Grand Theft Auto
Volkswagen (VW) motor vehicles are not only popular among car enthusiasts,
they are also very popular car among the first-time car-buying youth.
That said, VW vehicles have also become most popular car among car thieves to
steal.
According the Crime Statistics Report for the years 2020 and 2021 - released
by the South African Police Service (SAPS)-
motor vehicle theft in general has steadily increased since 2011. However, it is correct thinking
to assume that thieves have a preference to certain make and model of
car. Case in point - both the
VW Polo hatchback
and VW Polo sedan are at a higher risk of being stolen than any other VW model
and other manufacture's vehicles as a whole.
VW Polo Hatchback
Since its release in 2018 the VW Polo Hatchback had become the most stolen
cars in South Africa. By 2019 it was the most sold passenger vehicle; targeted
by
"chop-shops"
-illegal garages that buy stolen cars - to disassemble them and sell their
individual components for profit - aka midnight spares.
The new VW Polo hatchback - front-wheel drive, 5 door with 5 seats, powered by
a 2.0L TURBO 4 engine that outputs 147 kW of power and 320 Nm of torque costs
roughly between R320K and R480K whereas a older model or one with a
lower capacity can sell for anything from R170 000 and R250 000 subject to
millage and overall condition.
VW Polo Sedan
The VW Polo sedans comes in as either Trendline, Comfortline,
Highline
and are essentially the sedan version of the VW Polo hatchback with and
engine capacity of either 63 kW of 77kW fetching a price between R270k
and R350k.
Insurance
Loosing a vehicle of this calibre with such a pricetag can be really gruesome
hence a condition of any hire-purchase agreement to keep the vehicle
adequately insured but an anti hijack immobilizer and alarm system is also
essential. Car insurance coupled to
Life Insurance
may also be highly advantagious.
Anti-theft Alarm, Remote Central Locking and Remote Central Locking are not
standard features of all models but the all do come with an Immobilizer but
without Automatic Door Lock. It is therefore feasible to invest in an
anti-Blocker, anti-Signal, anti-Jammer engine immobilizer with vehicle
tracking
GPS tracker support
and engine cut in preference of the factory fitted product.
Transponder detection
Since most later vehicles are fitted with receiver and transponders chips,
stealing a car without having its corresponding key is quite difficult.
If the key isn't close to the steering column stalk that houses the receiver
coil or not within key detection distance then engine will not
start. Thieves also resort to key re-programmers and signal
grabbers to counteract new technologies like
‘push to start’ buttons
installed in the later model vehicles.
Carjacking
So, in order for thieves to steal your car they would have to take it from you
by force - hijacking, a horrific experience. Most cars today are stolen
that way by hijacking the driver. If the thieves don't have the matching
ignition key, the immobilizes prevents them from starting it by inhibiting the
starting process, hence they take the car from the driver with key by force
-carjacking.
Safety Tips to prevent a possible hijacking
Before getting into your car, look around for any any suspicious characters.
Should they be around alert a friend, family member or neighbour, even get
them to accompany you.
Hijackings are often than not planned, so be be vigalent and cognizant of
vehicles following you even at a distance.
Jot down the number plates of vehicles that or that continually pop up on
your daily travels and check against previous ones.
Report any s suspicious activity to your local neighbourhood watch or
security company of police.
Make sure that you are not being followed before driving into your driveway
where you could be cornered.
Alert someone at home before driving into your driveway, to come outside to
observe if there are suspicious characters lurking about.
Always be aware and alert of your surroundings before getting out of your
car.
Never stop or park your car in a way that you cannot get away from someone
following you quickly.
Be aware of any vehicle blocking your driveway as you pull into it.
Honk your hooter
constantly to alert neighbours. It may be sufficient to scare them off.
