Recovering stolen car
Discussion
First time this has happened for me, but it just seems to be a bit weird, so I wanted to make sure that this is how it is meant to work.
I bought a pre-reg car a number of years back. It (and my other cars) were stolen off the drive after theives broke into the house to grab the keys.
As it was pre-reg, it appears that the dealer who had been storing it had installed a tracker. A couple of days after the theft, the police called me, asking me to phone this tracker company. The tracker company asked if I realised I had a tracker in the car, and would I like them to activate it for the low fee of £250.
I agreed to pay, and about 20 minutes later, I get a call from the police on the other side of the country, saying that they are picking up the car.
I contact the insurance company, and give them the officer's details. The insurance company finds the car and retrieves it.
It is apparently shown no significant damage, but as the keys were taken, and not available, the repairers have to break in, and replace all the ECUs and security modules, as well as installing new locks.
The car is then scheduled to be delivered back to me. However, my local police force are now asking to take the car, because they want to examine it for fingerprints and other forensics. This is where I am getting a bit confused, as would this be useful, now that the car has been torn apart to replace all the security systems?
I'm guessing that this is not how things normally work, but I'm just a bit confused as to whether if the police now want the car, whether I am going to have to be without it for a period while it waits for forensics.
I bought a pre-reg car a number of years back. It (and my other cars) were stolen off the drive after theives broke into the house to grab the keys.
As it was pre-reg, it appears that the dealer who had been storing it had installed a tracker. A couple of days after the theft, the police called me, asking me to phone this tracker company. The tracker company asked if I realised I had a tracker in the car, and would I like them to activate it for the low fee of £250.
I agreed to pay, and about 20 minutes later, I get a call from the police on the other side of the country, saying that they are picking up the car.
I contact the insurance company, and give them the officer's details. The insurance company finds the car and retrieves it.
It is apparently shown no significant damage, but as the keys were taken, and not available, the repairers have to break in, and replace all the ECUs and security modules, as well as installing new locks.
The car is then scheduled to be delivered back to me. However, my local police force are now asking to take the car, because they want to examine it for fingerprints and other forensics. This is where I am getting a bit confused, as would this be useful, now that the car has been torn apart to replace all the security systems?
I'm guessing that this is not how things normally work, but I'm just a bit confused as to whether if the police now want the car, whether I am going to have to be without it for a period while it waits for forensics.
When reporting a car stolen you might have been asked how you wanted the police to proceed if the car was found, and you may have agreed to them recovering it for forensics. However Im pretty sure you can opt out of this and simply say you want the car back. If as a victim you don't want your car examining then they wont do so, however if they identify the thieves at a later time they might proceed with any investigation or prosecution as any forensics would play a big part in that,
My brothers motorbike was stolen couple of weeks ago and immediately recovered. The toerags had just rolled it away so no ignition damage. Police gave my brother the choice of taking it straight home or having it sent to forensics but neglected to tell him there would be a £190 recovery and storage fee. Worth checking in that before you commit to worthless forensics.
Aphrabehn said:
What difference does that make?
If one key is stolen and not recovered the locks will have to be changed anyway.
More thought required.
Indeed. I specifically spoke with the insurers about this, as I was unsure if both keys had been taken (as I had to check with a relative whether they had it or not). If one key is stolen and not recovered the locks will have to be changed anyway.
More thought required.
They said it made no difference. Even if I had a spare key, they recommended complete replacement of all locks and recoding/replacement of all electronics, and that if I refused to have the work done, they would not be able to cover the car for theft in the future.
Aphrabehn said:
Vasco said:
Amazed that people keep both/all keys in the same place!
Bonkers.
What difference does that make?Bonkers.
If one key is stolen and not recovered the locks will have to be changed anyway.
More thought required.
More thought etc
WatchfulEye said:
...I bought a pre-reg car a number of years back. It (and my other cars) were stolen off the drive after theives broke into the house to grab the keys.
I'm guessing that this is not how things normally work, but I'm just a bit confused as to whether if the police now want the car, whether I am going to have to be without it for a period while it waits for forensics.
Sorry if this is a really stupid question, but if it's a pre-reg car does this mean it's not registered to use on the road? I'm guessing that this is not how things normally work, but I'm just a bit confused as to whether if the police now want the car, whether I am going to have to be without it for a period while it waits for forensics.
If so, does it matter how long you have to wait to get it back - certainly if it increases the chances of catching the scrotes who took it?
sunbeam alpine said:
Sorry if this is a really stupid question, but if it's a pre-reg car does this mean it's not registered to use on the road?
If so, does it matter how long you have to wait to get it back - certainly if it increases the chances of catching the scrotes who took it?
Maybe I got the name wrong.If so, does it matter how long you have to wait to get it back - certainly if it increases the chances of catching the scrotes who took it?
The dealer had bought it new and registered themselves as the first keeper. However, if they do this, they are not allowed to sell the car on for some time. I bought it 3 months old as the 2nd keeper but with 0 miles. Presumably, they installed the tracker in case it got nicked while sitting in their storage facility/
Grumbler said:
Worth checking in that before you commit to worthless forensics.
It's not worthless. Forensics was part of the evidence against a gang that stole 2 cars off my drive, leading to a court case and the gang getting 5 years, with my car (and forensics) being one of the key cases.Bigends said:
Agreed - any exam will raise false hits if any of the mechanics have previous with the Police.
It is unlikely to get that far. Once the forensics people realise that the vehicle has been entered/worked on since it was in the thieves possession they will either not bother or do a token minimal amount of work on it. Either which way it will all be a waste of everyone's time.WatchfulEye said:
sunbeam alpine said:
Sorry if this is a really stupid question, but if it's a pre-reg car does this mean it's not registered to use on the road?
If so, does it matter how long you have to wait to get it back - certainly if it increases the chances of catching the scrotes who took it?
Maybe I got the name wrong.If so, does it matter how long you have to wait to get it back - certainly if it increases the chances of catching the scrotes who took it?
The dealer had bought it new and registered themselves as the first keeper. However, if they do this, they are not allowed to sell the car on for some time. I bought it 3 months old as the 2nd keeper but with 0 miles. Presumably, they installed the tracker in case it got nicked while sitting in their storage facility/
Interesting that they put a tracker on it but didn't advertise the fact, as it's a nice perk/extra.
Matt_E_Mulsion said:
It is unlikely to get that far. Once the forensics people realise that the vehicle has been entered/worked on since it was in the thieves possession they will either not bother or do a token minimal amount of work on it. Either which way it will all be a waste of everyone's time.
Or, as they are trained, they will ask the mechanics about how the car has been worked on, and check the areas that offenders are most likely to have touched. The Cops will be more interested in the Burglary than the car theft in most parts of the country (most forces won't forensicate* just for a car theft) but the CSI RealWorld are very good at their job, CSI Internet less so.
- Hateful word
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