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carterzest
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2008
Posts: 3841
Location: Eagle, ID/Sun Valley, ID
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 Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 8:26 pm Post subject: STOLEN: Syncro Westy from Seattle **FOUND** |
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Moderator edit: This van has been missing since at least October 25th: http://bellingham.craigslist.org/cto/4152046740.html .  Let's get it found!
This just in…...another one taken from Seattle…
from WetWesties Yahoo board. Please share liberally. I have already notified several local boards and fakebook pages.
Westfalia Syncro Stolen
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Westfalia Syncro stolen from our Seattle neighborhood. Washington plate 434 XKF. Our van is metallic grey, has large flat black tube bumpers, large black fog lights and Go Westy 15 inch wheels with new Nokian tires. The drivers side has a long crease just above the water fill flap. There is a circular burn in the dash from the lighter.
We are offering a $1000.00 reward for information that leads to the recovery of our van.
Thanks
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1556155
Seattle, Washington, USA
Today 11:02 am |
Not associated with OP, just wanted to get max exposure for a fellow enthusiast. Fingers crossed that its the same as the last few and recoverred locally and minimally damaged.
PM'd Kam as well
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Happiness=Portland, Oregon in the rearview mirror! |
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Tobias Duncan
Samba Member
Joined: January 15, 2013
Posts: 1412
Location: Taos NM
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| Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:10 pm Post subject: |
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What in the WTF is going on in the PNW?
Dont make me go up there... |
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Red Beard
Samba Member
Joined: May 09, 2006
Posts: 463
Location: Seattle, WA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:35 pm Post subject: |
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| Seriously though, should someone organize a sting operation? |
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DAV!D
Samba Member
Joined: September 10, 2013
Posts: 980
Location: EL CAMINO
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| Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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| This seems to be happening way too much over there in the PNW. I think I'd have to wire up some sore of hidden kill switch of some sort if I lived out there. |
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carterzest
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2008
Posts: 3841
Location: Eagle, ID/Sun Valley, ID
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| Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 9:46 pm Post subject: |
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It would seem the 3 that have been recovered have mostly all had the curtains closed as found/when found.... Just a common thread I, and others have noted from the recent recoveries. Also, seems that they are being used as mobile storage for theft rings….tweakers, meth heads…….
I am again using my club
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Happiness=Portland, Oregon in the rearview mirror! |
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chimivee
Samba Member
Joined: September 23, 2009
Posts: 745
Location: Orange, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 10:10 pm Post subject: |
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| carterzest wrote: |
I am again using my club |
A baseball bat would give you a little more range.
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-James
86 Syncro Westy, etc |
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syncrodoka
Samba Member
Joined: December 27, 2005
Posts: 12298
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
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| Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 10:20 pm Post subject: |
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| carterzest wrote: |
| I am again using my club |
Those things are incredibly easy to pick or remove or even swap out another wheel. I have driven a car with one installed incorrectly a short distance just to show the owner what a POS it is.
Work on some kind of kill switch for the ignition or fuel system, we don't want to see pix of your van in a stolen thread. |
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Sir Sam
Samba Member
Joined: July 19, 2009
Posts: 1724
Location: Fort Collins Colorado!
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| Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 11:01 pm Post subject: |
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| syncrodoka wrote: |
Work on some kind of kill switch for the ignition or fuel system, we don't want to see pix of your van in a stolen thread. |
Honestly this is going to be the best form of anti theft anyone can muster......a hiddem switch on the right circuit will stop 95% of vehicle theft.
My dads eurovan had a faulty ignition switch, he installed a discreet push button switch for the starter, turn the key to on, press hidden switch, start van.
When he sold it he advertised it as an "anti-theft device". The ENTIRE time he had it it was never stolen. 100% success rate folks!
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'91 Carat Westy
87' Syncro + '87 Westy conversion coming soon |
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GeorgeL
Samba Member
Joined: January 16, 2006
Posts: 7346
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| Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 12:35 am Post subject: |
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| Sir Sam wrote: |
| ......a hiddem switch on the right circuit will stop 95% of vehicle theft. |
And 78% of statistics are made up on the spot!
Pro car thieves use tow trucks. Why break in when you can just winch the whole thing onto a flatbed?
Chain the bus to something immovable?
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Dampcamper
Samba Member
Joined: October 07, 2013
Posts: 789
Location: Rainy Portland, Oregon
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| Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 1:49 am Post subject: So, all these stolen vans... |
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| Do we know how it is that the thieves are able to (presumably) drive them away? I had a GM car where the thieves "peeled" the metal around the column to get at the wheel lock but I'm not hearing about severe damage to recovered VW vans. If they're being stolen for chop shops, yeah, a flatbed truck, but it sounds like these are taken for convenient transportation? I'm just wondering if there is a common weakness that we can address individually in our own creative styles? |
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Ahwahnee
Samba Member
Joined: June 05, 2010
Posts: 10215
Location: Mt Lemmon, AZ
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| Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 6:57 am Post subject: |
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| On my classic cars I use a complicated kill switch & fuel pump disabling switch -- one position to start the car another to keep it running more than a few blocks -- but if someone has a flatbed & winch and really want it then they are hard to stop. |
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 17136
Location: Brookeville, MD
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Tobias Duncan
Samba Member
Joined: January 15, 2013
Posts: 1412
Location: Taos NM
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| Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 7:29 am Post subject: |
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| I think gps/angry mob of samba hippies is the best combination to solve this problem. Kill switch just protects your car. We need to catch these idiots and hold them to account. |
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FNGRUVN
Samba Member
Joined: October 27, 2007
Posts: 2237
Location: Fort Collins, CO
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| Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 7:35 am Post subject: |
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While you're busy figuring out a way to keep the thieves from taking your stuff, you should also be busy trying to get rid of the thieves.
It sounds like you guys have a serious drug problem up there. Put pressure on local government and your state reps to weed out the tweekers. When's the last time you wrote a letter to them. It will take a team effort.
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"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin |
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tristessa
Samba Member
Joined: April 07, 2004
Posts: 3993
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 8:27 am Post subject: |
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Not sure how to deal with the steering lock; when I helped a friend who was broke down (ignition switch crapped out) on the side of the road, it took me about two minutes to hotwire .. half of that was finding a screwdriver for the lower steering column cover. 
And I've never been in "the business" of hotwiring cars, either.
Seriously, folks -- hidden killswitch to stop the amateurs, hidden GPS tracker to find it in case the "pros" get ahold of your ride. And remember, both of those are only effective when you use them. |
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syncrodoka
Samba Member
Joined: December 27, 2005
Posts: 12298
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
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| Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 9:06 am Post subject: |
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If the steering isn't locked it is easy to bypass. Once the pin drops it takes work to get around it.
Some kind of kill switch is a really good start. The tweakers may assume it is a POS and leave it rather than spend time to diagnose.
I took cars for a living for 1 1/2 years and even modern cars with key transponders aren't too hard to drive off with if you know what you are doing. |
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alijonny
Samba Member
Joined: November 01, 2007
Posts: 328
Location: Des Plaines, IL
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| Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 12:55 pm Post subject: |
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| FYI, GPS tracking units don't work in those intermodal shipping containers. Pros do it that way and it renders Lojack and such units worthless. Luckily, the pro's aren't after our stuff...yet. |
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DAV!D
Samba Member
Joined: September 10, 2013
Posts: 980
Location: EL CAMINO
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| Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 1:18 pm Post subject: |
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Is it possible that all these vans had work at the same shop? Perhaps a rogue employee or shop could be duplicating keys?
We had this happen local several years back. A local mechanics shop was copying the keys of various cars then stealing them to chop them for the parts.
Wasn't VW specific thou. |
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pnwkayaker
Samba Member
Joined: April 01, 2008
Posts: 974
Location: Sammamish, WA
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| Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 1:00 am Post subject: FOUND Syncro? |
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Seems that it has been found, at least according to the last update in the ad (not sure when that happened)
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1556155
Anybody has more details? I hope that after these wave of stolen vans, the Seattle police department will start doing some research on what's going on.
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87 Syncro Westy EJ25 ("Tardis")
Seattle Meetup at Marymoor (link)
A collection of Simple Useful Mods (SUM) (link) |
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carterzest
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2008
Posts: 3841
Location: Eagle, ID/Sun Valley, ID
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| Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 7:24 am Post subject: Re: FOUND Syncro? |
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| pnwkayaker wrote: |
Seems that it has been found, at least according to the last update in the ad (not sure when that happened)
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1556155
Anybody has more details? I hope that after these wave of stolen vans, the Seattle police department will start doing some research on what's going on. |
Good news Hugo. Thanks for posting this on the thread.
I find it odd that they are keeping the van
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| It is currently being held by the police. We are very anxious to get it home. |
but, perhaps they think they are on to something as Dav!d noted
| DAV!D wrote: |
Is it possible that all these vans had work at the same shop? Perhaps a rogue employee or shop could be duplicating keys?
We had this happen local several years back. A local mechanics shop was copying the keys of various cars then stealing them to chop them for the parts.
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Happiness=Portland, Oregon in the rearview mirror! |
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