Stolen 20-year-old Audi TT saved from being stripped for rare parts

When a garage owner in Fife, Scotland, opened his workshop in the morning to find a customer’s prized Audi TT missing, stolen vehicle recovery expert (SVR) Tracker Network (UK) came to the rescue with the help of local police. The stolen Audi was subsequently recovered before it was time for lunch, thanks to the foresight of its owner, Mr Davies, who had owned the 20-year-old vehicle from new and had a Tracker device fitted when he bought it.

Whilst Mr Davies’ Audi was stored securely in a garage workshop overnight awaiting repairs and an MOT, thieves took drastic measures to gain access to it. A van, which the thieves had stolen from Dundee to drive to Fife, was used to ram the workshop door open, enabling them to drive off with both the car and van within minutes. The next morning, the garage owner called the police and Mr Davies, who in turn alerted Tracker to the theft straightaway.

Upon activating the device, Tayside Police along with colleagues from other areas of Police Scotland and ariel assistance from the National Police air support, the car and stolen van were quickly located and recovered on a side road in Dundee, just three hours after the theft was reported. The quick recovery was only made possible due to Tracker’s unique combination of VHF with GPS/GSM technology which is picked up by the tracking console units that are fitted in police patrol vehicles.

Mr Davies said: “Whilst the car has over 220,000 miles on the clock and is worth only £2,000, it is my pride and joy. I have owned it since new and have taken great care of it. I've probably spent more on the service and maintenance costs then what I paid for it in the first place, so as you can imagine, I was gutted that it was stolen. But thanks to the Tracker unit that I had installed when I first bought the car, it was successfully recovered. I reckon if it hadn't been found it would have ended up in parts, as the individual car parts are probably worth far more than the car itself. Whilst it is just a car, it holds so many wonderful memories of road trips with friends and family, some who are no longer with us.”

Steve Whittaker, Tracker Police Liaison Manager added, “The ongoing shortage of spare parts has led to high numbers of thefts to order, where vehicles are stripped for valuable parts. This isn’t just happening to high-end expensive vehicles, as Mr Davies found, lower value and older vehicles are just as desirable to thieves, as their parts are often no longer manufactured, so are harder to find by legitimate means. We often find stolen vehicles parked temporarily on quiet roads or in car parks while the thieves watch and wait to see if it will be tracked, like it was this time. We have no doubt that this car would have been stripped for parts if Tracker had not helped the police locate it quickly.”

Tracker is the only stolen vehicle recovery provider supported nationwide by all UK police forces, with more than 2,000 police patrol vehicles and all police helicopters fitted with Tracker detection units. Confirming Tracker as a superior security defence against determined thieves, Tracker boasts a 95% recovery rate, 50% of which are recovered within 4 hours and 80% are returned to their owners within 24 hours, undamaged.

Tracker’s top tips for vehicle security

• Protect your key fob: Keyless car theft works through a relay-style electronic device tricking your key fob signal into thinking the key is near to the car and then the device can assume all key fob power. To prevent this, keep the key – and the spare too - away from where the vehicle is kept when not in use, and block the signal by keeping the key fob in a closed tin or faraday bag.
• Switch off and lock up: Never leave your car running idle and unattended, even when defrosting windscreens and windows on a cold morning.
• Make life difficult: Fit security posts or a substantial gate if parking on your drive, physical barriers will make thieves think twice.
• Don’t advertise your stuff: Never leave your belongings on show, lock them in the boot or take them with you.
• Keep paperwork indoors – Don’t store car documents or spare keys inside the car as it makes it easier for thieves to sell it on.
• Plan for the worst: Take car security measures to protect your car from being stolen in the first place, such as installing security lighting where you park your car and using a steering wheel lock. If criminals find a way to steal your car, having a vehicle tracker fitted can help the police to recover your vehicle.