I'm a car security expert

A CAR security expert has advised motorists with keyless entry cars to use a metal tin to protect against the theft of their vehicles from sophisticated new equipment.

Dave Robinson from DR Car Audio and Security in Dublin says thieves are using high-tech kits to grab the signal emitted from the key tag and use it to gain entry to the motor, which can then be started by pressing a button.

There are many systems which can be bought to scramble the signal and protect the car but the simplest one is a metal container, such as biscuit tin, according to Dave, who has been operating his Dublin-based vehicle security company for the last twenty years.

He said: "We are only really seeing this kind of theft here in the last few years but it is big in the UK.

"Many cars today are keyless entry in that you don't need to put a physical key into the ignition to start the car.

"You have a tag or a fob which opens the car and once you sit in, you press a button for the car to work using a signal from the fob.

"When that signal is out in the air, it can be grabbed, relayed or just held with this new technology that thieves are using.

"If they have this system, one lad will walk around the targeted house trying to pick up the signal from the fob inside and relay it to another guy near the car who will start it and be gone in minutes.

"They’ll have driven off in your car with the keys still in the house and you’ll be none the wiser until the following morning."

Dave says he has dealt with a number of people whose cars have been robbed this way.

He added: "There is equipment that can even grab your signal while you’re at a petrol station and store it to be used to steal your car at a later date.

"Some of these guys are so far ahead of the game with the equipment they have.

"A lot of manufacturers are now making the fobs with a safety feature which means they go asleep after a few minutes and stop emitting a signal."

Dave says there are a number of things owners can do to improve the safety of their car and said a tracking device hidden in the vehicle will monitor where the car is at all times.

He said: "Many people are actually going back to the steering wheel lock which makes the car harder to steal.

"There is also a small lead lined pouch which you can place your key in which will block the signal completely.

"If you can't afford all these safety measures, then put the fob in a metal container, like a biscuit tin.

"It's not 100 per cent safe or effective but it will dull down the signal."