[Veryangry]

A warning to other mini owners:

My headlights and bonnet were stolen last week from my convertible MCS. This happened in North London.

I suspect that they were stolen to order (or by a mini owner who had been in a head-on crash), but please keep an extra eye out for anyone dodgy hanging around your car.

[ALD0]

Oh dear, sorry to hear that.
Your quite right, probably stolen to order or will go on Ebay etc
How did they get under your bonnet, was it forced entry?

[mini world]

that's terrible
How can we protect ourselves?

[picard]

man its messed up this country, was this on the road or drive way, you would have thought someone would have seen something and phoned police, it must have took a while to do this

[Richard Crofts]

Gutted ... its shocking someone didn't think that it was wierd that someone was unbolting a whole front end without any damage on it!

[Veryangry]

The car was parked on the road, under a streetlight but it was pretty dark (and around midnight). I reckon it took them about 20 minutes to do, but they were very quiet and I just thought some people were hanging around outside the house and did not check. When I finally looked out of the window and spotted them, they were nearly finished and they walked off with my bonnet while I was on the phone to the police.
They broke the window, I assume to access the hood release (if there is one?) and the alarm did not go off. God knows if anyone passed by and saw what was going on, but I guess you don't stop and question random men on London streets at night...

[Lolance]

Gutted for ya mate...hope you source replacements soon!

[j53]

How come they got around the alarm system? its a thatcham 1 system as far as i knew although that just may be to do with the immobiliser.
Was the led on the end of the wiper stalk (red for early/yellow for later mini's) flashing?)

Did the cops come at all? I'd doubt it since you wasn't driving and therefore of no chance to fine you for speeding.

Hope the insurance comes good soon - you were lucky though, i was jacked on my driveway for my cooper s back in 2005...

Good luck...

[Lawrothegreat]

Quote: Originally Posted by Veryangry (original)

but they were very quiet and I just thought some people were hanging around outside the house and did not check. When I finally looked out of the window and spotted them, they were nearly finished and they walked off with my bonnet while I was on the phone to the police.

That's a bad deal.

It was probably best you didn't notice until it was too late. If I saw that happening I would find it incredibly difficult not to go down and confront them. But you would end up worse off. This sounds like a professional job - I'm sure they had all the tools they needed on both accounts. One hopes the end user is not in on the theft.

[ALD0]

Firstly need to check the MINI was fitted with an alarm,secondly test it if it is as to why it did not go off.
Hope you get it sorted with ease with your insurers.

[alski]

it might not help, but ebay often has location of seller, too many minis around for it not to be a "local" job

[Randall Raines]

You're quite lucky really (not meant in a bad way ), a mate of mine heard someone messing around outside, then what he thought was banging on the door (someone kicking his door in, if they'd have tried the handle the door was open but that's what your up against, They're not always the brightest), he was then confronted by 3 masked men . shouting for the keys (they'd passed them on the way to confront him), he just pointed to the keys and they were off (his other ½ & young children upstairs ).

He is quite a handy lad who would have normally said (reading about it happening in the paper) "I'd've sorted them out" but he did the right thing as it's only a car, nothing gives them the right to do what they do, but it isn't worth dying over which could have easily happened .

As I said he was quite a handy lad, but it shook him up quite badly and he sold up and moved (they actually did about 3 cars on the same estate, some of them just normal cars (not sporty ones), each time turning up in one that they had got from somewhere else, the same way).

Another thing that's happening more and more (as the 1st post), cars being stripped of parts on streets & car-parks, I've come across a number of VW Golfs (through my job ) that have been stripped of interiors (nice leather seats) on car-parks or outside homes due to the better security on cars these days.

So watch out if you have those nice works seats fitted .

[Ant FR]

the prime example of this was at last years doncaster show where a guy parked his subaru in the car park and walked off to the show, he was followed in by a guy who ensured he was in there and then his mates back in the car park proceeded to strip the impreza of all its parts, including wheels brakes, interior and engine parts. no one batted an eyelid.

I have to say, i am lucky as in my house with me there 3 of us all 6ft 3 and above with a steady supply of bats. Yes you weigh the situation up, but its the old fight or flight situation. However if i had kids or a Mrs in the house i would'nt even think about being the hard man.

A

I honestly believe people caught doing this should be locked up minimum of 4yrs, and who should pay for it, their family should fund some of it.

Human rights are something all have a right to, however criminals waive that right by definition of who they are.

Check ebay, i assume they were phase 2 lights by the sounds of it, hopefully once they fit the lights to there own car they will cause a short circuit and lock the doors then cause their car to burst into flames thus killing said thieves. A long shot but fingers crossed.

[Randall Raines]

Quote: Originally Posted by Ant FR (original)

I honestly believe people caught doing this should be locked up minimum of 4yrs, and who should pay for it, their family should fund some of it.

The annoying thing about the case that I mentioned is, they ( the POLICE) actually caught someone in the car the next day, but he said that he had just bought the car for a few hundred pounds (£10,000 plus car ), but as they ( the POLICE) couldn't prove that he was in the house and my mate couldn't identify him as being in his house (because of the masks), the driver got charged with Handling Stolen Goods and the usual driving offences, no Insurance etc... etc... and got away with the things that he would have got a long sentence for (the POLICE said he was definitely one off them as he was known for it (doing it before )) .

Quote: Originally Posted by Ant FR (original)

Check ebay, i assume they were phase 2 lights by the sounds of it, hopefully once they fit the lights to there own car they will cause a short circuit and lock the doors then cause their car to burst into flames thus killing said thieves. A long shot but fingers crossed.

They have more than likely took them to fit on their own car and won't be-able to get them (xenons) working, so they will probably end up on eBay or some other auction site .