[M8Bimmer]

I know not everyone cares about car theft. Some folks have extremely secure locations or country homes to park. Or a garage every night. Some just say "fuck it, it's insured".
Personally if you want my property your gonna have to work for it. I protect what I like or love pretty hard. Best I can anyway. And my car is very personal to me. I will fucking nail anyone in the head with a 2x4 if they try to grab my car. Sorry. Stealing really grinds my ass in general. But taking my cool car....nadda. So I try to do all I can to protect it considering half the year it's outside nightly and daily. Winter it's in the garage at my other home. Summer, nope, outside. A few years ago I stupidly left my door open on my Saab one night. I usually NEVER do. Buy I fucked up one night. And then I got in the next day and noticed it's had been "gone thru". Checked my camera's and there was the prick trying every vehicle door he could. On every car in the driveway. Which is 5. Plus he visited all my neighbors across the street as well. I was the only moron who left his car open though...lol. I still see that little fucker in my eyes and wonder how much his grape would like a nice piece of wood upside it. sorry again.
Anyway that brings me to this.
You don't read much here on car theft. Bits here and there. I thought a thread on theft might be helpful to some.
In southern Ontario where I live it's a real issue. Cars are stolen nightly by the ten's at times. Usually by the key scanning technique. The one where they activate your keys by waving an antenna by your front door. Hoping the keys are on a table or pocket near the front door. I'm sure you guys know the method I'm talking about.
Many folks now use a faraday box or pouch. I do. And I don't keep my fob anywhere too close to the perimeter of the house. More inside. In the box.
Recently Bloozeman mentioned the BMW keys go to sleep in left untouched after a while. Good info and thanks BloozeMan !
I also use a steering wheel lock. A good one too. Best I could find. Nice and visible. I know they can be defeated but the idea is to have a layer of protection. Not to rely on only one thing.
We also have the cars own BMW alarm which will help for fob-less break-in's.
I also have very bright lights in my Driveway on a timer. On all at night of course.
I also have 4 camera's aimed all over the front area where I park. Another deterrent that can help.
But the one I like the most is this little device. It's a good giggle to imagine the face on the jerk when he finds this.

It's a lock for your ODB port.

Easy to install and a bitch to get off without the key. They'd have to make a lot of noise and use up a lot of time getting past this thing. Basically have to bust apart the area to access the port from behind. WAY too much trouble for these jack asses. Plus they won't be ready for it. And run off like the fucking coward losers they are.
I bought the universal one when I got the car 2 years ago. I installed it about 10-15 mins. My next trip to the dealer, they were like, WTF is this thing. I explained it and shown him the key. All the mechanics came to look at it. I bet a few of these got ordered after that visit. They loved it and said I was the only one with this device they had seen so far.
Not expensive and built like a small safe. Very tough steel or metal. A weird key that I bet can't be duplicated easily or at all even. You never know it's there until the dealer needs the key or a thief is thwarted.
They make them for various vehicles and it's German made. IMO a smart quality device and worth the money. Nice peace of mind too.
https://sailesmarketing.com/shop/obd...-vehicle-copy/

[MACHT]

My BMWs are garage kept. Despite living in a very secure neighborhood in the "good" part of town I've cameras inside and out. Vibration sensors at the garage doors and motion sensors over every car. But what I - as a former German and now US/German citizen - value most is the 2nd Amendment here in the US of A. If one of my gizmos triggers ... I'll go full Putin on everyone on my property.

[hinckley]

Hmmm . . . it's my car, not my kid.

[secretariat]

Originally Posted by MACHT

My BMWs are garage kept. Despite living in a very secure neighborhood in the "good" part of town I've cameras inside and out. Vibration sensors at the garage doors and motion sensors over every car. But what I - as a former German and now US/German citizen - value most is the 2nd Amendment here in the US of A. If one of my gizmos triggers ... I'll go full Putin on everyone on my property.

Yeah right the 2nd amendment---buddy boy here in the US of A you go full Putin on someone because someone is "on" your property you better be able to articulate why you melted some people, also you'll spend years in the courts where you may become bankrupt. Lawyers cost a lot in time and money.

[Beemer5to3]

As I’m sure many do on here, I love my car - it’s something I’ve had to work hard to be able to have, and it disgusts me that people exist to take other people’s things. Car theft in the UK is either through relay theft or people getting into houses to get keys. I’ve got a fully monitored alarm (connected to the police), and things like shock sensors on doors and windows etc. CCTV I’m less bothered about - plenty of footage on people’s Ring doorbells and the like or thieves brazenly walking up to front doors and trying them and just covering their face. I have a Disklok for the car, which in combination of them knowing the property is alarmed would just make them move on to an easier target, but you never know. Next thing on the agenda will be to get a dog (purely because we want a dog!), but I don’t think anyone would take their chances breaking into a property with a German Shepherd lurking about!

[MACHT]

Originally Posted by secretariat

Yeah right the 2nd amendment---buddy boy here in the US of A you go full Putin on someone because someone is "on" your property you better be able to articulate why you melted some people, also you'll spend years in the courts where you may become bankrupt. Lawyers cost a lot in time and money.

Agreed. You need to do your homework. Don't shoot someone in the back who's running. Anything else .. castle doctrine. Also there are only 48 decent states left. The other 2 are already little Russia. But it's getting worse everywhere. The city of Cleveland is suing Hyundai and Kia for making their cars to easy to steal. Yeah ... welcome to the future ... it's not the perps fault anymore. Soon it'll be the owners fault for spec'ing the cars to admirable. It's time to draw a line in the sand ...

[Da_BatMann_]

Before my M8, I had a Trackhawk. Fuckers tried to steal that car twice in 1 year. They were pros too, they would come in through the back window, plug into my ECU and have new keys programmed within in a minute. Had a kill switch setup on the car that saved me both times. Cameras, alarms, boat horns were all additional deterrents but it didn't stop them from trying. Plus I live in Miami and cops couldn't care less about preventing crime here.

Ended up selling the car because of that, the anxiety of always looking over my shoulder, waking up on the middle of the night to check my car.. Just wasn't worth it, but man did I love that car.

[m3_08]

my primarily security system:

[MACHT]

Originally Posted by m3_08

my primarily security system:

Love it! My chocolate lab gets easily "defeated" with cookies.

[Narco1]

I understand your hated of thieves, but I don’t think all the hatred and stress is worth the car in the end. Very bad for your health and that’s priceless.

Put a tracker in the car and properly insure it. Make it as hard to steal as you possibly can. Thieves usually look for the easiest targets, but if they really want your car the experts will take it.

Best of luck and please don’t 2x4 someone in the head unless you’re protecting yourself or someone else. The car just isn’t worth it.

[elitex]

I am from the idea of “that’s what the insurance is for”. Let them take it, just make sure it gets shipped or completely stripped. I don’t want it back.

[Vic55]

Originally Posted by elitex

I am from the idea of “that’s what the insurance is for”. Let them take it, just make sure it gets shipped or completely stripped. I don’t want it back.

Fuck ya this is my only hope as well....

Rape my car, violate it, and leave it for dead.

Then I get a fair ACV vs a ghastly dealer cash offer that makes my low balls feel ever lower.

[Beemer5to3]

Originally Posted by Vic55

Fuck ya this is my only hope as well....

Rape my car, violate it, and leave it for dead.

Then I get a fair ACV vs a ghastly dealer cash offer that makes my low balls feel ever lower.

Totally agree - that’s what insurance is for, but if precautions can be taken to discourage someone from taking my car vs. moving on to another target is well worth it in my opinion. Shooting someone for trying to take my car though as other have suggested, I’d draw the line at that.

[subterFUSE]

I couldn’t live in a place like that. Where I live, I can leave my cars unlocked in the driveway with the keys in the cup holder and they would never be touched. I actually did that one night after washing my S63 AMG, with over $30k of aftermarket stereo gear inside. Lol oops.
I never lock my doors on my house. Life is just different here in the south.

[M8Bimmer]

Has anyone actually heard of an 8 series being stolen? Or had this happen to you?

[Beemer5to3]

M8Bimmer not that I’ve heard specifically in the UK no. Most common targets here seem to be things like Audi S/RS3, Golf R and the like - thieves seem to love hot hatches. It’s probably more due to the fact the 8’s aren’t all that common over here really - I hardly ever see them on the road.

[Usually_a_Ford_guy]

We had our Ford Raptor stolen. Its a really shitty experience. In our case they had scanned the VIN a few months prior. My wife caught them in the act of standing on the running board taking a pic of the VIN. We told the police about it and they said "at some point they are coming for it". Well, the next time she parked at the same mall they nabbed it.

On a positive note, we got full replacement value and a new Raptor. But we had to wait almost a year to get it. On this one we NEVER leave it on the driveway, it sits locked in the garage (multiple cameras in and around the garage). The keys are kept in a Faraday pouch. We always lock it with the door switch vs. the Fob when leaving it anywhere (so the FOB signal can't be scanned), and we use the steering wheel "club" any time it sits in public view.

I'm also looking at installing the IGLA system which gets great reviews. You have to key in some combo of buttons on the steering wheel or it won't start.

https://www.carsystemsinstallation.c...ft-prevention/

Sadly this is what is necessary in the Toronto area these days. Its an epidemic.

I don't worry about the 8 as much because its not in high demand but I do take the same basic precautions. These guys are professionals and they basically take customer orders on what they want. Usually Eastern Europe or Africa. They love trucks, SUV's and Raptors.

[secretariat]

Originally Posted by subterFUSE

I couldn’t live in a place like that. Where I live, I can leave my cars unlocked in the driveway with the keys in the cup holder and they would never be touched. I actually did that one night after washing my S63 AMG, with over $30k of aftermarket stereo gear inside. Lol oops.
I never lock my doors on my house. Life is just different here in the south.

Give it a little time dude it's coming.

[M8Bimmer]

Originally Posted by subterFUSE

I couldn’t live in a place like that. Where I live, I can leave my cars unlocked in the driveway with the keys in the cup holder and they would never be touched. I actually did that one night after washing my S63 AMG, with over $30k of aftermarket stereo gear inside. Lol oops.
I never lock my doors on my house. Life is just different here in the south.

Ya there's no crime in the south. C'mon man. Who are you kidding? There is crime everywhere. I'm glad it has not affected you though. Your lucky.

[M8Bimmer]

Originally Posted by Usually_a_Ford_guy

We had our Ford Raptor stolen. Its a really shitty experience. In our case they had scanned the VIN a few months prior. My wife caught them in the act of standing on the running board taking a pic of the VIN. We told the police about it and they said "at some point they are coming for it". Well, the next time she parked at the same mall they nabbed it.

On a positive note, we got full replacement value and a new Raptor. But we had to wait almost a year to get it. On this one we NEVER leave it on the driveway, it sits locked in the garage (multiple cameras in and around the garage). The keys are kept in a Faraday pouch. We always lock it with the door switch vs. the Fob when leaving it anywhere (so the FOB signal can't be scanned), and we use the steering wheel "club" any time it sits in public view.

I'm also looking at installing the IGLA system which gets great reviews. You have to key in some combo of buttons on the steering wheel or it won't start.

https://www.carsystemsinstallation.c...ft-prevention/

Sadly this is what is necessary in the Toronto area these days. Its an epidemic.

I don't worry about the 8 as much because its not in high demand but I do take the same basic precautions. These guys are professionals and they basically take customer orders on what they want. Usually Eastern Europe or Africa. They love trucks, SUV's and Raptors.

Yes the Toronto and southern Ontario area are rife for car theft currently. Some asshole driving off in my car doesn't sit well with me at all. Could I get violent...yup. Kill em...no...hurt them really bad...yes

[AKStylee]

Originally Posted by Narco1

I understand your hated of thieves, but I don’t think all the hatred and stress is worth the car in the end. Very bad for your health and that’s priceless.

Put a tracker in the car and properly insure it. Make it as hard to steal as you possibly can. Thieves usually look for the easiest targets, but if they really want your car the experts will take it.

Best of luck and please don’t 2x4 someone in the head unless you’re protecting yourself or someone else. The car just isn’t worth it.

It’s necessary. Enough of these animals get killed/maimed while trying to steal/destroy the property of their betters and maybe they’ll not be so inclined.

[M8CompSoCal]

I live in Irvine CA. One of the safest cities in the country. I still park my cars in the garage. Lock my doors. Have an alarm and a few exterior cameras. Other than the basics, I don’t worry much.