Gutted!

[Leeconvery]

Hi all,

Just wanted to share the pain and make you aware of an issue local to me (South Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire). I woke up yesterday find a nice big space on my drive where my pride and joy was supposed to be. After a bit of panicked running around I established that very late Monday night, somebody broke into my house whilst me and my family were sleeping, picked up the basics such as my wallet, phone, ipad and my watch, made their way to my front door and pick up all my keys, before going back out the way they came and leaving in my car.

I doubt there is any chance anybody will see it but I thought that if anybody is on the lookout for Golfs, it would be you guys!

I had a pacific blue, 2.0 TDI SE, there aren't many around yet, less with this spec and fog lights and fewer still that have just had some of halfords roof bars on the top!

The other reason I am letting you all know is that the guys who took mine, 20 mins earlier had tried to take a 2011 golf off somebody elses drive, they could find his keys so went upstairs and went through his clothes to try and find them. They left empty handed and head directly to my house for mine. Fortunately they keys were downstairs so there was no need for them to come upstairs.

Police have said they have had a lot of issues recently with the golfs getting lifted, so I just wanted to give anbybody in the area the heads up. Get your new shiny toys out of sight if you can, if you can't and you have a family - leave your keys where they can be spotted easily - I know this is a contentious issue for most, but as I found out, if I hadn't have left them out, these guys would almost certainly have come upstairs for them. And with two little people in the house, I am happier to let them find them and take them. Its a company car and its insured.

I am gutted and now looking at a lengthy wait for a replacement. I only got this one in June!

[zollaf]

very sorry to hear of this, it must be very traumatic. the problem is that cars are just too hard to pinch but car thieves won't change career, so something has to give. will the day come when people just leave the keys in their cars for fear of being robbed, or take matters into their own hands and make it so anyone breaking into their house won't actually get out in one piece ?

[Leeconvery]

I completely agree, my wife doesn't want another golf on the drive and I can't think of a way of preventing the same thing happening again. I thought about getting a steering lock, but then thought its just another key they know I will have somewhere. If it wasn't for the insurance issue, it would definitely be better to leave the keys in the car and stop anybody wanting to get in the house.

[zollaf]

i remember reading about a chap who had fingerprint entry on his merc. he was kidnapped so they could nick his car, then had his finger removed.

[Leeconvery]

I will give that one a miss then, although worryingly, my laptop was in the boot and that does require my fingerprint - thanks for that! I wont sleep much tonight!!

[zollaf]

oh dear, not good.

[Gt!]

Clifford alarms iirc offer a 'blackjax' module. This is an immobiliser that will allow the thief to drive the car a couple of hundred yards and gently cut the power,(it requires putting a pin code in each time you enter the car) and setting off the alarms siren. Basically putting some distance between thief and owner. Giving time to get the police involved. My heart goes out to you. I've had confrontations before, and it's a terrible situation to be in.... Fingers crossed you get your car back in good condition

[DW58]

Terrible, I really feel for you.

[Brycie]

Jeez, you think you're safe in your own home at night when you lock your door. A dog may have given them second thoughts if they heard it barking as they broke in. Sorry to hear of this anyway, hope you & the family can put it behind you.

[GTwebb]

Very sorry to hear your loss its a bloody awful thing to happen.

Sounds like a Hanoi burglary to me... they'll be a very organised gang. They usually target homes where they see where you leave the keys downstairs and where 5LMDL's on doors are insufficient and are easily snapped off. Police suggest people getting snap locks on doors and getting a nice big fat alarm installed on your house.

A colleague of mine had an A3 and a 320d stolen off his drive a bit back.. again was what police call a Hanoi burglary gang