Vandalism or something more sinister?

[Sp!ke]

If those three wires were shorted out, I assume a fuse would blow somewhere and disable the alarm system and potentially other security systems within the car.

I'd be rather cross that the Police didnt have the forethought to setup a sting after the first incident.

 

[RMS]

they dont have the resources

when ours was tracked down, they called me to bring down the keys to get it towed straight away---when they could have staked it out, or follow the tracker when it moved again

 

[Mr E]

Sorry to hear about this - gutting. It's bad enough getting the car broken into, let alone it disappearing...

 

[neilz]

Really sorry to hear what has happened - I'd be looking at a rusted 124 estate or something less attractive to thieves (my rusty coupe was one of the only cars to never be broken into in our street) now, just until the move. Quite creepy so much thought went into taking the car. This is also an important lesson in why CCTV is often invaluable

 

[GordonTarling]

Spike - the alarm and wiring was repaired and tested at the dealer the day before it disappeared.

Neilz - it seems a lot of thought went into taking it - just glad that no-one was hurt in the process.

I've thought about something older and more rusty for the time being, but when we do get to move from W. London to Lincolnshire, I'm going to be covering a lot of miles and probably whilst towing a trailer, so I need something I can rely on and there's no way to determine that until I've owned it for a while. Currently planning to look at one or two 2005 S211's tomorrow - hopefully a bit less attractive with the IL6 engine.

 

[corned]

Finding a rusty 2005 211 shouldn't be too much of a challenge...

 

[Bosco]

Whatever you buy change the badges to make it look less attractive, It might help.

 

[GordonTarling]

evdok - the Iphone idea is basically a good one if you can find a good hiding place. The problem I see is that of which SIM to use. A PAYG one would be perfect, but they all seem to need you to make a call every so often in order to stop them being disconnected. Perhaps you might know otherwise?

Bosco - do you mean remove all MB badging and fit Skoda or Citroen badges?

 

[neilz]

Currently planning to look at one or two 2005 S211's tomorrow - hopefully a bit less attractive with the IL6 engine.

If the thieves will be back, do you want a shiny newish car? A W124 estate can tow very well, many are used for towing - they are workhorses. I'd prefer a newer one too, and if you think they won't be back and as you're moving soon then get it, but until you move your next car might be at risk if you get a shiny modern one.

And I'm not sure how much thieves know about engines!

 

[Sp!ke]

Lets not forget that W124's are still one of the most stolen cars in the country..

Are we to assume that the alarm was simply disabled and the window broken to release the handbrake so it could by dragged onto a low loader rather than having the immobiliser bypassed somehow and driven away?

 

[neilz]

Lets not forget that W124's are still one of the most stolen cars in the country..

I think they tend to be stolen by a different set of crooks (for the export market) and I don't know the situation with this type of theft in Uxbridge

 

[Bosco]

Bosco - do you mean remove all MB badging and fit Skoda or Citroen badges?

Not quite. Badges from a less powerful / less well speced model in the same range might fool the casual thief long enough for him to look elsewhere. Although these guys seemed very determined.

 

[RMS]

I think they tend to be stolen by a different set of crooks (for the export market)

i think you are right---whatever car it is, get a good tracker +alarm + security film +/-stoplock

ive see cobra even do in car cctv!

Britain's most frequently stolen cars - Telegraph

 

[RMS]

Dynamic Security Film - Window Security Film

 

[GordonTarling]

neilz - reliability is my main concern. I'm not saying that a 124 is basically unreliable, just that it's an unknown quantity until it's been owned for a while. I guess the same could be said of almost any new purchase though!

Spike - unsure of the exact method of removal. Getting in to release the parking brake is one thing, but how do you steer it without a key? Or maybe they just lifted the back and towed it?

Bosco - got any E220 badges for sale?

RMS - I'm considering what security measures to take and investigating them.

I have contacted the only possibility for CCTV footage and the police will be checking that soon, I hope. I've also spoken to the site owner and he's going to install CCTV to cover the parking area as well as the entrance gates. At the moment, our house move is stalled due to a land registry problem, so we're not sure how much longer it will be before we can move. With all that we want to do to the house, I can't see it being less than six to nine months yet.

 

[RMS]

Gordon- i saw a site either on here or Ebay that does merc basdges in the correct font so you just need to choose

Id just debadge

 

[grober]

Citroen C5 estate or Skoda Superb estate. Both reasonably good reps for security but low key in the desirability/stolen to order stakes

 

[corned]

Personally I wouldn't waste any time worring about the possibility of re-visits.

It appears that the thieves' requirements were very specific. You no longer have what they specifically wanted, so I reckon you'll be OK from now on. Good to see that the landlord seems to be taking matters seriously though.

Replace like for like, and perhaps put a E200K badge on the back of you are still a bit worried.

 

[GordonTarling]

Even more cheesed off now! The only company with CCTV cameras is called 'Titan Fire & Security'. They have four cameras positioned around their building. Asked about obtaining a copy of the weekend's footage for the police and was told the system wasn't switched on!

RMS - I agree, de-badging is the easiest answer.

corned - not so sure about return visits - not worth assuming anything IMHO.

 

[developer]

Blimey GT - I followed this as the vandalism thread and have just discovered the follow up theft.

I can't offer anything productive but boy, do I feel for you.

I hope this is resolved to your satisfaction, however that may be.

Actually, I feel a bit concerned now, having the same kit.