Soltan
Active Member
Shocked to hear this, I knew about the deadlocks but thought the command was pretty much bolted in!
crockers
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Having seen Alfie fit mine - I can't see how they got that out in 30 secs without damaging the trim unless as mentioned before someone had done a lot of the prep work beforehand.
NISFAN
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Firstly, I don't think a trained professional ICE installer is going to get anywhere near the time that it takes a low life scumbag to remove a head unit. The fact that trim didn't get damaged has got to be pure luck, no? I'm sure brute force and some omission of WIS steps were the order of the day.
Secondly, I don't think this was a Fort Boyard style TV show with a calibrated 30 second oversized egg timer, and dramatic shots of a portcullis closing down on game show contestants. So when someone says 30 seconds, what tolerance is there on that? If his 30 seconds was actually a minute, would that be believable?
Having said that, the scenario the OP painted, car outside open bedroom window, I would have been up from the deepest of sleeps within 10 seconds at the sound of a car alarm at 3am. But that is me, and my house. Maybe he lives in a busy street.
Fact is, his Nav has gone, and some crack head is probably high today because he could fund his fix.
Now I'm off to fit razor blades to the back of my COMAND unit, cheers!
Secondly, I don't think this was a Fort Boyard style TV show with a calibrated 30 second oversized egg timer, and dramatic shots of a portcullis closing down on game show contestants. So when someone says 30 seconds, what tolerance is there on that? If his 30 seconds was actually a minute, would that be believable?
Having said that, the scenario the OP painted, car outside open bedroom window, I would have been up from the deepest of sleeps within 10 seconds at the sound of a car alarm at 3am. But that is me, and my house. Maybe he lives in a busy street.
Fact is, his Nav has gone, and some crack head is probably high today because he could fund his fix.
Now I'm off to fit razor blades to the back of my COMAND unit, cheers!
crockers
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Phil,
This smacks of something more sinister then.
To get comand out of a W211 you need to remove the gear surround, then the ashtray, unbolt the CD changer/motorised drawer, disconnect the cables. Then you need to undo the two retaining screws fully. This requires a Torx 20 driver (fairly short) or a torx on a ratchet. It cannot be done in 30 seconds. 3 minutes, possibly, but not 30 seconds.
So if the trim is intact, and I doubt they replaced all the bits mentioned above, then the Comand unit had to have been loosened off completely prior to the theft.
Where has the car been to recently?
Or maybe the alarm didn't go off immediately.
Doesn't explain why they thoughtfully refitted the trim...
Marque
Active Member
Members of the Considerate Crooks scheme??
Stratman
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It'll be part of their bail conditions. When they go out robbing they mustn't leave a mess.
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Or maybe the alarm didn't go off immediately.
Maybe the internal alarm motion sensor didn't work?
It's that elusive I can't find it and no one can tell me where it is!
Agree though, can't be done in 30 seconds so must be another explanation.
stolen comand unit
Thanks for all your replys, here i have uploaded this photo of the stolen comand unit or lack of !!!!!!. As you can see there was no damage whatsoever to the opening, and nothing was removed from dashboard. No it was not been taken to a garage and has not been left with anyone. As for the time scale it could not have been more then 1 minute car was parked underneath the bedroom window and both me and the wife woke up together. Even i'm puzzled!!!!!
Thanks for all your replys, here i have uploaded this photo of the stolen comand unit or lack of !!!!!!. As you can see there was no damage whatsoever to the opening, and nothing was removed from dashboard. No it was not been taken to a garage and has not been left with anyone. As for the time scale it could not have been more then 1 minute car was parked underneath the bedroom window and both me and the wife woke up together. Even i'm puzzled!!!!!
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NISFAN
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That is wierd, as Alfie says you normally have to remove trim round the gear selector, and definately have to remove the switch panel above the ashtray to access the screws that normally secure the unit.
Explains how it was removed in such a short time.
Explains how it was removed in such a short time.
speedybiker
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I dont mean to be cheecky but it is NOT possible to take the comand out in that timescale.
Like Alfie I install a lot of comand's and Trust me even without being carefull not to sctratch any cosmetics in the car it would still take me about 4 to 5 minutes.
Alex.
Like Alfie I install a lot of comand's and Trust me even without being carefull not to sctratch any cosmetics in the car it would still take me about 4 to 5 minutes.
Alex.
corned
MB Enthusiast
Yes, that's a puzzler.
Alfie is quite right in saying (he'd know after all!) that it takes quite a time to get one of these out, and the cascade effect of the trim parts which need removing, in order, from the gear selector surround upwards, to finally get to the fixings for the COMAND unit itself.
If the surroundings were not disturbed (which I think we can take as a given) then the perps were either:
a. incredibly lucky (with bells on) in finding a car which just happened to have an unsecured COMAND system; or
b. very well informed.
You choose!
Alfie is quite right in saying (he'd know after all!) that it takes quite a time to get one of these out, and the cascade effect of the trim parts which need removing, in order, from the gear selector surround upwards, to finally get to the fixings for the COMAND unit itself.
If the surroundings were not disturbed (which I think we can take as a given) then the perps were either:
a. incredibly lucky (with bells on) in finding a car which just happened to have an unsecured COMAND system; or
b. very well informed.
You choose!
Peter DLM
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If the screws holding the head unit in were missing, would it move/rattle around whilst driving, or give any other clue if missing, like ill fitment?
Were the screws on the carpet, would a thief take the screws with him/her?
Were the screws on the carpet, would a thief take the screws with him/her?
jeremytaylor
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Maybe the internal alarm motion sensor didn't work?
It's that elusive I can't find it and no one can tell me where it is!
It drops down electrically from the light fitting to the middle of the roof, but not straight away, and then retracts again when you unlock the car.
Having seen Alfie fit a Comand before, I know it couldn't have been done in 1 minute, and certainly not without removing the trim as mentioned above. Something stinks.
I am sorry you all think I am having you on but it did happen
and i am having to count the cost i dont know the ins and outs like you guys
all i can do is let you know what happend to me,
(not very happy mb club member)
and i am having to count the cost i dont know the ins and outs like you guys
all i can do is let you know what happend to me,
(not very happy mb club member)
MOCAŠ
MB Enthusiast
Don't think anyone's said they think you're having them on; just expressing surprise and disbelief at how the unit could have been extracted so quickly and cleanly.
The consensus so far seems to be that its fixings must have been removed at some point previously (and perhaps replaced with some kind of sticky pads to prevent the unit from appearing loose or rattling). You say it hasn't been left with anyone recently, but when was the last time you left it in someone else's care?
The consensus so far seems to be that its fixings must have been removed at some point previously (and perhaps replaced with some kind of sticky pads to prevent the unit from appearing loose or rattling). You say it hasn't been left with anyone recently, but when was the last time you left it in someone else's care?
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