2022 RAV4 stolen

[atartan]

1 hour ago, babodonk said:

Yes, I received the location from the Toyota app. The driver's side pillar was pulled open and cables out, to disable the GPS. 

Now the Toyota app location is wrong - still points to where car was recovered. They could have moved the car once more and it wouldn't have been recovered...

The GPS and navigation system doesn't work now, so requires insurance to fix it... which they are struggling to do...

My car was same, If they drove the car somewhere else I wouldn't be able to find it. The insurance had the car for 2 months and they couldn't fix the GPS and They had to send it to Toyota. It has been 3 months since the insurance took my car for repairs. They said that the parts might take another 2 months to arrive. They are still not sure if they will be able to fix it though. I wonder if they would write off the car since They cant repair !

[Roger_N]

It's worth asking them how long you should be expected to wait, most insurance will replace the car if it's a right off in the first year but as they can't get any new one you may get the car cost back but if you just except the situation they will just let it carry on.

[atartan]

2 hours ago, Roger_N said:

It's worth asking them how long you should be expected to wait, most insurance will replace the car if it's a right off in the first year but as they can't get any new one you may get the car cost back but if you just except the situation they will just let it carry on.

I have asked several times when the car would be fixed but the answer is "as long as it takes". I contacted  insurance's complaint department and They told me that there is no legal limit that they need the fix the car. Their excuse is shortage of parts . I will take this to financial ombudsman but I am told I have to wait 8 weeks after my complaint with  the insurer and only 4 week has passed since I complained. I initially had some faith that they would fix the car ... I would have complained earlier otherwise.

[Nick72]

Ok I got my steering lock as a result of this thread. Heavy duty one as recommended by Ernie. Company car but I got gear in the car and the hassle of sorting it out if stolen including finding a replacement is not something I want. Deterrence is the main thing. 

[Hayzee]

5 hours ago, jazzyb88 said:

Do we think they are using the OBD2 port inside the car to then start the car or it is all done via the headlight wiring? Just wondering if it's worth also securing the OBD2.

My understanding is that they gain entry to the car via the can network then have to clone the key via the obd port

[Rav Rob]

1 hour ago, Nick72 said:

Ok I got my steering lock as a result of this thread. Heavy duty one as recommended by Ernie. Company car but I got gear in the car and the hassle of sorting it out if stolen including finding a replacement is not something I want. Deterrence is the main thing. 

Similar situation, more worried about my gear than the car. I didn't used to worry when I got my first RAV it was new/rare enough not to be cracked. Now its a victim of its own success and attracting thieves.

Just a pity the 259V Battery can't be hooked up to some strategically placed metal parts as a little treat for them to discover.

[jazzyb88]

4 hours ago, Hayzee said:

My understanding is that they gain entry to the car via the can network then have to clone the key via the obd port

So what if we just pull the fuse for the obd port as extra security? I know you can get dummy ports but this doesn't cost anything

[forkingabout]

Wonder if these are being stolen for export OR being broken down for parts? 

[Mojo1010]

The lexus mechanic I spoke to said export, which were my assumption. 

[forkingabout]

6 minutes ago, Mojo1010 said:

The lexus mechanic I spoke to said export, which were my assumption. 

Sounds like an ideal opportunity for Toyota & the Police to join forces to put an end to these thefts 😉

[mobi]

Police don't care. They provide just a crime ref number to sort out with insurance.

Toyota does not care either as it does not affect their sales.

As I said before, only those who are member of some car forums (a tiny % of whole population) are aware of this problem. For rest of the owners, ignorance is a bliss.

[nlee]

8 hours ago, Hayzee said:

My understanding is that they gain entry to the car via the can network then have to clone the key via the obd port

I think this was the initial thinking but from the videos doing the rounds and from other information I've read on the internet it seems that they can open the doors and start the car in one go from the access to the CAN. Maybe they create a cloned key later, away from the scene of the theft.

It seems like the connector on the  headlight circuit is the vulnerable point and it involves sticking two pins from the device into the two CAN connections and it emulates the signals for all the commands. I doesn't sound like the connector has to be removed or wires cut. I wonder if there is a way of enclosing the connector in a mini junction box, or similar, or maybe even securing it or the wiring to the body so it can't be pulled out. Whatever we do they will eventually find another way or there will be other vulnerable points to access the CAN around the car, but if it makes it harder and they come across something unfamiliar they may move on.

[Strangely Brown]

14 minutes ago, mobi said:

Police don't care. They provide just a crime ref number to sort out with insurance.

They do care, they are just powerless to do anything about it. What, exactly, do you think they should be doing?
Police are massively under resourced and simply do not have the people, time, or money to spend on something that is not going to yield a result. The crime is recorded and you have insurance. It sounds cold but that is reality.

If information came to light that would enable them to take down a car theft ring or entire operation then you can be sure they would follow it up. Until then...

Sorry to sound harsh but it really is unfair to say that they don't care.

[robo1]

20 minutes ago, nlee said:

It seems like the connector on the  headlight circuit is the vulnerable point

I don’t think they even have to reach into the engine bay to get to the headlight circuit. There is a connector sitting on  the wheel arch where they break in. ( googling says common site for the Tyre Pressure Receiver) They probable have the correct connector attached to their gizmo so it’s just plug and play

Wonder if you could replace the plastic clip that holds the plastic wheel arch with something harder to remove. Unfortunately there’s no access from the engine bay to above the wheel arch. 

 

[kucyk]

They must be disconnecting the lamp as it's off on the videos.

[nlee]

5 minutes ago, robo1 said:

I don’t think they even have to reach into the engine bay to get to the headlight circuit. There is a connector sitting on  the wheel arch where they break in. ( googling says common site for the Tyre Pressure Receiver) They probable have the correct connector attached to their gizmo so it’s just plug and play

Wonder if you could replace the plastic clip that holds the plastic wheel arch with something harder to remove. Unfortunately there’s no access from the engine bay to above the wheel arch. 

 

If that connector carries the CAN bus then yes. Theoretically wherever you can access the appropriate CAN. I'm not sure how many separate CAN circuits there are.

I'm not sure pulling a connector would work as that circuit would be broken, they probably need to splice or pigtail off it, or have two ends to the connector to maintain the circuits.

[nlee]

3 minutes ago, kucyk said:

They must be disconnecting the lamp as it's off on the videos.

Then robo1 may be right about the connector.

[Nick72]

8 hours ago, Rav Rob said:

Similar situation, more worried about my gear than the car. I didn't used to worry when I got my first RAV it was new/rare enough not to be cracked. Now its a victim of its own success and attracting thieves.

Just a pity the 259V battery can't be hooked up to some strategically placed metal parts as a little treat for them to discover.

Just need a large inductor (many turn coil) and a relay. The collapsing magnetic field when switching off via the relay causes a huge back EMF which can to channeled to conductive plates (which are pressure activated to throw the relay over in the first place). Nice surprise 😂

[duncerduncs]

In South Africa Toyota are offering a free 'upgrade' to high risk vehicles that stops the CANbus attack. 

As this is a hot issue in Japan, I'd expect an update during Q1 2023....

[Cyker]

That's excellent news! Any details on what the fix/upgrade is?

[Strangely Brown]

10 hours ago, duncerduncs said:

In South Africa Toyota are offering a free 'upgrade' to high risk vehicles that stops the CANbus attack. 

As this is a hot issue in Japan, I'd expect an update during Q1 2023....

May I ask where you read or heard this?

[Strangely Brown]

32 minutes ago, Strangely Brown said:

May I ask where you read or heard this?

I have found this:

https://topauto.co.za/news/64409/toyota-south-africa-announces-free-safety-upgrades-for-these-cars/

No mention of RAV4 in there, unfortunately.

Still... it does offer a bit of hope.

[Roger_N]

21 minutes ago, Strangely Brown said:

I have found this:

https://topauto.co.za/news/64409/toyota-south-africa-announces-free-safety-upgrades-for-these-cars/

No mention of RAV4 in there, unfortunately.

Still... it does offer a bit of hope.

The other good bit of news is they are retro fitting it to cars 7 years old, so there is some hope it will appear here soon but how long it will take to find a dealer with a time slot to do it is another question.

[philip42h]

48 minutes ago, Strangely Brown said:

I have found this:

https://topauto.co.za/news/64409/toyota-south-africa-announces-free-safety-upgrades-for-these-cars/

No mention of RAV4 in there, unfortunately.

Still... it does offer a bit of hope.

As I read these articles it sounds more like a 'fix' for the key cloning issue that exists in earlier models but is already addressed in the RAV4. But we can wait in hope ... 😉 

[robo1]

Other option is Toyota might be securing the OBD port. Their reply to my second question about the CAN problem was to direct me to Tip 4 of their security tips regarding securing the OBD port. Seems some uncertainty whether you need to gain access to the OBD port after going into the wheel arch. Last video showed then driving off very soon after gaining entry.