A bit of a whinge, and an ask for suggestions - the more devious the better.

[Calps]

About 5 weeks ago I discovered the nearside headlight washer cover was missing from my F10. Grand Theft Auto was obviously my immediate reaction, although for the sake of my sanity, I told myself that it had probably broken off as I'd been driving in some rough weather the 2 days beforehand. Resolved to do some searching on eBay - these are hard to find readily available in Imperial Blue and MSport bumper compatible - but not to worry, it's just a small piece of trim, something will turn up in due course. It's not like the other parts are going to disappear, right!?

Yeah, about that....

Tuesday this week, I discover that the offside cover, and the front towing eye cover, were both gone. Wednesday morning, the rear towing eye cover had vanished. The car had been nowhere, so this happened right outside my doorstep over 2 nights. I live relatively deep into an estate, at the bottom of a cul de sac. There is no passing traffic. Someone had to travel quite a bit to do this, it wasn't just an opportune moment. Unless it's someone within the estate (which I'm really hoping it isn't - we live in a nice spot, you shouldn't sh1t where you sleep, and I've not seen a similar colour car as mine), I worry that I've possibly been followed from further afield, which is a tad unsettling. None of my neighbours (who have similar marques) have had their cars tampered with that I know of, so I'm guessing it's not a blanket take-bits-off-all-the-nice-cars type of move that just swept through our village.



This has had an unexpected impact on me - I'm wary of others on our village now, casting suspicion on anyone with a similar looking F10 in the locality, checking noises at night, and leaving lights on etc. I'm also quite pissed that someone has done this on my doorstep. Not that it would have been any better had it happened whilst parked up in town or elsewhere, but this is our home, where my family are supposed to feel safe and secure in their surroundings, and this has been threatened by persons unknown. It's changed how we think, and I hate that.

So now I've got some problems to resolve:

1. Replace all the bumper inserts - straightforward, just more difficult that replacing just a singular piece. Availability is ok, but colour matching is the main hurdle, plenty of Carbon Black out there, but not Imperial Blue. Given their size, I'm considering buying spurious parts and spraying them at home. Never attempted anything like that before, so any suggestions welcome. Equally, if there are easier ways to find these trim pieces, please point me in the right direction

2. Restore the feeling of security we had before this happened. This will return as time passes, providing there are no re-occurrences. We had been considering getting some cameras anyway (not that we really needed them, but an entry level system is relatively inexpensive, is a small outlay for the additional peace of mind it would provide, and we have an external shed which we want to start storing more stuff in). Now we feel like we need it. That feeling irks me. Are there other things we could do? A dog/honeybadger/lion all contained in a moat? Some ED-209s?

3. How to stop them being taken again, identifying the culprits, and/or extracting revenge. I'm looking for suggestion ranging from the practical (make them really hard to remove/mark them with a discreet identifier etc/could I link them to the alarm?), to the devious (packing them with fireworks/ink/something really smelly, diverting the camera funds into some automated machine guns?).

Maybe it's just some kids messing, maybe I've stumbled upon an international crime gang, maybe they did all just fall off..... who knows

You seems like a well balanced bunch, so suggestions/advice/calls for me to MTFU are all welcome, before I place an ad in the Wanted section for some gun turrets.

 

[mr.tourette]

Thats both annoying and quite odd in the sense they never took all the bits at once..almost reeks of kids/teenagers behaviour i.e do something quick then leg it..dont get caught..go back and do it again, its hard to think anyone would need all those bits that are easily removed but the fact its not happened to any neighbours cars is weird too. Have you or any of your kids had a fall out with local arsewipes? Could be a snipey little way of payback. I often worry about my cars as I'm the first out in the street telling them to sling their hook if they're up to no good. Think cameras are you best option here..my next door neighbour has just has a system put in for 500 quid, 2 cameras of decent quality and a 7 day recording system, good value for security and peace of mind

 

[M1k3yC]

I've had cameras for a couple of years. I haven't used them for solving crime yet and hopefully I don't have to. I find them really useful, though, because if something random happens or changes in an area they cover I can go back and check what caused it. Or if my security lights suddenly come on or I hear a loud noise at night I can look at my cameras from my phone or tablet without bothering to get out of bed.

On the subject of things falling off BMWs, the outer part of the emblem (the shiny bit, not the black plastic back) fell off the boot of my 1 series quite recently. I am 99% sure it fell off because I have camera footage of it leaving my garage intact and returning missing. It was parked up at my parents' but only for a short period of time and reversed into their drive. No damage and the front emblem was still there. If you do have cameras covering your car you would be able to tell if something fell off in the same way I did. I'd also expect them to be motion activated so you can usually skip to the footage of anyone walking around in their field of view.

 

[Calps]

Thats both annoying and quite odd in the sense they never took all the bits at once..almost reeks of kids/teenagers behaviour i.e do something quick then leg it..dont get caught..go back and do it again, its hard to think anyone would need all those bits that are easily removed but the fact its not happened to any neighbours cars is weird too. Have you or any of your kids had a fall out with local arsewipes? Could be a snipey little way of payback. I often worry about my cars as I'm the first out in the street telling them to sling their hook if they're up to no good. Think cameras are you best option here..my next door neighbour has just has a system put in for 500 quid, 2 cameras of decent quality and a 7 day recording system, good value for security and peace of mind

We're relatively unknown here, and any interactions we've had have all been good AFAIK. We get along well with the neighbours, and the past year has inhibited our ability to get to know others, let alone piss them off

My kid is too young to have hacked anyone off (unless there's an unspoken power struggle between the 3yr olds on the street that were not aware of). And even if there was, I'd probably just be impressed that they managed to mastermind something like this.

Cameras are probably the way forward. Maybe some with built in lasers....

 

[TitanTim]

Sorry this has happened to you

It does look like they have been nicked to be honest if it's a regular occurrence. It was quite a common thing a few years back especially BMWs with the towing eye covers appearing on eBay at 15 quid a shot a few days later with owners reporting them missing on various forums. In fact it was on one BMW forum where someone had their towing eye cover go missing and a few hours later one in the same colour and car model turned up on eBay with the seller being local to the victim.

Not too much you can do except I would get a camera installed anyways, I've got a Ring Cam over the garage door linked to a solar panel which works well and Neos cam which points through a front room window and also works great, of course even if you capture the culprit I don't think the Police would do that much.

"Stick Up Cam Solar – Ring" https://en-uk.ring.com/products/stick-up-security-camera-solar

"Neos SmartCam | Neos SmartCam" https://shop.neos.co.uk/products/neos-smartcam

Both cams work well with Alexa using an echo show if I want quickly look at anything without using the phone.

Unsure if you have a garage but if so try and use it, out of sight out of mind and all that and the best way of detering this type of petty theft.

Tim.

 

[Crazy Harry]

OK so a left field suggestion - what has the weather been like with you? It was frozen here for days - and our cars never moved, never got warm not even in the sun.

When I was a kid a remember how milk used to freeze on the step (yep the good old days) and pop off the foil caps. In my mind its not too much of a stretch to imagine water freezing behind the plastic bits (which are all designed to pop off) and giving them a bit of a lift as it expands. Next day the car warms more water runs into the gap and so the process goes on.

Can I explain why you and not other cars on the estate - no..... but if you are in a frost pocket; if you've had the bits in and out before and they are a little warn; if the other cars haven't moved - well it might just be.

 

[mr.tourette]

hmm..its definately arsewipe behaviour of some sort, some local cnut has lost one part I'm willing to bet and spotted your car and decided to have the washer cover then probably gone back and took the other bits as insurance against possibly losing other bits. There is a lot of arsewipes out there unfortunately. You have had the shitty end of the stick but don't let it cloud your view of where you live , sadly this type of person is everywhere.

 

[TitanTim]

I'm pretty sure the towing eye covers on BMWs have a retaining line or strap attached to the back of the cover so if it pops out it's not lost, unsure with the headlight washer covers on the bumper.

Tim.

 

[dr_john]

+1 for the Ring camera as Tim says

We have a couple of them on our house, totally wireless and rechargeable batteries so no wiring to do at all. They go for several weeks between recharge, although I am thinking about adding a solar panel just because I like gadgets and technology. Great for keeping an eye on things while we are away even if it's only watching the cat coming and going through the catflap.

 

[TitanTim]

+1 for the Ring camera as Tim says

We have a couple of them on our house, totally wireless and rechargeable batteries so no wiring to do at all. They go for several weeks between recharge, although I am thinking about adding a solar panel just because I like gadgets and technology. Great for keeping an eye on things while we are away even if it's only watching the cat coming and going through the catflap.

Can recommend the solar panel John, the cams battery is always fully charged and really only drops a little on very dull days but I have the panel south facing so gets the sun or brightness all day and the cable runs into the car port.



Ring did have a bit of an issue a while back with an App update not including the solar panel as a power source option which was a pain but at the time I had the original cam and solar panel and when I mentioned it to Ring they sent me the latest cam free of charge which was good going really as my old cam was 3 years old so can't grumble. I just had to buy a new solar panel as the old panel wasn't compatible with new cam but it sorted everything out and been working fine since.

Tim.

 

[M1k3yC]

Another great benefit of cameras is the ability to check how bad the weather is in the morning without bothering to get out of bed

 

[Calps]

Not too much you can do except I would get a camera installed anyways, I've got a Ring Cam over the garage door linked to a solar panel which works well and Neos cam which points through a front room window and also works great, of course even if you capture the culprit I don't think the Police would do that much.

"Stick Up Cam Solar – Ring" https://en-uk.ring.com/products/stick-u ... mera-solar

"Neos SmartCam | Neos SmartCam" https://shop.neos.co.uk/products/neos-smartcam

Both cams work well with Alexa using an echo show if I want quickly look at anything without using the phone.

Unsure if you have a garage but if so try and use it, out of sight out of mind and all that and the best way of detering this type of petty theft.

Thanks for the links! I didn't consider a solar based option, and it definitely appeals from an ease of installation viewpoint. My main options so far was a wired 6 camera with DVR setup. It's roughly €400 cost (which I think is quite reasonable), but installation isn't included, and there'd be plenty of holes to be drilled!

The side of the house is gated, and will soon be covered over, but that's where the Z sleeps. My F10 and my wife's car have pride of place out front on our drive. It's very much a case of the needs of the few outweight the needs of the many :lol:

OK so a left field suggestion - what has the weather been like with you? It was frozen here for days - and our cars never moved, never got warm not even in the sun.

I had thought about that, but the sequence of events, and the fact that they weren't on the ground anywhere nearby (despite the car not moving for days before/after it happened), had me rule it out. The washer covers also need "help" to come out, they're not something thaat pops off. I examined the offside one to check this after the nearside went missing. Thanks for the suggestion though.

don't let it cloud your view of where you live , sadly this type of person is everywhere.

It will pass, the good far outweight the bad, and we're actually quite happy here. My mind is just in a particular place right now. My GruppeM arrived yesterday though, so plenty to be distracted by

even if it's only watching the cat coming and going through the catflap

Could you check the movements of your feline on Monday & Tuesday night? I'd like to rule out the possibility of a cat burglar....

Another great benefit of cameras is the ability to check how bad the weather is in the morning without bothering to get out of bed

Most of us are living in 2021, but you my friend, are living in in 3021!

 

[ronk]

I had a stainless steel banded spare wheel cover stolen from a Shogun some years ago at a previous house. It was a decent/ low crime area as well.

There was another shogun 1/2 a mile away that had a new cover fitted a month later !
I suspected but couldn’t prove anything.

 

[srhutch]

I lost the front towing cover off my E87. No idea if it fell out of was nicked, but I do suspect the latter.

I replaced and this time managed to secure it with a cable tie so if it did fall out it wouldn't get lost. Doesn't stop it getting nicked, but at least this way you know for sure.

 

[Calps]

There was another shogun 1/2 a mile away that had a new cover fitted a month later !
I suspected but couldn’t prove anything.

My car had just been washed, so I had been looking out for a grubby one with clean covers on. It was a pointless endeavour though, like you said, wouldn't prove a thing (and knowing my luck, it'd just be a coincidence, and not the culprit).

I replaced and this time managed to secure it with a cable tie so if it did fall out it wouldn't get lost.

I like this. Cable ties won't stop them being nicked again, but it'll make the amount of effort and time needed to do so increase by a few factors. Hopefully it'd represent a deterrent, rather than a challenge they need to rise to.

 

[earthdweller]

Id certainly be checking eBay and the like for them it’s not unusual for parts to be stolen

Last year a friend bought a brand new sporty Ford Fiesta ST thingy

Three days after she bought it she went out in the morning from the house to where it was parked on her drive.

All four wheels, wing mirrors, front and rear bumpers had all gone during the night

It’s quite common believe it or not !

BMW headlights and I-drives are frequently taken

 

[jabber]

Get some cameras for peace of mind

 

[ben g]

100% they've been nicked, unfortunately.

I remember someone I know 'borrowed' some centre caps and a wing mirror cover off a couple of cars because their ones went missing :lol: terrible really, but it happens and there's not much you can do about it as they're easy to pull off.

Cheapest option is to get a ring doorbell. I have one and it's great to have as a bit of security. Drives me mad when I'm out washing the cars, so I have to turn motion detection off, but other than that, it's a decent wireless camera for just over £100.

Also, most people don't seem to realise they record as soon as they detect motion. Some idiots seem to think if they knock on the door, rather than press the doorbell, it won't record :lol:

 

[domsz4]

have you got a local facebook group? worth joining and saying if you have as it may be happening to others too.
Also you should report this to the rozza's. they will do sweet crap all about it but it will register as an occurrence and if this is on the rise in your village the data will be used to determine if they send any coppers more frequently.

In terms of replacing I got a rattle can of my car colour and a lacquer from a car paint place for about 40 quit. made it easy to buy a couple of generic parking sensors. small parts are easy to paint nicely

 

[Pondy]

I understand your newly found paranoia; I would be the same. It's a sign of the times and a real shame that the consensus is to install cctv. I hate the idea of having to "patrol" your personal space.

In my experience if you get replacements, don't spray them yourself. Even with colour match paint, it won't quite match and you will see the slight difference every time you look at the car and (if you are like me) it will drive you mad.