GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

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S_94
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Re: GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

Post by S_94 »

monkeyhanger wrote: Wed May 08, 2019 5:39 pm
S_94 wrote: Wed May 08, 2019 5:24 pm For anyone with a GTI+ do you feel safe enough with disabling the keyless entry when you exit the car or do you take any further security precautions?
I feel safe enough not disabling and using as intended. Depends where you live I suppose. North Tyneside is not known for car crime. Going off the forums, it would seem that if you have a Golf R or S3 and live in Coventry or Birmingham, you are highly likely to have your car stolen by burgling your house for the key.
Yeah that makes sense. I feel safe in my area but the amount of car thefts I see being shared on Facebook has made me a bit paranoid.
chris.tayler wrote: Wed May 08, 2019 5:59 pm
S_94 wrote: Wed May 08, 2019 11:00 am When I've been exiting the GTI+ I've been pushing the little notch on the handle in to stop the car listening for the keyless entry. Means the next time I go to the car I have to use the fob.

Gives me a little bit of comfort but still on edge with the whole keyless entry system and people boosting signals.
Now thats something i didnt know about. I use the indent to lock the car and just place my hand in to unlock.
I didn't know until someone on here mentioned it. When you push the lock button on the fob push the indent in within 5 seconds and the car disables the keyless entry.
SRGTD
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Re: GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

Post by SRGTD »

S_94 wrote: Wed May 08, 2019 6:29 pm I didn't know until someone on here mentioned it. When you push the lock button on the fob push the indent in within 5 seconds and the car disables the keyless entry.
From the owners manual;

Temporarily deactivating Keyless Access
Keyless Access can be deactivated temporarily as described below so that the vehicle cannot be unlocked and started due to misuse by unauthorised third parties.

  • Lock the vehicle with the ‘lock’ button in the vehicle key.
  • In addition, touch the sensor on the outside of the door handle once within five seconds ⇒ Fig. 59Ⓑ . Do not reach into the door handle.
  • Keyless Access is now temporarily deactivated.
  • Check deactivation by waiting for at least ten seconds and then pull the door handle again. It should not be possible to open the door.

When the vehicle is next unlocked, it can be unlocked only using the vehicle key. The keyless locking and starting system Keyless Access is reactivated the next time the vehicle is unlocked.


One of the first things I do when I get a new car is to go through the owners manual. Not the most exciting read (but if you’re struggling to sleep, useful to read last thing at night 😄), but if I’ve spent thousands on a new car, I want to make certain I understand how everything works, and I don’t suddenly discover a ‘new’ feature of the car 2-3 years into ownership that I didn’t realise it had that I could’ve been using and benefitting from.
Andy Beats
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Re: GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

Post by Andy Beats »

SRGTD wrote: Wed May 08, 2019 6:40 pm One of the first things I do when I get a new car is to go through the owners manual. Not the most exciting read (but if you’re struggling to sleep, useful to read last thing at night 😄), but if I’ve spent thousands on a new car, I want to make certain I understand how everything works, and I don’t suddenly discover a ‘new’ feature of the car 2-3 years into ownership that I didn’t realise it had that I could’ve been using and benefitting from.
I can't remember the last time I referred to any owners manual. :|
I feel having to do that is a failure on the manufacturer's part to make the car intuitive to use.
SRGTD
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Re: GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

Post by SRGTD »

Andy Beatsd b wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 9:35 am
SRGTD wrote: Wed May 08, 2019 6:40 pm One of the first things I do when I get a new car is to go through the owners manual. Not the most exciting read (but if you’re struggling to sleep, useful to read last thing at night 😄), but if I’ve spent thousands on a new car, I want to make certain I understand how everything works, and I don’t suddenly discover a ‘new’ feature of the car 2-3 years into ownership that I didn’t realise it had that I could’ve been using and benefitting from.
I can't remember the last time I referred to any owners manual. :|
I feel having to do that is a failure on the manufacturer's part to make the car intuitive to use.
That maybe so, and I agree that if the main features and functions of a car aren’t intuitive to use, then that’s a failing on the manufacturer’s part, but you could be missing out on some of the ‘nice to have’, non-essential features of the car, some that you might find useful, like the ‘Think Blue’ trainer that you didn’t discover until recently.

There are lots of car forums with ‘things I’ve just discovered about my car’ discussion threads. On VW Golf forums, the reverse-activated dipping kerbside mirror function has cropped up fairly regularly - owners didn’t realise they had this feature or know how to set it up. When I had my Golf, I set mine up within the first couple of days of ownership after going through the owners manual - found the dipping mirror to be a useful feature when parallel parking and miss not having it on my previous generation Polo.

Also, little things like how to switch on / off the air con feed into the glovebox, displaying the analogue clock on the infotainment screen when the infotainment system is switched off, temporarily disabling keyless entry - easily left undiscovered if not for that book in the glovebox, or the knowledge of those forum members who’ve gone through the manual.
roywolfey
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Re: GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

Post by roywolfey »

SRGTD wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 10:20 am Also, little things like how to switch on / off the air con feed into the glovebox, displaying the analogue clock on the infotainment screen when the infotainment system is switched off, temporarily disabling keyless entry - easily left undiscovered if not for that book in the glovebox, or the knowledge of those forum members who’ve gone through the manual.
I wonder how many people know how to activate the Manual Coming home light function that operates the headlamps for a predeterimed amount of time after leaving the car. This is something that I had to dig in to the handbook to find out..

For the record, after the ignition is off, you pull back on the light stalk (as if you were flashing your headlamps) and then upon leaving the car the headlamps will illuminate for the amount of time predertermined in the Car > Lights settings.
Andy Beats
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Re: GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

Post by Andy Beats »

roywolfey wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 11:00 am For the record, after the ignition is off, you pull back on the light stalk (as if you were flashing your headlamps) and then upon leaving the car the headlamps will illuminate for the amount of time predertermined in the Car > Lights settings.
I know about it, but the pull on the stalk is an unacceptably long time - so it's ignored.
vc-10
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Re: GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

Post by vc-10 »

I'm looking forward to when my current housemates move out and I can have his parking space at the back of the house, as it's in a secured alleyway where you can't really see the cars from the street (certainly not close enough to see if the car has keyless entry!).

In the meantime... my key goes in a little metal dish (actually the bowl from my free-standing mixer!) in the hope that it will stop anyone using a relay!

Joe Lycett did a segment about keyless cars on his show 'Got Your Back' on Channel 4, showing just how easy it was to drive off in a new Range Rover!
Andy Beats
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Re: GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

Post by Andy Beats »

vc-10 wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 11:52 am I'm looking forward to when my current housemates move out and I can have his parking space at the back of the house, as it's in a secured alleyway where you can't really see the cars from the street (certainly not close enough to see if the car has keyless entry!).

In the meantime... my key goes in a little metal dish (actually the bowl from my free-standing mixer!) in the hope that it will stop anyone using a relay!

Joe Lycett did a segment about keyless cars on his show 'Got Your Back' on Channel 4, showing just how easy it was to drive off in a new Range Rover!
Articles like that really annoy me, as I feel they do enable it happening more.
Ok they didn't tell you where to buy the equipment, but they did show what it looks like and how to use it.
I'd no idea it had two parts to it that need lined up like a laser (their words), now I do.
So the 'curious criminal' now has more information to enable them to do it too.
I really don't get this "we're going to show you how easy it is" thing.....NO DON'T!!!!
stevereeves
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Re: GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

Post by stevereeves »

Not sure if I posted it on this forum but one alledgy anti-theft UK TV show 'helpfully' demonstrated how to gain entry into absolutely any car without any tools, just bit of brute force to a door - with very easily repaired damage. I'm told in the 'States that 'fast, expensive and desirable to low life cars' are sometimes known to be removed by a low-loader truck equipped with a crane can appear and literally lift the car away. Hate to be a 'glass half empty' person but there is almost always a way to steal something, if a thief really (really) wants it they will find a way eventually. All anyone can do is take whatever deterants & precuations they are able, to make it difilcult for a thief who will move on to the next, more easily stealable item. And don't get me started on the stuff I see left on car seats: laptops, cameras, tablets, phones, games consoles, money :shock:, Marshall amplifiers, Moog keyboards, Gibson Les Paul & Fender Stratocaster guitars :shock: :shock: , etc. They can't all be police 'sting / target' cars....
Dark_cze
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Re: GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

Post by Dark_cze »

stevereeves wrote: Thu May 09, 2019 3:59 pm Not sure if I posted it on this forum but one alledgy anti-theft UK TV show 'helpfully' demonstrated how to gain entry into absolutely any car without any tools, just bit of brute force to a door - with very easily repaired damage. I'm told in the 'States that 'fast, expensive and desirable to low life cars' are sometimes known to be removed by a low-loader truck equipped with a crane can appear and literally lift the car away. Hate to be a 'glass half empty' person but there is almost always a way to steal something, if a thief really (really) wants it they will find a way eventually. All anyone can do is take whatever deterants & precuations they are able, to make it difilcult for a thief who will move on to the next, more easily stealable item. And don't get me started on the stuff I see left on car seats: laptops, cameras, tablets, phones, games consoles, money :shock:, Marshall amplifiers, Moog keyboards, Gibson Les Paul & Fender Stratocaster guitars :shock: :shock: , etc. They can't all be police 'sting / target' cars....
Only way is to have good insurance and hope they will never found what ever remain from car after thieves are done.
peeceeuk
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Re: GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

Post by peeceeuk »

I parked next to a new Polo Beats today in a multi storey.
While there, I took a peek at it and the interior was really nice.
Eventually though, I noticed a scratch across the back door into the rear wing panel.
I was gutted for whoever the owner is.
It was through the black paint and down to silver.
I couldn't help but assume that it was not accidental nor was it fresh so it was not something that had happened while parked there on this occasion.

Scum, subhuman scum.

Feeling for the OP here too.


@Stevereeves: As I was looking in the car I noticed a bag on the rear seat. They don't have to have anything in for some curious nob to want to get to it.
Andy Beats
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Re: GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

Post by Andy Beats »

peeceeuk wrote: Sat May 11, 2019 8:20 pm I parked next to a new Polo Beats today in a multi storey.
While there, I took a peek at it and the interior was really nice.
I gave some people a lift on Friday night, the first thing they said was "ooh nice interior"
hamslice
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Re: GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

Post by hamslice »

Hey guys, OP here.

Great to see so much life on this thread - thanks for all the kind words, and it's great to read everybody's experience and advice.

I have lots to update, but the short of it is "Dooneese" is in good hands at the moment. Fleetline in Croydon seems great, and I'm confident they can get it back to new.
They are finding some more damage from the original garage, and passing it back to the independent engineer to approve so the insurance company can approve works.

Short of it is that the OG did such an utter bodge job that it would have shown loads of leaks and damage in a year or two. Additionally there was the actual interior damage they did trying to do those repairs.
I think they must have employed real Orcs from Mordor to do the work.

Further, there is the ongoing structured anger we are directing back at the insurer - with actual effect. This is going to rumble on....

Anyway, would love to share some details ASAP as thanks and for everybody's reference .

More soon!
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Re: GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

Post by Mike222 »

Can someone out there confirm if a Disclok anti theft device will fit on a Polo GTI ? Do the flappy paddle gear levers prevent fitment?
SRGTD
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Re: GTI+ Stolen, Recovered, Manhandled by Insurer's Garage - Need a VW Garage

Post by SRGTD »

Mike222 wrote: Sun May 26, 2019 8:20 am Can someone out there confirm if a Disclok anti theft device will fit on a Polo GTI ? Do the flappy paddle gear levers prevent fitment?
Pretty certain it’d be the small one you want - that’s the one that mk7 Golf GTI and R owners get and I think the Polo GTI steering wheel is the same size. I wouldn’t think the steering wheel paddles would hinder fitting the Disklok as they’re no where near the rim of the steering wheel so shouldn’t get in the way - you could always contact Disklok (contact details are on their website) and ask them just to make sure, if there’s no one on the forum that uses a Disklok in their GTI/GTI+ to confirm the paddles don’t cause fitment issues.

The Disklok website shows you how to measure your steering wheel to ensure you buy the correct size Disklok. Probably worth also getting;
  • the steering wheel cover, to prevent the risk of the disklok marking / denting the leather rim of the steering wheel
  • the storage bag that has Velcro tabs on it so you can secure the Disklok to the boot floor when it’s not in use. If the Disklok is just left lying in one of the foot wells, or on a spare seat or left loose in the boot, I’d imagine it could become a dangerous heavy projectile in the event of certain types of car accident that could cause some serious injuries to occupants in the car.
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