Car thefts are rising nationally in Australia. According to the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council, a car is stolen every 11 minutes, and one in every 120 homes is affected by car theft.
Over the years, there have been various ways to prevent theft, from the added immobilisers to the trusty steering wheel lock. While car security technology has become more advanced, so have the thieves. One of the more advanced ways thieves break into cars is via the diagnostics port.
Victorian Police recently issued a warning about this issue, saying that nearly one in five vehicles is stolen through this method.
"Police intelligence suggests as many as one in five Victorian cars are stolen in these circumstances. This trend has coincided with third-party electronic devices, which are capable of programming or mimicking keys and are becoming increasingly available for purchase," it said in a statement.
"Once inside a vehicle, this device can be plugged into the car's on board diagnostic port to override the security system and start the engine."
We run through everything you need to know and how you can protect yourself from this type of theft.
What is a diagnostic/OBD2 port?
A diagnostic port, commonly known as an OBD2 (On-Board Diagnostics), is a plug on your vehicle that, when accessed using specialised equipment, provides extended information from the car's Engine Control Unit (ECU).
The OBD port is most commonly used to diagnose issues with your vehicle (like a faulty sensor or misfire), provide servicing information and even tune parts of the vehicle.
From 2002 onwards, the majority of vehicles switched from OBD1, a very basic analogue diagnostic port, to OBD2, which uses a more advanced digital CAN signal.
This port can usually be found beneath the steering column, to the left or right of the dashboard, and sometimes beneath the glovebox.
However, as vehicles become more advanced, these diagnostic systems have begun giving access to the security and electronics systems of your vehicle, which makes it easier to diagnose issues, but thieves have found a way around this.
How are people stealing cars by the OBD2 port?
Keys can be programmed through the vehicle's system to make life easier for people who have lost their keys, but again, as technology becomes more advanced, the systems used to program them are getting cheaper to buy.
Thieves have been purchasing the systems that locksmiths have used for years and can now use brute force to make their way into your vehicle, connect to the OBD2 port and mimic the key.
But we have also seen thieves use a signal relayer to bounce the key's signal to a device, unlock the car, drive it away, and program a mimic key at a later date. This method means that the car's alarm is never set off.
It is essentially the modern-day equivalent of hotwiring a car, but where attempting to hotwire a car can leave a modern one completely immobile thanks to security systems, this system can be done without the skill or mess of cutting and restitching wires.
How can I protect myself from this type of theft?
There are a number of gadgets you can buy to protect yourself from this style of theft, and the most common new one is an OBD2 port lock.
We found a number of them on Amazon and eBay for around $20 - $30. The idea is the same as that of the trusty old steering wheel lock; it cannot be accessed without a separate key.
The design looks like any attempt to remove it forcefully will damage the port, and it could be enough of a deterrent to cause a thief to move on to an easier car to steal.
While you can find a cheap deterrent, like the one above, we recommend going with a lock that uses a key as the cheaper locks use a Torx bolt and the tool used to loosen it off can be purchased at any hardware store.
Because this sort of key programming isn't instantaneous, it's likely that thieves are targeting cars of people they know are at work, unlocked vehicles, and cars they know will not alert anyone when the alarm goes off.
The aforementioned signal relay could mean that people are using that system to drive the car away and reprogram a key in a quieter place. Ensure your car keys are away from the front door. You can even purchase a faraday pouch to block out the signal to your keys while the vehicle is parked at home.
As always, you should always ensure your vehicle is parked in a safe place and double-check that you have locked the car.
Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.
