what are you guys doing for security??
 

i live in a gated community co-op with private parking and 24hr security so i'm not worried about losing my ride there but what about on the street??? (shopping malls and other large public areas)

i mean, the X has a number of ways to make towing it easier when compared to other vehicles..

there's a provided tool kit that has a key to manually unlock it from Park...and there's another one to unlock all brakes... it's all in the trunk...

anyone who knows anything about this vehicle will have this knowledge...

doesn't it make it easier for someone to break-in and use the tool to roll it away??....(obviously onto a flatbed or tow truck, or even down the street into another garage!!!)

and.... does the BMW Assist offer any type of tracking of the vehicle??

just wondering....

Roll it away, sure, but that is pretty simple with most cars....watch Repo Man :)

The only real thing that is practical is possibly and upgrade to the factory alarm. But in reality, there isn't really too much you can do aside from not putting yourself in an easy theft situation.

BTW, just to scare you more :) You can easily punch out a X's lock in the drivers door with a hammer and screwdriver. BMW went ahead and put the lock release behind the lock mechanism so when it is punched it, it unlocks the door.

that sucks... and yes it does come with full alarm system...motion, glass, tilt, and door sensors (standard in US models)

i believe BMW assist can also track remotely... not sure...

sounds to me like one needs to make damn sure to mail them insurance payments in a timely manner.

is an X5 a popular target for car thieves? i was under the impression they were hunting rice rockects with the madddd v-tec yohe.

I dont think this is a major poblem thieves usually go for easy targets, and if they really want it there's no way to stop em. eh...just my .02

The headlights in the X5 are a cake walk to steal and if you do a search on the site you'll find out how X Xenons were getting yanked.

BMW Assist provides GPS location of your vehicle. At least, that is how they found me in Gettysburg when I called for a trans issue. Called them and they said "your located at....." I was impressed.

i can validate the issue described here with the door locks, as my 2002 x5 was broken into like that... and then i learned how easy it is to break into any X5 with a screwdriver... and to disable the alarm all within the lock mechanism. it can be done in less than 30 seconds. HOWEVER, i was hoping they fixed this beginning 2007... does anyone know if they did? if not, BMW should be ashamed and embarrassed!!

My brother, who lives nearby in NJ, had his 04 X stolen 2 years ago. From a parking lot in Jersey Gardens shopping mall. Police found it 6+ months later, in good condition (after a failed attempt to export it).

I spoke to my sales mgr about BMW assist. According to him, you need to have a police report to activate BMW assist/vehicle recovery services.... I believe they would only steal it for an export...

good to know these things.

I am looking at it this way. I hope everyone's car is insured, the only real thing I am concerned about is items in the trunk, glove compartment and other aftermarket addons.
If you have assist, you get two great options of unlocking door locks and police tracking. Both are very secure for your and your car's safety.
1. Unlocking is protected by a password and some other personal information when you setup your assist.
2. Vehicle tracking is secured in such way that no one can initiate without a valid police report and confirmation of theft taking place. (you wouldnt want someone calling in and trying to track you down as this becomes a privacy issue)

i agree with your points.... but you are missing the point described just above... which is saying that a simple screwdriver isable to deactivate the X5 alarm and unlock all doors... something that can be done in a crowded parking lot without being noticed.... and all X5's from 2000-2006 are vulnerable to this.... and i just 'hope' that they fixed it for the 2007/2008 models... but not sure if it has been corrected or not.

not sure how well that would work, I know many guys on e46's have replaced the lock with a cover
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts...50&hg=41&fg=40
on e70's seems like replace part 6 with part 7
I think its worth a try if someone is concerned and/or interested.


Oh, I know bimmian.com used to offer these for e46's, I think bmw offers them primed, if enough people are interested, I am sure bimmian could offer a group buy since he has painted reflectors as well as other painted items
Original instructions for e46: http://www.bimmian.com/elements/page...KHC/KHC461.pdf

what the hell is that a slot for a frickin padlock???:confused:

not much you can do to disable the driver's side lock option.. you still need a way to get in if your keyfob won't..

the keyfob should have been designed to be a pager or some sort of notifier!!

In the UK we have a system called Tracker which can be fitted (hidden) to your car. Different versions exist, the basic one being you ring them when your car goes missing and they activate a beacon in the car which the police can home in on. To a top end system that uses a smart card that automaticly alterts you and the tracking center if the car is moved while your smart card is not in range, e.g. your keys are stolen. Also the top end system lets you track your cars movements online via GPS even when not being stolen. Guess you can keep track of what your kids get up to when you let them drive your X.

In Germany the E53 had very high insurance type classes, the E70 is rated much better. It is said the reason is that the E70 is much better protected againts being stolen. The good thing is, that you can´t deactivate the tracking by BMW Assist. The system is integrated into the control units of the car and cannot be removed... Thieves will discuss this in their online forums already ;) and will leave the E70 to it´s owner. You can´t sell it as it will be found in short period...

So long

Christian

E53 has been out there for a while, so high-ends are still good for exports, and the rest are needed for parts. The E70 is relatively new, demand is still high for exports, but there is relatively little need for parts (most parts are covered by the warranty, except the body parts).

If professional auto thiefs want your X there is nothing that you can do to stop them.
As far as the various tracking devices, I don't think I would want it back anyway.

Do you not have anything like Tracker in the US? www.tracker.co.uk

They are not the only one therre are other systems too...most insurance companies insist on them for high value cars like the X5.

Yup - lojack
http://www.lojack.com/

As with all security measures... the professionals know how to defeat them. Often times they will park your car in a deep underground garage so that no signal can be broad casted.

After the main battery is dead and the backup on the tracking device dies too... they tow it away to be checked on at their leisure.

They can then take the time to disable all the security features and either sell it or export it.

Usually its the accords, civics and camrys that are on the lists of top stolen cars - chopped for parts for more money and less risk.

I would think that X's are pretty far down on any list for whole or chopped stolen cars.


As far as the xenon theft, there was a spate of this in Boston a year or so ago - mostly audis. Not much you can do about this but park in a decent well lit area.

One of the biggest problems we have hear in the UK (and I am speaking from personal experiemce!) is parts being stolen off cars. Alloy wheels being stolen are a particualr favourite....it has happened to me twice so I now have five sets of locking wheel nuts on my car. The standard BMW ones are basically useless.....come off in seconds.

It won't be the case with the E70 but once the cars get a bit older things like bumpers, catalytic converters are all very popular

There is a tracker here in the US in addition to the Lojack! It's called "Force Tracker" and works the same way as the Lojack but the real difference is you can call the 24hr Force Tracker hotline and have them track the vehicle remotely via GPS (The Force Tracker sends out a GPS signal)

and the system is transferrable if you decide to sell the vehicle later...

as for alarm systems, have you guys looked into the Clifford Intelliguard 770??? that's the ticket!!

I like it for the built-in anti-carjacking feature!! (automatically shuts down the vehicle within 45 seconds of a carjack)

and it integrates with existing alarm systems....