What are the current car crime trends ?

[J4CKO]

As per the title, interested in terms of car crime what are the current trends ?

Do portable Sat Nav units still go missing as often ?

Are BMW's still getting nicked without the keys ?

Are things like Imprezas still a big theft target ?

Is it mainly cars being stolen to order, put in a container and sent abroad or does good old fashioned joy riding still go on ?


I get the impression Car theft overall is down plus its changed. Based on the lovely MK1 Escort that went missing, "ringing kits" on Ebay and other examples going missing, it seems like classic Escorts are a target (history repeating itself to a certain extent as they were when they were new as well), is that just Escorts or classics overall.

If you have been unlucky enough to get done, what have you had stolen recently ? how did they go about it ? did you get it back ?

[Johnnytheboy]

There's a lot in the press about high end cars being nicked without the keys.

I get the impression it's now very hard to nick a modern key-in-the-ignition car now by the old-fashioned method.

[Geekman]

Had my sat nav stolen around 8 months ago (was a top of the range model, but not sure that made any difference).

They smashed the side window in the middle of the night when the car was parked in the drive and also broke into 5-6 other cars on the same road to take various similar items.

[Spare tyre]

I saw a car (fiesta I think) in a train station that had its bumpers nicked

Perhaps some body kit as well

[SuperPav]

BMW (and others) with keyless entry are easy pinches. Most will go abroad. Telematics should help to a certain extent as can trace the car (but obviously only once someone's realised it's stolen)

Sat-nav/stereo are still often nicked through a smashed window (i've had mine taken out of a micra glovebox a few years back)

High value items are now being targeted - headlights spring to mind, but bumpers too. To the point that people will break into a car just to open the bonnet to take the headlamps off. Not surprising when you see what a set of adaptive/dynamic xenons/LED's costs even used.

[BrownBottle]

People I know, all cars nearly new.

Audi A5, BMW 1 series, Merc E Class, all stolen by hooking the keys through a letterbox or window.

None were recovered, I'd guess they got put on a container.

[33q]

A few years ago I walked our of the office into the car park in front of the building. My colleague uttered someone's nicked my door. Yep...nicked the door of a Vectra. They had punched the drivers doors and taken the passenger one.

[spikeyhead]

It's a while back, but I knew someone who had their engine nicked from their car parked on their drive overnight.

[Rickyy]

Spare tyre said:

I saw a car (fiesta I think) in a train station that had its bumpers nicked

Perhaps some body kit as well

This is quite common. Someone stole a bumper off a Focus Zetec-S in broad daylight from my village last year and a customer who is Police Staff, said someone stole a bumper from the staff car park of the South Wales Police HQ during working hours!

[Mound Dawg]

BrownBottle said:

... BMW 1 series...stolen by hooking the keys through a letterbox or window.

Is that crime really worth the effort involved when you can lease one for 99p a month?

[33q]

A few years ago I walked our of the office into the car park in front of the building. My colleague uttered someone's nicked my door. Yep...nicked the door of a Vectra. They had punched the drivers doors and taken the passenger one.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Range Rovers I read somewhere recently. Same thing about stealing them without the keys

[BorkFactor]

Last I heard the seats in Audi RS4s were popular, and could potentially write the car off.

[CoolHands]

I don't think this thread is going to provide anything meaningful?

[BrownBottle]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

Range Rovers I read somewhere recently. Same thing about stealing them without the keys

Yes that rings a bell, I think some insurance companies were refusing to insure them in London.

[stuart313]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2426692/Co...

You should leave a key next to the front door that slowly burns the person to death that happens to try and start the car with it.

[BeauBee]

Seems that high end makes/brands of cars are vulnerable...but that's nothing new!
Mainly stolen to order.
Usually sourced through Autotrader.
However, the way they do it these days is pretty high tech.
Cheap PAYG mobile phone (to make call to seller), blank key and a gizmo that goes in the ODBII port - disarms the alarm, codes the key and your car is gone in 60 seconds.
There's even a You Tube video somewhere of how to code an Audi A5/S5 key which is pretty much the same technique.
Oh yer, if you only have a Cat5 tracking device the next you'll know about it is when the tracking company call you up with a sabotage alert (car driven down the road to somewhere secluded, giving time to find tracking device, rip it out and drive off) by then it's too late.

Edited by BeauBee on Wednesday 4th March 22:16

[JamieBurford]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/10703514/...

Somehow they manage to get the seats out of the window! It really does make you think, is it worth having anything nice anymore? Some scrote will only come along and nick it.

On a slightly cheaper note, I once had a VW polo wing mirror stolen overnight. Looks like they came prepared and used tools rather than force too.

[PanzerCommander]

stuart313 said:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2426692/Co...

You should leave a key next to the front door that slowly burns the person to death that happens to try and start the car with it.

Sod that you want this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyuKEK7wmsw

[skip_1]

Some have reported dash cams being stolen over in the dash cam thread.

I had mirror glass stolen from a Partner van. The kind scrote even bagged up the wires for the heating element to protect them overnight. £40 for a replacement, much easier for the scrote to drive around and find a company van to steal from.