NZ's Top 10 most often stolen cars

[tibbs.james 1]

Despite My E30 Not looking very good and being a 4 door I always worry about it.

A Mates Primeria got stolen from his driveway

His other Car also got broken into.

And my Girlfriends horrid old corolla even got broken into. ( ok 86 front wheel drive corolla why ? )

I just totally avoid parking my car on the street or where i can't see it if im visiting somewhere.

Always get nervous leaving it at the movies.

Polytech is ok because i can see it from the classroom window!

I will get an alarm for both my cars when they eventually leave the garage from surgery.....

[str8_6 275]

One cool feature of my E36 coupe (not sure if others have this?)...

If I manually push the lock button down on the doors, I can use the inside door handle to unlock and then open the door, but if I use the factory remote to lock the doors, I can no longer open the doors when using the inside door handle. It's also pretty impossible to unlock it by trying to pull the lock up with fingers as it sits flush with the panel. The four door e36's still stick out slightly when locked.

Found this out one day when waiting in the car. Give it a go.

[Apex 693]

I've been considering getting a dynatron 3600/3800. It says in the description the difference is a proximity transponder. What is a proximity transponder?

As far as I know it’s the transponder that communicates with the immobilizers brain, having one will save you from having to disarm manually after the 40 second auto immobilizer kicks in.

I would go for Cyclops TBH, its just as good if not better than Dynatron for less but as said even the best alarm is useless without a proper install. We spent 8 hours on mine!!

Expect to pay 800 for a 4 star imobilizizer/alarm installed properly, 1200 for a "blackwire" job.

[williams 0]

when u do the locking with the remote it puts the central locking on double lock,when u unlock the car manually then the alarm horn should sound,

[CamB 48]

Apparently (allegedly) they use a battery jig saw, cut open the bonnet in the right place, hook up their makeshift ecu to fire the car and piss off, stripped same day.

If they're that keen, they can have it. I am insured.

Besides, it just looks like a 318i with an M badge anyway.

[Jeddy 0]

As far as I know it’s the transponder that communicates with the immobilizers brain, having one will save you from having to disarm manually after the 40 second auto immobilizer kicks in.

I would go for Cyclops TBH, its just as good if not better than Dynatron for less but as said even the best alarm is useless without a proper install. We spent 8 hours on mine!!

Expect to pay 800 for a 4 star imobilizizer/alarm installed properly, 1200 for a "blackwire" job.

Have had quotes between $450-700 for the 4 star 3600. But all but one of those quoted at $450 and all at pro places, no el cheapo.

[my_e36 43]

About 4 years ago I had my D7600 installed for $699

Proximity sensor is saving you to have to push a button to disarm immobiliser if you don't start the car within 40 seconds of disarm the alarm. Also useful if you sit in the car or you are the kind that leave car keys in the car. Because if it detects the "tag" in the key barrel, it won't arm the alarm, save you the embarressment of locking your own keys in. For that to work, you need a habit of keeping the keys in the barrel instead of on the seat/floor/etc...

For a aftermarket market to do double lock (dead locking), your sparky will need to build a simple circuit for the alarm to emulate what the factory circuit does. Trigger lock for single lock, unlock for full unlock and both lock and unlock for double lock. (if this make sense to you.) Mind you, I have only read these somewhere, never tried it myself.

[bravo 35]

E30's don't have pillarless doors, but the lock buttons (except on the cabby) make for a 20-sec break in using the same method unless the doors are double locked.

What I want to know is how they go about breaking the steering locks.

[oscar90 0]

kill switch on fuel pump. hide the switch REALLY WELL...saved afew mates cars

one of the many things you can do

could always leave a big dog in ya car aswel

EDIT: but if theyre good, and want it...they'll have it eventually

Edited October 1, 2008 by HT.

[the stig 0]

I've got a kill switch on connecting to my coil, works well

[QuickSilver 0]

E30's don't have pillarless doors, but the lock buttons (except on the cabby) make for a 20-sec break in using the same method unless the doors are double locked.

What I want to know is how they go about breaking the steering locks.

I've accidentally broken a steering lock on my old car, it was just a pin that slid into a hole, and snapped WAY too easily.

[bimmer boy 21]

I got a 5-star alarm put in my old 325 which took them like 5 or 6 hours to wire up with black wiring and all that jazz. Worked a treat too bad the internal glass sensor was far to sensitive and took great joy in waking me up at 4am in a panic thinking perhaps this time somoene is stealing it. Then I realised it was a auto E30 and went back to sleep.

But the E36 is only a 318is, and is insured for far more than it worth so I dont mind if it gets stolen.

But el oh el at Lantis

[E30 325i Rag-Top 2957]

What I want to know is how they go about breaking the steering locks.

Most people don't actually engage the steering lock properly when they get out, which makes it easy to break them off.

In case you don't know, once the keys are out of the ignition you should turn the wheel until you hear a loud click, which is the pin engaging in the lock. If not engaged just giving the wheel a real hard yank will snap the pin and break the lock.

For all the cars on the list, I would guess they are the older versions, as there are more of them in NZ and they are easier to steal. Modern cars have better anti-theft as standard, plus datadot security on parts, etc.

Recent trends from Uk are people being car-jacked to get the keys to modern cars, or breaking into the house to get the car keys (a fishing rod through the letter box to get the keys off the hall table is a common one). My mate had his Renault Clio Sport nicked by someone breaking in while he was asleep upstairs, taking the keys then just driving off!

Like someone said - if they want it that bad, they can have it! Still scumbags though.

[hotwire 352]

E30's don't have pillarless doors, but the lock buttons (except on the cabby) make for a 20-sec break in using the same method unless the doors are double locked.

What I want to know is how they go about breaking the steering locks.

Steering locks broken as mentioned or by using a slide hammer with a screw at the end which is screwed into the barrell then hammered out.

As mentioned with alarms - there are many good alarms out there BUT ANY alarm is only as good as the install.

To do properly takes a lot of time to carefully conceal the module well & wire the system to look as factory, immobilising different circuits.

If the module can be found - the system can be easily overidden.

Also a car with a turbo timer & an earlier alarm/immobiliser (with no delay arm function for immobiliser circuit) can simply be overidden.

I have seen many cowboy alarm installs that I could overide in a couple of minutes flat.

Any alarm/immobiliser install only really buys you time or you hope they get pi--ed off & go find an easier target

Another thing - not ALL crooks are dumb! Unfortunately!

[jordyboy2 0]

Last weekend down in sunny matakana

The parentals Landrover Discovery 3 got broken into, They smashed the passangers window, the crooks (im guessing 14-16yr olds) probably didnt know about the factory alarm and it scared them off.

Funny thing is there was a whole heap of montblanc stock in the back and it didnt even get touched

But $800 for a window replacement JEEEEEZE

[Matty104 0]

I got a 5-star alarm put in my old 325 which took them like 5 or 6 hours to wire up with black wiring and all that jazz. Worked a treat too bad the internal glass sensor was far to sensitive and took great joy in waking me up at 4am in a panic thinking perhaps this time somoene is stealing it. Then I realised it was a auto E30 and went back to sleep.

But the E36 is only a 318is, and is insured for far more than it worth so I dont mind if it gets stolen.

But el oh el at Lantis

solved with a pair of wire cutters haha

[antony 0]

When we used to park our cars in central chch (weren't allowed cars at our boarding school, so we'd keep them on the street), we used to take the distributer lead.