This must be the simplest scam in the book.
Bought a VW for £7,000 with only one remote key fob. Paid the seller cash *However* I did perform a HPI check and made damn sure the paperwork, VIN numbers etc.. matched up.
Drive away a happy bunny but then 4 days later my car is nicked. The seller's phone is disconeected and the address he was using turns out to be a bedsit and he hasn't been seen for days. You can tell I suspect the seller, especially since the car's alarm (Thatcham approved factory fitted system) did not go off and there was no broken glass. VW reckon the only way to nick it is with a tow truck or the Keys.
So my question is, what is there to prevent someone selling you a car, then using a spare key to nick it the next day...?? and is this common?
Brains
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I always have this in the forefront of my mind when I buy a house. Fortunately, with a house you can change the locks quite cheaply and I do this absolutely ASAP after I move in. I'm surprised that car manufacturers haven't realised that you need to be able to do this with cars as well, and haven't made provision for this to be done at a reasonable cost.
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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Indeed, it is not economical to replace all the locks on a car.
But if I were to buy another car privately I would do the following:
1) When signing the log book, write down my name but a friend's address. Then when the new logbook comes through change the address back to mine. This will throw the thief as he won't know where to pick up the car.
2) Have an anti-jacking switch fitted in a hidden place (car will only start if you press the button).
Cheers
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Indeed, it is not economical to replace all the locks on a car.
But only because car manufacturers haven't thought about it deeply enough. My euro-profile house door locks are capable of being modified so as to require varying pattern keys. I made use of this characteristic to enable me to have one key that fits both the front and back door locks. Replacement/additional keys are available by presenting the approved locksmith with a plastic card that has the key details electronically recorded on it.
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L\'escargot by name, but not by nature.
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As you say - a very simple scam.
Even if you got both keys, the seller could have made another copy. Depends on how far away from home you're going, but even if you gave a mate's address, 'they' might still see you around (or the car would get nicked when you visited!).
One of the better steering wheel locks might foil this?
I guess this kind of thing is made easier with mobile phones, a more mobile population, and selling tools like Autotrader and the Internet. In the 'old' days, you used to buy out of the local paper and ring people at home - still possible to be scammed but you had more of a 'feel' for who you where dealing with.
I've often wondered about the £30K+ cars you see in Autotrader (X5's etc) - how terrifying must it be buying one of those from someone on the end of a mobile?
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"When signing the log book, write down my name but a friend's address. Then when the new logbook comes through change the address back to mine. This will throw the thief as he won't know where to pick up the car."
He can then take out his frustration by nicking your friend's car in the conventional way!
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With my Jag each individual remote needs to be made known to the alarm/immobiliser. If you reprogram the system eg. to replace a remote, you have to have all the other remotes available for the registration sequence or they will not work afterwards. It is still possible to open the doors manually with the key but the alarm will go off and the ignition will not operate.
The obvious solution is to have the security system reprogrammed by a dealer if you don't get a full set of keys/remotes or suspect that the seller may have had another remote added.
> Have an anti-jacking switch fitted in a hidden place (car will only start if
> you press the button).
Better to use existing switches:
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=21...3
Kevin...
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I do business in West Africa and am alert to scams but this would never have occurred to me.
Sorry for your loss but thanks for the warning.
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I do business in West Africa and am alert to scams but this would never have occurred to me.
Oh?
I am the son of Sani Abacha, and have salted away US 27.4- million dollars...
Back to motoring...
Ever noticed how all Nigerian cars have the registration number etched onto everything? windscreen wipers, headlights, dashboards, steering wheels, wheels mirrors etc etc etc...
Obviously chop-shops are big business!
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£37,352was £37,557Details
£29,500was £30,900Details
£13,377was £13,786Details
£51,151was £54,050Details
