Car stolen and my experience
Discussion
I'm sorry to hear what happened OP but i'm also glad that that it didn't end with any kind of conflict.
You can never really win in these scenarios, if you do happen to be unfortunate enough to go through something like this. You can spend multiple thousands on home security but nothing is ever 100% effective. There are also various deterrents but it's the same thing again really.
You've also got all the technology to avoid the car itself being taken or help it's recovery. As per that story that was posted on here earlier, this can take a turn for the worse. Also, again, it's never guaranteed to work 100% of the time.
You can never really win in these scenarios, if you do happen to be unfortunate enough to go through something like this. You can spend multiple thousands on home security but nothing is ever 100% effective. There are also various deterrents but it's the same thing again really.
You've also got all the technology to avoid the car itself being taken or help it's recovery. As per that story that was posted on here earlier, this can take a turn for the worse. Also, again, it's never guaranteed to work 100% of the time.
Gavia said:
Palmers said:
Just curious but i would be interested to know if any of these thefts involving a break in to obtain keys, had a dog.
Wonder if a naff of GS or Doberman / similar would deter?!
I’ve not got a dog as my lifestyle wouldn’t suit one, but many friends have. A dog isn’t a security tool, it’s a pet that’s more of a family member. If these scrotes have scoped the area, then they’ll know you’ve got a dog and what they’ll do to one doesn’t bear thinking about. Cars are insured and easily replaced, a member of the family isn’t, even if canine. Wonder if a naff of GS or Doberman / similar would deter?!
Rich_W said:
Gavia said:
I’m not so sure about that. There have always been affluent areas in every town where the cars on the drive have been nice and don’t see much difference now. There may be a lot more new cars, but they aren’t all performance cars. We tend to see the cars we like and blank out the rest, so our opinions are a bit jaded.
I often see a 17 plate RS6 parked on the road, let alone a drive. It's an "OK" area, and a bit of a cut through for traffic. But still! Strong balls on that guy!On the drive are my old Merc and even older Saab!
Dog Star said:
In any case - is there any value to you personally in getting the car back? You're better placed than most to know, but as far as I can see a claim is a claim is a claim. You've had the car stolen, or stolen and recovered, there will still be a claim and your premium will increase the same.
You’re right, a claim is a claim is a claim and the impact on my premiums will be the same either way. In the cold light of day, the. Yes I wouldn’t want a car back that’s been ragged around amd loads of miles out in by a group of scumbags. However, there’s also the pride (not sure that’s the right word) of not letting them get one over on me. As it currently stands the scrotes have a car that they can sell and profit from, as can a few others in their criminal chain. I lose out either way, I’d just like to think they’ll get caught, but I think I’m dreaming.
My car was stolen in august of last year, luckily we were not in at the time... but came home and found what turned out to be £8k of damage to our home.
The car appeared on facebook following a theft of another car the next day where that person had posted pictures of my car on their driveway whilst the thieves were stealing his cars - very strange.
The car was then found several weeks later but then lost again but later found abandoned in a barn... the police then needed the car for several weeks to investigate. In October my car was then moved to a repair centre where it was subsequently written off.
From August - November i had no car... the insurance companies do not give one until it is being repaired and they could not proceed any further until they got the car back from the police so i was left in limbo land.
Finally i got my pay out, purchased another car and at which point my no claims bonus of 10+ years that was protected made no difference what so ever as my insurance company then proceeded to charge a premium on any car of around £600+ more than what i had paid previously. So went online to a famous comparison site and even with declaring my claim of a stolen car i was able to get a new policy with many many many providers at prices i was previously used to.
Today i realised GAP insurance is important and im lucky i had this... but overall the experience was horrible and until this day any noises will put us on edge. In particular one night a few weeks after i heard a large bang in the kids playroom. With the children in bed and wife at the gym i proceeded with large dog to go and see what was up as our other car's keys had been taken at the same time as mine so thought they were back. As i approached the room the Adrenalin was pumping and i proceeded to shout "get out you....." at which point i heard a huge "Roooooaaaaaaarrr". My sons 2ft tall Grimlock Transformer had fallen off its shelf and proceeded to activate its attack noises.
The car appeared on facebook following a theft of another car the next day where that person had posted pictures of my car on their driveway whilst the thieves were stealing his cars - very strange.
The car was then found several weeks later but then lost again but later found abandoned in a barn... the police then needed the car for several weeks to investigate. In October my car was then moved to a repair centre where it was subsequently written off.
From August - November i had no car... the insurance companies do not give one until it is being repaired and they could not proceed any further until they got the car back from the police so i was left in limbo land.
Finally i got my pay out, purchased another car and at which point my no claims bonus of 10+ years that was protected made no difference what so ever as my insurance company then proceeded to charge a premium on any car of around £600+ more than what i had paid previously. So went online to a famous comparison site and even with declaring my claim of a stolen car i was able to get a new policy with many many many providers at prices i was previously used to.
Today i realised GAP insurance is important and im lucky i had this... but overall the experience was horrible and until this day any noises will put us on edge. In particular one night a few weeks after i heard a large bang in the kids playroom. With the children in bed and wife at the gym i proceeded with large dog to go and see what was up as our other car's keys had been taken at the same time as mine so thought they were back. As i approached the room the Adrenalin was pumping and i proceeded to shout "get out you....." at which point i heard a huge "Roooooaaaaaaarrr". My sons 2ft tall Grimlock Transformer had fallen off its shelf and proceeded to activate its attack noises.
In any car I've ever owned including brand new ones I've installed a button and relay in series with the fuel pump, and an ebay device that will text you a lat/lon based on a telephone card.
The button and relay costs about £1.50. If you disable the fuel pump on most cars they will start and you get about a hundred yards or so before the engine dies. That would give you enough time for the burglars to think they were home free and for you to ring the police. The engine would give the impression it had a problem rather than was alarmed. The car would be an easy find.
The gps lat long device of which I've used a few different types will ring my phone if the car moves during the night.
I think they beat a tracker, as there have been a few horror stories about trackers on PH in terms of their usefulness.
OP you just need to sit down with your experience so far, and scour ebay for what you think will work in your experience. Its all there.
Daft ideas such as turning your house into a protective fortress aren't going to work if you want a reasonable home with easy access.
Buying more and more expensive euro locks is also a waste of time. Easy ones can be bumped, more expensive ones can be hit with a mallet or easier still remove cut or break glass.
That's my twopen'th anyway.
The button and relay costs about £1.50. If you disable the fuel pump on most cars they will start and you get about a hundred yards or so before the engine dies. That would give you enough time for the burglars to think they were home free and for you to ring the police. The engine would give the impression it had a problem rather than was alarmed. The car would be an easy find.
The gps lat long device of which I've used a few different types will ring my phone if the car moves during the night.
I think they beat a tracker, as there have been a few horror stories about trackers on PH in terms of their usefulness.
OP you just need to sit down with your experience so far, and scour ebay for what you think will work in your experience. Its all there.
Daft ideas such as turning your house into a protective fortress aren't going to work if you want a reasonable home with easy access.
Buying more and more expensive euro locks is also a waste of time. Easy ones can be bumped, more expensive ones can be hit with a mallet or easier still remove cut or break glass.
That's my twopen'th anyway.
julian64 said:
I think they beat a tracker, as there have been a few horror stories about trackers on PH in terms of their usefulness.
Can you elaborate on this please? I know the GPS/GSM ones can be jammed but my understanding was that the VHF/UHF jobs are a pretty good last resort if you actually want your car backThe Wookie said:
julian64 said:
I think they beat a tracker, as there have been a few horror stories about trackers on PH in terms of their usefulness.
Can you elaborate on this please? I know the GPS/GSM ones can be jammed but my understanding was that the VHF/UHF jobs are a pretty good last resort if you actually want your car backEither way, having my own control over the system fills me with more confidence
It’s interesting reading these threads and yet some people still play the threat down! Looks like my Mum’s S3 could be being targeted as this s
tbag showed up on their CCTV the other night. Police not particularly interested, despite my neighbour’s Land Rover being pinched two months ago (same village). West Yorkshire again, by the way!
tbag showed up on their CCTV the other night. Police not particularly interested, despite my neighbour’s Land Rover being pinched two months ago (same village). West Yorkshire again, by the way!julian64 said:
In any car I've ever owned including brand new ones I've installed a button and relay in series with the fuel pump, and an ebay device that will text you a lat/lon based on a telephone card.
The button and relay costs about £1.50. If you disable the fuel pump on most cars they will start and you get about a hundred yards or so before the engine dies. That would give you enough time for the burglars to think they were home free and for you to ring the police. The engine would give the impression it had a problem rather than was alarmed. The car would be an easy find.
The gps lat long device of which I've used a few different types will ring my phone if the car moves during the night.
I think they beat a tracker, as there have been a few horror stories about trackers on PH in terms of their usefulness.
OP you just need to sit down with your experience so far, and scour ebay for what you think will work in your experience. Its all there.
Daft ideas such as turning your house into a protective fortress aren't going to work if you want a reasonable home with easy access.
Buying more and more expensive euro locks is also a waste of time. Easy ones can be bumped, more expensive ones can be hit with a mallet or easier still remove cut or break glass.
That's my twopen'th anyway.
I’m not one for home mechanics, in fact I’m competely useless on that score. Not too keen on cutting into the wires either with a home made switch on a brand new car. Tracker etc are recognised security measures. If the car goes this time, then I’m done with anything fancy. The button and relay costs about £1.50. If you disable the fuel pump on most cars they will start and you get about a hundred yards or so before the engine dies. That would give you enough time for the burglars to think they were home free and for you to ring the police. The engine would give the impression it had a problem rather than was alarmed. The car would be an easy find.
The gps lat long device of which I've used a few different types will ring my phone if the car moves during the night.
I think they beat a tracker, as there have been a few horror stories about trackers on PH in terms of their usefulness.
OP you just need to sit down with your experience so far, and scour ebay for what you think will work in your experience. Its all there.
Daft ideas such as turning your house into a protective fortress aren't going to work if you want a reasonable home with easy access.
Buying more and more expensive euro locks is also a waste of time. Easy ones can be bumped, more expensive ones can be hit with a mallet or easier still remove cut or break glass.
That's my twopen'th anyway.
The house measures are for a bit of peace of mind, I don’t think I’ll suddenly turn into some kind of hardnut prepared to take on a group of scumbags. However, it does mean that it’s going to be very difficult for them to steal the car.
OP, do you really want them to come back? Seriously, I think you have had a lucky escape and I would quit while you are ahead.
Buying the same car, parking it in the same place, albeit with more security will not stop car thieves. They will simply work around the measures and get the car, even if means threatening you with violence whilst tooled up. You have to ask yourself if your mental and physical health are worth more than driving a new, fast car. If it was me, i would be looking to buy a house with a garage instead.
Not trying to have a go or anything at you OP BTW.
Buying the same car, parking it in the same place, albeit with more security will not stop car thieves. They will simply work around the measures and get the car, even if means threatening you with violence whilst tooled up. You have to ask yourself if your mental and physical health are worth more than driving a new, fast car. If it was me, i would be looking to buy a house with a garage instead.
Not trying to have a go or anything at you OP BTW.
AndStilliRise said:
OP, do you really want them to come back? Seriously, I think you have had a lucky escape and I would quit while you are ahead.
Buying the same car, parking it in the same place, albeit with more security will not stop car thieves. They will simply work around the measures and get the car, even if means threatening you with violence whilst tooled up. You have to ask yourself if your mental and physical health are worth more than driving a new, fast car. If it was me, i would be looking to buy a house with a garage instead.
Not trying to have a go or anything at you OP BTW.
I’ve already explained the garage situation. I’ve got a house with a single garage, which is used for other things. I couldn’t get a car in there if I wanted to. If I buy a house with a double garage then I end up with a 5 bed detached house and much higher running costs for a house that’s mainly just me living there. Buying the same car, parking it in the same place, albeit with more security will not stop car thieves. They will simply work around the measures and get the car, even if means threatening you with violence whilst tooled up. You have to ask yourself if your mental and physical health are worth more than driving a new, fast car. If it was me, i would be looking to buy a house with a garage instead.
Not trying to have a go or anything at you OP BTW.
I’ve bought the new car already and happy with my approach. If I post again in a few months that it’s been nicked, then so be it, but I’m not prepared to give up the things I’ve worked hard to enjoy “just in case”.
Gavia said:
I’m not one for home mechanics, in fact I’m competely useless on that score. Not too keen on cutting into the wires either with a home made switch on a brand new car. Tracker etc are recognised security measures. If the car goes this time, then I’m done with anything fancy.
The house measures are for a bit of peace of mind, I don’t think I’ll suddenly turn into some kind of hardnut prepared to take on a group of scumbags. However, it does mean that it’s going to be very difficult for them to steal the car.
The point is that a thief who is even semi successful has already budgeted, and done his homework on, a standard cars anti thief systems. Thieves aren't smart. If they could make it through life as an electrical engineer or a mechanic they wouldn't be thieves.The house measures are for a bit of peace of mind, I don’t think I’ll suddenly turn into some kind of hardnut prepared to take on a group of scumbags. However, it does mean that it’s going to be very difficult for them to steal the car.
They have practiced on standard cars. They know how to clone a key after getting to the OBD socket because they can buy them on ebay and have a whole bunch of utube videos showing how easy it is. They can use a relay for a wireless keyfob or possibly clone a keyfob while hidden in the bushes when you next open your car, because you can buy those things on ebay and watch a lot of utube videos of how to do it. They know what a tracker is. The extent to which the police will, or won't bother, and the various jamming devices you can see on utube and buy from ebay. You get the idea.
What they can't do is improvise on the fly with anything other than violence as they aren't smart. If its not something on utube or they can't buy it on ebay, or they can't hit it with a hammer they are sunk.
So the idea of the button and relay is simple. You learn how to make it because it'll take you ten seconds to learn. You hide it on your car somewhere your fingers can reach but can't be seen and you splice it behind the very convenient fuel pump fuse you have usually in glove box etc with two long wires. Getting into the car requires you to press the button to enable the fuel pump and the relay drops out when you turn the ignition off.
The reason this beats all thieves is because they then have to diagnose a fault that won't be on utube and wont be something they've bought on ebay. Furthermore they won't come gunning for you after managing to get a hundred yards down the road as they will have realised you have already called the police and furthermore they won't think its an alarm of any sort but simply a faulty engine which worked for the first 3-4 minutes.
I'm not sure I understand why you have just been through the experience you have been through, and then say you wouldn't want to touch the wires In your new pride and joy, but hey ho I hope you recover, and all goes well with your new purchase.
I’m happy that different people want to protect their stuff in different ways. I don’t want a £1.50 eBay relay switch on my car. I don’t want to learn to do that stuff as there’s every chance I’ll fk it up and practising on a new M4 isn’t a great move IMO.
I’m happy to fit the Ghost system alongside a tracker and see what happens.
There’s nothing for me to recover from, I’m not emotionally scarred or anything like that.
k it up and practising on a new M4 isn’t a great move IMO. I’m happy to fit the Ghost system alongside a tracker and see what happens.
There’s nothing for me to recover from, I’m not emotionally scarred or anything like that.
Sorry to hear about this OP. As usual with any thread involving burglary / car theft there is a bit of misinformation and fanciful thinking cropping op, as well as a lot of good advice.
Locking internal doors might force burglars to make more noise at night but I absolutely wouldn't recommend it, especially during the day. House insurance does pay for damage but do you really want to replace several splintered door frames and doors after they've easily been forced open? Never mind redecorating around the same areas.
In the main, there isn't a great deal you can do without making your house awful or inconvenient to live in. Make it harder to access than the place next door or down the road and you're off to a good start.
I spent the last ten years looking at the aftermath of burglaries every working day and night so happy to offer any advice if anyone requires it, there's no absolute right answer or complete deterrent but I can certainly tell you what doesn't work.
Locking internal doors might force burglars to make more noise at night but I absolutely wouldn't recommend it, especially during the day. House insurance does pay for damage but do you really want to replace several splintered door frames and doors after they've easily been forced open? Never mind redecorating around the same areas.
In the main, there isn't a great deal you can do without making your house awful or inconvenient to live in. Make it harder to access than the place next door or down the road and you're off to a good start.
I spent the last ten years looking at the aftermath of burglaries every working day and night so happy to offer any advice if anyone requires it, there's no absolute right answer or complete deterrent but I can certainly tell you what doesn't work.
sid196642 said:
Sorry to hear about this OP. As usual with any thread involving burglary / car theft there is a bit of misinformation and fanciful thinking cropping op, as well as a lot of good advice.
Locking internal doors might force burglars to make more noise at night but I absolutely wouldn't recommend it, especially during the day. House insurance does pay for damage but do you really want to replace several splintered door frames and doors after they've easily been forced open? Never mind redecorating around the same areas.
In the main, there isn't a great deal you can do without making your house awful or inconvenient to live in. Make it harder to access than the place next door or down the road and you're off to a good start.
I spent the last ten years looking at the aftermath of burglaries every working day and night so happy to offer any advice if anyone requires it, there's no absolute right answer or complete deterrent but I can certainly tell you what doesn't work.
What doesn't work? Perhaps the advice will be useful to all of us!Locking internal doors might force burglars to make more noise at night but I absolutely wouldn't recommend it, especially during the day. House insurance does pay for damage but do you really want to replace several splintered door frames and doors after they've easily been forced open? Never mind redecorating around the same areas.
In the main, there isn't a great deal you can do without making your house awful or inconvenient to live in. Make it harder to access than the place next door or down the road and you're off to a good start.
I spent the last ten years looking at the aftermath of burglaries every working day and night so happy to offer any advice if anyone requires it, there's no absolute right answer or complete deterrent but I can certainly tell you what doesn't work.
sid196642 said:
I spent the last ten years looking at the aftermath of burglaries every working day and night so happy to offer any advice if anyone requires it, there's no absolute right answer or complete deterrent but I can certainly tell you what doesn't work.
I think we'd all like to hear what doesn't work!Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff