Bad month for thefts.

[Paulro]

I set out on this beautiful morning in the Cali only to hear what sounded like the silencer dragging along the ground....
I stopped to find my spare wheel has been stolen. It had a vw locking bolt fitted.
On Wednesday I was called by the police asking if I owned a silver Vespa and did I know where it was?
I think it's by my house chained up I said. Where do you think it is, I asked?
Abandoned on a farm in Dundry, about 5 miles from Clifton where I live in Bristol.
I rushed home to find the Vespa chained securely but on checking, the number plate had been stolen.

So, two attempted thefts of my Vespa's, a stolen spare wheel and a number plate in a month.
I'm tired of all this.
Each bit of criminality too small to justify an insurance claim so it hits the wallet.

 

[calikev]

Sorry to hear that paulro.

 

[fatty thumb]

Sorry to hear of your bad luck. I have a vw locking bolt on mine how did they steal your spare wheel did the have a key

 

[Paulro]

Sorry to hear of your bad luck. I have a vw locking bolt on mine how did they steal your spare wheel did the have a key

No idea but it's the locking bolt that's gone!

 

[Meoncoast]

Sorry to hear your issues, think I will avoid Bristol !!!
did you have spare safe as well as locking wheel bolt?

 

[Paulro]

Sorry to hear your issues, think I will avoid Bristol !!!
did you have spare safe as well as locking wheel bolt?

No, just the locking bolt.

 

[zoki]

So to confirm they still got past the locking wheel bolt? If you had a spare safe would this have stopped the theft? Reason I ask is we have had about a dozen spare wheels stolen in our area from Caravelles, I thought I was safe with the VW locking bolt.

 

[calikev]

With a sparesafe it shields the locking bolt preventing access

 

[Paulro]

So to confirm they still got past the locking wheel bolt? If you had a spare safe would this have stopped the theft? Reason I ask is we have had about a dozen spare wheels stolen in our area from Caravelles, I thought I was safe with the VW locking bolt.

Apparently not. Even with the VW locking bolt you need the spare safe. Just buy it. It's not cheap for what it is but if it does the job then it is worth every penny.
I don't use the Cali much in the winter. Charge it every month and the odd run out so don't check spare so often, about once a month.
I could have left on a trip and found a problem in the middle of France!

I'm becoming tired of all this rubbish. Just before xmas I bought a beautiful bmw z3 roadster that I drove to leave in Portugal and it was here two nights and was keyed down one side. Soul destroying.

 

[Gary&Heather]

We had our spare wheel stolen from Costco carpark while we were shopping we had the VW locking bolt and on the same night our transit van got broken into no tools in it though the police told us there was a gang going around with skeleton keys for transit vans they are just scum

 

[WelshGas]

Sorry to hear of your bad luck. I have a vw locking bolt on mine how did they steal your spare wheel did the have a key

So to confirm they still got past the locking wheel bolt? If you had a spare safe would this have stopped the theft? Reason I ask is we have had about a dozen spare wheels stolen in our area from Caravelles, I thought I was safe with the VW locking bolt.

The Locking Bolt works on the Alloy wheels on the vehicle because the bolt head is shrouded so you need the Key Socket or a smaller socket to smash on with a hammer to get the bolt out.
On the Spare wheel carrier the Locking Bolt is not shrouded so a pair of Stillsons/Mole Grips can compress the head and turn the bolt. The Spare Safe provides the shroud.

 

[steve and lisa]

Our spare wheel was stolen last year, we have no idea when or where it happened as the scumbags re attached the empty carrier/cage so it could of been like it for ages. We also had the VW locking bolt which is obviously not fit for purpose. We now have a spare safe, barn door and all that !

This problem is obviously rife!

 

[B J G]

I doubt if there is 100% secure method especially when there are professional tools to remove security bolts available.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Draper-Ex...499786?hash=item2ecdb2250a:g:sEAAAOSw4shX17xf

I've tried to think of a complete metal cover but it would need a padlock which would look unsightly and could be beaten by bolt croppers.

 

[Loz]

An additional secondary security device like a bike lock looped through the wheel and chassis member might be enough to slow or stop the thief.

 

[B J G]

An additional secondary security device like a bike lock looped through the wheel and chassis member might be enough to slow or stop the thief.

Good idea. I'm thinking along the lines of a method whereby the wheel centre or bolt holes could be utilised for fixing the wheel to the carrier. Wheel can be dropped but not slid out without more time/effort.
Belt and braces but I believe in making life difficult for thieves.

Haven't got a Cali to look at, play with yet so just speculating stage.

 

[Trailertrash]

We have motorhomed for ten years.
We never wild camp.
We never leave the van unattended at motorway services.
We always pull down the blinds on sites and leave the radio on when we go off for the day.
If we go to a pub for lunch we always leave the van where we can see it from the pub. If not where it can be seen from the pub.
It is parked outside the house because we have no option but we always leave a low watt outside light on and a device which imitates a TV on the room overlooking it.
We never leave anything on the seats.
We have fitted the spare wheel lock from the shop.
We always leave our electric bikes with alarm locks on the van bike rack.
These are very desirable and valuable objects. Also. thieves know that there is every chance they will be carrying laptops, TV's and mobile phones.
If I caught anyone breaking into it they would find a thousand years with Beelzebub bliss compared to two minutes with me and my Marks and Spencer club handled brolly and pepper spray.

 

[Andy]

Good idea. I'm thinking along the lines of a method whereby the wheel centre or bolt holes could be utilised for fixing the wheel to the carrier. Wheel can be dropped but not slid out without more time/effort.
Belt and braces but I believe in making life difficult for thieves.

Haven't got a Cali to look at, play with yet so just speculating stage.

They can still nick it. Put chain through wheel centre and through hole in chassis as well as a wheel safe on the locking bolt. This will make it much harder to nick spare.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[Paul Morris]

I set out on this beautiful morning in the Cali only to hear what sounded like the silencer dragging along the ground....
I stopped to find my spare wheel has been stolen. It had a vw locking bolt fitted.
On Wednesday I was called by the police asking if I owned a silver Vespa and did I know where it was?
I think it's by my house chained up I said. Where do you think it is, I asked?
Abandoned on a farm in Dundry, about 5 miles from Clifton where I live in Bristol.
I rushed home to find the Vespa chained securely but on checking, the number plate had been stolen.

So, two attempted thefts of my Vespa's, a stolen spare wheel and a number plate in a month.
I'm tired of all this.
Each bit of criminality too small to justify an insurance claim so it hits the wallet.

That's really bad. Keep your head up m8

 

[Tetley2]

They can still nick it. Put chain through wheel centre and through hole in chassis as well as a wheel safe on the locking bolt. This will make it much harder to nick spare.

That's exactly what I have done, it's quite discreet and even matches the colour of van.

 

[Paul Morris]

Call me paranoid but i have security camera watching my cali.

 

[steve and lisa]

Call me paranoid but i have security camera watching my cali.

How will that help in a car park?

 

[Paul Morris]

No, your right. The lens isn't that good.

 

[soulstyledevon]

An additional secondary security device like a bike lock looped through the wheel and chassis member might be enough to slow or stop the thief.

Volkswagen should have the spare wheel locking nut inside the rear of the vehicle. Wouldn't be harder to design that.
Anyway, sorry about your run of bad luck. I have the locking nut , plus a bike lock. I'm not saying it will stop them. But it sure won't make it easy. So far my spare is still present.

http://s14.photobucket.com/user/soulstyledevon/media/My Van/F94EF79F-35E6-4596-828D-00E8D89728E1_zps2yan0m5y.jpg.html][/URL]

 

[Paulro]

Volkswagen should have the spare wheel locking nut inside the rear of the vehicle. Wouldn't be harder to design that.
Anyway, sorry about your run of bad luck. I have the locking nut , plus a bike lock. I'm not saying it will stop them. But it sure won't make it easy. So far my spare is still present.

http://s14.photobucket.com/user/soulstyledevon/media/My Van/F94EF79F-35E6-4596-828D-00E8D89728E1_zps2yan0m5y.jpg.html][/URL]

Might work for you. Wouldn't here. A pair of good bolt croppers will take that chain easily. I have 16mm pragmasis chains to protect my scooters but they are a fortune as well as the locks.
We shouldn't have to do it and it's such a shame.
Bristol is a nice place to live but it's not cheap. We pay to park outside our houses and sometimes that's not possible, but there's not a security camera anywhere to be seen.
Anyway, I've sorted it and purchased a spare safe. It's the same bolt so I guess the thieves will get the correct bit and just take it all including the spare safe.

 

[WelshGas]

Might work for you. Wouldn't here. A pair of good bolt croppers will take that chain easily. I have 16mm pragmasis chains to protect my scooters but they are a fortune as well as the locks.
We shouldn't have to do it and it's such a shame.
Bristol is a nice place to live but it's not cheap. We pay to park outside our houses and sometimes that's not possible, but there's not a security camera anywhere to be seen.
Anyway, I've sorted it and purchased a spare safe. It's the same bolt so I guess the thieves will get the correct bit and just take it all including the spare safe.

To my knowledge no one who has a SpareSafe fitted has lost a spare wheel. I could be mistaken,