Why car thieves dislike Volkswagens.

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ringway

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Volkswagens are the most difficult cars to steal, security tests reveal.

In checks by What Car? magazine, the German built cars came out on top, narrowly ahead of Audi.

Findings from Home Office figures revealed that the number of cars stolen in 2010 fell by 12,000 to 107,000.

What car editor John Mcllroy warned that the onus is on drivers to look out for thieves, stating "Our tests have shown that as car manufacturers improve car security, the motorist has become the weak link. Owners should keep their keys out of sight. It's only common sense."

The tests were conducted by Thatcham, the leading independent assessor of security equipment and recognised by the Association of British Insurers.

Looking at the list below, shows there are two well-known German cars missing. :(


1st Overall Volkswagen
2nd Overall Audi
3rd Overall Volvo

Category
Supermini Audi A1
Small family car Volvo C30
Family car Citroen C5 Exclusive
Compact executive Audi A4
Compact MPV Citroen C4 Picasso Exclusive
Large MPV Volkswagen Sharan
Open-top car Audi A5 Cabriolet
Performance car Audi A8 W12 Quattro
Crossover Volkswagen Tiguan
Compact 4x4 Audi Q5
Large 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser V8
Executive car Citroen C6
Luxury car Volkswagen Phaeton
Green car Toyota Prius T3 and T Spirit with solar panel
 
Supermini Audi A1
Small family car Volvo C30
Family car Citroen C5 Exclusive
Compact executive Audi A4
Compact MPV Citroen C4 Picasso Exclusive
Large MPV Volkswagen Sharan
Open-top car Audi A5 Cabriolet
Performance car Audi A8 W12 Quattro
Crossover Volkswagen Tiguan
Compact 4x4 Audi Q5
Large 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser V8
Executive car Citroen C6
Luxury car Volkswagen Phaeton
Green car Toyota Prius T3 and T Spirit with solar panel

Ironic as most of the above are too boring for anyone to want to steal one...
 
My previous car had the ultimate anti-theft device - a Vauxhall logo... :p
 
My previous car had the ultimate anti-theft device - a Vauxhall logo... :p


OI! I still have one!

You are forgiven though, Markjay, because I still frequent your very own Omega Owners Forum which provides me with lots of useful information. Nice bunch of people too. :thumb:

I bet not many MB Club members knew Markjay had his own forum. ;) LINK.
 
You are forgiven though, Markjay, because I still frequent your very own Omega Owners Forum which provides me with lots of useful information. Nice bunch of people too.

Very nice bunch indeed. I was with the founders (TheBoy, Mark DTM, and others) from the start - I believe that I was the 7th registered member on the forum. We all left cavweb which was a very unpleasant place... I do miss them sometimes (OOF, that is, not the cavweb people!). Say hello for me :D
 
If you look into Thatcham's operation just the slightest you might not take much heed of any of their reviews.
 
i still think that the best manufacturer immobiliser device ever fitted was the peugeot/citroen keypad. Most cars these days are taken during burglaries with the keys, if these systems were fitted to all cars then the crime rate would drop as the keys are useless without the code

Daz
 
If you look into Thatcham's operation just the slightest you might not take much heed of any of their reviews.


I wouldn't know about that, Sp!ke, but I should think that if Thatcham are recognised by the Association of British Insurers and their tests are given credance by What Car? magazine, the company must surely be held in high regard.

Can you elaborate?
 
All my Vauxhalls - over a period of 10 years - were rust free. Problem is massive deprecation due to the marque's poor image, and over-supply of the larger vehicles (Vectra/Omega) at cheap prices to fleets which in turn caused flooding of the second-hand market with very-low-cost nearly-new cars. That means that the car can be worth next to nothing in a very short time, and as result not much point in actually stealing it. In addition, the marque is non-existent outside the UK, so not an ideal candidate for overseas thieves either.
 
In addition, the marque is non-existent outside the UK, so not an ideal candidate for overseas thieves either.

I think that even the thickest car thief can swap the badges to Opel ones. :rolleyes:
 
I think that even the thickest car thief can swap the badges to Opel ones. :rolleyes:

Yes, but at this point why not just steal an Opel in Europe?

A Vauxhall re-badged as Opel means more work for the thief, which will only result in a car less attractive to potential buyers... so why bother?
 
Yes, but at this point why not just steal an Opel in Europe?

A Vauxhall re-badged as Opel means more work for the thief, which will only result in a car less attractive to potential buyers... so why bother?

Because the car and thief are in the UK...;)
 
i still think that the best manufacturer immobiliser device ever fitted was the peugeot/citroen keypad. Most cars these days are taken during burglaries with the keys, if these systems were fitted to all cars then the crime rate would drop as the keys are useless without the code

Daz

A knife to the throat will focus the owners attention on not keeping that code secret, for long.
 
Is it because most of them can't spell Volkswagen ?

The number of ads I have seen over the years for Volkswagons amazes me .
 

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