Indeed. The time that we bring out our classics again. We already received some messages through the social media that there were people who discovered a unique, classic void on arrival at their storage. Theft appears to be seasonally sensitive.
With rented storage space, too often insurance problems arise afterwards. Assume that the stall owner is not liable.
Theft is a problem
But in the meantime we have also received reports about a bunch of classics that disappeared after waking up from hibernation. The standard response nowadays is to 'share' such an event directly on Facebook. That gives the pleasant feeling that you are active. And if the message is also shared further ...
Sharing does not solve much
Well: at a certain moment a lot of people know that your classic is gone, but whether you get along with it? Theft of classics is not a bad boy's job. The loot is professionally salvaged, hidden, reversed or demolished. Little chance of finding 'the loot' on MP or Speurders. He may be on a foreign site, by the way.
The new Member States
Apparently quite a few stolen classics are going on a trip to the new member states where with a bribe left and right everything is possible to provide a classic with a new official identity.
Poland once led the way in that process
But that country has since become so European that you don't hear much from that angle. Currently, Bulgaria is apparently 'the place to be' when it comes to the re-registration of classics. We know from a reliable source how the bureaucratic administrative system in that region makes it very much possible to integrate a vehicle. We know that even when "officially" exporting a non-stolen classic from - for example - Moldova, the "administrative costs" can amount to more than half the value on the invoice. All bribes.
The chance that the administrative reborn classic will be offered in the Netherlands again is small. In what were once the USSR states, there are now enough classic enthusiasts with money to guarantee a certain clientele.
But also the demolition RECOVERY: dismantling classics can be highly profitable. The cry 'the sum of the parts is greater than the whole' could have been conceived.
What to do?
Remember that your passion and pride can also be desirable to others. So do not put it in sight under the carport next to the house. How unwise that is, the owners of a Porsche 911 and a Harley-Davidson side valve, respectively, have noticed. The Harley just disappeared during the day. The Porsche had flown overnight.
A lock is not enough
A standard garage door can be easily lifted with a crowbar. If the classic in that garage even has the ignition key in his lock - and that happens! - then the thieves will probably leave a thank you note. With extra locks in the uprights of the door frame, you make life considerably more difficult for thieves.
How do those criminals know that there is a classic in the garage? There are 'seekers' who just drive around and watch. But there are also those with a clearer list of requirements who visit events and then ride after the party after the classic of their dreams. Then they know where he lives. And then they draw their professional plan.
The classic itself can be fitted in various ways with a protection against the ignition or fuel supply. And placing a 'tracer' is no longer rocket science these days.
The more classic your model is, the more popular it is for theft. You already have one with a SIM card, for example for searching for people with dementia or pets that have run away. So small that they can be applied unobtrusively.
If the car is taken illegally, you can at least follow it for a while in which direction it is being driven or transported.
Unfortunately, the (professional) thieves' guild is not crazy; they are also aware of the existence of trackers and have adapted their signal blockers accordingly.
I have already learned that a tracker did not respond (anymore) ..
As long as Russia does not want to share data, an Interpol assignment by the RDW will always be blunt.
Ie; one cannot see over and over again whether a vehicle is classified as stolen.
Thieves like this often steal 'to order' .. so as long as there are people who don't care about origin ..
When I had not left my engine locked, I found it again with a cardboard that said “Must be washed”. While they could have done that nicely for me 🙂