Attempted Theft of Scorpio (2nd one ALMOST stolen)

beejay · 16th October 2009, 17:51

Mailing customer care is worth every penny and you have nothing to loose.

However how will it help? You and I are aware there is some inside hand in the whole thing.
Try to get hold of the guys red handed and beat the life out of them and then make their life miserable after. Its a gamble. Considering they have broken into your vehicle and know the codes and have the key, they are likely to strike again, or they might have lost hope and never turn up again.

clevermax · 16th October 2009, 18:01

Guess you should also have some kind of primitive anti theft system which is not known by the thieves. All well known anti theft systems could be compromised by these thieves...

How about installing that standalone siren unit that is used in house doors? These kind of unexpected things will surely surprise thieves.

HuseinZS · 16th October 2009, 18:02

Hey Manuuj,

Although not a direct security for your car but some indirect security that could be considered are…

Firstly get some video cam surveillance in & around your driveway which could film the care. These cams could be set to activate as soon as they sense motion & start filming.

Secondly you could also consider is installing some bright light (with proximate sensors) around your gate which gets activated as soon as someone approaches. These lights firstly will take the thieves by surprise and may result in them walking away & secondly alert the night guard about someone’s presence around your parking space.

razorBlades · 16th October 2009, 18:22

That was a scary experience man!

I have used xenos on my bike a long back and found it not triggering the alarm for rains or heavy truck pass by..

not sure how it will work on cars :( its not that expensive too i guess.

once went for off-road in muck and i lost it somewhere due to many falls

LastActionHero · 16th October 2009, 19:34

There was a thread sometime back which said that the immobilizer codes for M&M has been compromised. Maybe it is related to this incident?

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...s-cracked.html

bj96 · 16th October 2009, 21:07

Wouldn't just taking out few fuse from circuit while parking overnight would help? For example take out fuel pump, headlight and ECU fuse out, or better replace them with broken ones- so that it is not obvious. Atleast, in addition to the normal security, this might baffle the thief and delay them in their misadventure.

Also consider buying 3 or 4 thick >12 levers Godrej Navtal Locks and a thick chain- use it as wheel clamp. Rotate locks every other day for obvious resons. Kinda pain, but can help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manuuj

is there any other company besides Autocop that you can suggest?

My 2002 WagonR has OEM Nippon make security with impact sensor. The sensitivity/threshold of the impact sensor is programmable. It can be triggered by a tree leaf falling on the hood to a large thud w/ fist. I find this very effective detterent, e.g. keeping kids with football away from my car. I am sure in the last seven years or so automotive electronics would have only gotten better than this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manuuj

It seems that as we had changed the immobilizer code from the factory default setting code of 1111.

This is a good suggestion

.
In my WagonR there was a published default code, but, in safari, TML has given me a sealed envelop with a random code- much like how banks send ATM pin.

-BJ

singh.amrit · 16th October 2009, 22:49

OT : There was a racket sometime back in Noida , the parking guys who take your keys , usually ask you how long will you take , they used to copy them , then some guys used to follow the owner home and within a few days the car was stolen .

Your case might also be the service center employee trying to make a quick buck , he has ALL the means.

if they didnot cut your gearlock , the chances of them picking the lock within those 10 minutes seem slim , they must have been armed with keys for the same , again , duplicated before , but i dont know how exactly will you be able to blame the dealership . but good luck .

bj96 · 16th October 2009, 23:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by bj96

TML has given me a sealed envelop with a random code- much like how banks send ATM pin.
-BJ

This is how I received the security code at the time of delivery for my Safari

.

PS: posting the pic because a fellow bhpian PMed me for more info about this. Thought it might be of help to others too.

maglev · 17th October 2009, 01:17

The Mahindra service center is very clearly involved, I have absolutely no doubt about it,

My sincere advice to everybody present here is NOT to give the car keys ever, and if you have to then be very very sure to remove the gear lock key.

I had read an article in one of the leading dailies of the capital, that since automotive security has moved on to a higher level, the level of knowledge the usual car thief has has also been doubled if not more.

There has been a sudden increase in the number of cars being stolen in the Delhi / NCR region after the first service. This or something similar was the heading of the article.

At all these places where we hand over the car keys, there is a very very high chance of the keys being duplicated. With modern automated machines it only takes a couple of minutes to make exact copies of the key. I have seen one of these machines in action. (Lost the keys of my esteem 2 years ago)

@ Manuuj: No matter how difficult it is but please do get a FIR registered and the idea to keep dogs as suggested by Naveenvenkatesh seems good.

_abhay_ · 17th October 2009, 01:57

I would suggest you implement some external measures like guarding the car park area using CCTV surveillance these systems have motion detection feature which starts recording a separate instance and also generate user definable alarms. You can have you multiple cars covered using same unit. Secondly Police will never deny lodging an FIR when you are armed with a video.

You can have an external position sensor, cheap and effective proximity sensors are readily available.

nitinralli · 17th October 2009, 03:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by HuseinZS

Hey Manuuj,

Although not a direct security for your car but some indirect security that could be considered are…

Firstly get some video cam surveillance in & around your driveway which could film the care. These cams could be set to activate as soon as they sense motion & start filming.

Secondly you could also consider is installing some bright light (with proximate sensors) around your gate which gets activated as soon as someone approaches. These lights firstly will take the thieves by surprise and may result in them walking away & secondly alert the night guard about someone’s presence around your parking space.

Where can i buy these kind of things? Please advice.

humyum · 17th October 2009, 05:20

Get a security system with impact sensors and shoot them to the highest sensitivity level in the nights when u park, its a very simple 30 second job to increase the sensitivity level.

Then the baap of all thieves cant remove a bolt from the car.

I have this in my swift and one touch triggers a beep for 3 second, a warning to lay off, second touch does the same and the third time it goes all out, even touching the tyres, bumpers, rearview mirrors a bit hard and the alarm is triggered

Everyone including the dogs stay miles away from the car because of the alarm.

Get this done and you should be on your way.

Btw your case also looks like a syndicate between someone at mahindra and the thieves or they were tracking the movements of your car since quite sometime.

sachinayak · 17th October 2009, 05:36

This could have its own downside, like in a case with an associate of mine in Bombay. Every night someone would throw a pebble on the vehicle and trigger the alarm. The owner would come down and reset the alarm (without really bothering since there was no apparent reason for the alarm to come on in first place). This repeated multiple times at different times of the night, eventually leading to the owner once switching off the car security system (either due to frustration or due to complaints by fellow apartment owners in the same complex). The very day the car security was switched off, the vehicle was stolen.

Quote:

Originally Posted by humyum

Get a security system with impact sensors and shoot them to the highest sensitivity level in the nights when u park, its a very simple 30 second job to increase the sensitivity level.

Then the baap of all thieves cant remove a bolt from the car.

I have this in my swift and one touch triggers a beep for 3 second, a warning to lay off, second touch does the same and the third time it goes all out, even touching the tyres, bumpers, rearview mirrors a bit hard and the alarm is triggered

Everyone including the dogs stay miles away from the car because of the alarm.

Get this done and you should be on your way.

Btw your case also looks like a syndicate between someone at mahindra and the thieves or they were tracking the movements of your car since quite sometime.

the VTEC guy · 17th October 2009, 05:41

seriously suspect service center involvement here. I believe they even checked what kind of security system was installed on your car. Other wise how would they know what steps to take e.g breaking glass won't trigger alarm and removing the door lock?
Also as suggested by others don't hand over gear lock keys while servicing. its easy to duplicate. and whats with police. they could probably get hold of thieves if they investigate since the thief left some stuff back.

aZa · 17th October 2009, 13:49

@Manuuj : This is undoubtly a work of a PRO. The service center chaps have to be involved, did you arrange a pickup and drop for ur scorpio service ? Anyway it seems you had lot of security devices on the car, GPS + STEERING LOCK + GEAR LOCK + REMOTE LOCK. I think you should add a Shock sensor/ Vibra sensor module to your car, this would trigger an alarm on any activity around the car. Should be enough to catch someones attention.

What GPS are you using ? Micro VBB or amsaki ?

16th October 2009, 17:51	#31
beejay Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: The Nilgiris Posts: 1,977 Thanked: 219 Times View My Garage	Mailing customer care is worth every penny and you have nothing to loose. However how will it help? You and I are aware there is some inside hand in the whole thing. Try to get hold of the guys red handed and beat the life out of them and then make their life miserable after. Its a gamble. Considering they have broken into your vehicle and know the codes and have the key, they are likely to strike again, or they might have lost hope and never turn up again.
	() Thanks

16th October 2009, 18:01	#32
clevermax Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tvm/Amsterdam Posts: 2,112 Thanked: 2,899 Times View My Garage	Guess you should also have some kind of primitive anti theft system which is not known by the thieves. All well known anti theft systems could be compromised by these thieves... How about installing that standalone siren unit that is used in house doors? These kind of unexpected things will surely surprise thieves.
	() Thanks

16th October 2009, 18:02	#33
HuseinZS BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Mumbai/Pune Posts: 35 Thanked: 13 Times	Hey Manuuj, Although not a direct security for your car but some indirect security that could be considered are… Firstly get some video cam surveillance in & around your driveway which could film the care. These cams could be set to activate as soon as they sense motion & start filming. Secondly you could also consider is installing some bright light (with proximate sensors) around your gate which gets activated as soon as someone approaches. These lights firstly will take the thieves by surprise and may result in them walking away & secondly alert the night guard about someone’s presence around your parking space. Last edited by Jaggu : 16th October 2009 at 18:06. Reason: Removing [Font] tags, please avoid using external font editors and use preview before submitting post. thanks
	() Thanks

16th October 2009, 18:22	#34
razorBlades BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 171 Thanked: 114 Times	That was a scary experience man! I have used xenos on my bike a long back and found it not triggering the alarm for rains or heavy truck pass by.. not sure how it will work on cars :( its not that expensive too i guess. once went for off-road in muck and i lost it somewhere due to many falls
	() Thanks

16th October 2009, 19:34	#35
LastActionHero BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: New Delhi Posts: 184 Thanked: 22 Times	There was a thread sometime back which said that the immobilizer codes for M&M has been compromised. Maybe it is related to this incident? http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...s-cracked.html
	() Thanks

16th October 2009, 22:49	#37
singh.amrit BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Lucknow Posts: 106 Thanked: 0 Times	OT : There was a racket sometime back in Noida , the parking guys who take your keys , usually ask you how long will you take , they used to copy them , then some guys used to follow the owner home and within a few days the car was stolen . Your case might also be the service center employee trying to make a quick buck , he has ALL the means. if they didnot cut your gearlock , the chances of them picking the lock within those 10 minutes seem slim , they must have been armed with keys for the same , again , duplicated before , but i dont know how exactly will you be able to blame the dealership . but good luck .
	() Thanks

17th October 2009, 01:17	#39
maglev BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Delhi Posts: 843 Thanked: 157 Times View My Garage	The Mahindra service center is very clearly involved, I have absolutely no doubt about it, My sincere advice to everybody present here is NOT to give the car keys ever, and if you have to then be very very sure to remove the gear lock key. I had read an article in one of the leading dailies of the capital, that since automotive security has moved on to a higher level, the level of knowledge the usual car thief has has also been doubled if not more. There has been a sudden increase in the number of cars being stolen in the Delhi / NCR region after the first service. This or something similar was the heading of the article. At all these places where we hand over the car keys, there is a very very high chance of the keys being duplicated. With modern automated machines it only takes a couple of minutes to make exact copies of the key. I have seen one of these machines in action. (Lost the keys of my esteem 2 years ago) @ Manuuj: No matter how difficult it is but please do get a FIR registered and the idea to keep dogs as suggested by Naveenvenkatesh seems good. Last edited by maglev : 17th October 2009 at 01:18.
	() Thanks

17th October 2009, 01:57	#40
_abhay_ BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: mumbai Posts: 38 Thanked: 4 Times	I would suggest you implement some external measures like guarding the car park area using CCTV surveillance these systems have motion detection feature which starts recording a separate instance and also generate user definable alarms. You can have you multiple cars covered using same unit. Secondly Police will never deny lodging an FIR when you are armed with a video. You can have an external position sensor, cheap and effective proximity sensors are readily available.
	() Thanks

17th October 2009, 05:20	#42
humyum Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 2,830 Thanked: 5,859 Times	Get a security system with impact sensors and shoot them to the highest sensitivity level in the nights when u park, its a very simple 30 second job to increase the sensitivity level. Then the baap of all thieves cant remove a bolt from the car. I have this in my swift and one touch triggers a beep for 3 second, a warning to lay off, second touch does the same and the third time it goes all out, even touching the tyres, bumpers, rearview mirrors a bit hard and the alarm is triggered Everyone including the dogs stay miles away from the car because of the alarm. Get this done and you should be on your way. Btw your case also looks like a syndicate between someone at mahindra and the thieves or they were tracking the movements of your car since quite sometime.
	() Thanks

17th October 2009, 05:41	#44
the VTEC guy BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Pune Posts: 564 Thanked: 140 Times View My Garage	seriously suspect service center involvement here. I believe they even checked what kind of security system was installed on your car. Other wise how would they know what steps to take e.g breaking glass won't trigger alarm and removing the door lock? Also as suggested by others don't hand over gear lock keys while servicing. its easy to duplicate. and whats with police. they could probably get hold of thieves if they investigate since the thief left some stuff back. Last edited by the VTEC guy : 17th October 2009 at 05:43.
	() Thanks

17th October 2009, 13:49	#45
aZa Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Noida / Delhi Posts: 1,595 Thanked: 25 Times View My Garage	@Manuuj : This is undoubtly a work of a PRO. The service center chaps have to be involved, did you arrange a pickup and drop for ur scorpio service ? Anyway it seems you had lot of security devices on the car, GPS + STEERING LOCK + GEAR LOCK + REMOTE LOCK. I think you should add a Shock sensor/ Vibra sensor module to your car, this would trigger an alarm on any activity around the car. Should be enough to catch someones attention. What GPS are you using ? Micro VBB or amsaki ?
	() Thanks