Is a Tesla easy to steal?

[Cardo]

Leaving your card at home is risky, if your phone goes flat you can't get into the car. I recently had a situation in Sainsburys where for some reason my phone drained flat in less than 30mins with a 30% charge to start with, I couldn't pay for my shopping and had to go to the car (not the Tesla at the time) to charge the phone to get a few percent in to be able go back down to pay. I now carry a small card wallet with a couple of credit cards, my Tesla card and a spare door key. Much as I'd love to trust my phone it does need a backup for those rare occasions. Easy to carry a small card wallet than a battery pack which is the other option.

My backup is my Apple Watch. It requires cellular coverage for both the watch and car, but it’ll likely do in the unlikely event that my phone runs out of battery.

 

[Peter 224]

I carry both: twice in 6 months the car hasn't woken to my phone, it opened and then demanded the key card be placed on the center consol before it would start.

As mentioned I carry a thin credit card holder with driving licence, a car key, a credit card and £20.00. Most of the time I pay for everything with my Apple Watch linked to Apple Pay. How can I link my Apple Watch to the car?

 

[Nick77]

I always have my home made key fob in my pocket. Just last week the car wouldn't open even though the app said connected and I was standing next to it with my phone

You definitely need some kind of backup just in case.

 

[M3noob]

If you're worried about someone stealing your car then enable Pin to Drive. I got a CNICK Tesla Ring and no longer worry about forgetting my keycard and my iPhone not working. Tesla Key Ring | Smart Ring | Tesla Accessories

Cnick also has bracelets with the Tesla gubbins. I gave my daughter a lapis lazuli beaded bracelet with the key in it. No, she doesn't know the pin

 

[kelvin 660]

I don't use a wallet anymore. I use one of these that has my Tesla card, driving licence, credit card, debit card plus a couple of £10 notes...


Only a few quid from eBay!

 

[doats1]

I do carry my key card and wallet with me, but I use my phone for literally everything and it hasn’t failed me in over a year of owning the car.

I’ll probably stop carrying my cards around eventually as the cards pose a greater risk of theft IMO (my phone is protected by passcode and Touch ID whilst an opportunistic thief could tap many of my cards and get away with some money). Battery isn’t normally an issue because I always leave my phone on the wireless pad when I’m driving.

More on topic though, I’d say it’s quite difficult to steal a Model 3. When I’m far away from home I enable P2D, and disable any kind of remote activation.

 

[raymondotango]

I always have my home made key fob in my pocket. Just last week the car wouldn't open even though the app said connected and I was standing next to it with my phone

You definitely need some kind of backup just in case.

If your phone has NFC tap the phone on the B pillar just like you would if it was a key card.

 

[GRiLLA]

It seems the key fob *may* have the “sleep when not used” security feature to guard against relay attacks, but I find the wording in the manual a bit random.

View attachment 719536

What I’d really like to know is…. does “within vehicle range” also mean on my nightstand? We keep the keys to the volvo in a little faraday box anyway, and quite like the idea of the Tesla fob, but not if it’s going to reduce the overall security of the vehicle unnecessarily.

After 5 mins of being stationary the keyfob no longer appears when I search for bluetooth devices, if I then move it, it appears. This happens irrespective of how far I am from the car.

 

[teaston]

I also don’t use a wallet anymore, got a Mujjo iPhone wallet case, enough room for debit card, driving license and Tesla card!

 

[Masklin]

Each to their own obviously, but is the above not a single point of failure so to speak?

Lose or have phone stolen and… no phone, no identity, no access to cash, no access to car…

 

[teaston]

Each to their own obviously, but is the above not a single point of failure so to speak?

Lose or have phone stolen and… no phone, no identity, no access to cash, no access to car…

Well in over 20 years of mobile phone ownership I have never lost one, even momentarily, so it’s a non-issue imo.

And even if I did lose it, I could use anyone else’s phone to download the app and get access to the car.

 

[Masklin]

In over twenty years of flying I never had an engine failure, didn’t stop me having redundant systems though

 

[teaston]

In over twenty years of flying I never had an engine failure, didn’t stop me having redundant systems though

Yep, exactly as I said above, someone else’s phone is my redundant system!

 

[Irata]

Just as a reminder... Using someone else's phone may be an issue if using two factor authentication, so access to the backup codes might be needed as well.

 

[Cardo]

I carry both: twice in 6 months the car hasn't woken to my phone, it opened and then demanded the key card be placed on the center consol before it would start.

As mentioned I carry a thin credit card holder with driving licence, a car key, a credit card and £20.00. Most of the time I pay for everything with my Apple Watch linked to Apple Pay. How can I link my Apple Watch to the car?

There’s different apps, but I’m rather fond of Watch App for Tesla.

Watch app for Tesla

Convenience on the desktop - Watch app for Tesla is the ideal companion in day to day life with your Tesla vehicle. These are just a few of the day to day conveniences this app will help achieve: - Pair your watch as a proper vehicle key, just like your phone! Works under all conditions...

apps.apple.com

 

[Js1977]

Did that in a BMW rental once! Had to get a lock smith out to pick the locks...

I also did it once on a ford focus. The AA guy came out, removed the high level brake light, shorted a couple of wires and opened the boot

 

[Marvin03]

There’s different apps, but I’m rather fond of Watch App for Tesla.

Watch app for Tesla

Convenience on the desktop - Watch app for Tesla is the ideal companion in day to day life with your Tesla vehicle. These are just a few of the day to day conveniences this app will help achieve: - Pair your watch as a proper vehicle key, just like your phone! Works under all conditions...

apps.apple.com

Watch app is excellent. You can add the charge % to the watch face and can do plug-in reminders etc. worth getting an Apple Watch just for this!

 

[Sparkeur]

Is a Tesla easy to steal?​

No...but it's able to drive like it has been...

 

[Mr H]

with the multitude of cards i need for my job, carrying a wallet is a necessity i could well do without

 

[Rav-Y]

I have a 3rd party Tesla ring.