E30's getting stolen.

[bmwe30mtech]

Hi,

This will seem like a strange topic but do e30's get stolen more than other cars. (1.8 mtech's!). I left mine on the road for one of the first times the other day (been in the garage) and my friend walked by and told me two pikees were trying to get in to it, or so it looked. . Do people s e30's go missing often?

Paul

[burnout]

they are quite easy to break in unless your all belled up-there are ways to get into any car its just know'in how

but then if someone wants something they'll get it.

[placey]

the father of a colleague i used to work with had the local police contract to recover discovered stolen cars. he told me one time that they're nearly always around the 10 year old mark and easy to nick cars i.e. fiestas, (o)novas, e30s etc anything easily entered, started and well understood. so yes an e30 is quite vulnerable. all you can do is make it as difficult as possible to take. i suggest:

get a disklock and use it every time without fail.
get a flashing led and fit it to the dash.
always pull the handbrake on (but not tight so as not to stretch the cable) and leave the front wheels at an angle with the steering lock on - thus preventing an easy lift and tow.
don't leave anything on show in the cabin, ever.
get an immobiliser fitted.
get to know your neighbours on friendly terms -it's amazing how much this helps.

it's depressingly easy to get into an e30 with a slim jim - so if your deadlocks still work use them. this doesn't stop entry with a brick however, depressingly again not much will.

paul

[e30alpina]

a e30 is a very easy car to nick , so ide do what ever it took to make safe

[placey]

i think it's worth noting that alarms don't make anything any more difficult to steal - they just make a noise. when was the last time you went and confronted someone while they were dealing with an alarm sounding? quite why some insurance policies demand them is beyond my understanding.

paul

[kam-325i]

i think it's worth noting that alarms don't make anything any more difficult to steal - they just make a noise. paul

I used to work fitting alarms and immobs, the amount of times i heard " your alarms are crap, someone nicked this or that from my car"

My repley was allways, "An alarm wont stop someone breaking into your car, its there to tell you that they have."

[Cotty]

i suggest:

get a disklock and use it every time without fail.
get a flashing led and fit it to the dash.
always pull the handbrake on (but not tight so as not to stretch the cable) and leave the front wheels at an angle with the steering lock on - thus preventing an easy lift and tow.
don't leave anything on show in the cabin, ever.
get an immobiliser fitted.
get to know your neighbours on friendly terms -it's amazing how much this helps.
paul

And if possible keep it in a garage. Out of sight out of mind

[paulj]

i have had 2 of mine stolen , dont matter what you have to stop them if they want it there gonna take it. Its a fact of life that theving bastards are always 1 step ahead of the security industry

[ajay31]

always make sure you park next to any ford over 5 years old and with a disklock you have narrowed the chances of it being stolen.
a lot of older cars are stolen as get em homes, so the easier to steal the more likely to go.
remember all thieves like fords or vauxhall as they are so common and less likely to be noticed on a busy road!

[wayneE30]

its true i knew some twockers hell i was almost one of them and there fav cars were vauxhalls like the calibra and cavalier

[bmwe30mtech]

Thanks for your advice guys, but i suppose at the end of the day its like you say, if somebody wants something , they will get hold of it. I will take the precautions as far as i can.

[wayneE30]

mmm i think i need to in vest in a decent alarm

[dazleeds]

better get mine working then i guess

got one but it was playing up so it got turned off

[Danstable]

I beg to differ on the deadlock bit. My car has had a window smashed twice, infact it was the same window (rear quarter light on my Touring) and the second time it was done was the day after I replaced it after the first time!

Each time they failed to get anywhere because my central locking was buggered and the rear doors were on permanent deadlock.

My advice on security is to smash one of your windows and leave it that way, no one touches it then.....mine was first done on April 1st this year, and apart from the 12 hours that the new glass lasted, its never been touched! For three months my drivers door was permanently unlocked as well!

I no longer even bother with the alarm as I went through a period where it just knackered the battery.

I think a removable steering wheel is the real answer though......so long as you have somewhere to stash it in the car and out of sight.

Dan