YOUR CAR
CAN BE STOLEN
in under 60 seconds with no alarm triggered
Car immobiliser Kings Heath
Professional relay immobiliser installation across Kings Heath, Moseley, and B13-B14 postcodes. Mobile service.
Kings Heath and Moseley are sought-after suburbs where keyless entry vehicles such as Mini, Audi, and Volkswagen are increasingly targeted. LockCar’s mobile installation provides professional relay immobiliser protection without leaving your home.
Kings Heath
Why B13 and B14 keep coming up
Kings Heath and Moseley have a housing pattern that suits a relay attack. Victorian terraces and converted flats put the front door a metre or two from the pavement, so the key on the hall shelf is effectively parked outside with the car. Add the entries and alleyways behind long rows of houses and there is a way in and a way out that never passes a main road.
The cars are the second half of it. The Minis, Audis and Volkswagens parked along Alcester Road and the roads off it are keyless as standard, and keyless is what the common attack depends on.
A relay attack does not defeat your car’s security. It satisfies it. That is why an alarm reports the theft, a tracker follows it, and neither one stops it.
Relay attack
One person near the hallway with an amplifier, one at the car with a repeater. The car reads a boosted signal as a key in the driver’s hand. Doors open, the start button works, nothing is broken.
Key written at the port
A device in the diagnostic socket writes a fresh key in seconds. Your own keys are never involved, which is why a pouch does nothing about this one and why the insurance conversation afterwards can be awkward.
Wiring reached from outside
On some models the vehicle network can be reached through a headlight loom or a wing mirror without opening a door. Slower and messier, and it often leaves damage you notice the next morning even when the attempt failed.
Five changes that cost nothing
Work through these before you book with us or anybody else. On a terraced street they matter more than they do in Solihull, because the distance between your key and the pavement is measured in feet.
Move both keys off the hall shelf
Signal strength drops quickly with distance and walls, so a key in a back bedroom is a harder target than one by the front door. The spare in the kitchen drawer counts too.
Test the pouch you already own
Seal the key inside and walk to the car with it in your hand, then pull the door handle. If the car opens, the pouch has failed. Linings wear out with folding, so test again every few months.
Read the fob pages of the handbook
Many recent fobs sleep once they have been still for a while, and some cars let you switch keyless unlocking off with a button sequence or through the vehicle menu. If yours does either, the relay route is largely closed at no cost.
Choose the space, not just the street
On the permit roads off Alcester Road and York Road, a space under a working light with a clear view from a front window beats a closer one next to an entry or a hedge. On a driveway, park nose in, or block the newer car in behind the older one.
Put one camera at head height
Cameras under the eaves record the tops of heads and a hood. One at head height near the gate gives the police a face. West Midlands Police publish their own list of measures on their vehicle theft prevention page.
Most of our Kings Heath work is on streets with no driveway. Where you cannot control the parking, key distance and fob sleep are what remain under your control, and both are free.
What those steps do not cover
Habits need everyone in the house
A pouch has to be used every night by every driver, including whoever gets in at midnight. One forgotten evening removes the protection, and you will not know which evening it was.
Nothing free touches the port
Key handling and fob sleep do nothing about a key written at the diagnostic socket or a network attack through the wiring, because your key plays no part in either.
No immobiliser stops a flatbed
Ours included. A car that will not start can still be lifted onto a truck. Blocking it in and a visible steering or wheel lock are what address that, not electronics.
Permit streets limit your options
If the bay outside your house is the only legal space, parking advice is theoretical. That is where adding a layer inside the car earns its money, because the outside of the problem cannot be changed.
Nothing here is a guarantee
Every security product is a deterrent and a delay. The aim is a car that is slower, noisier and less predictable than the one parked behind it, not one that cannot be stolen.
How the options actually compare
This compares approaches to protecting a keyless car, not one manufacturer’s product against another’s. Read it as layers rather than a ranking.
| Measure | Relay attack from the hallway | New key written at the port | Car towed or trailered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key distance and a tested pouch | ✓ Removes the signal | ✗ No effect | ✗ No effect |
| Fob sleep or keyless entry switched off | ✓ Nothing to amplify | ✗ No effect | ✗ No effect |
| Steering or wheel lock | ✗ Entry and start still happen | ✗ Entry and start still happen | ✓ Visible deterrent |
| GPS tracker | ✗ Records only | ✗ Records only | ✓ Helps recovery |
| Dashcam with local storage | ✗ Evidence, not prevention | ✗ Evidence, not prevention | ✗ Evidence, not prevention |
| Hidden relay immobiliser | ✓ Start stays blocked | ✓ The new key alone will not start it | ✗ No effect |
No row covers every column. The sensible combination for most people here is the free key steps, one thing that blocks the start, and something visible if the car sits on a driveway.
Which unit suits which driver
The two systems at the top of this page do different jobs. The difference between them is not quality, it is what you want the box to do.
You want the theft stopped and nothing else. A physical relay with an app and a proximity tag, rated for vans as well as cars, and the unit we fit most often around Kings Heath. Full specification on the IC3ST product page.
You also want footage. It records around the clock to a local SD card with no subscription, which matters if your car sits on a road where mirrors and panels get clipped as often as cars get stolen.
If neither is obviously right, send the registration before you decide. There are vehicles where only one of them is suitable, and we would rather tell you that up front than on the day.
The unit goes in out of sight inside the loom. No keypad, no LED, nothing added to the dashboard, so a thief searching a dark cabin has nothing to find and no obvious wire to cut.
If your car has a metal key and no keyless entry, the relay problem does not apply and a steering lock is the sensible spend. If the car lives in a locked garage and rarely moves, or you are selling within a few months, the free steps are likely enough. If nobody in the house will reliably carry a tag, say so before you book, because the system only works when the right person disarms it.
You can also browse the wider LockCar immobiliser range, check your make and model with the LockCar vehicle check, or read the general guide to choosing a car immobiliser if you want the background before talking to anyone.
Fitting on a Kings Heath street
Mobile fitting works almost everywhere, but this part of Birmingham has its own quirks. Here is what actually matters, so nothing catches either of us out.
Permit bays and narrow roads
Most of our work here happens on the street. We need the car parked legally for the session and room to open both front doors fully. If your road is permit only, tell us when you book and we will sort the van.
Timing around the school run
Alcester Road and the roads feeding it slow to a crawl twice a day. If you want an early slot before the traffic builds, ask when you book rather than hoping.
What we need from you
Both keys, and the car left unlocked or the keys handed over. A healthy battery helps, because the car sits on ignition for part of the job. If yours is already marginal, say so and we will bring a support unit.
Send the registration
WhatsApp the reg, your postcode and roughly when suits. That is all we need to check the vehicle.
We confirm what fits
We check which units your model supports and tell you which one we would put on it, and why. If more than one works, you choose.
We come to you
Home or workplace, anywhere in B13, B14 and the surrounding postcodes, wherever the car can sit safely for the session.
Fitted, paired and tested
Most installations take a few hours, depending on how much trim has to come apart. We pair the tag, set up the app and test every factory function before we leave, and you keep the engineer’s number.
B13 and B14 first, then everything around them
Fitting is fully mobile. We have no public workshop, so your car never sits overnight somewhere you cannot see it.
Kings Heath and Moseley
B13 and B14 are the postcodes we work in most: Kings Heath, Moseley, Balsall Heath, Yardley Wood, Warstock, Druids Heath and Highter’s Heath.
The neighbouring postcodes
Hall Green in B28, Selly Oak and Selly Park in B29, Stirchley, Bournville and Cotteridge in B30. For the city wide picture rather than this corner of it, our Birmingham car immobiliser page covers every B postcode.
Further out
We fit regularly in Sutton Coldfield and across Walsall, plus Solihull, Halesowen, Dudley and Redditch. Distance does not change the fitted price.
Who you are dealing with
You are letting somebody take your dashboard apart on your own street. Fair to want to know who they are first.
Rated 5.0 on Google
15 reviews at the time of writing, all from customers whose vehicles we have fitted. You can read every one of them unedited on our Google Business Profile.
A registered company
LockCar trades as a company registered in England and Wales, company number 14346129. Our terms of business are published in full in our terms and conditions.
Mobile only, on purpose
Every installation happens at your address. The registered office is administrative and is not open to customers, so please do not turn up there with a vehicle.
Phone and WhatsApp +44 7300 98 90 91 · Email hello@lockcar.co.uk
Monday to Saturday, 08:00 to 17:00. Closed Sunday. Ask a question without booking anything, that is fine.
Questions we get every week
How much is a car immobiliser fitted in Kings Heath?
The IC3ST is from £300 fitted at your address, and both systems are priced on the cards at the top of this page. Fitting is included, there is no call-out fee, and the price does not change because you are in B14 rather than B13.
Do you come to my house, or do I bring the car somewhere?
We come to you. Every installation is mobile, at home or at work. There is no workshop to visit, and the car stays where you can see it.
How long does the fitting take?
A few hours, depending on the vehicle and how much trim has to come apart to route the wiring out of sight. That includes pairing the tag, setting up the app and testing every factory function. We give you the expected window when we confirm the booking, not on the day.
Does an immobiliser stop a relay attack?
It stops the outcome of one. The doors may still open, because the relay satisfies the factory system. The start stays blocked, because our unit is waiting for something the relay cannot copy.
Will it work on my van?
Yes. The IC3ST is rated at 20A and supports 12V and 24V, so it covers vans and commercial vehicles as well as cars. Send the registration and we will confirm before you commit.
Can I park on the road while you fit it?
Yes, that is how most Kings Heath jobs are done. The car needs to be legally parked for the session with room to open both front doors. If your street is permit only, mention it when you book.
Will an aftermarket immobiliser affect my warranty?
Terms vary between manufacturers, and this is one to check rather than take our word on. Call your dealer if the car is still under warranty, or your leasing company if the car is not yours. We will tell you exactly what we intend to connect to, so you can ask a specific question. If they say no, fit nothing and stay with the free steps on this page.
Will it cause dashboard warning lights?
Not when the unit is matched to the vehicle and fitted correctly. Faults usually come from generic parts spliced into the wrong circuit. It is why we ask for the registration first and occasionally say a vehicle is not suitable.
Do I need a tracker as well?
Not necessarily. Prevention and recovery are different jobs. If your insurer requires a tracker, fit one because the policy says so. If nobody is asking, most people get more from blocking the start than from watching a stolen car move on a map.
Is a dashcam worth having as well?
On a busy residential road, often yes, but for a different reason than theft. Footage helps with the clipped mirror and the hit and run more than with a car that has already gone.
Can I move it to my next car?
Yes. LockCar units are reprogrammable for another vehicle. Removal and refitting is charged separately and depends on both vehicles, so ask when you book and we will price it up front.
My car has already been stolen. What should I do?
Report it to the police and to your insurer before anything else. Nothing on this page helps a vehicle that has already gone, and the next hour is better spent on those two calls than on reading about hardware.
Send the registration, get a straight answer
Tell us the vehicle and your postcode. If the free steps already cover you, we will say so. If they do not, you get a price from the engineer, not a form confirmation.
