STOLEN MK4 GOLF R32 - HOW!??!?!?

[B.J.W]

Sorry to hear that your car has been stolen OP, but giving your address details did make life very easy for the low lifes who took your car. Same thing happened to a friend of mine last year - gives his postcode to an 'interested party' over the phone, and then wakes up in the morning to find an empty space where 40k's worth of M3 was previously parked.

I am not a big fan of selling performance cars privately - the above is just one of the reasons why my RS4 is with a specialist broker. He will take a cut of the proceeds, but I should still come out ahead when compared to advertising it privately.

Not likely, but best of luck getting your car back.

[AndrewW-G]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

If you are a business seller on Ebay, they automaticaly disclose your location, so you have three choices . . . . ..

1: Get a PO box and use that address,
2: Be honest and put your trading address,
3: Put a load of ste down and risk losing sales (often seen being done by dodgy home traders, operating out of rented property)


ETA If anybody needs a PO box in Liverpool / Chester / Wirral, can currently be rented including the forwarding of mail, from £6.95 per month.

[Kiltox]

hora said:

Why a 8yr old car though? A very very nicew one mind but.. Why the hassle??

Fast hatches are used in robberies a lot of the time - don't look suspicious when parked on your everyday high street but go like stink when you need them to.

[p4cks]

hora said:

Why a 8yr old car though? A very very nice one mind but.. Why the hassle??

That's the thing. It's no hassle for the thief whatsoever.

[R12HCO]

Kiltox said:

Fast hatches are used in robberies a lot of the time - don't look suspicious when parked on your everyday high street but go like stink when you need them to.

A few weeks ago, the family who lives opposite the inlaws had 3 mask youths barge into the house wanting only the car keys. It was a focus ST. Didnt want anything else. No mention of money, rings, anything.

My suggestion would of been the same. They are ideal. Can get aload of stolen property in the boost, carry 5 people and do 150 mph!

If they soley wanted an expensive car, they would of took the x5 parked on the inlaws drives.

The police were idiots though, claiming they were 'oppertunity thieves'. Yet they live in the middle of a housing estate which leads to a dead end. You would only go down there if you need to, not to just randomly drive by.

I find this hard to belive, surley if they where looking for this oppertunity, they would of took anything with value, not just a ford focus?

[N88]

hora said:

Why a 8yr old car though? A very very nicew one mind but.. Why the hassle??

My exact thoughts when my Grandad's 3.2 A3 was stolen a few months back. It was used in an armed robbery 2 weeks later just one mile down the road.

[98elise]

When a thief wants a car they will get it.

Back in the 80's my Astra GTE was stolen around 6pm on a summers day, while I was sitting 6 ft from it in my living room.

The strange thing was the engine had a part missing so could not be started, yet it went without me hearing a thing and none of my neighbours saw a thing!

The police said they probably rolled it off the drive and then towed it.

[graduate106]

In response to the guy who questioned why I had put my address- I had to, eBay rules when you are a business seller.

I can't see how that is any different to driving around to a guy round the corner that you know has a nice car though! Just cos they know where a nice car is doesn't mean they can steal it! I'm sure there are plenty other nice cars they know the location of a lot closer than where they came to get mine!

[Karlos69]

Kiltox said:

Crow555 said:

It's worrying that you can buy GPS jammer blockers for your cigarette lighter port just below those. Kinda renders a tracker pointless does it not?

Yep, they're widely available. Illegal to own or use in this country but then it's illegal to steal cars

Not illegal to own yet, just to use; although the gov't is looking to change the law to make simple possession of these an offence.

[zeb]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I think the fella's probably feeling bad enough as it is....but dont let that stop you getting a cheap shot kick in the boll0cks eh?

[binlicker]

Massively easy to obtain a key, I have had a new key delivered today already coded for a vehicle that is loosely a part of the VAG group, a little bigger than the vehicles you will have on your short list but same principle.

All it took was a phone call, a registration number, name and address and voila, so if somebody was silly enough to put all that information out there in the public domain it would be the easiest thing in the world for a third party to obtain a key, particularly if they work for or know somebody who works for a VAG dealer.

But nobody is silly enough to make all that information available on the internet are they?

Oh wait...........


Genuinely sorry about your loss mate, tough lesson to learn though, hope you get it back in one piece, although I suspect you've probably seen the last of it.

Edited by binlicker on Tuesday 22 March 20:56

[graduate106]

That wouldn't work- you need to then code that key to the car itself apparently!

I rang VW who said they would need the car itself to provide a key that would work on my car

[binlicker]

graduate106 said:

That wouldn't work- you need to then code that key to the car itself apparently!

I rang VW who said they would need the car itself to provide a key that would work on my car

Erm, that was the point of my post, no you do not need the vehicle, I was initially told the same but it isn't actually the case. With enough vehicle details (model, registration, name, address) all it takes is a phonecall if the person has the right connections.

[saaby93]

binlicker said:

Massively easy to obtain a key, I have had a new key delivered today already coded for a vehicle that is loosely a part of the VAG group, a little bigger than the vehicles you will have on your short list but same principle.

All it took was a phone call, a registration number, name and address and voila, so if somebody was silly enough to put all that information out there in the public domain it would be the easiest thing in the world for a third party to obtain a key, particularly if they work for or know somebody who works for a VAG dealer.

it used to be that you could only code the key to the car if you had another key to begin the process or a new ECU.
However too many dealers losing both set of keys.

Wasnt there a thread a while back with BMW offering the same service - anyone in the right place can phone up with the details and request a key. Any other marques?
But they will know where theyve posted the new key - find out.

[geeteeaye]

graduate106 said:

In response to the guy who questioned why I had put my address- I had to, eBay rules when you are a business seller.

I can't see how that is any different to driving around to a guy round the corner that you know has a nice car though! Just cos they know where a nice car is doesn't mean they can steal it! I'm sure there are plenty other nice cars they know the location of a lot closer than where they came to get mine!

As a business seller you should put forward a business address appropriately. In this case it would be a PO Box or similar, not your home address where the car isn't even garaged!

[binlicker]

saaby93 said:

t used to be that you could only code the key to the car if you had another key to begin the process or a new ECU.
However too many dealers losing both set of keys.

Exactly, the issue with my vehicle was this, main set of keys had been lost, dug out the spares which for some reason would not work, so no keys to start the vehicle and no working originals to code the replacements from.

One phonecall by the dealer and I had a working key within the hour.

Ok so I am known to them so identifying me as a legitimate customer wasn't an issue, but if you worked for the dealer that wouldn't be an issue either.

As I said, can easily be done over the phone, like Saaby said, they may be able to identify which dealer the key was requested by.

[Kiltox]

I imagine that the OP has the mother of all battles on his hands now with the insurance co......

[graduate106]

Hmmm, so is there a main VW number I could ring that would be able to check if any keys have been issued for my car then...?

[Jo Po]

graduate106 said:

Hmmm, so is there a main VW number I could ring that would be able to check if any keys have been issued for my car then...?

Good idea.

If I was going to steal a car, I'd go to a main dealer and have it done by the service desk. They might have left a name and address for you too!

I dont know if your doing it on purpose but their is not a hope in heel they done it over the counter. They would have had someone they know do it for them.

[Kiltox]

Jo Po said:

Good idea.

If I was going to steal a car, I'd go to a main dealer and have it done by the service desk. They might have left a name and address for you too!

I dont know if your doing it on purpose but their is not a hope in heel they done it over the counter. They would have had someone they know do it for them.

It's not as ridiculous as you're making out - if the systems are as secure as they should be any coding of keys should be recorded somewhere. I know Renault make people faff around to get keys now due to a number of cloning incidents.