GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk8 => Topic started by: Ray84 on 08 August 2023, 17:26
-
I have set the S-PIN as this (should) prevent a car thief to remove the primary We Connect user. This way the car should stay trackable. Only nuisance is that I have to enter my pin every time I start the engine.
What are your thoughts about having set the S-PIN?
-
Definitely do that it prevents someone turning of the ability to be able to track the car via VW or We Connect. I’ve also turned off the remote access for doors unlocking when you have the key with you so every time I access the car you need to use the key. This also prevents the key grabber devices that are commonly used by thieves nowadays. Obviously you can add other security bits and bobs. But these small easy to do things aid security at the outset.
-
I’ve kept it on and enter every time.
Got a bit of a surprise when I got all sorts of notifications that someone had set up a guest user or something …..turned out it was a mechanic who wanted to reset the tyre pressure monitor after fixing a pothole damaged tyre.
I also keep an AirTag in the car, although not in the headlining or anything at the moment.
-
I disabled this after a few weeks of ownership. Too much of a faff for me entering a code on every startup, particularly when the infotainment system itself isn’t exactly snappy.
-
Definitely do that it prevents someone turning of the ability to be able to track the car via VW or We Connect. I’ve also turned off the remote access for doors unlocking when you have the key with you so every time I access the car you need to use the key. This also prevents the key grabber devices that are commonly used by thieves nowadays. Obviously you can add other security bits and bobs. But these small easy to do things aid security at the outset.
I also do both of these things. Plus a Disklok. The S-Pin was also recommended by Volkswizard in one of his videos from when he had his Clubsport. Sad state of affairs that we have to do this but that’s the way it is.
-
I am the Primary User and enter my S-PIN if I ever log in. Most of the time however I just drive using my wife's account, which doesn't require an S-PIN entry.
So you presumably you can just set up a second account and not log in for the majority of your short drives , with the same settings as your primary account. I think if you log in to your primary account with your S-PIN once a month or just for longer journeys, it stays live and you can still track it.
-
It's actually a good idea to have two accounts! I also bought a Airtag. Hopefully that'll do! It's indeed a shame we have to take measures like this.
-
Okay I don't have an iPhone but from what I've read Airtags have their flaws so you might not want to use them as the main way of tracking your car (if stolen).
Airtags can be tracked by anybody with a newer iPhone using the Find My app and their exact location (in car for example) pinpointed because a third party can make them play a sound - so they could be found and removed.
Maybe read up on them?
https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-find-out-if-an-airtag-is-tracking-you/
-
Okay I don't have an iPhone but from what I've read Airtags have their flaws so you might not want to use them as the main way of tracking your car (if stolen).
Airtags can be tracked by anybody with a newer iPhone using the Find My app and their exact location (in car for example) pinpointed because a third party can make them play a sound - so they could be found and removed.
Maybe read up on them?
https://www.zdnet.com/article/how-to-find-out-if-an-airtag-is-tracking-you/
I read the same article the other day. Spend c.£40k+ on a car and rely on something that costs £30 to protect it?
Invest in a decent Tracker and Immobiliser and a Disklock, the former can also reduce your insurance premium.
-
While the AirTag isn't a ideal theft prevention method, it's an easy and cheap solution imo (especially in combination with S-PIN). I'll make mine soundproof, so it's not too obvious where it's hidden.
If the car gets stolen I - hopefully - have two ways to track it.
Also, if it's that easy to check if a car has an AirTag, perhaps they'll skip those instead. Maybe it's naive to think but dismantling the car & alarm and check for an AirTag does seem riskier imo :grin:
My car is parked in a parking lot, so keyless entry probably won't be an issue (except when parking somewhere else obviously).
-
From what I’ve heard, any professional thief can disable s-pin, the same way the dealer can when it’s being serviced
-
Read my stolen CS45 thread…
Unfortunately, the car can be factory reset using a sequence of button presses and actions. I’ve not googled since, but when it was stolen I couldn’t find the code online. Something only crooks and VW know?
They also reset the car (I got an email saying primary user logged out) 20 minutes after our neighbours CCTV saw it drive off. And worse, VW Germany would not switch the tracking back on after admitting they could, but because of data protection 😡.
If you want security I’ve got a “lessons learnt” post from my naivety. We have a powered ring camera, ring alarm and I use a 5 digit code crook lock (Amazon about £100), keys can be found and even if you take it they’ll rummage through the house. In my opinion, all you can do is try and make your car harder to steal than another one down the road, they’ll target someone else, harsh but true.
We have posts on our town FB page often about people looking around cars and some others about thefts, with a light up ring camera looking straight over the drive and the external light up ring box on the house, we’ve not had anyone go near my M2 even when we’ve been away in the family motor.
-
Read my stolen CS45 thread…
Unfortunately, the car can be factory reset using a sequence of button presses and actions. I’ve not googled since, but when it was stolen I couldn’t find the code online. Something only crooks and VW know?
They also reset the car (I got an email saying primary user logged out) 20 minutes after our neighbours CCTV saw it drive off. And worse, VW Germany would not switch the tracking back on after admitting they could, but because of data protection 😡.
If you want security I’ve got a “lessons learnt” post from my naivety. We have a powered ring camera, ring alarm and I use a 5 digit code crook lock (Amazon about £100), keys can be found and even if you take it they’ll rummage through the house. In my opinion, all you can do is try and make your car harder to steal than another one down the road, they’ll target someone else, harsh but true.
We have posts on our town FB page often about people looking around cars and some others about thefts, with a light up ring camera looking straight over the drive and the external light up ring box on the house, we’ve not had anyone go near my M2 even when we’ve been away in the family motor.
What you really need to do is block the obd port access only steering lock any good is a dislock.
All other steering locks can be removed in minutes.
-
Apparently the only way a Disklock can be removed without the key is grinding it off.
They are heavy and cumbersome but I wouldn’t be without one.
-
I'd imagine going into the settings menu and doing a factory reset would wipe out all of the users and not require an S-PIN.
The S-PIN is only used for online services...
-
It could be that you’d be better off not using a PIN, and hope that any thief that took the car didn’t reset anything because they overlooked the need to without the prompt to enter the code, I don’t think the ‘tracking’ device is intended to be a security feature anyway, I’d think it’s purely a by product of having the ability to remotely access the car.