[Chrobar]

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I am currently leasing a BMW i4 in the Bay Area, and I have had two vehicle break-ins within the past two weeks.

The first break-in happened 2 weeks ago and when entering my car, all my glove box content was on the driver side and the thief roughly rifled through the car's user manual, probably in an attempt to override or reset the car in an attempt to steal the vehicle. No broken glass or signs of forced entry. A police report was created and the incident was reported to my apartment complex as I park in an underground garage.

The second incident happened last week and they opened my trunk and removed my personal car charger, again with no forced entry.

I am always careful to lock my car, so it seems someone has unauthorized access to unlock my vehicle but not the ability to start the car which requires the key fob.

I called my BMW dealership about the incidents and one of the suggestions was to replace and reprogram the key fobs, which would be a $1500 expense to me since I have a high insurance deductible. Another suggestion was to buy an aftermarket dash cam, but this only covers 24 hours of parking which would not work for my use case and this option is well-known drain car batteries.

The question is why has BMW not put emphasis on protecting their vehicles? Don't get me wrong, I love my i4, but as a direct comparison Tesla introduced Sentry mode way back in 2018, and 6 years later in 2024 the only response from BMW is an internal camera and anti-theft features ONLY on the iX models which are $90k. This is unacceptable with the immense amount of technology crammed into the i4. Especially living in a high risk area like the Bay Area, I'd be willing to pay $1000 for anti-theft options with internal cameras, but why is BMW so behind the security curve to protect our high-priced vehicles?

[ibimmer954]

The absolute easiest thing to do is to put your keys in a bag/box which prevents signals from going through. There was an issue with that in Europe for a while. Thieves could use signal extenders to get your key to open the car remotely. Not sure if that security threat was completely dealt with by the manufactures. This threat can be mitigated by your actions.

Second, there was someone on the M3 forums that discovered a thief was able, with the help of a dealership insider, to order a key for his car direct from BMW. But I would consider this possible threat to be pretty rare. And there wouldn't be anything you could do about it anyway other than yell at the dealer in question.

Another possibility might be through the BMW Connected service. Are you absolutely sure someone didn't hack into your BMW Connected account and possibly unlock the car that way? Change your passwords.

[turbobeagle]

I believe modern BMW FOBs don’t transmit if they haven’t been moved for a while. This mitigates a lot of relay attacks.

I doubt it will yield anything, but it can’t hurt to go through the “remote history” in the BMW iOS/Android app. I believe a remote unlock would be logged there. If there was a hack of your Connected Services account, maybe you’ll get lucky and find an entry.

[Chrobar]

Originally Posted by turbobeagle

I believe modern BMW FOBs don’t transmit if they haven’t been moved for a while. This mitigates a lot of relay attacks.

I doubt it will yield anything, but it can’t hurt to go through the “remote history” in the BMW iOS/Android app. I believe a remote unlock would be logged there. If there was a hack of your Connected Services account, maybe you’ll get lucky and find an entry.

This was great advice and was able to verify that that my BMW app is not compromised by checking "Remote History" -- thanks!

Is it possible someone was able to capture my clicker signal and replicate it to unlock my car??

[ibimmer954]

The key signals should be immune to replay attacks with a rolling code. That's the oldest thing in the book. I'd be really surprised if a replay attacked worked. But either way, it's easy to get those bags which will quash the RF signal.

I wonder if it has to do with the "proximity" unlock feature in the newer BMWs where the car unlocks when you get close. Maybe turn off that feature. I turned it off on my i4. I allow it to lock when I wake away but not unlock when I get close. Still have to use the handle on the door.

[turbobeagle]

Originally Posted by Chrobar

This was great advice and was able to verify that that my BMW app is not compromised by checking "Remote History" — thanks!

Is it possible someone was able to capture my clicker signal and replicate it to unlock my car??

Ultimately the answer is yes as the protocol is not perfect, but I doubt that’s the way they did it. The more common case is amplification of the signal that is continuously being transmitted for “comfort access” or auto unlock on approach (i.e. “relay” not “replay”).

As mentioned, the FOB will stop transmitting after it’s been stationary for a while, but maybe they caught it just as you’re walking away from the car.

My suggestion, similar to others is to stick the keys in a faraday pouch, and just use your phones, or the key card for a couple weeks. Hopefully the thieves move on.

[Harmonh]

Check your comfort key settings. Make sure you don’t have unlock when approaching enabled. Enable auto lock when leaving.

For kicks, check to see if any unauthorized digital keys have been programmed. Remove them if they are but remember you should’ve gotten one at purchase.

FWIW, I’ve had 4 BMWs in 10 years and I’ve never had an issue with BMW’s security other than I wish it sent me a push notification or a text if the alarm goes off.

[Chrobar]

Originally Posted by Harmonh

Check your comfort key settings. Make sure you don’t have unlock when approaching enabled. Enable auto lock when leaving.

For kicks, check to see if any unauthorized digital keys have been programmed. Remove them if they are but remember you should’ve gotten one at purchase.

FWIW, I’ve had 4 BMWs in 10 years and I’ve never had an issue with BMW’s security other than I wish it sent me a push notification or a text if the alarm goes off.

Good advice for newer BMW users! I did disable the Comfort Key settings of unlocking within the first couple weeks getting the vehicle because I preferred the consistency of the clicker. Verified no unauthorized digital keys.

Agree push notifications would be incredible, I don't know how this isn't industry standard for modern car alarms now. I get a push notification if someone likes a social media post or if it's going to be 10 degrees above average today, but not if my vehicle alarm goes off

[turbobeagle]

Originally Posted by Chrobar

Good advice for newer BMW users! I did disable the Comfort Key settings of unlocking within the first couple weeks getting the vehicle because I preferred the consistency of the clicker. Verified no unauthorized digital keys.

Agree push notifications would be incredible, I don't know how this isn't industry standard for modern car alarms now. I get a push notification if someone likes a social media post or if it's going to be 10 degrees above average today, but not if my vehicle alarm goes off

Just a guess, but it would probably lead to a lot of false alarm calls to the police. I can see why BMW doesn't want to do it.

[jpuffmasterpuffpuffpuff69]

A lot of speculation by OP. Not a lot of facts. The security is fine. I suggest not leaving anything valuable in any car, since they're one window smash away. Also, you can always add an aftermarket alarm system. Lots of options out there, and lots of shops that will sell one to you.

[freshxdough]

There is no way to get into the car without the key. If you can’t prove the car was locked, then it was unlocked. If you have walk away locking enabled and you rely on that, then you may be leaving the car unlocked.

[jmciver]

One other thing to consider is are you opening, then closing the trunk AND walking away before the trunk is fully closed? I noticed on my X7, and now my i4, that if I close the trunk (via the button on the trunk) and I walk away before the trunk is completely closed, the car will stay unlocked. Therefore, I always wait for the trunk to fully close before I walk away (and sometimes wait for the audible “click” and flash of the car lights indicating it is locked)…

[ibimmer954]

I have my i4 set to close the outside mirrors when it locks. That way i can look back at it and know if it's locked based on the mirrors.