How many stars have You lost already?

[wickedcricket]

Woke up this morning, off to work I go and some twunt pull out the "Crosshair" from my hood!

I am just sitting here and thinking to get a new one on amazon and sharpening it like a razor and wait to see the blood marks.

Seriously is this some kind of 3rd world country we live in...ffs....

 

[coalville126]

Not something you'd want to hear, but happy to say we've never lost one, even during the '80s when loads were 'lifted'

 

[st13phil]

I am just sitting here and thinking to get a new one on amazon and sharpening it like a razor and wait to see the blood marks.

Carefully taping a few barbed fish hooks to the star is another alternative...

Seriously though: although that is a more than superficially attractive thing to do, the most likely response from the scrote responsible is to kick a dent in a panel or key the car

 

[automaniaman]

Got it in one...

 

[wickedcricket]

Not something you'd want to hear, but happy to say we've never lost one, even during the '80s when loads were 'lifted'

Happy to hear that mate! I just hope this is a sporadic incident.

Does anyone know any metallurgic/handcraft person, who can sharpen MB Star?

 

[wickedcricket]

Seriously though: although that is a more than superficially attractive thing to do, the most likely response from the scrote responsible is to kick a dent in a panel or key the car

Yeah thought the same thing *sigh*

 

[mick5]

Lost 2 last one he/she tried to remove the star but end up broke and deep scratch from head light to tail light. Body shop quoted £700

 

[wickedcricket]

Lost 2 last one he/she tried to remove the star but end up broke and deep scratch from head light to tail light. Body shop quoted £700

oooooouch :/

I read on the US MB forum few people took a grinder and filed the edges to make it razor sharp, I think I am going to risk doing that.

 

[Trickythemerc]

Some little To$$er tried to rip the one of the back of my CLK,but just broke it and left me a couple of deepish scratches where they had gone at it with something sharp. £22.00 at the dealers and some careful touching up with flatting and polishing and you can't tell it's been touched.

 

[coalville126]

oooooouch :/

I read on the US MB forum few people took a grinder and filed the edges to make it razor sharp, I think I am going to risk doing that.

A Dremel with a grinding tool would be my choice.

 

[MancMike]

Despite living in the highest insurance risk area there is, and (no joke) about 40 minutes after buying my car and parking it outside, 8~12 scrotes leaning, sitting and loitering around it!! Luckily mine has stayed put.

It's been knocked out of position once or twice though, but it just giggles back.

Lucky no damage to car though. Any CCTV?

I think you'd struggle with the angle to get a good edge.

 

[hotrodder]

oooooouch :/

I read on the US MB forum few people took a grinder and filed the edges to make it razor sharp, I think I am going to risk doing that.

As said that's more likely in the car being further vandalised out of spite when the waste of skin hurts himself... back when VW and MB badges were the must have accessory for wannabe scum my old man gave up after the second one was nicked and replaced it with a flat badge. The result was scrotes attempting to nick the flat badge (damaging the grille) before deciding they'd have the badge off the tailgate instead which obviously broke after they'd gouged the paint with a screwdriver while trying to prise it off

Unless MB have changed things the stars are chrome plated mazak/zamak (aka monkey metal) so 'sharpening' them ruins the finish which'll get worse as it ages/corrodes

 

[AMGeed]

Over the years I've had 3 bonnet stars vandalised. It's damn annoying to say the least and I'd welcome the Middle Eastern punishment for theft.

 

[190]

Is the star chrome plated and would sharpening it cause corrosion ? Only other possibility is it's stainless steel but that looks different to chrome.

I've never lost one in 22 years but rarely park in dodgy places.

 

[wickedcricket]

As said that's more likely in the car being further vandalised out of spite when the waste of skin hurts himself... back when VW and MB badges were the must have accessory for wannabe scum my old man gave up after the second one was nicked and replaced it with a flat badge. The result was scrotes attempting to nick the flat badge (damaging the grille) before deciding they'd have the badge off the tailgate instead which obviously broke after they'd gouged the paint with a screwdriver while trying to prise it off

Unless MB have changed things the stars are chrome plated mazak/zamak (aka monkey metal) so 'sharpening' them ruins the finish which'll get worse as it ages/corrodes

Ugh sounds terrible what they did to your car. I am still thinking about getting a custom made stainless polished star and then sharpening it all around. Don't really care if it is original or not as long as it will, hurt the person trying to mess with my car (there I said it).

Is the star chrome plated and would sharpening it cause corrosion ? Only other possibility is it's stainless steel but that looks different to chrome.

I've never lost one in 22 years but rarely park in dodgy places.

The thing is, it could have happened only in 3 places and none of them were dodgy at all, 2 public places 1 private. As one of those places is my secure car park, with a secure gate gate etc. not CCTV though, I am suspecting a "neighbor jel factor" here.

Despite living in the highest insurance risk area there is, and (no joke) about 40 minutes after buying my car and parking it outside, 8~12 scrotes leaning, sitting and loitering around it!! Luckily mine has stayed put.

It's been knocked out of position once or twice though, but it just giggles back.

Lucky no damage to car though. Any CCTV?

I think you'd struggle with the angle to get a good edge.

No no CCTV but that gave me an idea. If not razor sharp "crosshair" then maybe a movement activated nigh-vision car camera!? Sounds like a solution! Is anyone familiar with any kind of devices like that?

A Dremel with a grinding tool would be my choice.

I'd also go to AIDS clinic and ask a sick person to spray some blood on the sharpened emblem....

 

[E55BOF]

A Dremel with a grinding tool would be my choice.

On the teeth of the scrote...

 

[geraldrobins]

I have had one stolen in just over 3 years.

 

[MancMike]

I've had motion sensing CCTV, but generally it was a bit daft.

The issue is because it's night vision, the front of the camera is beaming out IR light and so at night, a cobweb or rain would constantly trigger it. I did play with the sensitivity, but it didn't help much. Whenever it'd rain, the cameras would just fill the HD up.

In a car, the cigarette lighter socket isn't powered when the car is off, so it'd either have to have a huge internal battery or be powered by the battery directly, and it'd drain the battery. I wouldn't like the thought of a carrier bag catching on a fence in front of the car draining my battery over night as it blows in the wind.

My current dash cam does record after you turn the engine off. It just records until the little internal battery dies, so how long you get depends on how long it had to charge. It's useful for public car parks where you might return 10 minutes later to find damage.

 

[StuartK]

There is a solution to this issue. If you buy an AMG there is no star as its in the grille. So nobody can get up in your grille.

 

[MancMike]

Maybe not on the A, C or CLA, but the E and S 63 you can still have the 'proper' grille and bonnet star, whether it's an option or country based I don't know.