Every week it seems another loved ‘Dub is stolen from a driveway, street or local carpark. And if the worst happens, even the most comprehensive insurance cover won’t compensate for the heartbreak and sheer hassle of dealing with your loss. This is exactly why owners need to be proactive to reduce the risk of VW theft, and take precautions to help recovery, if it all goes pear shaped.

First thing’s first

Stopping your beloved bus or car going missing, has to be the main priority, and as boring as it might sound, a big lumpy lockable security device is perfect for this. A visual deterent could make all the difference to the fate of your Volkswagen, if a ‘tea leaf’ is on the prowl.

We stock the cleverly engineered ‘Safe T’ Pedal, which completely covers your pedals, making it extremely difficult, if not impossible to move your Volkswagen without your say so. Built from heavy gauge steel, and powdercoated  in bright yellow, it’s pretty tricky to miss, should a would-be pilferer peer through the window. The example below being the RHD VW T4 Safe T Pedal. Other RHD versions are available for the Beetle, Split, Bay, Type25, T5 and Golf Mk1.

Additional security devices such as steering wheel locks, gear shift locks and wheel clamps also fall into this catagory; and are fairly readily available. Anything is better than nothing when it comes to persuading an opportunist thief to look elsewhere.

Alarming news

After years of being subjected to over sensitive car alarms our reactions to the sound of one going are no longer as immediate, as when they first became popular in the 80’s. If you do have an alarm fitted, be sure you know what it sounds like; and be equally prepared to go and catch a criminal as to go and close your sunroof, or shake a fist at a noisy passing motorbike should you hear it. If yours has a habit of going off for no reason, get it sorted… you don’t want to be ‘the boy who cried wolf‘.

Sadly it would seem if a thief really wants your car, the threat of an alarm isn’t too much of a hindrance. To those who call VW theft a career, the way they succeed is to pick up your VW up with a crane, and put in on the back of a truck. If you have the luxury of a garage at home, this will help no end… Got a lock up or a unit somewhere? Be selective about who knows its location. If you can block your beloved in on the driveway, then do it!

Victim of its own popularity

Where there’s brass there’s muck and as we’ve seen the value of our VWs rise there’s been an increase in interest from miscreants keen on pinching them. We touched on the subject here when we talked about the good work being undertaken by Doug Harwood from the Stolen VW Register. The aim of the SVWR is to broadcast when a VW has been stolen in the hope that a fellow enthusiast will share the news and keep a beady eye out for it; alerting the owner and local authorities if it’s spotted.

Eyes on the road

Having a bunch of enthusiasts’ eyes peeled across the nation for stolen vehicles can lead to a swift recovery – and this speedy response can be crucial, says Doug. “Vehicles are often nicked then parked up on a side street for 24 hours while the thieves watch and wait for the police. If no one comes, they’ve confirmed there’s no tracking device fitted and they whisk it away never to be seen again…”

With almost 8000 Facebook likes, SVWR’s going well – but as Doug confirms it only really works if posts are shared to reach the widest possible audience – and that is something you can all help with…

Under constant surveillance

Preparing for VW theft before it even happens could be the key to the safe recovery of your Volkswagen. The idea of fitting a tracker is not a new one, but advances in technology in recent years have made them even more affordable, and offer much more control over how they can be used.

With alerts sent direct to your mobile, you will find out the moment your car is moved. These precious hours and minutes can help the cops get on the case fast, and with a bit of luck find your VW quickly, before any harm should come it it.

As recommended by the Stolen VW Register

When it comes to your tracker of choice, do some research, but Doug says the Skytag system is good – it costs about £125, and the monthly subscription is from £6.99. Lots of us pay more to insure our phones or other gadgets, and it’s a no brainer which would create the biggest heartache if it went missing.

The evidence to have one fitted sooner rather than later is pretty compelling. “One couple had their Type 25 stolen while they went out for the day. They got a text from the tracking company and by the time they had got home their bus was being dusted for prints before being handed back to them” recalls Doug, following with “another bus got found in just four hours thanks to the tracker device that was fitted, the owners barely had time to panic that it had gone.”

We don’t write this to scare you, but the benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing; do something now, to make sure its not you next.

Ian

The opinions expressed here are the personal opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of VW Heritage