Dont know if this is posted elsewhere, but i got an email about a way some peoples cars and trucks are being stolen. I guess the thief walks by a targeted vehicle, write down the vin number, call the dealership telling them they need a new key (which i guess is all you need on some vehicles), pay for the key, and pick up the car, and without any damage deliver it to a chop shop. Just a heads up.

 

The dealer wouldn't ask for a name or address? Seems odd.

 

NOTE TO FUTURE THIEVES: My Mini only has one manufacturer option- a leather steering wheel. I don't leave anything of value in it either. There are other snazzier, decked out Minis that are a "better investment" of your effort, time and resources.

 

Fortunately, the extortionary cost of a new MINI key is a great deterrent!

 

New anti-theft device:

Place over VIN, no problem.
FWIW though, even if the thief got a key cut to fit your vehicle's lock mechanism, it still needs to be coded to be fully functional. I don't worry too much about this since it would cost a thief over $300, the nearest MINI dealer is 150miles away, and he'd have to wait a few weeks and find my car again before he could actually steal it. IMO it's a lot easier and more profitable to break the window and pop the ignition of a Honda than to try and steal a MINI, how many MINI owners buy engines and used parts off ebay? There's just no market to justify the risk.

 

Ha! One other thing i forgot, law says you cant remove the vin, but it only takes a short time to cover the it (electrical or any colored tape, paper, etc.)!

 

I do believe the dealer is going to be asking questions. I think they might have DMV access for this purpose, and will ask the thief to verify the current owners name and address, and possibly other identification.

 

This is an urban legend, sort of true but not really... http://www.snopes.com/crime/warnings/vin.asp

 

My sister was getting her key fob fixed on the 05, but they wouldn't even replace it under warranty with the car there w/o a copy of the registration. So waltzing in with a VIN number doesn't seem like it will yield good results.

 

my dealership takes a copy of my drivers license when they replaced my key. no worries here.