Near Theft of my S3

[Chr1sch]

ghost83 said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

All my interior doors have locks on them! It would take them a while if they went round the back! Back door and then internal door same if they came through a window! Internal door before the stairs and front door! Even our upstairs rooms have locks so god forbid someone did have a go the wife could lock herself and the kids in with her and I’d protect as much as possible with the hope the police would get there quick we live a couple of miles from the helicopter base too

Mate its a car, just let them have it, why on earth would you proactively want to get in the way, and lets face it, unless you are the hulk, probably get your head caved in

[Gavia]

As someone who had their car stolen at the start of the year via a break in there are a few things I’d highlight. Firstly, physical violence to get a car is very rare, that’s why these sort of thefts make headlines. The thieves know that stealing a car without any confrontation is unlikely to warrant much police follow up and even if they are caught it’s likely to be a short sentence of c2 years. However, once confrontation and violence happens, then it jumps towards the top of the police priorities and the sentences start at 10 years and go upwards very quickly. DNA evidence is also very likely to be recovered.

I replaced my stolen car with an identical model. The house now has some increased security and very visual physical barriers to getting the car off the drive which don’t look too bad for the neighbours. As a motorbike rider the key to security is layering it and I’ve done similar with my car and home.

[SmoothCriminal]

kmpowell said:

As somebody who is about to sign on the dotted line for a Golf R (albeit the estate

Park it with the tail pipes up against the house or the garage and it looks like a bog standard golf.

[J4CKO]

I am not fighting anyone for my car, I will make it less attractive through passive means but I am not taking on aggressive criminals in the early hours when half asleep, probably naked and possibly a little pissed on occasion.

Do a load of training in Krav Maga, become a Ninja or something, get some good weapons, night vision goggles and sit on the stairs all night waiting, just in case and you may stand a chance.

In the meantime,

Block access to the sides and rear of the property as much as is practical
Have decent double glazing
Get anti snap locks
Check your door security and how strong
Fit a couple of additional door bolts to use at night
Get some CCTV, might help, probably not
Plenty of security lights
Get a disklock
Shut windows
Keep keys in a box or faraday pouch to prevent relay thefts.
Dont leave the keys near a door or window
Block the most steal able car in with a cheaper, less desirable one, just makes it harder/slower if they have to move another
Get a Ghost/tracker fitted
Get a dog, they arent the ultimate deterrent but the right one will bark its tits off if disturbed

Avoid buying high powered hot hatches, especially if you live near the crime hotspots, get a Jag XKR or something else desirable that isnt great for evading the Police or on the go to aspirational list for scratters, if you see it blasting round city centres driven by sketchy looking geysers, then probably avoid that model.

[emicen]

Ahbefive said:

Parking a car out of sight in a garage must be better than leaving it on display.

I got a quote back for insurance that was higher for parked in a garage than on the driveway. Facebook wisdom when sought, said this was because the garage enabled them to work on robbing it without being in the open like they would be on a driveway.

[Gavia]

emicen said:

I got a quote back for insurance that was higher for parked in a garage than on the driveway. Facebook wisdom when sought, said this was because the garage enabled them to work on robbing it without being in the open like they would be on a driveway.

Facebook wisdom is most likely wrong. There are two more likely reasons

1. Direct - people claiming as things keep falling off shelves onto their cars, or ding their car when driving into and out of the garage.

2. Indirect - there is a correlation for claims, either frequency or severity of people who park in garages and claims made when out on the road.

No. 2 is most likely to be the reason for higher prices. The problem with “wisdom” from the general public is that they like to draw a straight line between two things, when it’s rarely the case with something as complex as underwriting insurance.

[Tim bo]

Gavia said:

1. Direct - people claiming as things keep falling off shelves onto their cars, or ding their car when driving into and out of the garage.

It's this.

More claims are raised for people dinging their car driving or reversing into/out of garages than into/out of driveways. It therefore generates a more expensive premium.

[Ahbefive]

emicen said:

Ahbefive said:

Parking a car out of sight in a garage must be better than leaving it on display.

I got a quote back for insurance that was higher for parked in a garage than on the driveway. Facebook wisdom when sought, said this was because the garage enabled them to work on robbing it without being in the open like they would be on a driveway.

Reverse of my insurer where it is cheaper in the garage. If they don't know it's there then they won't want to steal it.

Also some garages like mine mean that you have to push the car out and can't open the door inside. With a garage defender lock, garage door lock, chocks under wheels etc it is a right pita to get out. Probably why I don't use it much

[Evanivitch]

My mate has had a Golf R parked on the street for nearly 4 months now as it's failed to be collected. Hasn't been nicked

[eatontrifles]

ToothbrushMan said:

I dont think the choice is to go from Golf R top of the range right down to entry level 1.6 BlueMotion necessarily but you have stumbled on one of the most stolen cars around with a Golf R. Done know why the GTi's are not so attractive just because they are front wheel drive only..

My experience says otherwise. I'd had a new GTI last year for two months before the first attempted break in where they failed. The second attempt was four months later and after failing to get in at the back, they smashed their way in through the front door and took the keys, along with the keys to my wife's (fairly normal) car. The only thing that stopped my GTI disappearing was the Ghost, but they took my wife's car which was later found and recovered a couple of miles away but insurance had already paid out.

[Gavia]

Tim bo said:

Gavia said:

1. Direct - people claiming as things keep falling off shelves onto their cars, or ding their car when driving into and out of the garage.

It's this.

More claims are raised for people dinging their car driving or reversing into/out of garages than into/out of driveways. It therefore generates a more expensive premium.

Is it? Are you an underwriter? If so I’ll defer to your superior knowledge, but then how can you explain when it’s the opposite formother insurers?

I refer you to my earlier comment about people liking straight lines causation and correlation are not the same things.

[SlimJim16v]

emicen said:

Ahbefive said:

Parking a car out of sight in a garage must be better than leaving it on display.

I got a quote back for insurance that was higher for parked in a garage than on the driveway. Facebook wisdom when sought, said this was because the garage enabled them to work on robbing it without being in the open like they would be on a driveway.

If garaged, the garage itself should also be alarmed. I think that's what saved my integrale. It was only a cheap shed alarm, which I'd added a strobe light to.

Oh, both siren and strobe were in the garage, to make things unpleasant for any trespassers, while still seen and heard from the house.

Edited by SlimJim16v on Thursday 13th September 17:56

[anonymous-user]

I have room to park my M3 on the driveway, but instead park it on the street behind my house. Harder (not impossible) for thieves to work out where to break in. The driveways at the back our houses contain a 320i SE, boggo basic Polo, Golf GTD, my wife's V90 and a Kia small SUV thing. Hopefully that collection is so mundane it literally repells car thieves using its power of mundanity.

[Patch1875]

eatontrifles said:

ToothbrushMan said:

I dont think the choice is to go from Golf R top of the range right down to entry level 1.6 BlueMotion necessarily but you have stumbled on one of the most stolen cars around with a Golf R. Done know why the GTi's are not so attractive just because they are front wheel drive only..

My experience says otherwise. I'd had a new GTI last year for two months before the first attempted break in where they failed. The second attempt was four months later and after failing to get in at the back, they smashed their way in through the front door and took the keys, along with the keys to my wife's (fairly normal) car. The only thing that stopped my GTI disappearing was the Ghost, but they took my wife's car which was later found and recovered a couple of miles away but insurance had already paid out.

I had a mk7 GTi for 4 years with no issues got a R and within a few months I had an attempt to take it. I’m now back in a GTi and Sleeping slightly better.

Going to try a non aero A45 next.

[Kuji]

demus24 said:

Tonker you ever thought of becoming a author? Your way with words is brilliant.

He has either done a lot of research, (or is a great fiction writer).

Nobody else on PH has ever truly known someone who has had their 'head smashed in' (assumed murdered if head is truly snashed in??) during a car keys related break in.

Occasionally people have claimed to know someone-who-told-them-they-knew-someone, or read-it-somewhere,.... but he is unique.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Edited by Kuji on Thursday 13th September 16:52

[Kuji]

demus24 said:

Tonker you ever thought of becoming a author? Your way with words is brilliant.

He has either done a lot of research, (or is a great fiction writer).

Nobody else on PH has ever truly known someone who has had their 'head smashed in' (assumed murdered if head is truly snashed in??) during a car keys related break in.

Occasionally people have claimed to know someone-who-told-them-they-knew-someone, or read-it-somewhere,.... but he is unique.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Edited by Kuji on Friday 14th September 07:52

[Kuji]

demus24 said:

Tonker you ever thought of becoming a author? Your way with words is brilliant.

He has either done a lot of research, (or is a great fiction writer).

Nobody else on PH has ever truly known someone who has had their 'head smashed in' (assumed murdered if head is truly snashed in??) during a car keys related break in.

Occasionally people have claimed to know someone-who-told-them-they-knew-someone, or read-it-somewhere,.... but he is unique.

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Edited by Kuji on Friday 14th September 07:53

[The-Wanderer]

Afternoon all, long time lurker but now registered after reading this thread.

Thought I'd share my experience of having been targeted for my C63 three years ago.

The car was always parked backed into the drive, close to the garage, to try and make it blend in as just a black Merc. Access to the rear of the property is very restricted from the front of our house, but easier from over the neighbours back fence.

About 1:00am on the Sunday of the second bank holiday in May we were woken by loud banging noises, so I had a look out the windows front and back but couldn't see anything. We put it down to next door's teenage sons coming home the worse for wear. A couple of hours later, having not really got back to sleep, the same noises started again. This time, I put the upstairs lights on, which almost immediately was followed by next doors security lights being triggered. A look around downstairs still didn't reveal anything untoward.

Roll forward to just before 6:00am, now daylight but raining heavily, the banging starts again. I go downstairs in just my boxers (not a pretty sight), and whilst I'm on the stairs the noise changes to a scratching, scraping sound which I thought was the cat in her litter tray...it wasn't. As I enter the kitchen I see two black clad, masked figures on the other side of the kitchen window, one on a garden chair trying to jemmy the window open; this was the scratching noise I could hear. They carried on for what seemed like an age, until they saw me. They ran off, via next door's garden. At this point, I see that the banging noise was from them trying to force open the French doors into the kitchen, which now had a two inch gap between the door and the frame, and some very bent hinges.

The police did actually come and take a statement, and whilst they were sat in our kitchen three calls came through on the radio from people within a mile of me who'd woken to find they no longer had an Audi RS, an BMW M and a BMW cabrio.

Never heard another thing about it, but the police advice was as follows:

Do not keep the keys out of sight, or with you. Leave them visible downstairs, as they will hurt you to get them.
Do not bother with CCTV, it's useless as they know its there and cover up
Do not bother with bollards or posts, you will be removing them so they can get away and you will get hurt if you don't
Get rid of the car as it will be targeted

I took it to my parents house first thing that morning, and sold it to WBAC the following day, and vowed I'd never have another AMG, M or RS car as it isn't worth the risk to me or my family.

Another sad indictment of the country and the society that we now live in, where it feels as though you can't reward yourself for study and hard work as somebody who can't be bothered will take it off you.

Thanks for reading, and apologies for the long first post.

[ghost83]

Ive had my golf since March 2016 and touch wood had no attempts at it! I have started clearing out my garage though to keep it in and then can block the garage with my wife’s car an electric gate and then my van beyond the gate!

Yes I’m asking for trouble but I’m looking to get the RS3 for March 2020! I’m hoping all my interior doors having locks etc etc will help! Who knows though! I’m determined not to live my life around these thieving scum

[xjay1337]

Gee that C63 story is pretty harrowing.

That being said, we cannot just leave it and sell up from what we want due to the thefts.