General Abarth Stolen

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General Abarth Stolen

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I was away last week to then come home to find my beautiful Abarth 595 Turismo missing.
Some low life filthy scumbag has stolen it from outside my front door!

I am totally gutted :cry:, it was a mint example with just 3000 joyous miles in little over a year on the clock from new.

It seems these are pretty easy to steal, the police and insurance company's claim handler both tell me the percentage of cars stolen to those registered is one of the highest there is.

Reading on the Abarth forums, they all tend to go without keys and rarely turn up again, they just disappear into the ether. Methinks they hack into them via the OBD2 port to get them running.

If you have one and there's no extra security, consider investing in some now before it's too late.
You don't want feel like I do right now.
 
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This is horrible news :(

You can easily put something on the back of the obd port to cut connections, like a switch.

Do Fiat still not fit standard alarm systems to these, I know all their standard cars come without alarms.

Also if the new models are keyless entry ad starting they are even easier to take, don’t even need to hack the port.
 
The lock/key arrangement is like all the rest of the 500's.
One remote central locking key and one plain spare key.

From what I know these keys are coded to the ECU, though with some dodgy software this can be overcome and the car started via a OBD2 hack.
There's videos on the net of scumbags doing this in less than 60 seconds.

No alarm or separate immobiliser, just the usual steering column lock, which is easily snapped with a bit of force on the steering wheel.

I seem to think mine's been hacked or just lifted/towed.

I've been looking into different security systems (far too late now the horse has bolted) and it's pretty clear there is no perfect system.
If someone really wants to steal your car, they will no matter what.

Not all stolen cars get driven away, an alarm, immobiliser, wheel clamp, ODB2 lock and the likes isn't going stop someone towing or lifting it and it's common these days that they burgle your house for keys and fobs.

Tracking systems sound good, but the signals can be blocked.
GSM and GPS is easily blocked with readily available gadgets that cost peanuts.
Park the stolen car in an under ground car park or metal sea container and it's signal is naturally blocked anyway.

Some systems use a combination of GPS, GSM, VHF and MESH, these are a little better as it's hard to block all at the same time, but come at a cost.
Fitting and a years subscription is around £1000 or more.

As usual when something like this happens, stories from friends and family get exchanged, someone told be yesterday that when their BMW Z3 Coupe got stolen, the scumbags broken into two cars on the drive without breaking any windows and rolled them away, then broke into an alarmed garage to get at the BMW, all while they slept in the house.

He had an immobiliser and tracker on the car.
The company that ran the system reported the car disappeared off their system that night on the very spot it was parked only then to reappear again four months later in Ghana!
 
The best way apart from an alarm is a good old fashioned Krook lock. It might not stop them but will certainly slow them down and the ones that have the flap that covers the airbag will also sound the horn if it’s interfered with. As you say, vehicles are often towed away or lifted. I’ve seen many cctv clips of vehicles being opened and started in around 30 seconds.
 
I feel your pain. You’d think that a large volume manufacturer like Fiat would have all the basis covered and have a up to date security systems fitted. I use a Disc Lock steering wheel device on my motor. It’s on there now, even though it’s parked in my works car park that has cameras everywhere.
 
Just a quick update.

The Police have emailed me, they have "carefully investigated the case" and are "sorry to say that they are closing the case" as " they can't be arsed".

Ok, the last bit I used my imagination, but it's not really that far from the truth.

Forms arrived from the insurance company, all 37 volumes, my Postie had a hernia carrying that lot up three flights of stairs!

Next up is a "validation interview" with the claim investigator.
I guess it's to try and weed out the fraudsters.
I expect bright light and thumb screws, but I bet they aren't opposed to a bit of waterboarding.

Tough weekend ahead, three days off work and four fairly local Abarth dealers.
I can't see me being able to stay away that long, particularly since I've spent the last three days playing with the Abarth configurator.
I reckon I could be in and out, with the order signed within 45 seconds!
 
Just a quick update.



The Police have emailed me, they have "carefully investigated the case" and are "sorry to say that they are closing the case" as " they can't be arsed".



Ok, the last bit I used my imagination, but it's not really that far from the truth.



Forms arrived from the insurance company, all 37 volumes, my Postie had a hernia carrying that lot up three flights of stairs!



Next up is a "validation interview" with the claim investigator.

I guess it's to try and weed out the fraudsters.

I expect bright light and thumb screws, but I bet they aren't opposed to a bit of waterboarding.



Tough weekend ahead, three days off work and four fairly local Abarth dealers.

I can't see me being able to stay away that long, particularly since I've spent the last three days playing with the Abarth configurator.

I reckon I could be in and out, with the order signed within 45 seconds!



It’s not that the police can’t be arsed it’s because there is no evidence. Investigation of most crime is not investigated at all when there are no lines of enquiry, especially when it comes to vehicles as they are insured. Even with cctv if there was any, it would be unlikely to be good enough to identify a suspect.
 
I recall seeing advertised somewhere a CAN Bus based immobiliser that is supposedly a "plug and go" unit that you program to accept certain vehicle control actuations before the immobiliser is release.

Example:

Ignition On
Left Front Window Up
Right Front Window Up
Press/Release Brake Pedal Twice

I've no idea how the immobiliser part works but if I were designing this then to bypass ECU/OBD hacks then one would select one or more "final functions" .... eg starter motor solenoid power feed, coil pack power feed, park brake release, etc.

The only problem with all these what I call "secondary interventions" is that any failure in the system results in a dead car through no fault of Fiat.
 
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I've read there are relocating kits and OBD2 locks that a lot of Fiesta ST owners fit as they are another favourite of the filthy scumbags.

Someone pointed out a Facebook page to me regarding all the Abarths that are stolen. Over 30 went on Jan alone this year.
I don't Facebook, but I wish I'd have know a few weeks ago.
None seem to turn up anywhere, god knows where they end up.

All a bit too late for me, yesterday I sent the insurance forms in, had to send the log book, keys, service history, invoice etc. as well.

It was a difficult moment, any hope of seeing it again seemed to disappear as I posted that lot off.

Well, hopefully no one will steal what I'm driving now, not unless there's a mass breakout from the local asylum.
My Citroen Bingo had to go a few months ago due to the new ULEZ (and a weeping clutch slave on it's EGS gearbox)

I was keeping it a bit quiet, but I'll give you all a hint "Good News!"
 
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I feel sorry for you, terrible feeling, are your neighbors have cctv cameras, you can ask and they might help even if the filthy thieve is covering his face maybe the police will reveal his identity

regarding the destination of the stolen cars as the people said Africa is one of the destinations I think, I used to see alot of used cars sold as 2 halves and they called it imported used spare parts , it entered the borders as spare parts not actual cars, I believe that's why they divide the cars and it's of course cheaper than the new spare parts either the aftermarket parts or the OEM parts but I always wondered are those cars actually stolen in their countries and imported with fake papers to seem legal or as the dealers here say "people abroad used to sell their old cars seeking new models or even after minor accidents or because the car reached high mileage" which is something suspicious and some people buy the 2 halves and weld them together to be used as a whole car but I believe that the law prohibits this, it just let them be used as spare parts
 
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Well I'd had my "validation interview" with the company that handle claims for my insurance company (Swiftcover)

Basically it was just a going over of everything I reported with a trip down Google maps to point out where it was parked in relation to where I live.
It's still parked there on Google maps images, that made my heart jump!


Had a three way with DVLA to confirm my driving license/history as well.

All seems good and they are now passing it back to Swiftcover to hopefully settle.

They did ask for my bank account details, as I paid up my premium in one go I don't owe them, so I can only live in hope.

Life without it is a bit odd, I swapped my other car recently as my diesel Berlingo was giving jip and wasn't ULEZ compliant. I chopped it in for a late Dacia Sandero Stepway 0.9 TCE Laureate.

Life didn't seem so bad when I didn't really have to use it that often, just Sundays dragging a bike trailer.
Now it's an everyday hack, it's obviously no Abarth!
 
Africa has a lot of RHD countries (Ghana, Nigeria for instance) so it's an easy market to shift nicked UK cars in, if they have dodgy papers and/or the buyer turns a blind eye to any clues (such as a scraped off VIN number).

But I never saw many Abarths out in West Africa, unless the locals are getting "style" after a diet of Toyotas and Kias.. :D

Abarths also have upgraded engines, which your average 500 boy racer, or an actual Abarth racer might "feel the need" for. The bumpers and oil coolers will find a second-hand market to keep shunted Abarth's on the road and the interior will end up in a 1.3 diesel "Sport".

The only solution to theft is to make the beast as hard to steal as possible. Your average tea-leaf will either drive it away, if they can start it, or tow it on the back of a truck. The latter means they don't have to overcome any immobilisors on your driveway; they can do it in their lockup.

You need to chain the beast to an anchor point embedded into the floor of your concrete driveway... just a) remember to unchain it before you drive off... Ahhhh and b) Imagine some low-life trying to tow your car while it's tied to the floor. The damage they do might be better to let them nick it, rather than you having the distress of seeing it and having to fix it with the £2.50 the insurance will offer.


Ralf S.
 
I know it's late but you can save your other cars anti theft devices/tools (mechanical ones) are good cheap options without doing modifications to the electrical system, the pedals lock,the steering wheel lock,the wheels lock, if you can use all of these at the same time it will make it a hard target for the burglar, he won't try to open the car because it will take a long time, people traveling away will find this a great idea, 4 wheels locks for each wheel and 3 pedal locks for the 3 pedals in case it's a manual car which can lock the steering wheel too, and three dedicated steering wheel locks (the baseball bat), it will be great if the car has an alarm and the place have cctv cams and I hope you reclaim your Abarth

there's a great option too, people leaving their homes and travel alot might park their car at a relatives house, my late father used to park his car at his family house before traveling abroad, there they were maintaining,cleaning and watching over it

I hope you retrieve your car as fast as possible
 
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