Car security

you*ess*bee

Sadly, last monday my boyfriends car was robbed right out of the driveway. And even with an alarm and immobiliser on the car, no one heard a thing. We live in Clonsilla, at the back of an estate in a little cul-de-sac. Its pretty quiet here, and theres never any trouble.

But waking up to find your car gone, and one that he had put so much work into, was just heartbreaking. It was found a few mins down the road in a field burnt out. All his personal belongings from the car were strewn about the field. They didnt even steal anything, bar the cd player, they just threw it out of the car and drove all over it.

Unfortunately the gardas arent much help. With their 'sh*t happens' attitude, and telling you basically whoever did it will never be caught.

So now we are looking to get a removable locking bollard installed in the driveway. Not that it would fully stop anyone robbing a car, but it would be a deterant, like the locking steering wheel devices.

Does anyone know of a reputable company in dublin that installs these? I've seen plenty online that I could buy, but Id rather go with a company that would install it for me.

Thanks for anyones help

markos79

you can buy these and fit them yourself all you need is a kangoo hammer and a good strong mix of concrete to secure it.your boyfriend should be well able to do it himself.

bazz26

I'm curious, if the car had an alarm and immobiliser how did they manage to take it? I didn't think you could start a car that had an immobiliser without the key. Did they break into the house and steal the keys too?

If they were brave enough to break into the house and steal the keys then isn't there is a good chance they would also look the lock/key for the removable bollard?

you*ess*bee

No, they did not break into the house. The car was locked and the alarm was on. I have no idea how they even got into the car without the alarm going off. Let alone drove off in it with no keys.

My main questions was does anyone know of a company that sells and installs the bollards as we would like to have one professionally fitted.

Tipsy Mac

Sorry to hear about it, would really p me off.

What sort of a car was it? I'd say the insurance company will be asking alot of questions as to how it was stolen considering it had an alarm and immobilizer.

Did you recently buy the car, is it possible the ex-owner stole it back?

L1011

I would definately be on to the alarm/immobiliser fitter as clear the alarm was poor and the immobiliser didn't exist!

omb0wyn5ehpij9

bazz26 wrote: »

I'm curious, if the car had an alarm and immobiliser how did they manage to take it? I didn't think you could start a car that had an immobiliser without the key. Did they break into the house and steal the keys too?

If they were brave enough to break into the house and steal the keys then isn't there is a good chance they would also look the lock/key for the removable bollard?

MYOB wrote: »

I would definately be on to the alarm/immobiliser fitter as clear the alarm was poor and the immobiliser didn't exist!

I don't understand how some people can be so naive? You are both making out that an alarm and an immobiliser make your car safe? Even top of the range alarms like Cliffords can be by-passed. If a professional wants to rob your car, they will take it no matter what security is on it. It's a sad fact but it's true. Everybodies best bet is to use as much security as possible and deter people from your car to a different car which doesn't have as much security.

In my opinion, an alarm and immobiliser is not enough if you have a car that would be desirable to thieves. You should also have a hidden kill switch, a steering lock/chain and maybe even a handbrake lock. A bollard in the drive way is also a good investment. Or blocking it in when another car is also good. You should never leave anything in your car, and you should also leave the glovebox open to show that there is nothing in it instead of somebody smashing your window to see if there is anything worth taking out of it! You should also remove the face panel from your stereo aswell

L1011

Do you really think someone with the skills and time to bypass a properly installed alarm and immobiliser is going to do nothing more with a car than burn it out nearby? Not a chance.

I see no naivety here, only common sense - the car was not taken by professionals, it was probably easily hotwired due to the "immobiliser" not actually existing.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

MYOB wrote: »

Do you really think someone with the skills and time to bypass a properly installed alarm and immobiliser is going to do nothing more with a car than burn it out nearby? Not a chance.

I see no naivety here, only common sense - the car was not taken by professionals, it was probably easily hotwired due to the "immobiliser" not actually existing.

Yeah i do think some people would go to the hassle of robbing the car just for a joy-ride. And if you don't, i think you need to have a reality check. There are a lot of scumbags out there who have nothing better to do with their time than make life miserable for other people. There is also the fact there is a good chance some of these scumbags robbing cars actually work in the trade (whether it be as a mechanic, or in places like kwik fit etc) and have the knowledge to take these cars easily

L1011

To take a car for a joyride on your average Dublin road there are going to be many cars with no modern security at all. Theres a 1992 Corolla next door here; and a 1993 Uno across the road. Why the hell would someone go to the hassle of getting past, say, my factory fitted rolling code immob when they could have either of those in seconds?

There is a snowballs chance in hell someone would go to the hassle of getting past an alarm AND an immobiliser just for a joyride; if both were actually functioning correctly.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

you*ess*bee wrote: »

But waking up to find your car gone, and one that he had put so much work into, was just heartbreaking. It was found a few mins down the road in a field burnt out. All his personal belongings from the car were strewn about the field. They didnt even steal anything, bar the cd player, they just threw it out of the car and drove all over it.

MYOB wrote: »

To take a car for a joyride on your average Dublin road there are going to be many cars with no modern security at all. Theres a 1992 Corolla next door here; and a 1993 Uno across the road. Why the hell would someone go to the hassle of getting past, say, my factory fitted rolling code immob when they could have either of those in seconds?

There is a snowballs chance in hell someone would go to the hassle of getting past an alarm AND an immobiliser just for a joyride; if both were actually functioning correctly.

If you read the original post you will notice the OP saying that there was a lot of work done to her boyfriends car, which is why they targeted it because they found it desirable and which is the whole reason they went for his car as opposed to some 1992 junker

pipsqueak

has the op said what car it was??

L1011

I'd suspect my car is more desirable for a joy ride than most of the others on this street; yet its never been touched - however next door have had their SsangYong Rexton stolen twice (keys taken from house, twice...) and theres a Seicento down the end of the road which has recently been returned after being recovered.

Its extremely easy to test to see if an alarm is actually fitted and working to a car; I doubt they'd have gone near it if one went off. Only the OP is going to be able to comment on what other vehicles were on offer on the street.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

pipsqueak wrote: »

has the op said what car it was??

No, not yet!

Voodoomelon

A few cars have been stolen from outside where I work at night recently, and a lot of them are high end cars. One just before christmas was a 2005 Land Rover with alarm and immobiliser and the car was taken without as much as a broken window.

I always set the immobilser code on my nav screen when I park for more than a few hours somewhere now, so even if someone managed to get my keys or my spare key, they still can't start the car without the code. Unless they're good enough to get around that.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

MYOB wrote: »

I'd suspect my car is more desirable for a joy ride than most of the others on this street; yet its never been touched - however next door have had their SsangYong Rexton stolen twice (keys taken from house, twice...) and theres a Seicento down the end of the road which has recently been returned after being recovered.

Not every scumbag thinks the same, just because some of them like stealing desirable and harder to rob cars, doesn't mean they all do :rolleyes: And i know quite a few of them are happy to just take the easiest car to rob.

Voodoomelon wrote: »

A few cars have been stolen from outside where I work at night recently, and a lot of them are high end cars. One just before christmas was a 2005 Land Rover with alarm and immobiliser and the car was taken without as much as a broken window.

And this is my point proved again. I just find it very hard to believe that so many people in this day and age think that because they have an alarm and an immobiliser that there isn't a chance of their car getting stolen

L1011

A 2005 Land Rover was most likely stolen to order or stolen for use in a ramraid or similar; NOT taken to be burnt out in a field down the road.

Voodoomelon

True, but a lot of these "no trace" robberies are done by stealing the keys.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

MYOB wrote: »

A 2005 Land Rover was most likely stolen to order or stolen for use in a ramraid or similar; NOT taken to be burnt out in a field down the road.

Well maybe seeing as you seem to know everything about all cars stolen, maybe you should go find the stolen land rover and give it back to the owner? :rolleyes:

L1011

Bryn wrote: »

Well maybe seeing as you seem to know everything about all cars stolen, maybe you should go find the stolen land rover and give it back to the owner? :rolleyes:

You're the one who comes in here and calls people naive for suggesting that maybe, just maybe a car was stolen because maybe there was a badly installed aftermarket immobiliser installed because clearly its IMPOSSIBLE that the immob could be at fault.... the only suitable use of rolleyes so far in this thread was to your post.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

MYOB wrote: »

You're the one who comes in here and calls people naive for suggesting that maybe, just maybe a car was stolen because maybe there was a badly installed aftermarket immobiliser installed because clearly its IMPOSSIBLE that the immob could be at fault.... the only suitable use of rolleyes so far in this thread was to your post.

Did i say at ANY point that the immobiliser wasn't at fault?

L1011

Bryn wrote: »

Did i say at ANY point that the immobiliser wasn't at fault?

In far more words than that, yes. You called me and another posted naive for suggesting that it might be at fault. I can't see any other way to read that statement other than you claiming that it could not be fault.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

MYOB wrote: »

In far more words than that, yes. You called me and another posted naive for suggesting that it might be at fault. I can't see any other way to read that statement other than you claiming that it could not be fault.

Bryn wrote: »

I don't understand how some people can be so naive? You are both making out that an alarm and an immobiliser make your car safe? Even top of the range alarms like Cliffords can be by-passed. If a professional wants to rob your car, they will take it no matter what security is on it. It's a sad fact but it's true. Everybodies best bet is to use as much security as possible and deter people from your car to a different car which doesn't have as much security.

Read my post again and then show me where i said that OP's boyfriend immobiliser was or was not at fault

L1011

I already said it - by calling me and bazz26 naive for suggesting it might be. To suggest this REQUIRES you to have the view that it could not be at fault - or else it'd be impossible for you to view someone with that opinion as naive.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

MYOB wrote: »

I already said it - by calling me and bazz26 naive for suggesting it might be. To suggest this REQUIRES you to have the view that it could not be at fault - or else it'd be impossible for you to view someone with that opinion as naive.

I never made any assumption on the OP's boyfriends car. I made a statement of fact that you are very naive to assume a car is safe once it has an alarm and immobiliser. I stand by my statement. Now i've wasted enough of my time replying to your posts about something which you actually don't seem to know much about.

OP, sorry for taking it a bit off topic. And sorry to hear about your boyfriends car

L1011

Bryn wrote: »

I never made any assumption on the OP's boyfriends car. I made a statement of fact that you are very naive to assume a car is safe once it has an alarm and immobiliser. I stand by my statement. Now i've wasted enough of my time replying to your posts about something which you actually don't seem to know much about.

I never said a car 'is safe' once it has an alarm and immobiliser, thats yet another thing you accused me of in your opening post. And what qualifies you to judge what level of knowledge I have on a subject?

You're still the one who is attacking the suggestion that the immob. could have been faulty on the basis that "they can be bypassed", despite the extreme unlikelyhood of someone going to the immense effort involved just to joyride/torch a car.

Cuddlesworth

Bryn wrote: »

I never made any assumption on the OP's boyfriends car. I made a statement of fact that you are very naive to assume a car is safe once it has an alarm and immobiliser. I stand by my statement. Now i've wasted enough of my time replying to your posts about something which you actually don't seem to know much about.

OP, sorry for taking it a bit off topic. And sorry to hear about your boyfriends car

It was my understanding that a properly fitted immobiliser on a good car hidden in the wiring loom generally requires a few hours of tearing the car and cabling apart to find and bypass it. A badly fitted immobiliser in easy reach would be a different question.

you*ess*bee

Ok guys, been caught up in the hassle of insurance, car rentals and buying a new car.

He had a Mazda MX-5. It had the hard top on, before anyone suggests they cut through the soft top.

Almost all the cars on the road are new. 08 Honda Civic, Mini Cooper, VW Golf, a few jeeps and just regular everyday cars. Not to mention my BMW Z3. I think the reason is because they wanted a joy ride in a 2 seater convertible sports car. I think jealousy and rage was the reason they stole it aswell. To steal someones car, and leave alloys that are worth a pretty penny and other items, it certainly wasnt for the money. Most of the stuff in the car was thrown into the field and driven over. Luckily we recovered some personal stuff by walking around and picking it up in the mud.

This was so disheartning to see. He got that car before his dad passed away and they used to tinker about doing a service on it and such before he passed on. So, not only was it dear to him after putting so much work into it, it had alot of memories of him and his dad too.

I think its a disgrace that people will destroy something so expensive in the blink of an eye, for just a few moments of what they call fun. Do they even think of how much trouble and inconvenience its going to cause the other person? Or what personal memories theyre tearing away from you?

The worst feeling of all is knowing that nothing will happen to these scumbags and that they will never be found.

mcwhirter

Bryn wrote: »

I don't understand how some people can be so naive? You are both making out that an alarm and an immobiliser make your car safe? Even top of the range alarms like Cliffords can be by-passed. If a professional wants to rob your car, they will take it no matter what security is on it. It's a sad fact but it's true. Everybodies best bet is to use as much security as possible and deter people from your car to a different car which doesn't have as much security.

In my opinion, an alarm and immobiliser is not enough if you have a car that would be desirable to thieves. You should also have a hidden kill switch, a steering lock/chain and maybe even a handbrake lock. A bollard in the drive way is also a good investment. Or blocking it in when another car is also good. You should never leave anything in your car, and you should also leave the glovebox open to show that there is nothing in it instead of somebody smashing your window to see if there is anything worth taking out of it! You should also remove the face panel from your stereo aswell

I used to remove the Ht lead from my old Alfa a few years ago, the thieving scum would have to be carrying a spare lead to nick it. Not sure how easy this is to do on new cars though.

Del2005

mcwhirter wrote: »

I used to remove the Ht lead from my old Alfa a few years ago, the thieving scum would have to be carrying a spare lead to nick it. Not sure how easy this is to do on new cars though.

Unfortuanately with the mentality of the scum who steal cars if they go to the hassle of breaking in and can't start the car they are as likely to trash/burn it as leave it. The whole idea is to keep them from even looking at your car not let then in and not steal it.

OP sorry for you troubles. Was it a Japanese (JDM) import MX-5 or an Irish/UK model. Also what age was it? Since it's only newer Irish/UK spec cars that have a factory immobiliser that can't be started without the keys. Any older spec car and all JDM cars don't have factory fitted security that works.

Since most of the scum who steal cars know which cars can be started without keys you need to put extra effort into securing these. And if the car can't be started without keys and is desirable you then have to secure your keys, which starts a whole other discussion.

Scum tried to steal my old car but the immboliser did work and they couldn't take it, they where also caught in the act:) When the Gardai took the car away for examination they told me basically to get rid of it as I'd never have peace, since the scum think they can steal it even if they can't. They had destroyed all the cowling around the steering wheel and cut all the wires and also ripped the bonnet open and cut loads of wires in the engine bay. Looked great when I was driving back from the pound with the car in bits and a wire from the engine into the car to start it. Luckly it still works fine and the auld fella is getting use from it, after having to remake the ignition barrel and a few other bits.

tomred1

I'm just wondering how did they manage to steal the car if the alarm and immobiliser were on? I know professional car thieves can get around these but i am naive to think that scumbags just looking for a joyride would have these skills?

stealthyspeeder

OP sorry to hear about the car, what year was the mazda? I have a friend up north who works in a garage and he informs me that the older models can be broken into and hotwired in about 15 mins if you have the right kit and know what you are doing. If it wasn't a pro, somebody could have copied the keys without you knowing? Was the car valeted or parked or did anyone different have access to the keys without you there over the last couple of months?

*Dallas

OP sorry to hear about your car.

if you want to do something proactive bout it, you can talk to your local TD's, other redidents in your area may have already brought it to their attention.

If your looking for someone to fit a bollard, id say keep your eye out in the notice boards in local shops, or in the golden pages.

By the way, what is a kill switch? are they expensive to fit?

im currently renting so i dont have the option of getting one of those bollards fitted

biko

About the parking, check out www.agkdisplays.com/parky_bollards.html
Also get motion detector floodlight and/or night camera.

Gavin1

I got a post from Protech Vehicle Security Posts.

I got it about 4 years ago, best piece of kit ever.

-Chris-

biko wrote: »

About the parking, check out www.agkdisplays.com/parky_bollards.html
Also get motion detector floodlight and/or night camera.

The first person who's actually answered the OP's question...

you*ess*bee

Cheers for the info about the bollards!

The MX5 was a 98 Japanese import, it didnt come factory fitted with an alarm or immobiliser, but he had a Cobra alarm and an immob fitted. There is also a motion sensitive light in the front garden. There was only one set of keys to the car and he had them with him. No valeting or anything, he loves washing, waxing, cleaning, etc himself.

Unfortunately, with the amount of car and house alarms going off these days, no one really pays attention anymore. How many times do you hear an alarm going off while you sleep, and just get annoyed cause maybe it woke you up. Does anyone ever really think its because someone is stealing something and investigate. I dont think that alarms are really a deterant anymore. This is a total advantage for car thiefs.

Thanks for all the support from you guys! Its nice to know there are still decent people out there in the wake of a really crap start to the New Year!

Del2005

you*ess*bee wrote: »

Cheers for the info about the bollards!

The MX5 was a 98 Japanese import, it didnt come factory fitted with an alarm or immobiliser, but he had a Cobra alarm and an immob fitted. There is also a motion sensitive light in the front garden. There was only one set of keys to the car and he had them with him. No valeting or anything, he loves washing, waxing, cleaning, etc himself.

You did everything right, unfortunately if they want your car they'll get it. The only other option you have now is to put up different car alarm stickers to the alarm you have. The scum now how to get around most alarms and imobilisers, but if they start attacking the wrong place then they won't have it so easy. Then fit a dirty big chain and lock and look to into some form of fuel cut off.

you*ess*bee

Yeah I think youre right. Isnt it disgusting you have to do all these things just to stop someone from taking something thats not even theirs!

This is when Minority Report would come in handy!