I have a 2000 A4, ok bit older than the stuff we're talking about, but the immo stuff hasnt changed much.

When i bought it the key casing was damaged, so i attempted to transfer the internals over to a new casing and broke the transponder chip.

Using a £30 ebay tool and a new blank transponder, i had plugged the laptop in, powered up the car and had the key coded and car running in minutes.

Now obviously i had the physical key blade, so i was able to open the door and turn on the ignition without damaging the door or barrel, but i was still fairly amazed that it was that easy.

What does surprise me is that a lot of the newer cars seem to be stolen without damage to the external locks. The clip of the BMW above for instance, they seem to manage to get in without setting off the cars alarm system.