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Hi all, Sorry if this has been posted before, but I'm seeing a few articles about thefts from trackers being attached at shows to allow a car to be traced to the storage address and stolen at a later date. What's the general consensus about this?
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,961
Club RR Member Number: 29
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Buy a fibreglass or aluminium bodied car?
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1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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brachunky
Scotland
Posts: 1,316
Club RR Member Number: 72
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I think it's a concern but ultimately one only you can gauge the risk on. It's fair to say that if this practice is indeed rife, it could even happen at a local car show too. Sadly it's down to the best security you can muster to protect your car.
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I'd be surprised if the lowlifes that nick cars are going to this extent - they simply walk around a show - shortlist what they want then follow it home at the end of the day - check that there is enough opportunity to have it away and plan a revisit to remove it
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rickygolf83
Scotland
Mk2 Golf 8v & 16v, VR6, Nova Antibes, Mk4 1.8t & mk4 Gt Tdi 130
Posts: 560
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Luckily there is no decent shows up here!
Usually 300miles + to get to anything.
More a risk when out and about to where you live and being watched, than from a car show in my opinion
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don't own the kind of cars that people want to steal.
I've made a career out of this approach, and it's never let me down yet!
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It is likely it may have happened a small number of times and then t'internet explodes with tales of dozens of classic cars being stolen to order using this method etc. An over exaggeration on numbers but it may have happened. As said by Grumpy they'll more likely spot the car and follow.
The trackers are available for about £35 with sim card and give pretty good coverage. If your concerned you need to check metal areas that are easily accessible quickly up in wheel arches, behind bumpers, on fuel tank any chassis rails.
Someone placing them on would need to make it look innocent in a public arena so if you see someone doing something odd, check.
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Last Edit: Aug 4, 2019 12:19:13 GMT by duggers
Needs a bigger hammer mate.......
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You can buy tracker blockers that plug into your fag lighter for cheap. If it's a concern to you then it might be worth buying one of those, plug it in when you leave a show and unplug it once you get home and have a good look underneath it to be sure there's nothing there.
For a long time it seemed like these blockers were only any use to thieves, but if this is becoming an issue then this could be a genuine use for them.
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I'd be surprised if the lowlifes that nick cars are going to this extent - they simply walk around a show - shortlist what they want then follow it home at the end of the day - check that there is enough opportunity to have it away and plan a revisit to remove it Exactly this. I knew of a guy back in the 90's who would go to car shows & follow someone home. Then go back with his hiab & lift the vehicle, then break it for bits.
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I'd be surprised if the lowlifes that nick cars are going to this extent - they simply walk around a show - shortlist what they want then follow it home at the end of the day - check that there is enough opportunity to have it away and plan a revisit to remove it Exactly this. I knew of a guy back in the 90's who would go to car shows & follow someone home. Then go back with his hiab & lift the vehicle, then break it for bits. But that was in the 90's and megnetic trackers weren't available for peanuts then. I have no idea if this is as big of a deal that it's being made out to he by some, but if you look at it from a lowlifes perspective then it would make a lot more sense to use a tracker. If you follow someone home you can only follow one person and for all you know they could be driving back to the other end of the country. A quick Google shows that these magnetic trackers are available for a fiver from popular sale sites. A lowlife could very easily stick multiple of these to cars at shows and take their pick of which they want to case out once they know where they have ended up. With this technology readily available for pennies I think it's very silly to dismiss it so readily because "people could just follow you home".
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There’s a whole load of ways to nick a car, you’d struggle to cover them all.
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Exactly this. I knew of a guy back in the 90's who would go to car shows & follow someone home. Then go back with his hiab & lift the vehicle, then break it for bits. But that was in the 90's and megnetic trackers weren't available for peanuts then. I have no idea if this is as big of a deal that it's being made out to he by some, but if you look at it from a lowlifes perspective then it would make a lot more sense to use a tracker. If you follow someone home you can only follow one person and for all you know they could be driving back to the other end of the country. A quick Google shows that these magnetic trackers are available for a fiver from popular sale sites. A lowlife could very easily stick multiple of these to cars at shows and take their pick of which they want to case out once they know where they have ended up. With this technology readily available for pennies I think it's very silly to dismiss it so readily because "people could just follow you home". I don't see any posts within this thread either being 'very silly' or 'dismissing' the fact - I do however has per the thread title see things being somewhat dramatised
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There’s a whole load of ways to nick a car, you’d struggle to cover them all. Unfortunaly this. My car was nicked afew years back, I'm pretty sure I know why and it had nothing to do with a tracker. Id have to assume that trackers are more likley to be a factor than they were afew years ago, simply because the tech is cheaper than it was, but as the saying goes 'there are many ways to skin a cat'.
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,712
Club RR Member Number: 34
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A tracker doesn’t steal a car. It just tells someone where it is. Same as being seen out in it does if they follow you, or if they talk to people within the scene. Given my profession i probably know where more desirable cars are within a 20 mile radius of mine than anyone else. I’ve not gone and nicked any of em though.
Its always very specific marques and models that get stolen, of you own one of those you’ll know it’s higher risk. And if your security is good enough that it becomes too much of a risk to target your particular car, they’ll shop elsewhere.
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Last Edit: Aug 4, 2019 20:30:28 GMT by Dez
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v8ian
Posted a lot
Posts: 3,763
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I know of a fastidious ford owner returned from Ford fair parked up has car, put it up in the air to dry off the car that had got wet and found a mobile phone attached to the underside of his Car in a plastic bag attached by magnets to the boot floor..
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Atmo V8 Power . No slicks , No gas + No bits missing . Doing it in style. Austin A35van, very different------- but still doing it in style, going to be a funmoble
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I know of a fastidious ford owner returned from Ford fair parked up has car, put it up in the air to dry off the car that had got wet and found a mobile phone attached to the underside of his Car in a plastic bag attached by magnets to the boot floor.. I’d go & fasten it to truck or a taxi, they’d be following it all over the country 😀
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I know of a fastidious ford owner returned from Ford fair parked up has car, put it up in the air to dry off the car that had got wet and found a mobile phone attached to the underside of his Car in a plastic bag attached by magnets to the boot floor.. I’d go & fasten it to truck or a taxi, they’d be following it all over the country 😀 I'd attach it to the end of a dirty great big stick and wait in a dark garage to give it back to them.
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I’d go & fasten it to truck or a taxi, they’d be following it all over the country 😀 I'd attach it to the end of a dirty great big stick and wait in a dark garage to give it back to them. That's why I have a German Shepherd who just loves it when people he doesn't know start hanging around.
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These also could be fitted by owners, so if your car did get stolen, you could track it, and report it to the police.
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Please don't throw litter, take it home.
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Think it was PC Mag a while ago actually featured hardwiring a cheap mobile into your classic to use as a tracker, not sure how well it'd work tho'
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