They stole my X5

[graemeX5]

Again sorry to hear the bad news.

I would reiterate about the use of deferents as Jagr has said and alarms etc. Cameras.  Trackers are good to get a vehicle back but then again you don't know what has happened to the car by those who stole it in the meantime.

The tracker I had also had to have a remote nearby the car when startedif not it would set the tracker off. So if taken from the house it may not go off but as soon as the car was restarted without the remote present the system would activate, again this didn't stop it being taken though just it's recovery so more of a benefit to the insurance co.

Even a car in a garage with another in front may not stop them as I remember my mates old boss had a sierra cosworth taken from the garage and the car on the gravel drive in front of the garage put they took the cosworth and put th car on the drive back in original spot so it appeared nothing had happened.

Really all you can do it deter thieves from your car, which is hard, esp if they break in to your house, the important thing you and your family are okay, as a car can be replaced.

You mentioned about looking for the later E70.

There is a very good review in the E70 section about them, some prefer the SE over the MSport as generally smaller wheels 18" or 19" so a more comfortable ride and possibly a better spec side running boards and more options fitted. The runflats can be a hard ride for some hence the choice of the smaller wheels over the 20" wheels usually fitted to the MSport model,.

Again with BMW a lot of the features are options, enhance sound system is worth looking for as well as comfort seats and then it's a choice of which size engine a lot choose the diesel and are more popular than the petrol for economy and for the torque which gives good performance. Ensure everything works look for any water ingress in front and rear footwells and if panoramic sunroof fitted check it's operation as costly to fix.

Hope that helps
Graeme

[X5Sport]

[quote="Gareth83"]
Having a tracker for me is not really an option, as much as I love my car once it's stolen I wouldn't want it back, although this incident as made me think what better security options I can put into place to make it more difficult for them to steal in the first place
[/quote]

CCTV in overwatch, metal posts in your drive, Smartwater labelling and marking, house alarmed (with landline monitoring), steering wheel lock & cover (like a Stoplock) with the key separate from the car keys, hidden home safe to keep things in when not home. 

I was told a few years ago that simply having an ADT alarm box outside your house was a deterrent as their systems are all monitored to some degree and the scrotes have no idea as to what level so prefer an easier target.  No idea if it is true though.

You can also get trackers with two part authentication as above, so that having the key isn't sufficient as a separate device or code is needed at the same time.

[RickUK]

@graemeX5,a very good point about trackers etc,think i may well do as has been suggested and make it harder for them,have a new security camera which is still in its box,so will put that up over the weekend and position it on the X5.

Thanks again for your 'logic' suggestions 

[X5Sport]

For those reading this and also thinking of CCTV, make sure you buy a camera and recorder with at least 700 lines of resolution so that any faces that are visible are usable by law enforcement to identify scrotes.  Any recording system should also provide a 'burned in' watermark with date & time for evidence reasons - same as is needed for dashcams.

I have tried cheaper type 'webcam' CCTV and the 640 x 480 line resolution will not do you any favours.  Many systems offered report they can record HD images but can only actually do it with 1 camera.  If you want multiple cameras the the image quality falls off dramatically.

If you can, check that each recorded channel is still at 700 lines or better even with all channels recording simultaneously.

There was a forum thread running a couple of years or more back looking at this after someone else had their or their parents car stolen in the same way.

[RickUK]

@X5Sport,any suggestions regarding cctv brands or specific models that cover your suggestions please,does make alot of sense.Once gain many thanks.

[X5Sport]

I haven't looked for a while and the tech changes so often it's hard to keep up, but if you can find kit that records 1080HD on multiple channels then well worth a look.

It will be a case of doing some web research.

I did ask our provider about changing to HD cameras and then laughed at them when they tried to quote £1,500 per camera (they should be a small fraction of that (£50 for all manual with IR in a dome) and another £1,000 for the recorder!! 

I have seen systems in Costco with up to 8 HD cameras and a 2GB hard drive recorder for about £500.  I haven't checked the detailed spec though so the claim may be a little 'overstated' though Costco are usually trustworthy.  The kit probably all comes out of Guangzhou anyway 

1080p cameras are equal to 2MP still cameras.  Anything above 2MP is better.

Recorders often quote 1080p quality but that is their maximum with just one camera.  Increase the camera count and down goes the image quality - hence care needed when reading the specs.  Headline grabbing specs are for the unwary, it's the detail that counts!

Don't go for wireless cameras as they can be hacked/jammed and have to share bandwidth with every other wireless user and router in the local area.  If the ISP has provided the wireless then they'll all be on the same channel too.  I can see more than 20 wireless systems around me and all of the BT ones are on the same radio channel (6), Virgin and Sky are all on Channel 1 which means they are competing for space.

[grumpywurzel]

Sorry to hear about the theft.... Pardon my French but this really boils my piss.

Like the vast majority of car owners, we work bloody hard so that you can buy/tax/insure/whack a ton of fuel in the beasties, only for some low life to swipe the car.

Gutted..

[Gareth83]

Just want to say thank you for everyone's well wishing comments I have

[Reusch]

I use Swann cctv system in my hotel and I've fitted another in my auntys hotel there very easy to set up obviously routing the cables can be time consuming and the app is brilliant so you can put it on your I pad etc and view when your elsewhere.

[graemeX5]

Keep us posted on your search for an X5 and you can always post a link if you other to give an opinion on a prospective purchase.

Also it may be worth checking this link for an X5 on our buy and sell section
http://xdrivers.co.uk/forum/index.php/t ... 7.html#new

Graeme

[NehalX5]

Sorry to hear about that mate, is gutting for this to happen. Our old corolla was broken into and then returned back to us, only thing that really got to us was the expensive cricket set in the boot that was taken!

It's frightening to hear that the X5 was the most stolen car last year, when you see that these cars do not have a locking steering wheel which is standard on a corsa, then you see why these are taken so often. That and the desirability and surprisingly easy to bypass security system. A tracker is one of the best bets on a car like this, but keep keys out of sight but in the hallway as the last thing you want is people lurking around the bedrooms. With the E70, they are stolen a lot but BMW Assist apparently has some sort of tracking system fitted to the E70 which involves the police asking BMW to track the car when it is stolen. Private tracking companies have people on watch 24/7 so that may be a better option.

Ask the dealer for more, and good luck on your search for an E70!

[JF1980]

[quote="RickUK"]
@X5Sport,any suggestions regarding cctv brands or specific models that cover your suggestions please,does make alot of sense.Once gain many thanks.
[/quote]

I've been doing well with Hikvision cameras.  They were recommended to me by a CCTV engineer when I was doing a security audit of Elton John's house a few years ago.

Now have three of them all recording to my Synology NAS.  They also keep the last 1-2 days of recordings on an SD card inside the camera so if the house is broken in to and NAS stolen I still have a copy.  Very happy with them and if you go for the right models they can even trigger your house alarm when movement is detected, line crossing etc.

[RickUK]

@JF1980,many thanks for your recommendation on video cameras,will take a good look at gettiing some,i like your idea of a NAS setup,i have a new HP that i have never used still sitting in its box,that could well be used solely for the cctv setup.

Once again many thanks for your suggestion/s 

[JF1980]

No worries.  I've found the mini-dome versions to be the best all-rounders - like the DS-2CD2542FWD-IWS (has microphone built in).  Have both 2.8 and 4mm versions, if in doubt go for the 2.8mm lens unless mounting very high up.

Good luck with the E70 hunt.