Vehicle Security Options?

[PJayUK]

We live in a fairly quiet village but occsaionally have a problem with youths vandalising cars. Normally this is either one of the drunken little s*&$s jumping on the bonnet and roof or scratching the bodywork. Normally my cars are parked on the drive but we are about to have some building work done which requires a skip to be situated on the drive for a few weeks, meaning there will be only enough room for one of our cars. Seeing as my wife uses the ML to ferry the kids around mine will be spending some time parked out on the road making it a prime target for the local scumbags.

So I have two questions about securing my car, I would really appreciate any advice.

Is there anything that can be added to the existing security system to make the car able to detect someone sitting or standing on it? The current system doesn’t seem to detect movement of the vehicle like for example if someone sits on it or knocks into it. I used to have a system on my motorbike that had a “warn away” feature if you got to close or moved the bike it would sound an alert. Something like this would seem a useful deterrent.

The three pointed star mascot on the bonnet is clearly an attractive target to these idiots, is it possible to just remove the vertical bit? A sort of quick release would be really useful I wonder if anyone has ever come across a way of removing it when the car is parked.

Short of wiring the car to a nice high current low voltage DC supply any other advice, tips or pointers on protecting the car from mindless vandals would be greatly appreciated!

 

[IBN]

Makes me really sad, that you have to ask about this.

Personally, I'd like the right to shoot the scumbags!

 

[rees_A]

I think the front 3 pointed star is quite easy to remove so mat be worth swapping for a flat one temporarily, you should be able to find one on ebay cheap...There are also alarms that have perimeter movement detection but not sure if you can retro fit to MB. Check with installation expert I guess.

 

[seymansey]

Yes, the star is easy to remove. Lift up bonnet and twist the base 90 degrees to the left, it should pop right out.

 

[PJayUK]

It makes me sad and angry as well, I just don't understand why younger people have little respect for property, I cant remember doing anything like that when I was a teenager.

I dread to think what it must be like for people that have to park there cars on he street in central London etc if its like this is leafy subrurban Surrey it must be like living on the Gaza Strip!

 

[rees_A]

I have University accom at the end of my road and the students are always causing probs. They are very noisy and have so far - Stolen my front gate...Padlocked the new one to stop it happening, stolen xmas tree lights...Don't put them out any more, vandalised both cars(smashed side mirrors on most of the cars down our road a couple of months back)

The problem is NOT inner city kids, it's the supposed young adults from leafy suburban areas that cause all the trouble in my area....

 

[Diesel Benz]

It makes me sad and angry as well, I just don't understand why younger people have little respect for property, I cant remember doing anything like that when I was a teenager.

I dread to think what it must be like for people that have to park there cars on he street in central London etc if its like this is leafy subrurban Surrey it must be like living on the Gaza Strip!

My wife's MB lost the star, in London (Chelsea). And you were a teenager at that time! OK I don't blame you .

Better to move to a remote countryside place where "modern young people" do not care to spend their time. We may be lacking many things but this kind of crime I'm not jealous about. Unfortunately our stars start to be threatened a bit these days too (still none of our cars has any alarm systems, not to mention trackers etc. And this a good excuse for me not to tell my home coordinates).

Our solution was to buy two stars at once, to be ready for the second loss. We still have the second one after 20+ years (this one MB was the only one driving London streets though).

 

[davidjpowell]

Better to move to a remote countryside place where "modern young people" do not care to spend their time. We may be lacking many things but this kind of crime I'm not jealous about)

In my experience villages can be just as bad. Bored kids = cars being climbed over, and merc stars vanishing. Speak from experience on both of these.

 

[HR17]

How about CCTV and/or Neighbourhood Watch? If anything happens, call th cp and insist they do something about it. When my star was stolen from outside a hotel in a student town, the cops didn't want to know and wouldn't bother investigating CCTV. I'd have pushed and complained if I was local and hadn't just been visiting with work. I think a new start was £25 or less fitted by my local dealer.

 

[Charles Morgan]

Funnily enough I was fiddling with the star on mine last week when this immaculately dressed old man walked past, looked at the car, turned round, and in a pronounced German accent said that the local teenagers in South America in the fifties where he was based at the time used to steal the stars. I told him my E500's star had been nicked only a year before.

The random vandalism one sees in Central London is pretty depressing. Two of my cars have been keyed (one, on the same morning I was getting it valued for a trade in!) and on one occasion I walked the length of one long terrace and every single car along that street had been keyed, clearly by the same person. You put up with it, but it is very depressing at times.

 

[NICKYB]

Could you ask a neighbour very nicely if you could use their drive for a few days....?
Car cover??

 

[PJayUK]

We are actively pushing the police on this and have a local community watch that is pretty vocal. But the problem is the police seem to treat vehicle related issues as low priority. To be short we now have a presence in the village from a PC Support Officer not a "proper" bobby on the beat which in my opinion simply dilutes their authority.

 

[Howard]

Can the skip not go in the road ? the builders would have to walk a bit further , but they are healthy guys i'm sure ?

 

[scumbag]

Personally, I'd like the right to shoot the scumbag!

I have body armour.

 

[mbenz76]

I think this sort of thing is becomming more and more common place these days.

The simple reason is a distinct breakdown of the basic values which it seems the rest of us grew up with. And a distinct lack of consequence for what they do.

After all, some chav keys 20 cars in a row, they probably cause tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage. In the event that the lacklustre police actually catch someone (assuming they actually look for them which is unlikely) then they will get off with a slap on the wrist and a meaningless fine which they will pay from their benefits at £1 a week - our tax money will be used to pay their fine for damaging our property!

Roll on May 6th and the end of these clowns in power. Just hope that whoever gets in has the guts to tackle these sort of things which ruin daily life for hard working people.