Seizing vehicles

InsideInsurance

The truck and the drivers hi viz was marked with the branding of the car park's enforcement company and so presumably the vehicle was being taken due to outstanding parking tickets - though there was no penalty ticket on the windscreen.

Only the one guy outside the truck was visible though I didnt go peering inside the cab window to see if others were in there leaving their mate to do it alone.

I was more curious as to if this is a new trick on how to move cars without the owners permission or if the engineer 12 years ago or so was wrong (another possibility I guess was the stolen vehicle had been taken from gravel or such where the skates might not work)

AdrianC

InsideInsurance wrote: »

I was more curious as to if this is a new trick on how to move cars without the owners permission or if the engineer 12 years ago or so was wrong

Definitely the latter

(another possibility I guess was the stolen vehicle had been taken from gravel or such where the skates might not work)

Simple enough to work around with some steel plate - or even planks of wood.

Rover_Driver

We had skates like that where I worked in the mid 70s. They were on casters and two rollers that went either side of the wheel, the two rollers were 'winched' together by a lever and ratchet system, as they did, the rollers lifted the car wheel off the ground.

colino

Everything can be stolen it only takes a matter of weeks for a manufacturers hi-tech, new system to be got around. (Ask the many recent BMW drivers where their keyless cars have gone overnight). However a RR Sport would need both the main battery and the security back-up to be entirely flat/disabled and even then, hoisting a heavy car like that on to a truck on dollies is for the very brave or stupid.
Don't recall Mercedes of any flavour being advanced at all in terms of security.

forgotmyname

If you watched Clarksons Motorworld in Japan they had vehicles away on little towing dolleys years ago and took them a couple of minutes at most.

Years ago when the 206 Cabriolet's were popular a mates neighbour had their stolen off the drive by a pickup truck. Neighbours watched it and assumed it was broken down the alarm was going off also. But they thought nobody would steal it in broad daylight.

Strider590

I've heard of debt collectors using wheel dollies to take cars when the driver has failed to pay the finance.

Richard53

OnanTheBarbarian wrote: »

Also, if there is a recovery truck in attendance and some hi-vis vests about, it all looks official and few, if anybody, would most likely ask to see some credentials.

There was a spate of motorcycle thefts in London a couple of years ago. Two guys in overalls and a white van with 'Mike's Motorcycle Repairs' or similar painted on the side. If they found a bike that wasn't chained to something solid, they would back the van up, lift it on, and were away in under a minute.


Your eye sees the signwriting on the van and assumes it is a legit operation, even if the bike's alarm is going off.

arcon5

InsideInsurance wrote: »

A good few years ago I remember one of the in house engineers suggesting a claim for a stolen Mercedes was rejected because the security on them were now so good that the only way to steal one was with the key/fob or by hoisting it onto a low loader and with where the car was there was no way a low loader could have gotten to it.

Fast forward to last night and as I walked through the station carpark to get home there was a RangeRover Sport that had been jacked up, what looked like roller skates strapped to each wheel and was now being winched up onto the back of a low loader.

Was the former engineer wrong and hoisting never was necessary? Is this idea of lifting the car onto coasters to allow it to be pulled about a new idea? I guess Mercedes could have some security that RangeRover doesnt but that sounds very doubtful.

Sounds like the insurance companies was trying to find an excuse to not payout - and it worked.

Avoriaz

Herzlos wrote: »

That's how they move cars into shopping centres and convention halls etc...

Why would coasters be used?

Surely they could either drive the car in under its own power or, if that is not allowed because of exhaust fumes or noise, put it in neutral, release the handbrake and any other brake and push it in on its own wheels.

forgotmyname

Not allowed because of health and safety muppets

Tyres may damage the floor also. Just needs to pickup a small stone on the tyres tread and it may ruin the floor.