Keyless Ford Fiesta Stolen – Lincoln Car Key News

Keyless Ford Fiesta

Is your Keyless Ford Fiesta at risk of being stolen? This week we want to let you know about a growing problem that is getting closer to Lincoln. 

We do work for several major car repair shops that take in cars from Doncaster, Gainsborough, Newark and Scunthorpe. Over the last three months we’ve seen a marked rise in the theft of Keyless Ford Fiesta cars. We’re asked to carry out the same repairs each time and this tells us how they are being stolen. 

How are they stolen?

The first issue is how are the car thieves getting into the car? In the past we’ve seen broken windows,  a classic smash and grab. However they have now moved to the door lock, which appears to be the vulnerable part of the Keyless Ford Fiesta. As you can see from the photo below,a tool, probably a screwdriver, has been forced into the lock and turned. This is crude but appears to be enough to get the car open. 

Stolen without a key

Once the car is open, your Keyless Ford Fiesta is easy pickings. In the olden days, there would be an ignition lock and key, but the clever people at Ford chose to get rid of it. Therefore, all it takes is clever software and someone who knows how to use it!

Within a few minutes the car is running, simply because the thief can access the car immobiliser system and pretend that they have the correct key. As we said previously, we are seeing these taken weekly in towns and cities nearby, so there’s a good chance it will happen in Lincoln soon. 

How to prevent your Keyless Ford Fiesta from theft.

Now that you know about this, what can you do about it? Seeing as the normal anti-theft systems can be easily overidden by car thieves, what else can you do to protect your car?

We see three different methods used by owners that have already heard about the vunerabilitiy they face. 

  • Physical Security – Steering Locks and pedal boxes
  • Secondary immobiliser
  • Disarming OBD socket

Let’s look at the pros and cons of each one in turn. 

Physical Security

There’s no doubt that physical security works. Although we don’t have the numbers, we’re sure that if we counted the number of keyless cars stolen compared to traditional key and locks, there would be a clear winner. 

Protection such as the Disklok steering wheel, or even a standard simpler bar style lock is enough to make your car much harder to steal. The advantage of this protection is that it’s a clear statement and visually obvious. The disadvantage is that these locks require some work to put it on the wheel when needed, and then to store it in the car when not being used. We are by nature lazy and it takes a bit of effort to enable this protection. 

We use this type of steering lock at all times when not driving the van, and you can find out mote about it here. We are not affiliated with the company in any way, we just like the product. https://www.disklokuk.co.uk/ 

Keyless Ford Fiesta Secondary immobilser

So you already have the standard immobilser, but clearly with your Keyless Ford Fiesta, this isn’t enough anymore. It feels like we are stepping back in time to the 80’s and 90’s having extra immobilsers added on. 

However, this is a growing business and one common type is a ‘Ghost’ system. We don’t fit or supply these, so have no reason to mention them, other than we understand they are very effective. 

They work by needing a sequence of actions to be completed before the car will start. These are all unique and can be tailored to suit. So for instance, it can be that once you’re in the car, you need to press the window switch, then the rear demister twice and finally the clock button. Once the sequence is complete the immobiliser is deactivated and the car will start normally. 

The only problem we see with this system is again about laziness. Do you really want to do this everytime you want to start the car? Well we think it’s worth it after seeing so many Keyless Ford Fiesta cars stolen. However many people just want to get on normally and don’t even know about having the car stolen. 

There’s also the cost, which can run into several hundreds of pounds. Here’s abit more info. Again, we don’t earn anything from you clicking this, but just like the product https://www.ghostvehiclesecurity.co.uk/

Disarming OBD Programming socket

If the thieves are using a computer to steal your car, then it makes sense to try and stop thier computer working. Inside the car is a plug that’s commonly known as the ‘OBD socket’ (on board diagnostics). There are companies that offer a product that prevents this socket being used without a security key, that switches the socket on and off. It’s a clever idea and means that when they try and steal your Keyless Ford Fiesta, their computer won’t connect. 

This is again a great product if you have the time and money to get it professionally installed and you use it correctly. 

The only downside we can think of is if you lose the security information or key needed to access the soocket. You may need it when the car goes into the garage for a service of for to diagnose a fault. This is just something to consider. 

We haven’t posted a link to any simply because we haven’t see them in action so cannot judge them. 

When your car gets stolen, it can be quite traumatic. From losing your mode of transport, to personal items that may be lost for ever, it’s not a nice experience. 

We hope this article makes you think about what can be done to protect your car and that you keep yours safe in Lincolnshire. Good Luck!

Scroll to Top