Xantia stolen - how did they bypass immobiliser?

[Nothing toxic]

My dads xantia was stolen with a lot of valuable items inside the night before last. Stupid him for leaving them there. I was wondering how they might have bypassed the immobiliser keypad as one other person knew the code and although they didn't have a key I am a little suspicious. Could an opportunist thief have done it? The car was definitely driven off as it was heard by a neighbour.

[Lighty]

As far as I know, it would be very difficult to bypass the keypad, unless they knew how to power the ecu up, it's a fair bit easier on a diesel, but not many folk would steal a Xantia.

[CitroJim]

Was it a diesel or a petrol and more specifically, what engine?

Generally it is very difficult to bypass a keypad and on a diesel, given the pump armouring is intact, very difficult and for the purposes of nicking same, almost impossible...

On a petrol, the easiest would be to go equipped with a spare ECU for which the code is known. That would take planning and most thieves aren't that bright generally...

It must have been well worth the trouble of nicking it...

[bxzx16v]

Sad to hear about the stolen xantia , but who would steal one ? Great cars , it must have been a complete nutter

Mark

[CitroJim]

it must have been a complete nutter

Or it was someone who knows just what a well-kept secret they are

[davoxx]

Sorry to hear that.

Are you sure it was not towed/lifted and neighbour heard that vehicle?

Silly question was the keypad worn away with the code or was an easy code? I've seen a car where the code was guessable based on worn away keypad.

[Gibbo2286]

Some old tinker scrap merchant with a truck, probably already broken for spares and the remainder in the crusher, (or maybe another Xantia owner who neeeded an engine)

[Rhothgar]

it must have been a complete nutter

Or it was someone who knows just what a well-kept secret they are

NO JIM! GET A GRIP!

No-one in their right mind would steal a Xantia.

It reminds me of the Arthur Conan Doyle quote in Sherlock Holmes.

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

So let's start with the facts!

1) You know of one other person that has known the code at some point in the past.
2) It does not necessarily need a key to start it if the code is known.
3) No-one in the right mind would steal a Xantia.

Let us now look at possible suspects!

1) A person in a state of drug induced madness or some drunk might see if as an opportunity to get home in very cold weather (this assumes it was cold in your location last night). However, someone in that state couldn't just simply steal a Xantia although it might look attractive to them as some women do when you have beer goggles on.

2) A good percentage of the British population would not be intelligent enough so that rules them out.

3) That leaves the person that knows the code - so put your huge hobnail boots on and go around to their place and give them a good 'shoeing'

Problem solved! Elementary, my dear nothing toxic!

Joking apart. That's bad news. Scum bags.

[Deanxm]

Sorry to hear of this but i would say it is impossible to steel a coded Xantia on a whim, ask anyone who has lost the code and tried to get the car going again, you must have a new ecu with known code or plenty of time to be tinkering around with the bonnet up and i mean plenty.
I would say it was taken with a grab lorry or similar.

D

[Chlorate]

No chance the keypad code was something like 1111? A troubling number of people don't change default codes - even on things like combination locks and safes....

It would seem likely though that the car was probably just towed away, especially if the thieving b*stard in question was after scrap metal or something.

[Deanxm]

Scrap metal thefts should dry up now, payments at scrap merchants are no longer made in cash, bank details must be taken and the payment sent by cheque so it should cut down on the problem.

D

[Citroenmad]

When we used to get Xantias in for servicing the code was often written on the back of the sunvisor It wasn't something as simple as that was it?

If the buttons are worn its possible, given a few days, to select the right code, however press the wrong code too many times and your locked out for 30 minutes. As the exhaust place was with my Activa.

I would say its been picked up or towed away. Quite unusual as a Xantia isn't really a desirable car to pinch. However, I did hear from someone at the ICCCR that in their country Xantia Activas are frequently stolen, obviosuly well informed car theives

[DickieG]

A diesel Xantia with a keypad immobiliser is dirt easy to steal once you have bypassed the steering lock (not difficult), the keypad is useless and bypassed without the use of any tools, effort or anything complicated in any way whatsoever, in fact the bypass is so simple anyone being told of the details will look very similar to when informed.

[VertVega]

The question of this topic sounds like Phishing. Sorry I might be wrong but a new member with the first question to the forum ...

[Citroenmad]

I'm thinking along the lines of, unplug the keypad and your away ...

Hopefully not!