Security of the i3

[Timjohn]

Lots of news about stolen cars that have remote entry and start...so the questions are what do we do?

1) Don't use your FOB control to lock the car in public places such as the mall, parking garages etc. Hit the lock button on the door to prevent the code being stolen from scanning devices.

2) Use a "faraday" wallet (available on Amazon for about $12 for two of them) to store your FOB when on your person or when stored at home. If you don't have one wrap it in Al-foil or place into a steel can with a steel top closed

3) If they break into the car and scan your OBD port, they can steal the codes and recode another FOB...unless BMW has some safe guards that others know about? Reposition the OBD (wishful thinking!) or place a lock on the OBD. I haven't found one yet so those who may know pass it on!

Any other suggestions?

 

[eNate]

Paranoid much?

I don't want to live life like that.

Besides, who in their right mind would want to steal a bug-looking ugly little i3 that they don't have a charger for and nag you when you accelerate too quickly!

 

[alohart]

3) If they break into the car and scan your OBD port, they can steal the codes and recode another FOB...unless BMW has some safe guards that others know about?

Apparently, not even a BMW dealer can code an i3 FOB to work with a different i3. If an i3 owner needs a FOB, he/she must order it from BMW itself. An i3 FOB is built to work with only one i3. So I doubt that any information is available from the OBD port that would allow a random i3 FOB to be coded to work with a different i3.

 

[jadnashuanh]

It's my understanding that to program a fob, you must already have a working one, then it will recognize a new one, the first being the 'key' to allowing the programming. If you were to lose all available fobs, it's my understanding that you'd have to order the locking computer and fobs from the factory to replace what's there, as there's no way to program a new one without at least one working one.

I've replaced a lost fob on mine, and all it took was unlocking the car with the remaining one, moving that one far enough away so it wasn't interacting with the car, then holding the new fob up against the steering column and pressing start. It then 'knew' the new fob. I might have the sequence off a bit, it's been a couple of years since I did it. NOte, the dealer can remove a lost fob from the memory, but there has to be at least one left for things to work. I had them do that once I lost the original fob. Since the fob has a key, they could still have entered the car, but it wouldn't have started for them should they have located my vehicle with their found fob.

 

[Timjohn]

OK then that is very reassuring that its a little more difficult that what I have seen on YouTube. Apparently there has been a number of thefts in Toronto area with some GM and Toyota vehicles so W-five did a segment on the news regarding this.

Maybe since the i3 is so rare, its not a highly desirable vehicle.

 

[vreihen]

2) Use a "faraday" wallet (available on Amazon for about $12 for two of them) to store your FOB when on your person or when stored at home.

Read the Amazon reviews carefully. There seems to be a recurring theme that those wallets shield good for a few months, and then something in the material breaks down and they become useless.....

 

[eNate]

OK then that is very reassuring that its a little more difficult that what I have seen on YouTube. Apparently there has been a number of thefts in Toronto area with some GM and Toyota vehicles so W-five did a segment on the news regarding this.

Maybe since the i3 is so rare, its not a highly desirable vehicle.

I'm not suggesting it's not real. There's a spoof attack that records the code when you press the FOB button, jams the signal, then allows the thief to use the stored good code at a later time. This works on garage door openers, also. But there's also a relay attack that works on proximity, and re-transmits your FOBs code over long distances to a person standing near the vehicle. The equipment used to do this is supposed to be dead cheap.

I know BMW has begun addressing this using key fobs that don't pulse out a signal if they're sitting still on a counter, and there was talk of making the systems sensitive to signal timing, in effect nulling an unlock command if there was a few milliseconds delay in receiving a code. Whether the i3 specifically employs either of these defenses, I don't know.

But I also estimate I'm 100x more likely to suffer a smashed window. And even though I was half tongue in cheek, I'm confident my i3 isn't a desirable stolen car target.

 

[Anonymous]

If there is a way to circumvent a car security design, someone will find it. New thing with GM trucks, is the thieves buy a new ECU, code a key to it, then pop the hood on the truck they want to 'liberate', swap out the ECU, and use the key programmed to it, to drive off in the truck.

 

[jadnashuanh]

FWIW, at least in the US, to buy a new fob, BMW requires you show your registration and driver's license to identify you own the car, and are who you say you are. That doesn't apply to aftermarket suppliers, and I'm sure there are probably ways to acquire the bits if you wanted and tried hard enough.

Always lock your car when it's outside, and you'll have fewer issues. If you have comfort access, use the door sensors, and not the remote to lock or unlock and you'll not broadcast anything that can be intercepted.

 

[KrisM]

You can place a hidden button that cuts of a wire / fuse that is needed to "start" the car , I use a autoswitch so I is working automatic and do not need to push the button each time I want to drive away, this is in my other BMW's never thought of doing this to the i3. Maybe in the future wen I have nothing else to do .

 

[robthebold]

Insurance is also a good idea, IMO.

 

[juliohowl]

Thanks for sharing useful tips!

 

[albertvadas]

I see it's been a while, but I wanted to chime in. Using the lock button on the door instead of the FOB control in public places is a great idea. I've also done it. Another option to consider is installing an OBD lock, a physical device that can prevent access to the port. Combined with smart home automation at the house, I feel entirely safe at the house and car. Good luck, and stay safe!

 

[Arm]

3) If they break into the car and scan your OBD port, they can steal the codes and recode another FOB...unless BMW has some safe guards that others know about?

Apparently, not even a BMW dealer can code an i3 FOB to work with a different i3. If an i3 owner needs a FOB, he/she must order it from BMW itself. An i3 FOB is built to work with only one i3. So I doubt that any information is available from the OBD port that would allow a random i3 FOB to be coded to work with a different i3.

I don't understand how they can prevent this from happening...that is not being able to reprogram a FOB from one car to work with the other. It's not like there is physical modification of the FOB to prevent reprogramming. It just doesn't make sense...what BMW is claiming.

 

[eNate]

I see it's been a while, but I wanted to chime in. Using the lock button on the door instead of the FOB control in public places is a great idea. I've also done it. Another option to consider is installing an OBD lock, a physical device that can prevent access to the port.

Keep in mind, when you touch the door handle to look the car, the car transmits a signal that the FOB receives and responds to, which the car must receive to execute the lock command. I don't see this as any different than using the FOB to lock the door – it's a rolling scrambled code that can't be reused.

 

[Arm]

I have a spare keyfob from a 2018 i3s that got totalled. It's in perfect condition. So there's no way to reprogram this to my current 2019 i3s? It makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[stumbledotcom]

I just went through the process of replacing a lost fob/key for our ICE backup car, a 2009 328i, so have learned more than I wanted about the BMW system. As I understand, each car's computer gets 10 key codes at the factory. A new fob is coded for the car's vin and one of the unused key codes.

Prices vary widely. My local dealer BMW SF quoted $500 for the E90 non-comfort access fob, $95 for the metal blade to unlock the door in the event of a dead battery, and $340 to remove the lost fob code from the computer. $935 total. Completely outrageous.

BimmerTech wanted 335 + 85 + 175 or $594.

I also found a post on an e90 board that suggested using a local locksmith. I found one that specializes in replacement car keys. He quoted $295 all in. And he came to me within 24 hours. Allowed me to watch every step and completed the job in less than 20 minutes. The third party fob doesn't have a BMW logo on the lock button but otherwise exactly matches the remaining original.

After I'd already booked the locksmith appointment, I learned that California has a consumer protection law that requires each car manufacturer selling in the state to provide replacement keys to consumers within 24 hours. BMW NA has a dedicated toll free number, 1-888-575-5397, for the service but doesn't publicize it widely to avoid cannibalizing dealer sales. Not sure if other states have similar laws. The person posting the info indicated BMW NA charges $285 for the E90 non-CA fob so that explains the locksmith's pricing.

 

[JamesInLondon]

I think that the main security feature of the i3 is that it is utterly undesirable to your average car thief.

This became obvious at the end of last year when I parked mine in the centre of London, got an umbrella out of the boot, ran into an old friend and completely forgot to lock the car. It sat for over 3 hours on the street with items sitting on the passenger seat.

As I walked back to the car, I noticed that the mirrors were not folded in - they do this automatically when I touch the handle for more than 5 seconds as the car locks - and I feared the worst, but the car had been ignored.

 

[i3SGB]

Stolen i3;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4lXthHJUw4

Nice insight into the iQ too.....

 

[alohart]

Stolen i3;

…from 6 years ago. I think that this forum or the Facebook i3 groups would have reports of stolen i3's if it happened often. I'm not worried about theft but about some lowlife breaking a window to steal something inside the car. I now have Wokeby trunk extension which can hide items from probing eyes.