Just seen this and wondering if it applies to VW as well.
"Audi owners are being warned that they are among the targets of a new breed of thief that is able to break into cars and drive off without needing a key. Police say that hundreds of vehicles have been taken with a technique that involves gaining entry and then programming a blank key fob using equipment that can be bought online or in specialist shops.
Drivers of high-performance Audi RS and S models in the Midlands are understood to have been among those most heavily targeted this year. “There have been literally hundreds of cars taken in this way,” a police source based in the region told Driving.
“It’s a huge issue,” the source added. “The majority of cars that are being stolen will be used for crime. Thieves love estate cars like the RS 4 because they have a large luggage capacity and upwards of 400bhp.”
One Birmingham-based shop, NV Motorsport, said that it knew of at least 20 customers whose Audis had been stolen this way. It is now selling an unofficial software upgrade — untested by Driving — that is claimed to make the vehicles more resistant to theft.
The tactic being used is the same as one employed last year to steal vast numbers of BMWs. That car maker has since released a software update that has reportedly deterred thieves.
Criminals will either smash a window or jam the vehicle’s remote signal to prevent the car from locking. Once inside, they plug a device — roughly the size of a mobile phone — into the diagnostic port fitted to all modern cars, which connects it to the vehicle’s computer. This allows it access to the codes needed to program a blank key fob that is held close to the device. Within 20 seconds crooks are able to lock, unlock and start the car.
The programming gadgets should be available only to dealers and locksmiths, but a device that claims to be able to program Audi A4, A5 and Q5 models without requiring a key to be present can be found for sale online.
Audi said it was aware of a “small number” of vehicle thefts but it had no conclusive proof that its cars could be stolen this way."
