The Strictness of the Skyguard System: Personal Experiences

Unexpected Situation at the Lurdy Parking Lot

On May 14, 2025, I had the opportunity to experience firsthand just how strict the Skyguard operator and system are. The incident occurred in the Lurdy House parking lot as I was about to start my Audi A6 Allroad C7. At that exact moment, my phone rang – it was an Audi trainer from Porsche Hungaria calling me back (with whom I had previously been in contact regarding the weekend testing of the Audi RS6 Performance).

The Skyguard system didn't identify me, the notification arrived, and to make matters worse, I dropped my phone, which slipped between the driver's seat and the armrest. I pulled aside to finish the phone call – meanwhile, Skyguard called me six (!) times, and despite having my phone in hand and completing the "No Action Required" operation in the app, they kept calling. Finally, I received an SMS stating that the car was alarming – and locked down!

Naturally, the car couldn't be started. We know that although the system is complex, the controllers are disabled so that the vehicle cannot be started due to various errors. After finishing the phone call, I immediately had to call the Skyguard operator to have them remove the lockdown from the Audi.

What Does This Case Prove?

We all knew that Skyguard operators are strict, and I had already seen examples of them finding missing cars, but there were also cases of Skyguard-disabled cars on the roads. This incident specifically proves that the operator and the system are indeed strict.

Strange Coincidences and Unexpected Consequences

The most interesting part is that within half an hour, I know of three cases when the Skyguard system did not identify the user and the car alarmed. Besides my case, I learned about two similar problems during the same period.

Could there have been some system or central problem, or perhaps a communication breakdown? It's quite peculiar that within half an hour, I know specifically of three such cars with similar issues: the Skyguard system did not identify the car's start. Could this be related to the fact that the service quality is visibly declining, and no significant development has occurred in the past 10 years?

Additionally, I experienced a surprising problem: although the car started after the lockdown was removed and most errors disappeared, they naturally remained in the error logs. The airbag error immediately returned, and the yellow airbag indicator (pictogram) illuminated on the dashboard whenever I restarted the car. Eventually, we cleared the error logs, and the indicator disappeared.

I will certainly conduct several similar tests in the coming days: specifically, I will test by calling the operator, asking them to lock down the car, and reproducing this exact scenario – then checking what happens with the airbag error.

Effects on the Airbag System

Meanwhile, I checked the Audi manual because I remembered there was an important note (I read the Audi manual – user guide – about three times when purchasing the car and learned very important and useful things from it). The important note states that we should take the car to a service center as soon as possible to have the system checked, because the safety airbag or seat belt tensioner system may not function properly in the event of an accident. I will specifically request an official position on this from both Audi/Porsche Hungaria and Autosecurit Zrt./Skyguard.

Is it possible that I've discovered yet another flaw in a system, stemming from the fact that when they designed the system, they didn't think it through, and the entire process with the lockdown wasn't well-designed?

Conclusions and Lessons Learned

While the strictness and rapid response of the Skyguard system provide a sense of security, such cases highlight the problems of excessive sensitivity and the system's inflexibility. Several lessons can be drawn:

1. Dangers of technological stagnation: Continuous development is critical for a security system. If a system remains unchanged for 10 years, it not only cannot respond to new challenges, but its existing functionality may deteriorate over time.
2. Importance of user experience: No matter how secure a system is, if the user experience is poor (such as repeated calls even after indicating there is no problem), it reduces customer satisfaction and trust.
3. Signs of system-level problems: If multiple, independent users experience similar problems within a short time, it often indicates a system-level error. In such cases, the service provider should communicate transparently with customers. A properly built system operates based on SLAs and alerts (just as the car alarm also alerts, IT systems should also be built so that they send alerts to the appropriate team in case of an error/outage, including continuous security monitoring and vulnerability assessment).
4. Interactions between security systems: The airbag error generated by the Skyguard lockdown raises serious concerns. An anti-theft system should not compromise other security functions of the car, especially not critical elements like the airbag system. Is this now another error resulting from a poorly thought-out process that I just discovered today?
5. Lack of documentation and information: If the Skyguard system's intervention can trigger such secondary effects, users should be informed about this in advance, and the method of resolution should be clearly communicated, but taking the car to a service center after such a lockdown to examine the error logs and airbag system is not an optimal solution.

The case demonstrates that even the most sophisticated security systems need development, and without continuously monitoring technological advancements, even the best-intentioned service can become more of a burden than an aid. In the case of the Skyguard system, while the strictness is commendable, the user experience and handling of false positives need significant improvement. Even more importantly, if the system's intervention affects other security systems (such as the airbag), this should be immediately reviewed and fixed, as it could potentially endanger lives.

I specifically remember a similar lockdown with a VW Passat – once when I was at the cinema in the Westend shopping center, and my mobile phone also ran out of battery. That was also a funny case where I had to borrow phones from strangers to call Skyguard because at that time, the lockdown was such that there was no ignition at all. Now with the Audi, I can see that there is ignition, but the car doesn't start, and the computers throw errors.