I'm glad that's not my Mercedes...

nmacc · 03-06-2008 2:37pm #1

Aftermath of the Bank Holiday Weekend, this morning in Brendan Road, Dublin 4

Max_Damage · 03-06-2008 2:40pm

At least they left it on blocks.

Some **** robbed the rear wheels on our Starlet a few years ago, they just left it on the ground.

Anan1 · 03-06-2008 3:01pm

Couldn't have happened to a nicer car.

cbyrne · 03-06-2008 3:04pm

How do they manage to get all four wheels off and the car up on blocks with no-one seeing them.. in Dublin! not quite a smash and grab,

I thought the days of nicking alloys were gone..:(

Stevie Dakota · 03-06-2008 3:11pm

Nice to finally see Mercedes ML off road.

Victor_M · 03-06-2008 3:12pm

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

Nice to finally see Mercedes ML off road.

Hahaha - Best reply of the day!

nmacc · 03-06-2008 3:19pm

The owner may not know about this yet. Locals suggested that they may be in Portugal and due back tonight. This took place in a quiet tree-lined, but very well overlooked stretch of completely residential road in Donnybrook/Ballsbridge. It's not exactly the sort of place where the locals get-out-&-get-under, so anyone working on a car in the street could be expected to attract some attention. Seems they got away with it however.

feylya · 03-06-2008 3:21pm

In the past 2 months in my area, the alloys off 2 A3's have been stolen and the cars left up on blocks. Unreal.

Stevie Dakota · 03-06-2008 3:30pm

A chap I know had the Catalytic converter cut off his car, strange but true.

Victor_M · 03-06-2008 3:33pm

nmacc wrote: »

The owner may not know about this yet. Locals suggested that they may be in Portugal and due back tonight. This took place in a quiet tree-lined, but very well overlooked stretch of completely residential road in Donnybrook/Ballsbridge. It's not exactly the sort of place where the locals get-out-&-get-under, so anyone working on a car in the street could be expected to attract some attention. Seems they got away with it however.

You'd be surprised how quick these knackers car remove the wheels from a vehicle, at 5 in the morning not too many people around!

My neighbour had the wheels from his CLK 200, swiped a couple of years ago, I didn't hear anything, wheels cost 7K apparantly, kind of deserved it for pimping up a lifeless CLK200 as a CLK AMG55 (badged as one as well as the full body kit) and more than likely attracting unwanted attention to a car that didn't deserve it.

If there wasn't a market for stolen wheels from dodgy sources they wouldn't bother stealing them, so the type of people who buy these wheels are as bad as the people selling them!

Biro · 03-06-2008 3:36pm

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

A chap I know had the Catalytic converter cut off his car, strange but true.

Funny you should mention that, but it's only recently I heard why they do that. Apparently they use Platinum in the making of Catalytic converters, so the thieves steal them and melt down the Platinum for re-sale!
Don't remember where I heard that, but any mechanic or materials technologist can confirm what converters are made from?

nmacc · 03-06-2008 3:54pm

Biro wrote: »

Apparently they use Platinum in the making of Catalytic converters, so the thieves steal them and melt down the Platinum for re-sale!

The main component of the cat is a ceramic grid or honeycomb which is plated with platinum. The grid is designed to expose the maximum surface area to allow the platinum to do it's work of converting the combustion products to CO2 & H2O. The platinum iteslf is theoretically there for life as it is only a catalyst, meaning something that facilitates a chemical reaction and is not consumed as part of that reaction.

In practice of course they don't last forever and too much fuel in the mixture can destroy them, as can a backfire. This can crack the ceramic honeycomb and lead to a rattling cat. In extreme cases the broken ceramic can block the exhaust.

As for stealing the platinum itself, I'd speculate that it's a lot easier to sell on the complete unit to a dodgy metals dealer than to try and separate out the platinum.

There's apparently been quite a rash of these thefts in the US of A with the Toyota 4 Runner SUV being particularly popular as the cat is bolted on and the high ground clearance makes removal easy.

Stephen · 03-06-2008 3:56pm

Disappearing alloy wheels: a sure sign that the economy is going down the toilet!

rebel.ranter · 03-06-2008 4:02pm

Would these have had locking nuts I wonder?

ART6 · 03-06-2008 4:12pm

nmacc wrote: »

As for stealing the platinum itself, I'd speculate that it's a lot easier to sell on the complete unit to a dodgy metals dealer than to try and separate out the platinum.

Scrap cats are actually quite valuable, and there are a lot of them about in the scrap metal industry. The recovery process for the metals is, however, a highly technical ball game, generally involving shredding in big impact breakers to reduce the ceramic core and outer casing to small particles, recovering the steel from the casings, and followed by heating the ceramic crumb in plasma arc furnaces. Anyone can have such a plant for a few multiples of millions. Not something the average knacker is going to to in his caravan.

The problem is, of course, that they take the ones they've nicked to a dodgy scrap dealer, as said earlier, and he then sells them on to the reprocessor, so there's no direct audit trail to the thieves.

Run_to_da_hills · 03-06-2008 4:32pm

Are you sure this guy didn't just get four punctures?

Anan1 · 03-06-2008 5:16pm

What guy? I've never seen one of them being driven by a man. Or a brunette woman, for that matter.

G-Money · 03-06-2008 5:22pm

I thought Merc alloy wheels had one nut that was cut special and you needed a unique key in order to get it off?

But being knackers, I assume they already had one.

Would have been interesting had someone caught them at it.

Run_to_da_hills · 03-06-2008 5:44pm

At least who ever took them had the courtesy to leave the car up on blocks, you can imagine how difficult it would be to jack it up had the car been left resting with the axles on the ground.

ramanujan · 03-06-2008 6:08pm

they weren't that nice, is it just me or does it look like its resting on its rear brake disks??

this just shows it can happen anywhere. Feel sorry for the owner, at least he can probably afford it.

Scottie99 · 03-06-2008 6:39pm

rebel.ranter wrote: »

Would these have had locking nuts I wonder?

Let me guess the wheel nuts key were with the spare tyre or in the glove or side compartment!:rolleyes:

elmolesto · 03-06-2008 6:58pm

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

Nice to finally see Mercedes ML off road.

LMAO:D

milltown · 03-06-2008 8:02pm

The steel wheels were nicked off my wife's Golf a few years back! It seems they undid the studs, lifted the car, took the wheel and let it down on the ground. They only got the rears. Presumably too hard to lift the weight of the front.

G-Money · 03-06-2008 8:21pm

I had an idea years ago that they should fit something to cars that detects whether it's the owner who is trying to get into it. If not, the person get's electrocuted

But as with most justice thingies, the scumbag would most likely sue you for injuring them while they attempted to steal your car.

NiSmO · 03-06-2008 8:40pm

This post has been deleted.

rabbitinlights · 03-06-2008 9:04pm

Would the car alarm not go off with all the movement?

Run_to_da_hills · 03-06-2008 9:05pm

NiSmO wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Simple. Cordless drill and solid tungston carbide bit. the same method skangers use to cut through the high security cylinder locks in phone boxes.

ramanujan wrote: »

they weren't that nice, is it just me or does it look like its resting on its rear brake disks??

this just shows it can happen anywhere. Feel sorry for the owner, at least he can probably afford it.

Thats what TPFT insurance is for. The owner would probably only eligible for a claim only if the car was torched.

nmacc · 03-06-2008 9:33pm

grandmaster wrote: »

I had an idea years ago that they should fit something to cars that detects whether it's the owner who is trying to get into it. If not, the person get's electrocuted

I had a friend back in my college days who drove a Fiat 500; yes, the original one before it was fashionable, it was that long ago.

He found it effective to leave an electric fence transformer behind the driver's seat wired to the door handles. It worked quite well at discouraging handle-tryers.

Max_Damage · 03-06-2008 10:46pm

nmacc wrote: »

He found it effective to leave an electric fence transformer behind the driver's seat wired to the door handles. It worked quite well at discouraging handle-tryers.

That is the best thing I've heard in a long time! Might try that with my Micra!

nmacc · 03-06-2008 11:11pm

Max_Damage wrote: »

That is the best thing I've heard in a long time! Might try that with my Micra!

Best fit a flashing LED or similar. My friend would occasionally forget that he'd switched it on.....:D

Anan1 · 03-06-2008 11:15pm

NiSmO wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

A GL? Absolutely. They'd be sorry they ever told me.:)

ramanujan · 04-06-2008 1:08am

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Thats what TPFT insurance is for. The owner would probably only eligible for a claim only if the car was torched.

Insurance companies seem to be able to hike premiums after a theft (even though the insured did nothing "wrong"), so its not a pain free experience.

S.I.R · 04-06-2008 2:03am

nmacc wrote: »

Aftermath of the Bank Holiday Weekend, this morning in Brendan Road, Dublin 4

was told about this but nowhere as bad as ringsend... on your average weekend you get 8 stolen cars, 19 break in's, 4 house thefts and a stabbing.... So much for Dublin 4 being posh

NiSmO · 04-06-2008 3:27pm

This post has been deleted.

smash · 04-06-2008 4:00pm

Anan1 wrote: »

Couldn't have happened to a nicer car.

Stevie Dakota wrote: »

Nice to finally see Mercedes ML off road.

I don't understand why people find the need to post things like this... if it was your cars I'm sure you'd be p!ssed off to see comments like these!

Dolph Starbeam · 04-06-2008 4:06pm

I don't me to sound like an arse but i have just bought alloys, worth around 500 quid and the first thing i bought for them was lock nuts, defo worth it!

btkm8unsl0w5r4 · 04-06-2008 4:09pm

I think if this happened to my car I would actually cry like a little child. Keep an eye out in buy and sell etc. to see if they turn up but usually these guys have more advanced sales routes for their stolen gear.

You cant have anything nice in this country for long, caught a old tramp spitting up a lung full of blood stained goz on my car window the other night at 2 am after trying all the doors first. I saw the red mist, had to be calmed down. Only imagine if my alloys were stolen......

P.S. Locking nuts arnt worth a damn to a determined theif.

DonJose · 04-06-2008 4:22pm

steve06 wrote: »

I don't understand why people find the need to post things like this... if it was your cars I'm sure you'd be p!ssed off to see comments like these!

Begrudgers who would never be able to afford such a nice car?

Zube · 04-06-2008 4:33pm

DonJose wrote: »

Begrudgers who would never be able to afford such a nice car?

No, think it's more "I'm glad that's not my Mercedes, because if it was I'd have turned into a Mommy-jeep driving tw@t, and my alloys would be gone, too".

Stevie Dakota · 04-06-2008 4:42pm

DonJose wrote: »

Begrudgers who would never be able to afford such a nice car?

Yawn, yes Don that's it. I would love to own that cleverly conceived, innovative, practical and well built vehicle.

smash · 04-06-2008 4:43pm

Zube wrote: »

Mommy-jeep driving tw@t

so what do you drive then?

Zube · 04-06-2008 4:50pm

I drive a 6-year-old Renault Kangoo Kar which is probably worth less than the missing alloys on that ML.

Slig · 04-06-2008 5:06pm

I can see where this is going

Seriously though, if you own a jeep its because you like driving off road or just knowing you can, being able to tow a trailer etc.
If you own a sports car then obviously you like driving fast or knowing you can.
There is only one reason for buying a 4x4 that everybody knows has no offroading capabilities and no towbar and thats the pointy triangle on the bonnet! prove me wrong

peasant · 04-06-2008 6:03pm

Lads, I think the owner of the car has suffered enough and doesn't need an internet bashing served on top of it.

siralfalot · 04-06-2008 6:12pm

nmacc wrote: »

He found it effective to leave an electric fence transformer behind the driver's seat wired to the door handles. It worked quite well at discouraging handle-tryers.

I did that years ago!!! when i was a 12, I had a Nissan Bluebird as a stock car for racing around the fields. I used to leave it in the farmyard at night but every morning the cows would damage it while being brought in for milking.

my solution? a 12 electric fence unit wired to the car battery, the positive outlet terminal wired to the car body, it worked very effectivly!!!

often thought about doing it to a road car, but the thoughts of getting sued...... :eek:

G-Money · 04-06-2008 6:31pm

I'm sure the person who owned the car was gutted when they seen the wheels had been stolen. What really makes the blood boil is to think of the scumbags who stole them and how they are probably walking around, rubbing their hands with glee that they stole them.

If only the scumbags wheels were stolen for a change...

Anan1 · 04-06-2008 6:32pm

Zube wrote: »

No, think it's more "I'm glad that's not my Mercedes, because if it was I'd have turned into a Mommy-jeep driving tw@t, and my alloys would be gone, too".

Very good.:)

smash · 04-06-2008 6:40pm

Zube wrote: »

I drive a 6-year-old Renault Kangoo Kar which is probably worth less than the missing alloys on that ML.

so someone has a car that's worth a hell of a lot more than yours so you come on and call them a tw@t without knowing them.... yep begrudgery at it's finest!

Lauder · 04-06-2008 7:15pm

IN the last month alone I Have seen 2 Avensis', New Audi TT and a 07 Landcruiser with their alloys gone. All on my road in Clontarf. Really sickens me.

One of the Avensis' was outside my house, cant believe I didnt hear them, being a light sleeper and all. How do they do it so quick. Glad i have a garage.
These scumbags should be tortured to death (and Id be happy to do it)

Anan1 · 04-06-2008 7:28pm

steve06 wrote: »

so someone has a car that's worth a hell of a lot more than yours so you come on and call them a tw@t without knowing them.... yep begrudgery at it's finest!

The value of the car is irrelevant, steve06.

Volvoboy · 04-06-2008 8:01pm

Never really thought this kinda stuff goes on anymore?

I wouldnt be a happy bunny if they took the wheels of my 12 year old Toyota or my 106.

Thing about it is somone has had property stolen on them, i for one wouldnt wish that on anyone.

I'm glad that's not my Mercedes...

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