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      06-15-2016, 10:35 AM   #1
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Many BMW steering wheels stolen in Germany

Last week in Berlin, some burglars broke into my 1.5 month old X5 M Sport and stole the steering wheel & airbag. Funny enough, the very same view was waiting for me on the following morning, as they broke also into my rental 1-series M Sport(!). 2 days, 2 break-ins, 2 lost steering wheels. Didn't really know whether to laugh or cry.

I've also heard from many people, that especially BMWs are under attack at this moment in Germany. There has even been a case, where the burglars went into a dealership to steal steering wheels and navigation systems.

I would like to share my observations, in case if someone knows how the burglars break into the cars and how we could prevent these from happening:

- In both cases, everything started from the rear driver-side, by breaking the small rear door window.

- That driver-side rear door was then used to enter the car, to jump into the driver's seat, and to remove the steering wheel and airbag.

- No alarm was triggered. So I would assume they have the needed devices to bypass/deactivate the BMW's default alarm system and/or cut the power. Clearly, BMW's default security is quite useless, even on the high-end model such as X5.

- (attached few pics of my X5 and rental 1-series)


When asked for more information, BMW is close to clueless with this problem, that is a massive one especially the closer we get to the Eastern Europe countries.

To prevent this happening in the future, some recommended actions so far include:

1) Visible steering wheel lock, to send a visible message for any burglars, that break-in is a waste of time. One apparently good device to do the job is Disklok, as it prevents the access to the airbag, or makes it much more difficult.

2) In case if someone still decides to enter the car, a better 3rd party alarm system should be installed, including window break detectors, backup power supply, and call/SMS in case of triggered.

Any ideas how they do it, and what should we do to prevent it from happening?
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      06-15-2016, 10:46 AM   #2
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Shouldn't the interior motion alarm go off? Or did you disable it it when you locked the car?
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      06-15-2016, 11:09 AM   #3
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Sorry to hear about this. I hope this theft ring gets caught and is brought to justice. I'm willing to bet this is an organized crime type of operation involving both criminals and shady shops doing insurance schemes. At the end of the day this is hurting the everyday consumer.
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      06-15-2016, 11:16 AM   #4
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Count me amongst those who have not bought wide-angle euro mirrors on eBay because I suspect the "used" mirrors are all stolen. I am willing to bet your steering will be on Craigslist or eBay.

I am sorry to see what they did to your car, and hope your insurance will cover and make it new for you.
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      06-15-2016, 12:08 PM   #5
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This has been going on for a very long time. Typically, Eastern European gangs will set out on "missions" to collect certain parts from certain cars. I've read about cases where they wait for a long weekend, and hit a dealership and remove all the wheels. Or they hit a harbor where cars were just driven off the cargo ships and they steel headlights, airbags, what have you.

My uncle has a 3-series and was recently hit also. They broke into his car in broad daylight at his house, and simply removed the middle console from his car. He heard the commotion outside, and by the time he made it to his car, the thieves had already jumped back into their car. Plates were east block.
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      06-15-2016, 01:46 PM   #6
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What a bunch of dirt bags...my X5 will be protected by Sig Sauer's, Colt AR15, and if need be my behemoth .338 Winchester Magnum polar bear rifle BOOM!
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      06-15-2016, 04:11 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by coolidge View Post
What a bunch of dirt bags...my X5 will be protected by Sig Sauer's, Colt AR15, and if need be my behemoth .338 Winchester Magnum polar bear rifle BOOM!
The OP is in Europe though. The thieves only get a mild slap on the wrist and have to promise they'll never do it again.
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      06-15-2016, 06:18 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by P1et
Quote:
Originally Posted by coolidge View Post
What a bunch of dirt bags...my X5 will be protected by Sig Sauer's, Colt AR15, and if need be my behemoth .338 Winchester Magnum polar bear rifle BOOM!
The OP is in Europe though. The thieves only get a mild slap on the wrist and have to promise they'll never do it again.
As opposed to....?

CCTV is too limited in Germany so there will never be any evidence. Parts of Europe put focus more on human rights than penal code.
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      06-15-2016, 06:26 PM   #9
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Parts mainly from BMW's and Merc's I've seen end up on eBay being sold out of Lativa for fraction of what BMW dealers in the states will sell them for. Not calling them stolen parts but shipping is probably a high price for selling with free ship
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      06-15-2016, 06:27 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkG335 View Post
As opposed to....?

CCTV is too limited in Germany so there will never be any evidence. Parts of Europe put focus more on human rights than penal code.
Even if there is CCTV, will it lead to an prosecution? Doubtful. Unless you catch these groups in the act, they're across the border before you even realize what has taken place.
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      06-15-2016, 06:33 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by P1et
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkG335 View Post
As opposed to....?

CCTV is too limited in Germany so there will never be any evidence. Parts of Europe put focus more on human rights than penal code.
Even if there is CCTV, will it lead to an prosecution? Doubtful. Unless you catch these groups in the act, they're across the border before you even realize what has taken place.
That's the problem with no borders.

I'm in the UK where CCTV is literally everywhere and used in many many prosecutions these days, it's just the Germans who believe they should not be filmed without giving permission!

In this case, someone returning to the same scene two nights running would be more straightforward to arrest; dumb f**king criminals.
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      06-16-2016, 12:02 AM   #12
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That's just messed up. Steering wheels?
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      06-16-2016, 12:23 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by alphaod View Post
That's just messed up. Steering wheels?
Well, think about it. Just two clips you push to release the airbag, and then a socket wrench to unhook the steering wheel and unplug 2-3 cable harnesses easily. It's probably one of the easiest/cost effective things to steal compared to everything else on the car. In and out and easy money for these losers.
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      06-16-2016, 12:29 AM   #14
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This is a huge huge huge problem in Sweden. Basically every person I know with the F-series, had it broken in to. The thefts have doubled so far this year as criminals learned there's no law enforcment around here no more.

If you own a BMW, or a lorry, or an excavator, or farming equipment, it is not a question whether you will get struck by these leagues, but when.

Wonder if we would have this problem with US gun and trespassing laws? I'm not a too huge fan of that, but absence of these law kinda depends on the police being able to protect its citizens.
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      06-16-2016, 12:44 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chem14 View Post
Shouldn't the interior motion alarm go off? Or did you disable it it when you locked the car?
Yes? No?
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      06-16-2016, 12:46 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chem14 View Post
Yes? No?
Well, if these guys are experienced (most likely they are - think of Gone in 60 seconds), then most likely they are shutting down the battery somehow. You technically need to do this before removing the steering wheel airbag so it doesn't blow up in your face. So....there's that.
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      06-16-2016, 01:45 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UnhappySwede
This is a huge huge huge problem in Sweden. Basically every person I know with the F-series, had it broken in to. The thefts have doubled so far this year as criminals learned there's no law enforcment around here no more.

If you own a BMW, or a lorry, or an excavator, or farming equipment, it is not a question whether you will get struck by these leagues, but when.

Wonder if we would have this problem with US gun and trespassing laws? I'm not a too huge fan of that, but absence of these law kinda depends on the police being able to protect its citizens.
I really don't think anywhere else needs US gun laws; I'd rather keep my kids than my steering wheels.
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      06-16-2016, 01:48 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by opasha
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chem14 View Post
Yes? No?
Well, if these guys are experienced (most likely they are - think of Gone in 60 seconds), then most likely they are shutting down the battery somehow. You technically need to do this before removing the steering wheel airbag so it doesn't blow up in your face. So....there's that.
There are many sensors required to trigger the airbag,!even disconnecting while driving along would at most tigger the SRS warning light. No issues with disconnecting with the car turned off.

Is the interior alarm standard in all countries (didn't used to be)? It's not loud in any case so they may just smash and grab - once the door is open I reckon 10, 15 seconds max to have the wheel off and be gone.

I guess the thief is still opening a door here?

It just doesn't make sense.
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      06-16-2016, 02:00 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkG335 View Post
There are many sensors required to trigger the airbag,!even disconnecting while driving along would at most tigger the SRS warning light. No issues with disconnecting with the car turned off.

Is the interior alarm standard in all countries (didn't used to be)? It's not loud in any case so they may just smash and grab - once the door is open I reckon 10, 15 seconds max to have the wheel off and be gone.

I guess the thief is still opening a door here?

It just doesn't make sense.
There is an interior alarm for sure in my X5. Once I locked the car at petrol station while the kids were still inside, and basically just a small movement inside the car triggered the alarm.

Yes thief opened the rear door and moved from the middle to the driver's seat, there was a visible footprint in the arm rest between front seats.

Surprisingly good news is, that the border police stopped one guy on the border of Germany and Poland, carrying 3 BMW steering wheels and 2 navigation systems*–*one of the steering wheels connected to my rental 1-series. So even during the times of free movement between EU countries, there might be some luck after all. But of course there are still prenty of them free, so time to upgrade security somehow anyway.
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      06-16-2016, 02:06 AM   #20
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That is good news - typical they found the rental car wheel and not your though!

I may look at security film for the Windows when my X5 is delivered since the X5 is THE most stolen car in the UK!!
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      06-16-2016, 02:48 AM   #21
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I'm really wondering how they bypass the alarm. It can't be that simple to just unhook the battery. How do they reach the battery? Please tell me there is a backup battery in the alarm itself? Anyone got a good window breaking detector? I had experience with one, but it went off with hard rain instead of window breaking sounds...
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      06-16-2016, 02:57 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eWave
Last week in Berlin, some burglars broke into my 1.5 month old X5 M Sport and stole the steering wheel & airbag. Funny enough, the very same view was waiting for me on the following morning, as they broke also into my rental 1-series M Sport(!). 2 days, 2 break-ins, 2 lost steering wheels. Didn't really know whether to laugh or cry.

I've also heard from many people, that especially BMWs are under attack at this moment in Germany. There has even been a case, where the burglars went into a dealership to steal steering wheels and navigation systems.

I would like to share my observations, in case if someone knows how the burglars break into the cars and how we could prevent these from happening:

- In both cases, everything started from the rear driver-side, by breaking the small rear door window.

- That driver-side rear door was then used to enter the car, to jump into the driver's seat, and to remove the steering wheel and airbag.

- No alarm was triggered. So I would assume they have the needed devices to bypass/deactivate the BMW's default alarm system and/or cut the power. Clearly, BMW's default security is quite useless, even on the high-end model such as X5.

- (attached few pics of my X5 and rental 1-series)


When asked for more information, BMW is close to clueless with this problem, that is a massive one especially the closer we get to the Eastern Europe countries.

To prevent this happening in the future, some recommended actions so far include:

1) Visible steering wheel lock, to send a visible message for any burglars, that break-in is a waste of time. One apparently good device to do the job is Disklok, as it prevents the access to the airbag, or makes it much more difficult.

2) In case if someone still decides to enter the car, a better 3rd party alarm system should be installed, including window break detectors, backup power supply, and call/SMS in case of triggered.

Any ideas how they do it, and what should we do to prevent it from happening?
Get protection called ZEDER (for the steering wheel), really the only thing that really works. My navi got stolen few months ago, the whole unit, unfortunately no protection for that, actually I heard there is but does not really work as they tear up even more of the console. VERY SORRY FOR THE THING THAT HAPPENED TO YOU. Here are few of my photos
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