Keyless Entry Theft From Driveway

[KennyN]

but it does say “look at me” all over it and I’m sure that’ll make it much more appealing to thieves.

Dont think it is about how it looks , it is what they are looking for at the time. It is all about fulfilling the orders.

The OP`s car was , more than likely, targeted because someone somewhere had a buyer for a grey C class coupe and that was what they went shopping to get after a bit of scouting around to get the right one. A quick photo of the VIN number whilst the car is parked somewhere and an online de-code will make sure the car has everything they are looking for , including keyless entry.

If an E500 was on their shopping list and yours fitted the bill then it would be gone , de-badged or not. A quick casual look at the rev counter to confirm it wasn`t a diesel and an MOT check online to verify the engine size would soon let them know what it was.

They maybe out and out scum , but a certain level of thieves they know exactly what they want and how to get it.

K

 

[Darrell]

Dont think it is about how it looks , it is what they are looking for at the time. It is all about fulfilling the orders.

The OP`s car was , more than likely, targeted because someone somewhere had a buyer for a grey C class coupe and that was what they went shopping to get after a bit of scouting around to get the right one. A quick photo of the VIN number whilst the car is parked somewhere and an online de-code will make sure the car has everything they are looking for , including keyless entry.

If an E500 was on their shopping list and yours fitted the bill then it would be gone , de-badged or not. A quick casual look at the rev counter to confirm it wasn`t a diesel and an MOT check online to verify the engine size would soon let them know what it was.

They maybe out and out scum , but a certain level of thieves they know exactly what they want and how to get it.

K

Seems to me that all the information is now at their fingertips.
Very scary.

 

[KennyN]

Seems to me that all the information is now at their fingertips.
Very scary.

All that digital info out there is a good thing for the decent folk looking to buy a car but at the same time it makes the crims job a lot easier.

If you have been brought up through the ranks as a car thief then you know exactly what you are looking for , the only give-a-way that my car is not a 420d is the two (wheelbarrow) exhausts so anyone looking for a specific vehicle knows the minutia of the model they are looking to acquire.

If they had just put the same level of effort into their education than car theft knowledge then they could now be working in B+Q stacking shelves nightshift for the minimum wage rather than making a couple of grand a week tax free , working minimal hours and disrupting peoples lives.

K

 

[SW18]

Dont think it is about how it looks , it is what they are looking for at the time. It is all about fulfilling the orders.

The OP`s car was , more than likely, targeted because someone somewhere had a buyer for a grey C class coupe and that was what they went shopping to get after a bit of scouting around to get the right one. A quick photo of the VIN number whilst the car is parked somewhere and an online de-code will make sure the car has everything they are looking for , including keyless entry.

If an E500 was on their shopping list and yours fitted the bill then it would be gone , de-badged or not. A quick casual look at the rev counter to confirm it wasn`t a diesel and an MOT check online to verify the engine size would soon let them know what it was.

They maybe out and out scum , but a certain level of thieves they know exactly what they want and how to get it.

K

A fair point. And on the related note of making sure one’s own car is less appealing, I’m seeing more and more people round here using a disklok.

 

[Will]

Thankfully as mentioned the stories of aggravated theft/burglary relating to cars are quite rare - most keyless car thefts are for that exact reason - it’s a pretty discreet tactic and if they can’t get your vehicle they’ll generally move on to an easier target.

I mean, unless the target is of such specific value why bother? Is it really enough of a payday to risk several people getting caught for all the stuff that goes with an aggravated break in etc for one car? Not when you can just walk quietly up to another front door, ping a signal and drive off within seconds in the middle of the night unseen...

You hear about relay thefts literally every few weeks on here, and elsewhere I’m always hearing of Range Rovers/BMWs/MBs etc being taken by relay theft (without keys) but I can count on one hand how many aggravated thefts there are by comparison. Just not worth it.

People who don’t drive can be mugged for their phones and watches on the tube/walking the street/crossing the road in urban areas - or their bikes/scooters/motorbikes stolen, or have their bank accounts hacked or ID cloned etc. You can’t let criminals prevent you from living a normal life, but as always it’s down to the individual to decide on what security and risk etc they’re comfortable with, whilst taking the appropriate precautions to minimise your chance of being affected.

I posted a thread up on here a couple of years ago when I caught a gang trying to steal one of my cars in the act. Fortunately I had taken precautions - but I think I remember saying at the time, you usually only see these threads after the event. Prevention is key.

OP - sorry to hear about your car. I doubt you’ll see it again but hopefully you get the right settlement and can move on without too much hassle. I’m sure you’re now well aware but you need to up your security for the replacement, whatever you choose.

 

[bayman57]

well i had a message from mercedesme saying that my purchased services expire end of Dec 2021 .. went on to see the cost of renewal ( for something thats not that reliable ) and thought they can just F off !! better to get a decent tracker fitted for a one off cost and no annual fees perhaps ??

 

[markjay]

well i had a message from mercedesme saying that my purchased services expire end of Dec 2021 .. went on to see the cost of renewal ( for something thats not that reliable ) and thought they can just F off !! better to get a decent tracker fitted for a one off cost and no annual fees perhaps ??

Personally I think that a hidden immobiliser such as Ghost is more important than a GPS tracker (though you can obviously have both).

 

[MSG2004]

I've not read reports where a keyless starting car was taken away where the keeper had kept keys in a safe box/wallet.
These inbred the more organsied/desperate will enter your home if they really want the car, so an alarm for you home is good but switch it on at night. As soon as the alarm goes off they run the vast majority of the time. We've had an alarm in our home for a good 30 years and about 14 years ago they came to steal the c class. We did not double lock the front door so easy pickings to open without key but always turned on the alarm. it was about 4am in the month of May - Mrs woke up on the sound of the door entry sound as we had left a 20 second dely when at home - then a bang, this is because the incestual inbreds had to cut the door chain and shove it and it hit the table behind the door that woke me up and then the alarm - they ran could hear foot steps of trainers as bedroom window as open. They were certainly after the car as we gates in front of the cars which we closed and were partly open as far enough to take the c class and they cam in via pedestrian gate.
We had been targeted before as you could tell by the screwdriver marks on doors and windows. Our mistake we bought a run down property on a corner plot and made it to one of the best with a very flashy door for the time.

Never again will I buy a house on a corner plot and we almost always tun on our alarm at night as it gives you a piece of mind as the last thing you want is vermin that has had it off with their mum/dad and sister break into your home when you and the family are in bed.
The day time crooks are often druggies but the night time ones are often more hardened

A good 30 years ago a friend of my the family was woken up at night time by noise went done with a baseball bat, encoutered a 'gangsta' as he referred to the crook. The family friend was seeing red mist at the tought of the criminal going into his children bedroom/etc/etc and I'm not sure what happened exactly but he over did it with the bat. The friend was initially charged with using unreasonable force but I think the charges were subsequently dropped. At the time I lol but thinking back and older and wiser, best left to the police IMO but easier said than done in the spur of the moment I guess.

Best to have an alarm and hope they never come into your home and if they do, they hear the alrm and p off.

 

[DSM10000]

Pair jailed for nationwide £1m keyless-entry car thefts

The vehicles, including Audis, BMWs and Range Rovers, were dismantled for parts.

www.bbc.co.uk

Let us hope that once they finish their sentences they are deported and are permanently refused entry to the UK.

 

[markjay]

Let us hope that once they finish their sentences they are deported and are permanently refused entry to the UK.

Agreed, if they're not British citizens (not clear from the article).

What is a worry, though, is that the police seem to have stumbled on their operation by pure chance, and not though some form of good old detective work that led to a breakthrough.

 

[DSM10000]

Agreed, if they're not British citizens (not clear from the article).

What is a worry, though, is that the police seem to have stumbled on their operation by pure chance, and not though some form of good old detective work that led to a breakthrough.

Citizenship can and should be rescinded in certain cases

 

[poormansporsche]

Well, there was a attempted theft of a RR in my Road over Chrimbo. They got in the car, started the the car but we're unable to disconnect the charging cable so legged it !

 

[Crispian22]

A chap six doors down had his Focus st pinched the week before Xmas using this relay method.

All of it captured on his ring doorbell which he posted online,less than 60 seconds from start to finish.

Personally,with my ML,I use a combination of steering lock, Faraday pouch and box, security lighting akin to Blackpool illuminations, cameras with movement notification to my phone and two large dog's.

(Touch wood) never been done.

 

[Petrol Pete]

One of these oxygen thieves had his place of address listed in court as 'HMP Peterborough' ....might explain a few things . Out on bail were we dickhead ?

How is that even possible ? for someone to be arrested for a crime then state a prison as his home address ?

 

[Dippo]

How is that even possible ? for someone to be arrested for a crime then state a prison as his home address ?

Maybe he'd already been convicted of a different offence?

 

[Dickster]

15 - 20 years ago we had a 1986 911 stolen from the drive. We made the mistake of putting a table by the front door, and when you come in you naturally put the keys there. The keys were fished through the letterbox at 3am (a neighbour heard the car).

And I agree on the alarm. If they want the car they’ll take it. A friend had a couple of brand new cars on a business lease, and thieves broke into the house around 5am (!!!) took the keys and took both cars. The keys were also by the front door.

 

[markjay]

I believe that Forum member Developer has the keys taken from him under threat of violence by robbers who broke into his home through the front door. It was an E55? Or CLS55?

 

[Diesel Benz]

I did not read everything here if it was already discussed but on a US forum someone explained that Mercedes KG keys now stop responding when the key has been stationary for awhile. This would make it not necessary to keep the keys on a safe box (or anything that blocks radio transmission).

 

[DSM10000]

I believe that Forum member Developer has the keys taken from him under threat of violence by robbers who broke into his home through the front door. It was an E55? Or CLS55?

Indeed. I think it was an E63 Biturbo?

 

[MSG2004]

Deported, great but you can't deport them if they are British citizens.
Even if they are not, hardly anyone gets told to go.
There have been incidents and one a couple of years ago when someone was deported becuse of very serious crimes returned to the UK
and the gangsta murdered someone.

15 - 20 years ago we had a 1986 911 stolen from the drive. We made the mistake of putting a table by the front door, and when you come in you naturally put the keys there. The keys were fished through the letterbox at 3am (a neighbour heard the car).

And I agree on the alarm. If they want the car they’ll take it. A friend had a couple of brand new cars on a business lease, and thieves broke into the house around 5am (!!!) took the keys and took both cars. The keys were also by the front door.

From my own experience of a few others i have heard about, these inbreds will run when hearing the alarm and rarely venture past the hall once the alarm is triggered. Many people with larger halls and especially if they have a table there will leave the keys on sho or on the first few steps of the stairs. All these can be fished out.

I never leave any keys or items of value on display at home by the window/etc.

In our cars I often tick off our daughter as she will leave a bag, plastic back on the back seat of of her car often has the brollie in it but the inbreds that may smash your car window to grab wont know that. This takes me about about 15/20 years when me and my other co-workers all parked in a council run car park that had cctv but some fools working with me took the cctv as a guarantee their car would not be broken into/stolen from. This lady was almost crying when i got back to the office and I asked here what was up. She told me her back window of her car had been smashed and there was nothing in it. I said are you sure about that and she replied there was a bag, plastic back with a few bits in it of no value and an old coat, "nothing of value". I thought you silly old ..... ................ then gently told her that the person/s smashing your window did not know that did they. Some people just for trouble