AMGTestDriverNJ

Hey Barry, after reading most of the thread, I think I saw someone mention you might want to look out for your wheels on craigslist/ebay ect. I was thinking, even if you came across a set of local E class wheels how would you be able to claim them? Could be anyones MB OEM wheels. However, I thought to myself, why don't you mark the inside of the wheel with a permanent marker of some kind? Your initials maybe, idk, just something that sets yours apart distinctly from the rest. Then, if anyone ever took another set from you, you could easily identify them and catch whoever took them. Maybe they wouldn't notice whatever marking you did if it was more discreet. Give it a shot, there are so many spokes who would see? Also, if the tires ever come off, you can write something on the top of the wheel that gets covered by the tire. Just thought that may help you out if it were ever to happen again.

Barry45RPM

I couldn't can't claim them... besides I have a brand new set all around already on the car... but I would inform the Police Detective assigned to the case so they could go talk to them & see if they're legit or could prove how they happen to have a set of wheels for a car they don't own. Its just a way for police to locate suspects.

Barry45RPM

1 car garage. Wife's car is in there since she goes to work hours before I wake up.

There's no lesson to learn here. We can park our cars anywhere & have a reasonable right to expect it to remain intact. The people who took the wheels are NOT businesmen, they're Theives.

gnma

+1

ruffrob

+2

starbrite

Barry, have you thought about installing motion detector floodlights covering your driveway ? Might be a inexpensive deterent.

Dema

I doubt that the same car will be all time target unless the thief is really crazy or has something personal, like in movie "Watch out of a car".

Barry45RPM

There's a eve mounted flood light aimed at the car on the driveway. It was set to turn on at 6 PM & off at 2 AM. Now its set for 7 AM.

Besides... these guys come as a small well equipped group & get in & out in a matter of 2 minutes or so probably between 3 & 5 AM, when no one's around. I know when I go to the airport at 4:30 AM for a morning flight to FL & I have to wait for the defrosters to clear the windshield, I'm a little uncomfortable, sitting there in the dark, with my luggage & presumably travel cash on me.

ivanj

Many years ago a friend of mine was a NJ factory MB customer service rep whose territory included Massachusetts. He gets to drive an "executive car" as a perk of the job. Anyway he parks the car at his girlfriend's in a Boston suburb and spends the night. The car is GONE in the a.m. Rich and Jan's bedroom was right next to the driveway so you know these guys were good, and the car did have an alarm, etc. so they called the town police.

It turns out it was the Mass. Dept. of Revenue who was having a snit with MBUSA about excise taxes or something who "appropriated" the car. They were going to auction the car off to pay for these alleged taxes.

Now the police chief in this town was having none of it (esp. since the DoR had not had the courtesy to tell him what they intended to do) so he puts out a theft report. The next you you know some solon from the DoR was on the news being handcuffed by a police agency for having stolen the car! He had decided it might be nice to drive the car around until the "auction."

kustom2k1

Jez US man, thats why i moved the **** out of NY. Why live in that **** hole, in my 20 years of driving 6 cars stolen one was stolen twice and 1 motorcycle. And you live in the suburbs, just goes to show when times is tuff everything in NY is for FREE, dont kid yourself you dont own **** your merley enjoying it for the time being.

wampa

wow, you replied to a thread that was almost a year old

bahador

That makes me sick to my stomach...I hope the guys that stole it end up crashing their cars and losing their hands...I would cry If I came out to that..Literally..

xr650rguy

your car looks like mine now. Mine came from Mercedes with those wheels (2006 model, 3/06 build)

NorseWagon

I installed security cameras all around the house, including one that monitors the driveway. (Another 1 car garage family)

Also security lights with motion detectors that lights up pretty bright to assist the cameras night recording.

Then a big sign that says "Smile you are on Camera".

If all of that is not enough to keep the scumbags at bay, then there is another sign with a jaws kind of picture that says Beware of Doberman, backed up by an 80 lbs dog that looks just like the picture.

Never had any problems really...

(Not paranoid, but I travel for a living and plenty of houses in my neigborhood has been broken into lately, the thieves are now targeting flat screen TVs.)

Barry45RPM

Its a year old original post alright... But the system these guys use to get the wheels into their van is foolproof & lightening fast... like a pit stop.

Anyway, got new wheels & tires in 4 days. The initial experience was upsetting, but the Dealer Service Dept didn't charge me list price, sent road service to my home to install, & GEICO repaid me for all but my $50 Comprehensive deductible.

The weather had been beautiful, I had been cruising around windows down, SAT radio playing, enjoying life, and the next morning Poof! A dose of reality.

starbrite

Barry, I was up at Huntington MB last Wed getting my car inspected when I noticed an S600 in the back, resting on it's rotors. The service manager told me the wheels were stolen the night before And, that's under bright lights and survellience cameras. Not to mention locked gates in the front. When these bad guys want your wheels it seems there's just no stopping them.

ivanj

That's why I don't let my SO food shop alone especially in shopping centers close to major highways. They want the car and they want her (or small children, etc.) What won't they take?

Barry45RPM

Well... on the one year anniversary of the theft of my wheels, comes the sad news that the little rectangular plastic plug in the right rear bumper that covers the Tow Hook receiver on my car is gone. Pffft!

I asked how it could have fallen off and was told by Parts that it didn't, because it also has a plastic tether line so you can let it dangle whith the Tow Hook in place... someone had to ****** it.

Apparently my color (747 Granite) is so rare that MB doesn't stock any color matched plugs, so they ordered a primed one that I have to take to the body shop for paint. I'm gonna hate the fact that its probably not gonna be the exact same color... and I'm NOT gonna paint the rear bumper! Damn. Cost without paint? $28.00 . Stay tuned.

ivanj

Friend has a 1999 Lincoln. She parks it in the bank parking lot; force of habit I always check her car over because she knows NOTHING about cars and she hits potholes and so on so I want to make she and I are safe. The car is fine (don't ask me about the scrapes in her bumper cover.)

We are gone for 10 minutes tops. On return I notice that some bottom-feeder has pried the left taillight lens from her car.

No, you can't buy the lens alone, have to buy the entire new assembly plus labor to put it in, close to $700 total. I found her a lens at a junkyard and glued it in. Gee, I got to relive my youth calling around and going to a junk yard - that was the only positive thing about it, yeah right. Junk yard man said lenses of any kind and brand are a very popular item recently. Fancy that.

We immediately reported the theft to the "meter maid" who was busy giving out tickets in front of the bank. She said that sort of thing happens all the time and we should file a police report. Her job is to give out parking tickets. I was amazed that she didn't see it happen. Maybe she did and she is a cover? I hate to think like that.

Tymah123

I had that little plastic cover stolen from my garage in our condo building where we only have 6! spots and everybody knows each other! How the hell?? Nobody has a Mercedes in that garage which is underground and only people with spots have access to it, don't know why would anybody need that part?..

JonMBZ

They usually come up missing after the car is towed many of them come to the dealers with missing tow hook covers and sometimes they forget to add the rebound strap to them secure and they fall off. I doubt people need to steal these as they are fairly in-expensive. Just watch out for your mirrirors especially the drivers side the glass alone can run you $600 and they get stolen because of this.

weinschela

Sorry Barry. I had one of these come off my 05 E500 in a car wash. At the time (I no longer own the car) my color was not so usual either -- Capri Blue -- and I had no trouble ordering a prepainted one. I did have to wait a few days. Is it possible your dealer was just being lazy? (Oh, did I say that a dealer could be lazy? Please excuse me).

Barry45RPM

Actually they DID have to order it. It came in black primer. Dropped it off at the body shop this morning. They looked at the paint code, said come back tomorrow & they'll install it.

Kerby

Hey Barry, when your wheels were stolen did insurance cut you a check after providing them receipt of your purchase?

Did they give you a check to go out and make your purchase?


Also (LOL, sorry), Is it common practice to have them just give you parts instead of money?

TheGreatOne45

hmmm my car doesnt have a plastic tether line. i was rear ended in january and the rear bumper (which was the original bumper) did not have a plastic tether and the new bumper that replaced it doesnt have a tether either.