Stolen from Woodford Green - BMW 535d M Sport

[Shaw Tarse]

rallycross said:

It's interesting that no one seems to know how they do it without the keys.

Low loader truck would be too obvious/slow the other thing would be a truck that lifts the front up and tows it that would be quicker

There have been a couple of threads about this, some say there is a way of getting duplicate keys made.

[Dan_The_Man]

Also in Woodford Green a few weeks ago a bloke has his M3 carjacked from his drive while he was parking up, Asian gang jumped him spraying him with a fire extinguisher. After a scuffle he just had time to throw the extinguisher through the window at them before his car vanished, unfortunately a couple of firearms were in the boot so plod were keen to locate it FAST - resulting in a chase, crash and arrests made (plus firearms returned)




Scary:

said:

I noticed a black new shape 5 series, lowered with black alloys but with silver rims earlier.
It appeared to turn around and then be behind me.
I was keeping an eye on it but it then seemed to go a different way to me at a roundabout.
When I got home I got out to open the garage door and as I was getting back in, noticed what I think was the same car pull up behind me and 3 asian lads come running towards me, one carring a large fire extinguisher.
I realised what was happening and jumped in the car but couldn't get the door locked.
They sprayed the drivers window with the extinguisher and pulled the door open.
We struggled and I started getting punched in the face and got pulled out on my knees.
At this point one of them was shouting "stab him, stab him".
The keys got dropped and they grabbed them. One jumped in my car and started reversing while the other car drove off.
I pcked up the extinguisher and threw it through the drivers window and the car stopped momentarily, It must've hit him in the head. I ran after it but then it drove off.
They found the extinguisher further down the street.

[Lil' Joe]

arakin said:

I've seen a program in France where a thief was explaining his technique. After he'd open the door of that Mini Cooper with a disturbing easiness, he plugged some kind of device into the car. Then on the screen he selected the make and the model, pressed a button and off he went...

Now THAT'S scary, not only does a thief scan for your remote locking signal so can open the car silently, they then plug in a (my guess) bloody iPhone app, choose your car and drive off!

[RobFerrari]

Dan_The_Man said:

Also in Woodford Green a few weeks ago a bloke has his M3 carjacked from his drive while he was parking up, Asian gang jumped him spraying him with a fire extinguisher. After a scuffle he just had time to throw the extinguisher through the window at them before his car vanished, unfortunately a couple of firearms were in the boot so plod were keen to locate it FAST - resulting in a chase, crash and arrests made (plus firearms returned)




Scary:

said:

I noticed a black new shape 5 series, lowered with black alloys but with silver rims earlier.
It appeared to turn around and then be behind me.
I was keeping an eye on it but it then seemed to go a different way to me at a roundabout.
When I got home I got out to open the garage door and as I was getting back in, noticed what I think was the same car pull up behind me and 3 asian lads come running towards me, one carring a large fire extinguisher.
I realised what was happening and jumped in the car but couldn't get the door locked.
They sprayed the drivers window with the extinguisher and pulled the door open.
We struggled and I started getting punched in the face and got pulled out on my knees.
At this point one of them was shouting "stab him, stab him".
The keys got dropped and they grabbed them. One jumped in my car and started reversing while the other car drove off.
I pcked up the extinguisher and threw it through the drivers window and the car stopped momentarily, It must've hit him in the head. I ran after it but then it drove off.
They found the extinguisher further down the street.

That is pretty scary stuff right there. Good on the owner of the car chucking the fire extinguisher through the window at them though!!

[Fahd]

Sorry to hear about the car OP. I'm rather worried about my Audi now. Also live in Woodford Green. Time to invest in a few more security measures I think.

[TRUENOSAM]

OP did it have a Tracking system? I only ask because a few times pepole have found their car locally parked up undamaged and left there for a period of time just in case the car has a Tracker and leads the POlice to their storge facility

[arakin]

It didn't have a tracker unfortunately.

I have had my first chat with the insurance company and am not expecting their payout proposition...

[ortontom]

Sorry to hear about the car, think the whole of east london/essex is a target - easy access to ports, cars are easily moved on. Friend of mine had a gang of 4 guys trying to kick his door down for his keys to his 996 in Loughton. Sister had her car stolen in wanstead, her friend too, numerous friends had cars stolen....


So glad I moved to a quiet close in Surrey, use to live in Wanstead

the M3 parks on the road - no incidents, just some van driving into it and driving off....different kind of problem.

Good luck with getting the car back....

[Swoxy]

My friend lives around the corner from you guys in Chingford. He was followed home from the A406 and as he pulled up outside his house, was beaten up by a couple of young black guys for the keys to a ML. He was (legally) driving it TPO and didn't give them up, secretly throwing them away in the scuffle. Recently, a PHer's E39 M5 was stolen from Essex/Herts and used in the theft of a 997 and new C-Class Sport in Ilford, the owner put the CCTV footage on YouTube. It's disgusting.

[18FAN]

arakin said:

It didn't have a tracker unfortunately.

I have had my first chat with the insurance company and am not expecting their payout proposition...

So what have the insurance company said? Have they agreed to pay out?

[arakin]

18FAN said:

arakin said:

It didn't have a tracker unfortunately.

I have had my first chat with the insurance company and am not expecting their payout proposition...

So what have the insurance company said? Have they agreed to pay out?

For now we have agreed on the value of the car. I've just sent back the declaration form with all the paperwork, which they are supposed to review before confirming the next steps...

Some people at the insurance company say they will rush the payment through so I can buy a new car before they take the rental car back. Others say it will take weeks, since they first want to give the police a chance to find the car...

[Superhoop]

Slightly off topic, but were there any updates to the thread where the OP first had one car taken (Can't remember what it was now), and then a few weeks later, his BMW X5 was taken, even though he's allegedly has his locks changed?

And to the OP, I hope this gets sorted out quickly

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

It's getting like the mid 80's again. People are desperate for money and stealing prestige cars is easy.
I remember people owning Sierra Cosworths back in the day when the chances of it being where you last left it were slim!

[18FAN]

arakin said:

For now we have agreed on the value of the car. I've just sent back the declaration form with all the paperwork, which they are supposed to review before confirming the next steps...

Some people at the insurance company say they will rush the payment through so I can buy a new car before they take the rental car back. Others say it will take weeks, since they first want to give the police a chance to find the car...

I surprised that they would take the rental car back before paying out - surely their liability /service towards you only ends once they have paid out for the car.

Lest I'm wrong, you may want to extend the agreement with the rental car privately on the same basis/T&Cs as the insurance company - when I had a rental car from the insurance company they were only paying £10 a day for a fiesta! I didn't think that was bad at all!

[Blakewater]

I've just got my copy of Top Gear Magazine and the BMW 520d SE they've been running as a long term test car has been stolen, apparently using the keys. It seems even the lower spec, smaller engine cars are targets.

[va1o]

Blakewater said:

I've just got my copy of Top Gear Magazine and the BMW 520d SE they've been running as a long term test car has been stolen, apparently using the keys. It seems even the lower spec, smaller engine cars are targets.

Was that the F10? It will be owned by BMW UK and I should imagine they'll be wanting it back.

[beeem]

Just to add to this my friends son who lives in this area had the rear bumper from his M3 convertable stolen during the night while his car was parked on his drive.

[Sebba]

Sorry - an old post i know but took me back to when my BMW M3 got stolen - check with BMW if any keys had been ordered....that's how they got my car!

[arakin]

That was suggested to me by a dealer. I have phoned BMW services (the £1/min number) where they tell you all about the car specs, service history... They couldn't help me with the keys order history.

I have also called my dealer and all they've explained is that they need the V5 logbook and ID for privately owned cars, whereas they don't need anything for cars owned by a dealer.
But they don't have access to whom ordered keys before, apparently...

How did you manage to get the information?

[TTwiggy]

I noticed you said that you had only owned the car for six months. Is it possible that a new set of keys was ordered when it was at the dealers? Was it a BMW garage or independent?