Car broken into (Jan 8th)

[Squ1rr3l]

I only just noticed this morning that my car was broken in to. I took it up to Kwik fit and they said they've seen quite a few like this. The driver door was bent out at the top so they could reach in to open it. The guy must have been pretty annoyed to only find ?3 in my car. But just walking down Melbourne Grove I've seen a couple of door tops not aligned, so I don't know if this happens often around here.

My car is 11 years old with no alarm, so I don't know if there is any way to protect it. I hardly use it as it is and it was parked around the corner from my flat, so I only just noticed. There was rain inside so it probably happened early hours yesterday or before. Is there anything I can do to deter them?

[huncamunca]

French car ?

[Squ1rr3l]

huncamunca Wrote:

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> French car ?

Yep

[huncamunca]

The Clios and suchlike are reknowned for their foil bodywork and the door bending is an easy was into them Im afraid.

make sure nothings on display and consider getting a flashing red light for the dashboard to make it look like theres a fuctioning alarm - theres not much else you can do Im afraid....

[DJKillaQueen]

Yeah I had a clio and the door was been bent twice like that for breaking into. By the second time round I'd put set mouse traps under the front seats and felt the damaged door was worth the pain I know that second scumbag thief suffered. I never bothered replacing the door and have never left anything of value in any vehicle I've owned, so they got nothing anyway.

[louisiana]

Many, many years ago - when I still had a car - this happened to my Citroen BX three times in the space of a few weeks. All they got away with was my best ever mix tape :-/ (under the seat).

Shows how much manufacturers really care about their customers, eh?

[Squ1rr3l]

Thanks guys. I looked on ebay, fake flashing red LEDs are about ?3, so that might be worth a try. And DJKillaQueen I'm loving the mousetrap idea!

They ignored the pink leather gloves, bluetooth speaker (althought it was broken), tom tom charger, and two pairs of ballet shoes in my glovebox, obviously they prefer mix tapes and short change.

[dovestail]

Sorry to hear about your car. That happened to my car too a few months ago, though they didn't get in. Luckily, was able to push the door back into shape.

If you look above the door handle, you may find an indentation from the scumbag's knee.

Apparently, they do that for leverage.

[Huguenot]

If you use it so infrequently that you didn't notice I'd advise that you sell it or scrap it, and use the carpool.

www.streetcar.co.uk

[ed_pete]

This happened to us last week at some point during the day on Thursday. We've got a Peugeot 406 and again the drivers door was bent out creating a gap. Luckily we were able to bend it back. Nothing taken as nothing of value in the car. You should report it on 0300 123 1212 or at https://online.met.police.uk/.

[HAL9000]

I've had the door-bending thing done three times while living in this area - twice on one car. But the vehicles were stolen on each occasion.

[Asset]

Door bending technique happened a few years ago to a BMW parked in our street so not exclusive to French cars.

[dulwichgirl2209]

My Peugeot was broken into last night on Friern road

This morning i found the door bent on passenger side to gain access into my car.

Nothing taken

This is the third time in 2 years this has happened and in the same way.

Spoke with SNT who stated I was the 7th person on Friern road to report a car being broken into today.

[jollybaby]

Another break here in on landells road last week. Culprit has no taste in music. Left my new take that cd in the glove box that he wrenched open.

[SammyK]

My house mates car was broken into this week in Hayes Grove, the car is practically parked on our doorstep. I can't believe how audacious these people are. She has a Peugeot 106 and the drivers door was bent out but we have been able to bend it back too. Nothing of value was taken. It visually has an immobilser and there was nothing of value on show or in the car - so it makes you wonder "why"?

We have reported it to the police.

[wendy253]

This happened to me when i lived in Clapham last year - Peugoet 206, they bent the door so much i had to have the whole thing replaced. The guy from the garage said he'd seen loads of cars in my area like that.. said whoever does it tends to target an area for a few weeks - then moves on to another borough.. looks like we're getting it now! Great... Again they got nothing.. just destroyed my car!

[Loz]

jollybaby Wrote:

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> Another break here in on landells road last week.

> Culprit has no taste in music. Left my new take

> that cd in the glove box that he wrenched open.

Not sure which is worse - having your car broken into or admitting in public you own a Take That cd...

[spark67]

Had my car Broken into on the same date, went outside on the morning of the 8th and the small vent window at the back of my 11 year old astra was smashed, the emptied the glove compartment ( chucking stuff all over the place and ripping a few pages out of the AZ for some reason) & they took my stereo which wasn't much being an old car, but it was one of those ones where the front comes off, but they took it anyway. I think they just saw my car & saw it as an easy target, i never leave anything out on show and it was parked by the kerb the end of my path practically under the bedroom window of our flat, the only time i have cursed myself for being a heavy sleeper :/

[undergran]

Our Zafira broken into twice in a week - last Thursday/Friday overnight, and again during last night. Rear quarterlight both times, but different sides. Thinking of buying shares in Autoglass! Underhill/Melford area.

[AlexBurke]

We've always left glove box/ coin tray/ everything open in our car & leave a large printed note on the dash that reads "there is nothing of value in this vehicle" & we haven't been broken into yet. i used to live in a dodgy part of east London & had no trouble there either...

[jimmyay]

This happened to me last year , in N Dulwich to my peaugot 306

Again, nothing of value or on display in the car, nothing taken ( i think they either got scared off or realised there was nothing to nick).

i managed to bend the door back. To begin with i couldnt believe what a weird way to break into a car!

[dulwichgirl2209]

My neighbours car was broken into outside his house at 5.30pm yesterday on Friern Road.

His car was not the only car to have been broken into at around that time.

Friern Road seem to be a target for car break ins.

I have had my car broken into many times during the night on Friern Road, but I have never heard it happening during the day.

Where are the safer neighbourhood teams who are fully aware of the high rates of car crime in this area?

[Bloggsy08]

yeah i have had this twice and the latest is petrol tank cap tampering. flashing LED and ensuring there's nothing in sight to tempt ... leaving glovebox open? a door reweld usually costs 50 quid so what a pain!

[jaybee82]

I had an old Peugeot 405 once - total rot box but served me well. Got in one day, noticed things were a bit drafty driving along and saw that someone had bent the drivers door out. Fortunately the whole car was held together with a lick and a promise and they must have reached inside to pull up the door lock and it fell off! Forget your expensive alarms and immobilisers, the ultimate in anti-theft is a 1992 Peugeot 405 Automatic in HMS Belfast Grey!!

My dad said it happened to him years ago when he had an old Austin Allegro in Forest Hill. They broke in, started the car and threw the greatest hits of Spandau Ballet out the window. Dad found the cassette in the space where the car should have been! He then got a call from the police saying that his car had been found broken down half a mile from where he lived...

[Saila]

And leave the doors unlocked to save on bent door draft or smashed window costs

They rifle through your cds occasionally (none of mine have been nicked yet... Hmmm)

All I've lost is a radio that didn't work and my shopping trolley pound coin