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MG MGF Technical - possible serious security risk

hello

i not been on here for a while but i really need your help.

i want to know if anyone has ever had there car stolen in strange circumstances?

my 53 reg tf was outside my parents house last week when it was taken after i had been inside only 5 mins. i have been stating there recently so it was in its usual parking place.
they managed to turn off the alarm, unlock the doors (roll?) the car down the slope to the bottem of the street, take a 90degree bend, drive straight for 70yards then turned slightly and hit a tree.

the car had been locked up when i found it. there was no damage to any locks, alarm or steering lock. the car was definatley locked when i left it, witnessed by my mother. the keys, alarm fob, and spares have not left my house except in my possesion.

i will post my (and the mg dealers) worrying theory on here later but i would really appreciate it if you could give me my views on how this has happened, particually turning right without damaging the steering lock.

thanks for any help, im sure you will understand how worried i am

san
san

It might have been towed away from the rear. the front would have followed until the wheels turned and the steering lock engaged, then the car would have made up its own mind where it wanted to go. They may have pushed it into a tree in frustration at being foiled?

The alarm wouldn't have gone off because it only works on the volume of air in the car being disturbed (at least that how I think they work).
Kevins

San, I can only describe the circumstances of how your car happened to be found in a tree as bizzare! No idea other than Kevin's suggestion...

If you solve the mystery, we'd love to hear the follow up.
Rob Bell

hiya,

thanks for your suggestion, i not had much luck with my post on the general board. people seem to think it rolled bit there is absoloutly no chance of that. ive asked various police, mechanics and other people for their oppinion and they all say it cant have rolled that way.

i dont think it was towed because the car moved forwards. im really worried about my dealers theory.

i dont know if i mentioned on the other thread that someone was seen running away from the car.

seeing the insurance assessor tomorrow so may have some answers then, also contacting the car crime unit for their suggestions.

i want to know what happened because at the moment i cant use car other than for work where it is parked in a secure area. cant even live at my own house because if someone has got a key i dont want to conme out and find it gone again.

san
san

The strangest thing here though is that the car was found locked. The TF doesn't have passive locking - which means that if the car were 'joyrided' into the tree, the cretin who drove it there was being unusually thoughtful in relocking the car!

Good luck with your investigations. What the dealer has revealed is indeed extremely worrying - but who knows whether this is the circumstances of this strange crime?
Rob Bell

BTW on another post I mentioned about wiring a fuel pump cutoff switch, if your happy doing this I can and would like more info I can provide circuits that might be useful.
Will Munns

>>> take a 90degree bend, <<<
Is it at a T ? In that way that the truck turned left, the car rolled of the truck, and hit the tree. Or the other way around, truck turns right, looses the car which hits a tree (like it turned left).

hope this shows up clearly:
<---truck---Дж----car/tree--

Why would he unlock and lock it again ?

Erik

>>> hope this shows up clearly: <<<
No it didn't... It's supposed to show the T junction between the truck and the car/tree combination.
Erik

San,

if you're worried about someone being able to get into and take the car, why not take it to a random indpendant garage (not the MGR dealer, who I can see you have some suspicion of) and ask them to install a cutout switch; either off the solenoid or (as Will suggests is easier) the fuel pump? The switch could be hidden away quite easily.

Personally I like the switch on the solenoid, as when you try to start the car with it cut out, the starter motor turns but the engine can't fire up. It sounds *just* like you have a flat battery! It also makes one hell of a lot of noise...

Jamie
J Wakeham

Errm if it's on the solonid it will not turn and be easy to bump start - you are talking about on the LT side of the coil.
Will Munns

Oops. You may well be right. It's a long time since I last put one in - I've trusted the F's alarm and immobiliser (up till now).

Jamie
J Wakeham

Brown with a black stripe on the VVC, white on the MPi to cut power to the coil(s).
Will Munns

thanks for your suggestions, i will be getting some sort of extra security not sure what yet. the insurance dont seem to want to change my locks!

i think the car had gone too far away from the bend to have got there from lorry, possible tho.

il let you know if i ever find out.

san
san

I realise I am coming late to this link but I can't resist lateral thinking problems.

Which model TF do you have ?
Was the top down ?

My TF 115 does not have a volumetric alarm, only an alarm on the doors, boot and bonnet.

Therefore it would be possible, if the top was down, for someone to climb in and release the hand brake, without setting off the alarm, so it could then be towed from the front ???

Thanks

Mark
Mark Styles

Or you forgot to put the Hand break on. It then followed the fenceline down and hit the tree. This is a more likely scenario!

Steve
Steve

What was the dealer's theory? I take it you also have the fobs and keys? Only things I can think of that would allow you to steal one of these would be either to have a fob that's known to the car or to have an appopriate key and the unlock combination.

The fact the car was locked when you found it suggests this wasn't the case though.

Leigh Reid

This thread was discussed between 30/11/2004 and 17/12/2004

MG MGF Technical index

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