy of a key will become useless after the rekeying.

Prevention tips for stronger security

You don't have to spend lots of money to protect yourself from a car theft and by securing your fob signal, using some free of charge methods you can definitely prevent theft, ensuring keys cannot be stolen, rekeying becomes necessary whenever there is doubt concerning the safety of your car's locks.

What to do in case of emergency

Even if you take precautions, there might still happen a situation where your key gets stolen or lost. Rekeying will make the lost key useless while reparing fobs will make sure it will not open your car anymore.

If you are concerned about a missing car key, our mobile rekeying and fob programming servicecs can come in handy throughout Los Angeles and nearby areas.

Concerned about a lost or stolen key? We offer mobile rekeying and fob programming throughout Los Angeles.

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