Vandalism or something more sinister?

[evdok]

Lock yourself in the car, stay completely still for 30 seconds then open a door/s OR open the door of the locked car with the key blade in the door lock, don’t use the remote key fob, the alarm will go off when you open the door, putting the remote into the ignition will stop the alarm OR just press the unlock button on the remote.

Dec

As soon as he moves to open a door the alarm would have sounded...thats if he still has one.

 

[Dec]

I bet the siren is still in the car, can’t see how the could have gotten the siren out, is it not bolted in, if the siren was in good working order it should have gone off, (that’s what the back up batteries are for) when the wires were broken.

Opening the doors is better in case the motion sensors were switched off.

Dec

 

[GordonTarling]

OK chaps, thanks for the help. I'll nip out and try it a bit later today. It's still a bit of a mystery to me, I'm fairly sure that the siren is still there as there's almost no damage done to the wheel arch liner and I doubt there'd be enough room to unbolt the siren and remove it though the small piece of liner that's been disturbed. If they knew enough about this model of car to know where the alarm siren is located, then surely they'd also know it had a backup battery? Of course, it is just possible that the cut wires aren't for the alarm, which makes it even more mysterious!

 

[GordonTarling]

Update - just went out in the rain and opened the car with the metal key - all the flashers started flashing, but not a peep from the alarm. Oh well, the stealers is open again tomorow.

 

[Dieselman]

I suspect they just cut the wires, so maybe a repair is in order.

 

[GordonTarling]

I'm hoping that's the case, but will a main dealer want to replace the loom rather than just effect a repair?

 

[st4]

I'm hoping that's the case, but will a main dealer want to replace the loom rather than just effect a repair?

Off to Horndean you go but you want this fixed sooner rather than later.

 

[bedwards1966]

I'm hoping that's the case, but will a main dealer want to replace the loom rather than just effect a repair?

Knowing what stealers are like, probably. But I'd expect it to be a simple matter of connecting 3 wires together, provided there is enough (few mm) to connect onto again it should only take 3 connectors, and hopefully it won't take long.

 

[WOODYTHEWISE]

Not sinister, but perhaps more devious. You say the car is in a locked compound. If I wished to steal your car I could always storm your house and steal the keys. Not knowing where you live, but knowing Mercedes cars have the audible alarm under the wheel arch I would attempt to set the alarm off. The owner would then turn up with the key to the car (to silence the alarm), and the key to the compound.

 

[GordonTarling]

Steve - I'll see what the main dealers have to say about it before I trek down to see Olly.

bedwards1966 - I would think it's just a case of reconnecting the three wires, but the outer protective sleeving was also cut, so perhaps not quite so simple.

Woody - Ah! That factor hadn't occurred to me! However, why cut the wires? Surely, just rocking the car violently would set it off without causing any damage? To be honest, a car alarm sounding is not an uncommon sound around here, so I doubt I'd have taken any notice even if I'd heard it.

 

[GordonTarling]

UPDATE - the alarm was fixed on Thursday and tested by myself. The car disappeared from its normal parking place last night - not a trace, except for a bit of blue tinted glass on the ground where it was parked. Is this coincidence? Wifey thinks not, but I'll leave that for the police to decide. Now very pi55ed off!

 

[renault12ts]

Sorry to hear this Gordon...someone really wanted it.

 

[Nasco12]

+1

 

[RMS]

sorry to here this mate,

 

[corned]

Bad news. At least you know it's over now...

 

[evdok]

Bad luck mate, just hope they don't find it!

Look on the bright side.....new car!

 

[RMS]

who has keys to the car park?

 

[GordonTarling]

Thanks for the commiserations chaps. I they ever find the car, I have to ask myself if I'd really want it back.
RMS - There's lots of keys for the lock on the gates, but it's now only a padlock and chain anyway. It was open this morning and undamaged, so what does that tell you?

 

[Simon_M]

Really sorry to here that. So you still have all the keys?

S

 

[GordonTarling]

Yep, both original keys still here in the house.