PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!!!!!!!!

[Ess_Three]

There is a system where you enter a code everytime you are in the car and if you do not within 30 seconds it breaks down, in a situation like this I am glad he didn't have it as they would have gone back for the code.

Clifford have a system called Blackjack.

You start the car as normal, once the immobiliser etc is off, but you have to input a code by pressing a coded button everytime a door is open, in case someone has opened your door and dragged you out...or stolen your keys and made off with the car.

It's fine...as long as you remember to put the code in.

If you drop someone off...put the code in.

I forgot...wondered why the hazards were flashing on the dash to remind me, and the siren giving a random bleep here and there. Then the first time the revs drop below 2000RPM (I think that's the value) the engine cuts and the alarm goes off, activating the immobiliser again.
Without the code...nothing works again.

This system does work, as it gets the Scumbags far enough away from you to give you chance to get away/call for help. They'll more than likely flee a car that's immobilised and making a racket, rather than come looking for the code.

But, the whole system was a total pain in the ***...so I ended up with it switched off. Too much hassle.

It worked though...

The best form of security really is a garage, keeping it hidden away and always make sure you are not followed.

This only works to a point though...
If people see the car they can follow...or find out where you live from the Reg No.
If they really want it, they'll take you, and get you to disarm your house alarm, disarm the car alarm give them the keys, and make off with it anyway - maybe, if you are lucky, without knifing you.

Besides, pukka Scumbags will set off a house alarm and see how long it takes Plod/a keyholder to appear.
Then they know they have that amount of time to break in (wearing ear defenders!) and either find and steal the car keys or get past the car alarm, and drive it away, before anyone arrives.

Sadly, if professionals REALLY want it...they'll take it.
At what cost to you, is often determined by your actions during the event.

 

[Ess_Three]

Please don't take this as an insult to Manchester but my GF's parents live in the Greater Manchester area. When I am up there, I am constantly paranoid about my car. I'm not sure that I would want a nice car if I lived there - too much worry!

I live (as does Bowfer) in an area where car crime isn't particularly high...but I worry when I take my 911 down south. To the point that I'll more often than not take my Skoda Fabia instead as it removes many of the chances/sleepless nights.

Sad, I know...but a fact of life.

I continually question the point in owning a car that you can't use for fear of theft or damage. And I never thought I'd hear myself say that.

 

[Ess_Three]

Keeping it hidden will help a bit, but do you keep it in the garage all the time you're at home, from the second you arrive until the second you leave?
I'd venture not many people do.

Sadly, I do.
I'm either in it driving it, or I'm washing it...or it's locked, alarmed in a secure garage with the garage alarm on.
I even turn the power off to the electric door to stop it being scanned.

Overly paranoid, yeah...I suppose so.
Again, bringing me to question the point of owning a car that makes you feel like that.

If it was worth anything above £17.36 I'd probably sell it!

Once it's in the garage, it's feck all of a deterrent.

It's better than nothing...out of sight, out of mind.

I have spoken to people that live in the next street who have seen my car...but have no idea which house it's from. Every little helps, as they say.

 

[Amchlolor]

Out of sheer interest (boredom...) I went into Tescocompare.com
Got myself a quote for an Audi TT (No S3 option)
Got quotes for "locked garage" and "parked on driveway"
Using 'Morethan' as the guide (there were loads, I had to pick one)
There was a £0.77 saving, on a £200 premium.
That's how much of a deterrent insurers think it is, for where I live.
Of course, the saving may change depending on where one lives.
They didn't have a 'do you drive around if you think you're being followed' option.:icon_thumright:

 

[Essflee]

Just to echo what plenty of people have said already, sorry to hear about your situation.....makes me angry just reading your story, hope you get everything back in order as quickly as possible !!!!

 

[h5djr]

My A3 is only a SE Diesel so is nowhere near a 'desirable' to most people as say, an S3, but mine tends to spend most it's life in the garage unless it is being driven. If I've been out I press the button as I turn onto the drive, the garage door opens, I let out any passengers and I drive the car straight in.

As far as I know (and being a Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator I do tend to get notified of such things by the local police) I'm not aware of any cases near where I live of houses being broken into to obtain the keys. One or two recently on the other side of the town where, on very cold mornings, people have started the car and left the car unlocked with the keys in the the ignition, only to come out of the house 10 minutes later to find the car gone!!!

 

[Amchlolor]

One or two recently on the other side of the town where, on very cold mornings, people have started the car and left the car unlocked with the keys in the the ignition, only to come out of the house 10 minutes later to find the car gone!!!

I wonder why people admit to this?
I do it, but I wouldn't admit to it if the car was nicked.
I'd tell them they must have helped themselves to the keys from the house.

 

[TheSpaceCowboy]

Maybe a change to the ECU design where the 'dealer' can remotely throttle down/kill the power remotely. If your car gets taken you could phone a certain number and quote the VIN & passcode and the could stop it for you? I remember watching Die Hard 4 and they were able to start a car remotely, is that real or holywood truth?

Sucks to hear another attack like this, it really is getting more common and theres nothing we can really do. As others have said although it is a shame the cars gone at least your family are O.K. I dont know how you remained so calm, if anyone threatened my family I would be after them.

Regarding the quote above Bugatti Veyrons come with this type of system as standard, the cars are fitted with GPS that relays to a monitoring center HQ and if your car breaks down the systems on board get a recovery team there, if the cars stolen you call them and they can pinpoint it and activate a kill switch.

 

[Amchlolor]

if the cars stolen you call them and they can pinpoint it and activate a kill switch.

Cue Bugatti being sued for causing a motorway pile-up when a Veyron suddenly loses power/steering/brakes.

 

[h5djr]

I wonder why people admit to this?
I do it, but I wouldn't admit to it if the car was nicked.
I'd tell them they must have helped themselves to the keys from the house.

Perhaps because they are honest!!

Also I have done a comparison in quotes for my own A3 between parking on the Drive and In a Locked Garage with the company who have given me the best quote for my insurance renewal and the difference in premium is £30.00 on a premium of £376.00.

 

[Ess_Three]

...and for some cars, you just don't get a quote without a garage. Simple as that.

 

[Amchlolor]

Perhaps because they are honest!!

That's your opinion, I think it's because they didn't think it through.
It's still theft, pure and simple.
I'd be damned if I were going to let the insurance company off the hook.

 

[Amchlolor]

Perhaps because they are honest!!

Also I have done a comparison in quotes for my own A3 between parking on the Drive and In a Locked Garage with the company who have given me the best quote for my insurance renewal and the difference in premium is £30.00 on a premium of £376.00.

You officially live in a place 3800% riskier than I do.:icon_thumright:

 

[Iggu]

Once it's in the garage, it's feck all of a deterrent.

But a locked garage is surely more of a deterrent than not having the garage in the first place. Otherwise you would leave your car unlocked on the basis that the locks on the car are "feck all of a deterrent" in the same way the lock on the garage is.
The more locks a thief has to get through the more of a ball-ache it is for him and the more chance he'll look elsewhere.

 

[Amchlolor]

But a locked garage is surely more of a deterrent than not having the garage in the first place. Otherwise you would leave your car unlocked on the basis that the locks on the car are "feck all of a deterrent" in the same way the lock on the garage is.
The more locks a thief has to get through the more of a ball-ache it is for him and the more chance he'll look elsewhere.

Like I said above, Iggu.
According to 'morethan' my locked garage is worth a whopping £0.77 a year to them, over leaving it on my driveway.
With regard to the lock on a garage door, they are laughably ineffective.
It would take a trained thief seconds to get into your average garage, I'm convinced.
You can, of course, buy extra/different locks for garages, but that's a whole different story.
Debatable/doubtful these extra additions would gain you any insurance savings, but they might, as you say, put them off/annoy them.
Or it might just drive them daft and they'll take it out on you...

Me, I'm really not that bothered about either of my cars.
They're mainstream motors that hold no sentiment, they're easily replaced.

 

[Iggu]

Like I said above, Iggu.
According to 'morethan' my locked garage is worth a whopping £0.77 a year to them, over leaving it on my driveway.
With regard to the lock on a garage door, they are laughably ineffective.
It would take a trained thief seconds to get into your average garage, I'm convinced.
You can, of course, buy extra/different locks for garages, but that's a whole different story.

I know what you're saying - but then it takes a trained thief/mechanic/RAC man around 7 seconds to get around the central locking on any modern car but you do still lock your car.
The insurance thing is baffling - and I'm not sure will be truly reflecting the security/risk-reduction element of the garage at all.
I'm honestly not sure any logic is at work in car insurance.

 

[Staz]

I'm honestly not sure any logic is at work in car insurance.

That's certainly true. 7 years, 10k in premiums and never claimed a penny. Should be free by now surely!!

 

[Ess_Three]

Like I said above, Iggu.
According to 'morethan' my locked garage is worth a whopping £0.77 a year to them, over leaving it on my driveway.
With regard to the lock on a garage door, they are laughably ineffective.
It would take a trained thief seconds to get into your average garage, I'm convinced.

In this case, I would suggest that where you live Bowfer, you could leave your car unlocked most of the year and never have a door opened.

It's all about risk vs the postcode vs the car in questions theft record.
We don't have the same problems up north...hence less saving.

I think my vRS is the same cost garaged or driveway...with both offering a decent saving over the road (£50-80 on a £350ish policy)
My GTI is considerably cheeper insured as garaged and requires a Cat 1 alarm (for a 12 year old G olf worth about £2k? )
My 911 has to be garaged at my address. It was significantly cheaper insured as garaged.


There is no doubt that to a 'casual' thief, a garage will make him walk on to an easier target.
To a stolen-to-order pro...it'll make no difference at all.

 

[h5djr]

You officially live in a place 3800% riskier than I do.:icon_thumright:

or perhaps my A3 is much more desirable than your BMW!!!

Like I said above, Iggu.
According to 'morethan' my locked garage is worth a whopping £0.77 a year to them, over leaving it on my driveway.
With regard to the lock on a garage door, they are laughably ineffective.
It would take a trained thief seconds to get into your average garage, I'm convinced.
You can, of course, buy extra/different locks for garages, but that's a whole different story.

As you say, it does depend on the locking mechanism.

In my particular case the door lock is of no consequence. The electric lift mechanism keeps the door closed and this has to be disconnected from the inside to release the door, which is one reason why they do not advise fitted this particular lift-mechanism unless there is an alternative access to the garage. This in my case would be through a locked door between the house and the garage. Obviously if someone has already broken into the house they would have access to the keys to this door as well but every little helps.

Perhaps I save £30 over your 77p because I am much closer to London (50miles), Birmingham, Manchester etc. Probably a lot more cars nicked in my area than yours.

 

[Ess_Three]

Me, I'm really not that bothered about either of my cars.
They're mainstream motors that hold no sentiment, they're easily replaced.

I do hold sentiment for my cars. I'd be distraught if my old Golf got nicked more than any of the others...but I'm more distraught at the thought of pain.

Although me and pain don't sit well together...the thought of some of my family suffering because of one of my pieces of metal and plasic, does not bear thinking about.

As in the phantoms case...nobody was hurt.
You can buy a new car.
You can't take away the pain of an assault to protect one.

Thankfully, the insured lump of metal was taken with no physical harm to his family. That has to be the main thing.

 

[Amchlolor]

One thing baffles me a bit.
Let's say I declare I keep my car in my locked garage.
Will they only pay out if the car is nicked from said locked garage?
What if I was lazy one night and left it on the drive, or the street? (visitors, maybe).

 

[h5djr]

Me, I'm really not that bothered about either of my cars.
They're mainstream motors that hold no sentiment, they're easily replaced.

I assume that in one case someone else would be picking up the bill anyway.

As your 'really not that bothered about either of my cars' can we assume that your next company car will be a diesel Mondeo? Good cars by all accounts but not a lot of status value.

 

[Cali]

Sorry to hear that, its ***** and like everyone else says - just glad the family are alright (thats the most important thing)

 

[Amchlolor]

or perhaps my A3 is much more desirable than your BMW!!!

You can't get me on that one, David.
I said for the purposes of the thread I insured an imaginary TT, which was as close to an S3 as I could find on their website.

 

[Amchlolor]

I assume that in one case someone else would be picking up the bill anyway.

Irrelevant.
In fact, I'd probably rather break the news to an insurance company, than the MD.

As your 'really not that bothered about either of my cars' can we assume that your next company car will be a diesel Mondeo? Good cars by all accounts but not a lot of status value.

I said I'm not that bothered 'about' either of my cars.
In that I'm not hugely bothered if either got nicked.
Where did I say I'm not bothered what type of car I own/drive?

When I say I'm not hugely bothered, I would curse and swear like anyone else.
But I'd then start looking at replacements.
Which I'd no doubt enjoy.
Every cloud, after all.:icon_thumright:

 

[h5djr]

One thing baffles me a bit.
Let's say I declare I keep my car in my locked garage.
Will they only pay out if the car is nicked from said locked garage?
What if I was lazy one night and left it on the drive, or the street? (visitors, maybe).

No they would 'happily' pay out. They would assume that you were basically a 'honest' person and normally put your car in the garage, thus reducing the risk slightly, most of the time.

Unless of course it was a very expensive or desirable car which they would only insure if it was locked in your garage at night and not left out on your drive, in which case they may decide to investigate and ask the neighbours, for example, if you normally put it away.

 

[Iggu]

There is no doubt that to a 'casual' thief, a garage will make him walk on to an easier target.
To a stolen-to-order pro...it'll make no difference at all.

I think you can only reasonably try to combat the "casual" thief. A pro who has targeted you and your car will get it no matter what. A few earlier posts came out with the usual Charles Bronson crap about keeping some sort of bazooka and a machete under the bed - but this just wouldn't happen in the real world.
You can only do something about the casual thief. I'm wondering if the subhumans who took Phantom's car weren't in this category. They saw him leave in the Yaris, knew the S3 was still there, watched for a while, saw the dogs get let out and took their opportunity. I think a locked garage may have been a deterrent in this case.
Pros would just as soon as waited for Phantom himself to drive it to work one day and jacked him at the top of the road at gunpoint. It makes no odds to them who they nick it off and how.

 

[Mean Green Machine]

I know this probably dont help much now. To stop these B**stads from nicking your pride and joy, the solution could be really simple. My Dad used to have a old riley which had no locks or ignition key so to stop people nicking it he added a simple fuel cut off switch. So even if they have got the keys it wont start or even if it does it will cut out within a few seconds. Unless you flick the hidden switch. which could be disguised as any type of switch and hidden anywhere on the car.

 

[Matt]

But if they are the kind of people that are forcing their way in and taking the keys from your house then they will come and hold a gun to your head to make you start it for them. So you cant win.

 

[h5djr]

Irrelevant.
In fact, I'd probably rather break the news to an insurance company, than the MD.
I said I'm not that bothered 'about' either of my cars.
In that I'm not hugely bothered if either got nicked.
Where did I say I'm not bothered what type of car I own/drive?

When I say I'm not hugely bothered, I would curse and swear like anyone else.
But I'd then start looking at replacements.
Which I'd no doubt enjoy.
Every cloud, after all.:icon_thumright:

Not quite Irrelevent, because unlike me you do not have a NCB to loose.

But I accept what you say about being hugely bothered about it being nicked. I would be the same and like you I would enjoy deciding on the exact spec for my replacement (A3 in my case). As you say Every cloud, after all. As I also have GAP insurance I would not loose out too much financially but I would be without a car (or have to drive my wife's 1.4 Polo) for 2-3 months whilst the replacement was built.

 

[h5djr]

You can't get me on that one, David.
I said for the purposes of the thread I insured an imaginary TT, which was as close to an S3 as I could find on their website.

Well that's it then. A diesel A3 is obviously much more desirable than a TT (well it is to me!) or pehaps it's where we live that's different.

 

[SteveTDCi]

we had a company car and the person left the keys in the ignition, the cars was then stolen. Apart from the driver was interviewed by the police we were told that the vehicle would not be insured and the company would not pay out. Yes you could lie and say that it was taken by force but you would always get caught out.

 

[Amchlolor]

for 2-3 months whilst the replacement was built.

OT
Maybe not in the current climate, David.
I enquired about an A4 Avant, some week ago.
The lease company came back with a good half-dozen that were available now.
All S-lines, just the final spec varied from car to car.
Two were exactly what I'd order anyway (black/B+O/phone prep/AMI/19" wheels)

 

[h5djr]

we had a company car and the person left the keys in the ignition, the cars was then stolen. Apart from the driver was interviewed by the police we were told that the vehicle would not be insured and the company would not pay out. Yes you could lie and say that it was taken by force but you would always get caught out.

When I heard about a car stolen like this I began to wonder. Is it possible with an A3, with say 2 sets of keys, to start the engine and leave one key in the ignition and lock the doors with the other key.

I shall have to try it.

 

[jfarhead]

Glad the family is ok, material possessions can be replaced. Theives will get what they want regardless of what precautions you take to stop them. I remember an article in the paper a while ago where some council up north was advising people to leave their sheds unlocked as it would save £££ on repairs "when" the theives break in. Instead of breaking the theif's legs or leaving them for dead on the barbed wire on a fence, they're worried about how much a lock will cost them.

It ****** me off, we all work hard and want to have something to show for it, and failed abortions just come over and take it, all you have is a CRN to show for it... nice

 

[Amchlolor]

Yes you could lie and say that it was taken by force but you would always get caught out.

Of course there are situations where you'd be daft to lie.
Like a petrol station, where the theft would be on CCTV.
But, equally, there are scenarios where you could lie and say they must have stolen the keys from the house.
Your house doesn't have to be locked for something to be considered stolen.
If, by some stroke of luck, they managed to find the scrote and he pleaded "the keys were in it", you could equally reply "no they weren't"
Hopefully hypothetical scenarios anyway, but interesting all the same.

 

[h5djr]

OT
Maybe not in the current climate, David.
I enquired about an A4 Avant, some week ago.
The lease company came back with a good half-dozen that were available now.
All S-lines, just the final spec varied from car to car.
Two were exactly what I'd order anyway (black/B+O/phone prep/AMI/19" wheels)

My problem is that I would like some extras which, on the current A3 which would be unlikely to be on any pre-ordered car especially as Audi UK have now changed how the SE is speced so mine would almost certainly have to be a factory order. It may well be that in the current climate the order period may be shorter but according to the SMMT November Sales Report, Audi sales were down a lot less that most other manufacturers.

 

[Amchlolor]

I remember an article in the paper a while ago where some council up north was advising people to leave their sheds unlocked as it would save £££ on repairs "when" the theives break in.

Someone told me a story of a bloke they know in Manchester, who drives a piece of crap car.
He got sick of the windows being broken by junkies looking for loot, so he put a sticker on it saying;
"Car unlocked, please do not break the windows"
It would still have to be hotwired to drive it away, but I wonder how his insurance company would view that?
He does have it insured for theft.

 

[h5djr]

Glad the family is ok, material possessions can be replaced. Theives will get what they want regardless of what precautions you take to stop them. I remember an article in the paper a while ago where some council up north was advising people to leave their sheds unlocked as it would save £££ on repairs "when" the theives break in. Instead of breaking the theif's legs or leaving them for dead on the barbed wire on a fence, they're worried about how much a lock will cost them.

It ****** me off, we all work hard and want to have something to show for it, and failed abortions just come over and take it, all you have is a CRN to show for it... nice

The way things are going we will all be required to leave our houses and cars un-locked because the locks interfere with the burglar's rights under the Humans Rights Act.

 

[consilio]

I tried this on a 206 i used to have and it did not let you lock the car with the second key with the other key in the ignition

On the subject of garages. What percentage of people with garages use them for what they were intended, not many. How many of those claim to put their car in the garage on their insurance to save a few quid - a few more i bet. I think this is exactly the reason why it makes sod all difference to your premiums really.

Regardless, putting a car in a garage makes a huge difference. Perhaps if Leon had one and used it, they would never have even seen it when looking for their next target