Ever had one nicked?

[Max Headroom]

Theft stinks. The Saudis have the proper cure for it - and it works!

[Norfolk Jim]

Stops them using a mouse as well !

[CitTone]

It's quite simple, there are many different types of tea leaf all with different goals. There are some out there who are very very good at what they do and some who are complete idiots who couldn't steal a car with the keys left in the ignition. Much the same as everyone who has a job, some are useless and some are very good at their jobs.

It's the useless idiots that are more of a peril. If a pro wants your car, you won't even know about it until you go to where you last saw it. The goons are the ones that leave a trail of collateral damage - handy for the Police but not very good for the rest of us who end up footing the bill, directly or indirectly.

My earlier point about motors being nicked for parts is based upon this latter type of oik, and the interchangeability of parts over a long production run, where (say) unscrupulous car dealer finds it easier to have a mate nick an elderly (but, naturally, immaculate!) high-mileage motor to provide donor panels for a more recent, low-mileage one to put on his forecourt, than find new panels. Old motor ends up in a flooded quarry, minus bonnet, wings, boot, audio, alloys.....

Maybe I just watch too many episodes of Cop Wars Camera Action Zero Tolerance for my own good

[sgould]

Sometimes that sort of thing can be closer to home.  We sacked a man for swapping car bits.

He had a company car.  At the end of three years, he bought it from the lease company to run as a second car for his wife.  His replacement company car was an identical model.

About eight months into the life of the new car, it was due for a service based on the mileage. The service garage were asked to fix some faults.  They found that the faulty parts were all about four years old and reported this back to the lease company.  He had been swapping bits from the car he bought for his wife

I worked in the same room as the transport manager.  It was quite a long list and they found other bits that were "better" but not broken had also been swapped.  Things like the radio, leather seats and stuff apart from the leaky water pump, bald rear tyres, a cracked headlamp etc.

[phoenix]

but they certainly are not stupid and do know what a catalytic converter is and how much they are worth. Try leaving one in plain sight and see how long it sits there for.

Indeed. A growing trend is to go equipped with a suitable cutter and chop the cats out from underneath high ground clearance vehicles. Two diesel vans were done in our local pub car park the other week.