Hi all...
I've got a BMW X5. On the Jubilee weekend, I parked my car and went into the house but i was in quite a hurry. Im not 100% sure if locked the car.
At about 1:30am my nephew who had been at his friends house (yeah yeah) calls my mobile to tell me theres someone in the X5. I bolted out of bed and ran out. Within those few minutes, the c**k had realised he's been caught and got out the car and walked round the coarner and legged it. My nephew saw him sitting in the passengers seat.

Now for the life of, i cant say with 100% certaintity i locked the car. I reckon he was an opportunist and trying find anything of value, he had opened the glove box but i never leave anything in the car so nothing for him to take (There was a pack of murray mints which he did not touch)

Im thinking if he was trying to nick the car, he would have done what he had to to drive off but im not sure if he got rumbled or as i said, taking a chance as the car was maybe open.

I called BMW main dealers and he said if someone wants to nick a car they will..they are usually stolen to order.
The computer a thief needs to connect to on an X5 is near the lever to open the bonnet and not on the passenger side i read in one of the posts earlier.

Im going to buy a disclock to as as a deterrent.

Question is, if i did lock the car, how did he get in, and has he got the details he needs for a second hit...it's been nearly a 3 weeks now and everuthing is ok...

Im onto a builder to sort my garage out so i can sleep more easy at night...

Come on Guys, isn't it time some of you took responsibility for YOUR own cars like in the old days?

It's not rocket science to fit a hidden kill switch or similar until things are resolved.

Up until recently the BMW security has always been looked upon as virtually unbeatable. Now the scum have found a way in like they will with any security system.It's like a game of catch up.

BMW will get this sorted, but in the meantime don't you think the owners should do their bit? If you get burgled at home, do you blame the house builder? No. The first thing you do after the break in is to improve the locks and fit an alarm.

Surely prevention is better than cure.

If my builder fits doors that have only one kind of key and then sells a master key to anyone who asks (or they are so easy to copy that any fool can do it), then it's not the same thing, is it ?

And tell me, will my builder honour the NHBC warranty when someone else has chopped and changed the wiring about - er nope.

So do what I've done: get your BMW dealer to fit kill switches and to give an explicit promise that they will stand by their work if any snags arise.

Well, it's been in place for a while and in reality it hasn't screwed up anything. And the electrician at the dealer, whom I have spoken to often and whose work is very good, assures me the CANBUS is not involved and nothing else will be affected. Moreover, if a problem arose with something major, then going by past experience the dealer would remedy it under the BMW warranty and so shift the cost (which is one reason why I am not giving any clues about who the dealer is, as BMW have procedures to catch warranty cost-shifting).

I agree entirely with the spirit of that comment. In my case, though, I proposed the remedy; it wasn't offered by either the dealer or BMW and wasn't anyone's easy option. Far from the dealer fobbing me off with this solution, they didn't even know about the problem until I told them - which is perhaps an indictment in itself, but a rather different one from yours.

I regard the work as nothing more than a short-term measure to get me through until the day when a proper fix is available.

Same guys again??? My '09 E92 335d went April 24th from W9 (West London) and was found the same day in NW1 (next postcode across). They also looked in the boot for the tracker by removing the panels and left the obd cable out. And they stuck new plates on it but the police spotted it parked up.

I've asked the dealer who sold it (Reading) if they can disable the additional key added by the thieves...am awaiting their response.

Excellent question. But I think you need BMW to answer it assuming you can get them to admit that any of their cars can be stolen.

I thought the earlier post from the hidden BMW employee was particularly unhelpful. Pity BMW cannot man up and admit and address the problem. I have never been a BMW fan, as I stated in my first post on here, but the shoddy treatment of the owners of stolen BMW cars, by BMW themselves, has even further reduced my admiration for the brand.

I hope the situation is sorted quickly. I do not expect it to be.

Broadly, if car has "proper" key you put in ignition and twist, ok. If its a "lozenge" type key that goes in slot in dash, with stop/start button, not ok. Definitely not ok for E60 or E90 and derivatives thereof, roughly 06-11. My understanding is so far F-series cars are unaffected.

The vast majority taken are 5 or 3 series, generally but not exclusively diesel, and top engines and specs. So 535d sport (mine), 335d sport, 335i, 135i particularly affected. Not exclusively though, 530, 520 etc have been taken. Not sure about X series but X5 is most stolen car in UK so must be.

A 550 petrol probably low risk even if it has the wrong key but I think yours is pre-LCI stop/start button so should be ok hopefully...

Agreed, and it can still have the electric key even if pre-LCI. The E60 key was updated in 2006

Asked BMW what I should do. Their response was

"Thank you for your email dated June 13, 2012.

I have been in contact with our technical department and they have advise that you would need to get keys number 3 through to 10 barred in the vehicle at Holland Park. However, I must note that this would also stop any further keys being made, therefore, if you lose your own two keys you would need to purchase a complete new CAS control unit and key.

I trust that this answers your enquiry, however, please do not hesitate to contact me, if I can be of further assistance.

Yours sincerely

BMW UK"

Contacted dealer who said he would ask his technicians about it but still waiting for a reply a week later despite chasing - not impressive in the least.