Another STOLEN A3 black edition - Leeds

[Ian Newbold]

Hi

I just had my car stolen today and googled 'stolen Audi Leeds' and a number of threads relating to the stealing of Audi A3 Black editions seem to link to this site. I've had mine stolen out of my works car park in the city centre today at 12.30pm and it was (as described in the other threads) taken away on a tow truck...

I thought it might be good to follow up on here just in case anyone spots it although I would imagine it's well under way towards a bag of parts by now...it was/is a 59 reg 2.0 Tdi 170 in silver/blue with all the usual bits + leather panoramic roof and leather. The panoramic roof does make it a little more unusual so it might jog someones mind I guess. I have grainy quality CCTV of 2 people and the police are taking a look to see if they can get any details from it

BTW: The police have advise that approx 15 have not been nicked in or around Leeds city centre so it you do have one be warned.

Very, VERY annoyed about this and I am looking out on a very naff looking Vauxhall Insignia as my temporary car...sorry to any Insignia lovers I may have offended!

 

[Goner]

Which car park was it stolen from?

 

[S3Alex]

Very sorry to hear it.......so much of this going on right now,and I do hope they get them.

 

[warren_S5]

After the last thread I'm not going to say anything other than I'm really sorry for you mate, and hope things get sorted for you in which ever way you prefer.

Unbelievable how often these are being stolen; make you wonder whether it's worth considering smart water or something. Know it doesn't get your car back, but it might mean the criminals may get caught out sooner or later.

 

[Ian Newbold]

Which car park was it stolen from?

It was actually stolen from my works car park at the Tetley Brewery site (Sheaf street). There are barriers (which were not working), a security hut (which was not manned) and CCTV that did capture the lot but the quality is a bit rubbish...

 

[Ian Newbold]

After the last thread I'm not going to say anything other than I'm really sorry for you mate, and hope things get sorted for you in which ever way you prefer.

Unbelievable how often these are being stolen; make you wonder whether it's worth considering smart water or something. Know it doesn't get your car back, but it might mean the criminals may get caught out sooner or later.

Fair point...I'll def consider some options when a replacement arrives...

 

[tedward]

Unfortunately high spec A3s and of course S3 are a favourite at the moment with the high prices people are willing to pay for all the good bits from one.

I guess your only up side is they didn't follow you home and come knocking on at 2am with machetes demanding keys.

Sad times.

 

[jaydav2306]

Yet again this has absoloutely astounded me, how they have the cheek to this in broad daylight is beyond me

 

[AndyParker]

Sorry to hear about this. You might find that they leave it parked up somewhere for a while to see if someone comes to get it i.e. to see if it has a tracker fitted or not.

As such might be some hope.

Best of luck

 

[Brodster]

What the f**k is the point in having a secure carpark when the barriers dont work, a security hut (which is unmanned) and **** quality CCTV.....To be honest I would be gunning for your employers as obviously they cant be a55ed to get it sorted. Could the thieving scum bags have an inside source??......possibly. I feel for you buddy and hope you get her back soon.

 

[Ian Newbold]

What the f**k is the point in having a secure carpark when the barriers dont work, a security hut (which is unmanned) and **** quality CCTV.....To be honest I would be gunning for your employers as obviously they cant be a55ed to get it sorted. Could the thieving scum bags have an inside source??......possibly. I feel for you buddy and hope you get her back soon.

Totally agree and they have had it both barrels I can assure you...I think the car has been spotted parked there regularly and obviously targetted. I don't want it back now anyway, just want to try and make other people aware...cheers!

 

[Ian Newbold]

Yet again this has absoloutely astounded me, how they have the cheek to this in broad daylight is beyond me QUOTE]

That's the bit that gets me most...it's a busy car park and there is a lot of building work going on around it. I guess the question is, do we challenge anyone who looks official or has the right outfit, gear, etc? Probably not...they had a ****** towtruck for heavens sake and it looked plausible...

 

[tedward]

It's amazing what people get away with, some people are just totally fearless.

To be honest if I saw someone loading a car onto a recovery truck in a high vis jacket I probably wouldn't think much other than they are collecting a broken down car or whatever.

 

[mike foster]

After the last thread I'm not going to say anything other than I'm really sorry for you mate, and hope things get sorted for you in which ever way you prefer.

Unbelievable how often these are being stolen; make you wonder whether it's worth considering smart water or something. Know it doesn't get your car back, but it might mean the criminals may get caught out sooner or later.

+1

I can understand why you don't want the car back but I certainly hope they catch the scumbags !

Hope you don't have a problem with the insurance side of things. Good luck :icon_thumright:

 

[leeds2592]

Another one stolen? ****** hell!

Hope you get it sorted and I'll keep an eye out.

 

[MrLapou]

Time for a police sting using a bait car.. preferably with a tazer in the drivers seat activated when they sit in it....

scum bags.................

 

[Brodster]

Internal flame thrower is the way forward a la 'The South African Way'

 

[tedward]

Internal flame thrower is the way forward a la 'The South African Way'

The annoying part is you would then be imprisoned for ABH/ murder......

 

[Brodster]

The annoying part is you would then be imprisoned for ABH/ murder......

By the time forensics get to the car he's dust in the wind..........another scum-bag car thief bites the dust. No great loss there then.

 

[tedward]

By the time forensics get to the car he's dust in the wind..........another scum-bag car thief bites the dust. No great loss there then.

Joking aside I'm assuming they didn't even physically sit in the car? Sounds like it was dragged on to a recovery truck with a suitable strong winch.

After all the trickery of chipped keys and immobilisers etc etc, they have gone full circle and just drag the thing away! How can you stop that?

 

[Ian Newbold]

Joking aside I'm assuming they didn't even physically sit in the car? Sounds like it was dragged on to a recovery truck with a suitable strong winch.

After all the trickery of chipped keys and immobilisers etc etc, they have gone full circle and just drag the thing away! How can you stop that?

Yep, they never even opened the door...one guy reversed the truck while the other smashed the near side window and released the handbrake and pushed it onto the lifting plates. The were in the car park for 4 minutes in total...I got back to the car literally 5 mins after it had gone...

Not sure how you can stop it??? Tracker maybe...

 

[RYes3]

So sorry to hear this, really is terrible! Hope you get sorted soon

To the guy's on here buying the parts for these more desirable models on ebay etc to put on their cars... Please do your homework and ask for some sort of proof of where they came from!!

If people weren't dressing their cars up as something they are not there would be no market for this stuff! Yeah you may be getting a good deal but the people who paid the premium to own the real deal are losing out big time!!

 

[AndyParker]

Yep, they never even opened the door...one guy reversed the truck while the other smashed the near side window and released the handbrake and pushed it onto the lifting plates. The were in the car park for 4 minutes in total...I got back to the car literally 5 mins after it had gone...

Not sure how you can stop it??? Tracker maybe...

Even a tracker won't stop it as such - that's more a measure to recovery it. A detterent might be to plaster the windows with tracker stickers

 

[audicruiser]

Yep, they never even opened the door...one guy reversed the truck while the other smashed the near side window and released the handbrake and pushed it onto the lifting plates. The were in the car park for 4 minutes in total...I got back to the car literally 5 mins after it had gone...

Not sure how you can stop it??? Tracker maybe...

Sorry to hear about this...

The only way to stop it, is not to have the car in the first place. But that isn't the point of owning such a car. Hope the insurance pays out quick and you replace it

 

[Pops848]

Yep, they never even opened the door...one guy reversed the truck while the other smashed the near side window and released the handbrake and pushed it onto the lifting plates. The were in the car park for 4 minutes in total...I got back to the car literally 5 mins after it had gone...

Not sure how you can stop it??? Tracker maybe...

That is just crazy! I can't believe the audacity of these criminals!!
I really hope they are caught and charged with this! Was gonna lend the old man my A3 for the weekend going to Leeds, don't think I will now!

In all seriousness good luck with insurance, new car, and catching the scum

 

[thebluefox]

Mental, absolutely mental. Stuff like this does put me off buying one to a certain extent. I'll probably invest in a tracker if I do buy one, as it seems the only real chance of getting it back, seeing as it seems there's little we can do now to stop someone taking a car if they really really want it.

 

[Ste_Nova]

i will offer guidance again..... as the op has said "near side window and released the handbrake and pushed it onto the lifting plates" so again its a spec lift thats being used, if you park your car with full lock on loading onto a spec is much harder

 

[Ste_Nova]

also even with rough cctv you will be able to make out the make and model of the truck, then you only have to check local cctv around the time to find an audi on a truck of that type, get they reg and put it on anpr for a pull, how hard can it be!!

 

[warren_S5]

Could one of these help in terms of stopping them releasing handbrake to tow away? Autolok Original

Might get one just in case?

 

[210_MIH]

Devastating...im in and around leeds all the time...Ive fitted a tracker into mine with cameras on the inside...even marked the main panels with UV pen...best thing is I can view it on my iphone at all times...their beautiful cars, you cant avoid having it due to this issue...as said above, full lock or buy an auto next time which cant be taken out of Park without the ignition...think we should all get a breed of killer pit bulls to keep in the car! B*stards...

 

[BenKT]

all the best fella

 

[Ian Newbold]

i will offer guidance again..... as the op has said "near side window and released the handbrake and pushed it onto the lifting plates" so again its a spec lift thats being used, if you park your car with full lock on loading onto a spec is much harder

This may help but apparently they have been known to just snap the steering lock or just drag them onto the lift anyway...might make it more difficult I guess

 

[Ian Newbold]

also even with rough cctv you will be able to make out the make and model of the truck, then you only have to check local cctv around the time to find an audi on a truck of that type, get they reg and put it on anpr for a pull, how hard can it be!!

Yeah the police are on it and apparently they have identified it as either an 'old' Ford Transit or Sherpa van - apparently the offenders have painted it regularly to try and disguise it

 

[warren_S5]

Depending on the subscription level you pay for on tracker, some only get turned on when you alert Tracker team car is missing, others have full time GPS linked tracking but the subscription is much more expensive.

It's a tough call as I can't decide if I'd want a stolen car back if it had been abused.

Clifford do a Blackjax system that you can activate by mobile phone with a four digit pin (immobilizes the car on the spot), but then this wouldn't be useful in a tow away situation.

I think steering wheel set to full lock with steering lock activated, autolok handbrake gear stick lock, and possibly some pentagon protection film on the side windows might be the best basic protection you could cover off.

 

[Artimus]

Sorry to hear another one has gone MIA. Hopefully the CCTV will give the Police the leads they need to find the criminals, but I wouldn't hold out much hope of that, cause if you're brazen enough to try it in broad daylight, you must already have some form of plan in place ...i.e: false plates & sign writing, etc. It can't be long before insurance companies clock on and increase premiums across the board for A3's. The thieving scum are going to cost all of us if it continues.

Also agree that those buying cheap e-bay parts to upgrade their cars to higher spec are the ones adding the most fuel to these 'fires'.

Could one of these help in terms of stopping them releasing handbrake to tow away? Autolok Original

Might get one just in case?

I bought one of those & a baseball bat type steering wheel lock a few weeks ago, just for some piece of mind if I ever have to park in dodgy circumstances.

BTW: The autobox lock is a relatively thin pin, it'll break if pressure is put on it - it's not a brake as such ...or that's how it used to be years ago anyway.

 

[tedward]

I think the answer is ultimately you can't stop them dragging a car away but you can make it as hard and awkward as possible.

The longer it takes them the more time they are on CCTV, or just generally being watched by Joe public.

I have to say my favourite deterants listed here are the anti smash window film, the proper stuff thats actually designed to resit attack is epic and any handbrake locking/ cover mechanism is a good idea. Also some tracker signs on the glass will probably make most think twice as it's a waste of time taking a car that will eventually be tracked to a location.

Sadly I also think if they genuinely have a hard on for your car you are ultimately meeting the offender face to face and in a key take situation.

 

[Ste_Nova]

snapping the steering lock is hard if you can't open the doors

as for a transit or a sherpa, it will be a transit all day long, how many sherpa spec lifts have you seen?

it could be an ldv 400 series

can you get stills from the cctv for us to see?

 

[Ian Newbold]

snapping the steering lock is hard if you can't open the doors

as for a transit or a sherpa, it will be a transit all day long, how many sherpa spec lifts have you seen?

it could be an ldv 400 series

can you get stills from the cctv for us to see?

Hi, yes I can probably get some pictures...I'll also try and post a link to the video if I can get it. No sign of it so far...:-(

 

[shady-ninja]

sorry to hear about this.
im gutted.
i think we should have a
stolen section where threads can be put up.
good luck.

 

[_G_]

*stumbles into thread and with slurred speech* what? an a3? i mean i would understand an s3 or rs3 but why an a3? sorry to hear it mate... so sorry!