BMW has released a new software upgrade which should eradicate the security flaw exposed in models produced between 2006 and October last year.
Until now, car thieves have been able to purchase cheap replica BMW keys and program them to work with any car affected by the problem. This has left thousands of BMWs vulnerable to theft.
Free upgrades are already available for owners of affected X5 and X6 models, and the upgrade will be released for the other cars in the BMW range over the next two months.
The whole debacle has been a bit of a PR disaster for the Munich firm. We highlighted the security flaw back in June, showing pictures of thieves stealing a BMW 1M in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, and the story was picked up by the BBC consumer affairs programme Watchdog earlier this month.
BMW has released a press statement informing BMW owners of the security risk and has offered some advice on how owners can protect their car from theft:
- When using remote locking, ensure the car has actually locked by checking a door.
- Be careful with your keys and who you give them to (e.g. valet parking). There is a risk that they could be cloned.
- Where ever possible park your car out of sight, in a locked garage or under the cover of CCTV cameras.
Owners with affected cars should contact their dealer or call the BMW hotline on 0800 083 4397.
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