car theft

I don't know if there is a limit on the number of questions one can ask but here's another! Nearly all of the top specc'd models have hands-free door opening and engine starting. In an article in Auto Bild magazine it said that these were easily subject to theft using specialised equipment. Only one brand foiled the thieves - Mercedes-Benz. I was wondering would you have any comment on this. It's very disheartening.

I have a 2012 Volkswagen Golf 1.6 diesel R edition. Was broken into Saturday night. Thieves popped the locks electronically. Gardaí attended from Whitehall station. Said it was the second Golf that night in the area had been robbed. They even relocked the car setting the factory fitted alarm.

Contacted Volkswagen Ireland this morning asked if they can do anything like upgrade the software on the car transponders to use a different set of codes. Got a sharp 'nothing we can do'.

Are you folks aware of any such stories of other Golfs being broken into this way?

Brian Forristal

I was wondering why is there no LOJACK system in cars in Ireland. I live here in the States where you would never hear of cars being stolen. Every car has a tracking device built into it. If the car is stolen the police are called by the car and within minutes the car is recovered. It is a great system. You pay $200 a year, which is cheap, and you never have to worry about your car being stolen. The police also perform sting operations placing cars in poor neighbourhoods and waiting to see what happens. When the car is broken into the police follow it and arrest everyone involved.

My '05 VW Caddy (new shape) was recently stolen. They some how hot-wired it and drove off with it. Caddys have a coded key ignition and I have both keys and they had to break a window to get in, so how did they start it?