JLR Vehicle Security Update

With Car Thefts being so rife with 128,000 vehicles being stolen last year here in the UK and this is on the rise. To put this in perspective, that’s 1 car being stolen every 4 minutes in the UK.

With Land Rovers and Jaguar Vehicles being so sought after, these vehicles make up a large proportion of these car thefts and insurance companies have decided to either stop insuring JLR Vehicles altogether or drastically increase Insurance Premiums. This has had a negative effect on JLR vehicle Values as many people would rather sell their cars instead of paying these inflated premiums thereby flooding the market with Land Rovers, Range Rovers and Jaguars.

So JLR have decided to take action with a recall and a “Security Update”, we don’t know exactly what the security update does as this information is kept private but the update is know to lock down the Body Control Module (BCM) and it is for all JLR Cars 2017 and Newer.

What we do know is that thieves steal JLR Cars using a few different methods by buying a number of third-party tools online, here are a few common methods.

1. Relay Theft – This is where the thieves can use a Scanner/Transmitter Unit at the front door of your house and a Receiver/Transmitter Unit in your car. How it works is the scanner scans your house for keyless key signals and then the Scanner/Transmitter will then transmit the signal to the Receiver/Transmitter, this unit will transmit the signal to the Car and the Car will recognise that the key is actually at the car and the thief will be able to keylessly open the car and then start the car and drive away.
2. Emergency Start Device – This is a special tool that the thief can plug into the car’s OBD Port and this will then be able to read the information on the Body Control Module (BCM) and create a cloneable key within seconds. The thief then uses this cloneable key to start the car and then drives away.
3. Emergency Start Device with Cable – The way this works is that this tool basically connects directly to the car’s wiring system called the “CAN Bus”, this wiring system connects to all the modules including the Body Control Module. So essentially the thief goes to a locked car and cuts a small hole in the body of the car, usually the boot. The thief then locates the CAN Bus wiring and then connects the cable to the wiring and it can then read the information on the Body Control Module (BCM) and create a cloneable key within seconds. The thief then uses this cloneable key to start the car and then drives away.

So JLR wants to close all these methods to make stealing these cars much more difficult and they have been working hard behind the scenes and the update is believed to have fixed the issues above.

So if your car is eligible for this security update (Click to check eligibility – https://www.landrover.co.uk/ownership/security-update), then it looks like you should definitely get it done.

One of the potential issues is JLR will require you to have all your programmed keys present when the Security Update is applied. If you have both your programmed keys and haven’t lost/damaged or had a key stolen since you have owned the car then you are good to get the update, if you have unfortunately somehow lost one of your keys please read on….

If you have lost a key along the way and you get a spare key created by an auto locksmith, the method they use may or may not work so you need to be aware of this if you want to take advantage of the security update.

So regarding the key options, there are 3 scenarios here, so see the image below to identify your Key and then see the different options available:

Key A – Keys here can be added by adding a key directly to the Keyless Vehicle Module (KVM), Keys cloned to match a missing key or the official method by replacing the keyless vehicle module.

The options, costings and information can be found below:

1. Adding a key directly to KVM – This involves removing the KVM, programming the KVM with the new key and replacing the module and then the new key simply works. The cost is £300 however this method adds a third key into the system and therefore the security update won’t work as all the keys programmed need to be present and this means that you have 2 keys (Original one and new one) but there are 3 keys programmed to the vehicle so the security upgrade can’t proceed.
2. Cloning the Key – a key can be programmed to the car at a cost of £250 however there is no warranty as these keys don’t always last. We do use the best possible cloneable keys so we can give you a 3-month warranty. This will however work for the security update as the system will show 2 keys programmed and you will have both keys so the upgrade will work.
3. Official Method – This is the best method as it works with the security upgrade and the keys last for years with a 12-month warranty for peace of mind. The process involves replacing the KVM and programming the KVM and existing key and high-quality keys into the car. This can be done for £450

Key B – This key is available in 2 options.

1. PS Fob – Passive Start (PS), this is a key that can start your car using keyless start using the push button start but won’t work with keyless entry.
2. PEPS Fob – Passive Entry Passive Start (PEPS), this key allows for Keyless entry and keyless start.

Key B – PS – These keys can be programmed using 2 methods.

1. Cloning the Key – a key can most likely be programmed to the car at a cost of £350 however there is no warrantee as these keys don’t always last. We do use the best possible cloneable keys so we can give you a 3-month warranty. This will however work for the security update as the system will show 2 keys programmed and you will have both keys so the security update will work.
2. Official Method – This is the best method as it works with the security upgrade and the keys last for years with a 12-month warranty for peace of mind. The process involves replacing the KVM and programming the KVM and existing key and a genuine Land Rover/Jaguar Key. This can be done at a total cost of £850

Key B – PEPS – This key can be programmed using 1 method.

1. Official Method – There isn’t much option here, you have to replace the KVM. The process involves replacing the KVM and programming the KVM and existing key and a genuine Land Rover / Jaguar PEPS Key. This can be done at a total cost of £950.