Stolen Car ? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

drbrandini · #1 01-07-2003, 06:32 PM

Just curious how many if any here have had there MB stolen? Without the Key?

Thanks for the response

jsmith · #2 01-07-2003, 07:19 PM

i always believed that MB's are hard to steal. my sister once got in her 300sd and when she went to insert the key, she found a dent puller stuck in the ignition! the car thieves had broken through her rear quarted window got in and found they couldn't yank the cylinder with their favorite tool of choice!

drbrandini · #3 01-07-2003, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jsmith
i always believed that MB's are hard to steal. my sister once got in her 300sd and when she went to insert the key, she found a dent puller stuck in the ignition! the car thieves had broken through her rear quarted window got in and found they couldn't yank the cylinder with their favorite tool of choice!

Wow, Thats crazy !

420SEL · #4 01-07-2003, 08:01 PM

We had a Cadillac Deville stolen. Those things are easy to rip off. If you have a ring of 30 GM keys one of them is bound to start any GM vehicle is what the local cops told me (with regards to 80s models anyway).

LuckyF8 · #5 01-07-2003, 10:53 PM

You can start a 1965 Mustang, without a key, so easy.

Got a Paper Clip?

drbrandini · #6 01-07-2003, 11:12 PM

So no one knows of an MB being stolen without a key??

Mark DiSilvestro · #7 01-07-2003, 11:18 PM

In high school, a fellow students' 1959 190b was hotwired by a thief. The bad news was, the thief didn't realize that '59 Benzes had steering locks until he tried to round the first curve and crashed into a power pole!

Happy Motoring, Mark

BenzOnline · #8 01-07-2003, 11:34 PM

our older 95 Jeep Grand Cherokee was stolen once and my dad found something jammed into the driver door lock of the 126 at his work so I guess that was someone trying to get in.

And another easy car I heard to steal was any minivan from Chrysler or in that matter......any car from Chrysler!!!

Don HO · #9 01-08-2003, 03:43 AM

It can be done

i tryed it in my own car but i don't think i could brake the steering lock

But if Somebody would steal MY car......if i would get the guy he would be found dead dressed in a miniskirt

84300DT · #10 01-08-2003, 08:32 AM

with my '73 superbug i just used to take the coil wire with me when i left it someplace 'questionable' like at the airport, etc

jsmith · #11 01-08-2003, 09:52 AM

i'm confused. what can be done, start the car? if you can't break the steering lock then you still can't drive it. i guess if the car were lifted by crane onto a flatbed then it could be taken without the key

G-Benz · #12 01-08-2003, 10:40 AM

Even in the movie "Gone in 60 Seconds featuring Nicolas Cage, there is dialog there regarding obtaining MB keys so they can fill their MB orders...so it's probably common knowledge among the pros that you can't steal an MB w/o a key.

Don HO · #13 01-08-2003, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jsmith
i'm confused. what can be done, start the car? if you can't break the steering lock then you still can't drive it. i guess if the car were lifted by crane onto a flatbed then it could be taken without the key

I was able to start the car, but i didn't want to damage anything so i wasn't going to brake the steering lock.
I think the newer MBs have some sort of a Computer key so it wont start unless the key gives a signal to the computer in the car.

Quote:

Originally posted by TXBill
Well now THAT is certainly interesting.

You wouldn't belive the number of cross dressing car theifs these days

jsmith · #14 01-08-2003, 12:30 PM

i'm really curious about the answer to this. i wonder if just breaking the steering wheel lock is enough to be able to drive the car away. the story i recounted about the dent puller is true. it was on an 83 300SD. the lock was engineered to be "theft proof" and you can't force it out of there. i wonder if there are any failsafe's supposing that you do manage to break the steering lock. i'd really like to hear of a case where a benz was stolen this way.

blackmercedes · #15 01-08-2003, 01:44 PM

I hired two ex-car-thieves to design alarm system installs for my auto electronics biz.

They could steal ANYTHING. No kidding. Now, with the advent of electronic keys, things have changed. Flat-decks are the tool of choice for those cars. Some car thieves use laptops and code-grabbers, but that's pure pro stuff. Steal-to-order.

An older MB isn't too tough, but why bother? Not a big market for the parts compared to Big Three or Honda/Toyota products. The rarity of the cars on the street means high odds of being spotted driving it.

New MB? Pros will steal them for export.

Breaking the steering lock is easy in ANY car, new or old. Sit in the passenger seat and use your leg to snap the lock. A couple kicks will do it. The guy that tried to slide hammer the ignition lock on the MB was uneducated. Too used to grabbing Chevys. On the MB, the harness is easily accessed under the dash. Of course, this means you have to break the steering lock, and not just release it as can be done in many other cars.

The MB locks (older) are not drill proof or hammer proof, but do require more effort.

And yes, we had a few MB cars come through (126's) for alarm install after being "stolen without the key."