BMW M140i stolen off driveway - Cheltenham

BMW M140i stolen off driveway - Cheltenham

Author
Discussion

Lando

Original Poster:

58 posts

179 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
Never thought I was going to be this guy, (especially considering I was reading Gavia's thread earlier today and feeling really bad for him..), but.....

Gray BMW M140i, gone along with Mrs Lando's jewellery box and possibly some other stuff I can't identify at the moment in the late evening of 18th January.

I live in a new build estate, and have what I consider as pretty good security. (In a not-being-as-slow-as-the-others-running-from-the-lion kind of way) including CCTV at the back of the house, a Ring doorbell at the front, ABS anti-snap locks, desirable car always blocked in by older car, etc.

Modus Operandi of the fking scum was to wait until we went out for dinner; then enter through the back gate of the house into the garden, which was only unlocked since the window cleaners have been in today. Figures. They smashed the back patio doors in with the huge Masterlock padlock that normally locks the back gate. Stole all car keys, and stuff from upstairs including the jewellery box and a pillowcase (To stash things in!?). They then exited back through the hole they created.

The sts even pulled the Mini D forward so they could get the 140i out, then abandoned it, and then left with both sets of keys for that car too.

BMW Connected app reports the car unlocked when they got in, then nothing since.

CCTV caught 2 males in full get-up. They notice the (fairly discrete) camera presumably by the IR ring, then smash it out of sight before they break in.

Police have just left, and the insurance company have boarded the house up which was pretty quick, but I feel pretty hollow.

Long time reader, don't really post, etc etc. Just wanted some like-minded Pistonheader company.

Keep an eye out for the car. frown

Edited by Lando on Friday 19th January 03:51


Edited by Lando on Thursday 25th January 18:27

jimPH

3,981 posts

79 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
Sorry to hear this. Always reminds me to review my own security, you never know when you'll be targeted.

Durzel

12,232 posts

167 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
Sadly I just don't think it's worth having cars like this in built up areas.

As you've discovered CCTV isn't necessarily a disincentive if your car is desirable enough, and blocking it in isn't always effective either.

What these things often exploit is complacency. I don't mean that disrespectfully, because we all just want to get on with our day to day lives and all of these security measures get in the way of that. As time goes by you get more relaxed, and it doesn't take too long, even after an event like this, for exceptions to be made - e.g. like having a door unlocked one day a week for window cleaners, etc.

Pillowcases are typical theft items as they are used to carry stuff out of the house.

Hope your missus it coping ok. Often the violation of your home is worse than losing the items.

Edited by Durzel on Friday 19th January 07:06

creampuff

6,511 posts

142 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
Sorry that hear it.

I'm just back from a month in a Sydney summer. A lot of people leave their car windows open when parked in suburbia, so the car doesn't get too hot.

Gavia

7,627 posts

90 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
Sorry you’ve had this too. It seems that you’ve had it worse though with the amount of valuables being taken. I’m not sure if you’d want it back, but the MO for yours seems to be more about the burglary and the car being a bonus rather than the car being the primary goal for the burglary. There’s a lot more chance of the car being recovered a sa result.

The BMW Connected App is absolute garbage and BMW need to pull their finger out and be honest about how useless it really is / the purpose it really serves i.e. for women who can’t find their car in the car park and fk all else.

If you need any help with sorting your claim out, then PM and I’m happy to help. My claim was resolved inside a fortnight and the replacement car arrives tomorrow, 18 days after the theft.

Lando

Original Poster:

58 posts

179 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
Thanks everyone.

Gavia said:
Sorry you’ve had this too. It seems that you’ve had it worse though with the amount of valuables being taken. I’m not sure if you’d want it back, but the MO for yours seems to be more about the burglary and the car being a bonus rather than the car being the primary goal for the burglary. There’s a lot more chance of the car being recovered a sa result.

The BMW Connected App is absolute garbage and BMW need to pull their finger out and be honest about how useless it really is / the purpose it really serves i.e. for women who can’t find their car in the car park and fk all else.

If you need any help with sorting your claim out, then PM and I’m happy to help. My claim was resolved inside a fortnight and the replacement car arrives tomorrow, 18 days after the theft.
Yeah, it's weird. The only thing we can find missing at the moment is this jewellery box, and there was quite a lot of high-value tech lieing around in really obvious places. It's also suspicious with the timing (we had been out of the house less than 20 minutes) and the fact they didn't case the front of the joint as there was no motion trigger.

Glad your claim went well. We'll see what happens. TBH, I don't want it back, but that's out of my hands at the moment.

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
Lando said:
...quite a lot of high-value tech lieing around in really obvious places.
Tracker apps, serial numbers...

cmaguire

3,589 posts

108 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
The window cleaner (or some of his dodgy mates) with a heads-up from one of your neighbours when you went out.

The bds.

cmaguire

3,589 posts

108 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
It reads to me like the car was exactly what they were after. Once in the house whilst one looked for the keys the other had a quick look around for something of value that was quick and easy to remove (cue the jewellery box or cash/phones etc). They had no intention of carting electricals etc back and forth.

Christmassss

650 posts

88 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
Sorry to hear this.

I am local and will keep an eye out for it.

ETA - which new build estate was it?

cmaguire

3,589 posts

108 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
And using the lock on the gate to break in.......who knew that was there then? Or that the gate was open?
Took the half-brick they brought with them away again did they?

clarkeysntfc

67 posts

88 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
Do you have a house alarm?

Also - mention Operation Cundall to the police. This is a scheme which enables BMW to provide vehicle location information to the police.

cmaguire

3,589 posts

108 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
Christmassss said:
Sorry to hear this.

I am local and will keep an eye out for it.

ETA - which new build estate was it?
Do you want the Mini ?

Christmassss

650 posts

88 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
cmaguire said:
Do you want the Mini ?
Diesel Mini's don't do it for me.

But depending on the OP's approx location I could give suggestions on where the car could potentially be dumped.

for example -

If it was local lads and the OP lived on the new build estate near Whaddon, then i would be looking around Hesters way for the car or if he lived on the new build houses off leckhampton road then i would probably head up towards birdlip and look round the lanes round there and in The George Car Park.

etc etc


Gavia

7,627 posts

90 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
clarkeysntfc said:
Do you have a house alarm?

Also - mention Operation Cundall to the police. This is a scheme which enables BMW to provide vehicle location information to the police.
Trust me when I say that BMW have no way of tracking the car. They haven’t managed to get a single trace of mine after nearly three weeks. The scrotes disable whatever runs the Connected App and other stuff before they drive off.

tigger1

8,402 posts

220 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
cmaguire said:
Christmassss said:
Sorry to hear this.

I am local and will keep an eye out for it.

ETA - which new build estate was it?
Do you want the Mini ?
LOL - bit soon, even for here.

To the OP - be glad you were out. It's insured metal and can easily be replaced. The buggers having been in the house would be a bigger annoyance to me. Not cool.

Hopefully they stick it into a tree at high speed, but it's more likely to be in bits by now, sold for spares.

MrBarry123

6,025 posts

120 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
Sorry to hear this OP.

Out of interest, was the BMW 3-door or 5-door?

Gavia

7,627 posts

90 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all

cmaguire said:
The window cleaner (or some of his dodgy mates) with a heads-up from one of your neighbours when you went out.

The bds.
Coincidentally, if you read my thread, the gate was open due to the window cleaner always leaving it open. He’s not dodgy though, but weird coincidence all the same.

cmaguire said:
Do you want the Mini ?
I know it’s too early, but that did make me laugh

TooMany2cvs

29,008 posts

125 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
Gavia said:
cmaguire said:
The window cleaner (or some of his dodgy mates) with a heads-up from one of your neighbours when you went out.

The bds.
Coincidentally, if you read my thread, the gate was open due to the window cleaner always leaving it open. He’s not dodgy though, but weird coincidence all the same.
A window cleaner is on a fairly regular schedule, presumably, and easy to spot.

cmaguire

3,589 posts

108 months

Friday 19th January 2018
quotequote all
Christmassss said:
cmaguire said:
Do you want the Mini ?
Diesel Mini's don't do it for me.

But depending on the OP's approx location I could give suggestions on where the car could potentially be dumped.

for example -

If it was local lads and the OP lived on the new build estate near Whaddon, then i would be looking around Hesters way for the car or if he lived on the new build houses off leckhampton road then i would probably head up towards birdlip and look round the lanes round there and in The George Car Park.

etc etc
They aren't joyriders. If the car is 'dumped' anywhere then it is temporary to check for tracker. Although these days, with an assumption of a tracker/st BMW factory fit tracking system, it may have gone directly into a building to kill the signal while someone deals with it.

From the OP this stinks of inside knowledge. If it was opportunistic then the thieves will have visited and checked other properties as well, were there any other reported sightings or break-ins/attempts the same night?
And how did they know there was no alarm, the room with patio doors would be an obvious place for a PIR if alarmed. Or a dog. Either would be a major problem on an estate re. getting caught in the act.