Stolen Motorhomes

MickyP

MickyP

Free Member
Joined
May 13, 2012
Posts
224
Likes collected
72
Location
Alhama de Murcia, Spain
Funster No
21,019
MH
Sunlight Cliff 601
Exp
12 years plus
I am reading on a Daily basis now that 1 or 2 Motorhome's a Day are being stolen in the UK, posts on Motorhome threads and Facebook lots of shares etc? Where do they all go must be somewhere, if they are being shipped abroad how come they don't get stopped at ports? Very rare i read of one that is found? Perhaps its time owners petitioned Dealers and Manufacturers to make them more difficult to steal? before people stop buying them? And Insurance will rocket?
 
The criminals have it sussed, pre-book a crossing on the ferry with a genuine number plate. Steal your choice of van, switch plates after leaving it locked up and watched to ensure that it has no tracker. Then simply drive to the port safe in the knowledge that even the most switched on policeman will not even notice as the plates are genuine. When it reaches it's new home and gets it's identity changed, often in Ireland it then gets sold and maybe even returned to the uk
 
There is only one market for RHD vehicles....

Motorhomes are basically low mileage pick up trucks - horrible as it sounds to motorhome owners these vehicles are a valuable source of spares or a base vehicle

To a criminal it must seem an attractive proposition - a few hours 'work' for thousands in untraceable 'booty'....without a care for the original value of the MH

Just my thoughts....
 
JJ said:
Mr TheBig1 seems to know a great deal about the methods used by these criminals...

Hmmmmmmmm... :whistle:

:rofl:

He was known simply as Mr Big when we were in Dartmoor together. :whistle::)

JJ :cool:
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JJ said:
Mr TheBig1 seems to know a great deal about the methods used by these criminals...

Hmmmmmmmm... :whistle:

:rofl:


JJ :cool:
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I thought that,far too knowledgable! I’ve spoken to Hercule Poirot and he says that makes him a prime suspect. But don’t tell anyone just yet,he may give us more clues......(y);)
 
a friend of mine is a master locksmith and the processes used and frequent destinations are well known in the trade.. The guarda in southern ireland have supposedly been told to turn a blind eye to the flow of vehicles into particular rural areas. But there is no proof, only undercover investigations that have followed stolen vehicles to the same places. It's either to hide where the money flowing in comes from or the paramilitary organised criminal gangs they are scared of

at least knowing their tactics has helped recover several vans
 
MickyP said:
I am reading on a Daily basis now that 1 or 2 Motorhome's a Day are being stolen in the UK, posts on Motorhome threads and Facebook lots of shares etc? Where do they all go must be somewhere, if they are being shipped abroad how come they don't get stopped at ports? Very rare i read of one that is found? Perhaps its time owners petitioned Dealers and Manufacturers to make them more difficult to steal? before people stop buying them? And Insurance will rocket?
Click to expand...
Barclaybasher said:
There is only one market for RHD vehicles....

Motorhomes are basically low mileage pick up trucks - horrible as it sounds to motorhome owners these vehicles are a valuable source of spares or a base vehicle

To a criminal it must seem an attractive proposition - a few hours 'work' for thousands in untraceable 'booty'....without a care for the original value of the MH

Just my thoughts....
Click to expand...
The Ford transit ones I'm convinced are stolen for the chassis cab or low mileage engine. I've seen a few posts on Facebook where they have found motorhome bodies up on bricks in yards and the chassis cab gone.

I don't think many would be shipped abroad unless they are being converted to lhd as few countries would take them.

There's also the itinerants who seem to be moving from caravans in to motorhomes

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Northernraider said:
The Ford transit ones I'm convinced are stolen for the chassis cab or low mileage engine. I've seen a few posts on Facebook where they have found motorhome bodies up on bricks in yards and the chassis cab gone.

I don't think many would be shipped abroad unless they are being converted to lhd as few countries would take them.

There's also the itinerants who seem to be moving from caravans in to motorhomes
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There is a country that still drives on the right - Ireland...

I watched a 'Police Interceptors' show - the Transit van's VIN no. didn't match the reg no...

.....'No action taken"
 
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Barclaybasher said:
There is only one market for RHD vehicles....

Motorhomes are basically low mileage pick up trucks - horrible as it sounds to motorhome owners these vehicles are a valuable source of spares or a base vehicle

To a criminal it must seem an attractive proposition - a few hours 'work' for thousands in untraceable 'booty'....without a care for the original value of the MH

Just my thoughts....
Click to expand...

Northernraider said:
The Ford transit ones I'm convinced are stolen for the chassis cab or low mileage engine. I've seen a few posts on Facebook where they have found motorhome bodies up on bricks in yards and the chassis cab gone.

I don't think many would be shipped abroad unless they are being converted to lhd as few countries would take them.

There's also the itinerants who seem to be moving from caravans in to motorhomes
Click to expand...

So, would this mean that A-class Motorhomes are less likely to get stolen...?
 
Just smiffy said:
So, would this mean that A-class Motorhomes are less likely to get stolen...?
Click to expand...

Makes sense........(y)

Unless the vehicle is stolen for 'export'.....;)

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3.14 lock operators are definitely switching to MoHos!! (I had an "altercation" with some in France last year) they had RHD British MoHos with GB stickers but were all Irish!!

Sez it all really!! :cautious:
 
pappajohn said:
They would have GB stickers if from Northern Ireland.
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I can assure you they were from the South!, my wife is Northern Irish and I have worked in both the North and the South so I can very easily tell the difference in accents! :)
 
Some stolen vans are ringed as was the one we bought.Buy a scrap van with log book then steal one the same make and swop the number plates over.We bought one from a Car dealer and the hpi check came up with a different mileage but not stolen,accident damaged etc.We got a reduction for the "extra"mileage and wouldn't have been any wiser about it being a stolen van if I hadn't noticed about 12 months later that there was a manufacturing date on a wiring harness that was 12 months later than its registration!.I investigated further only to discover the VIN nos had been changed.Called the police who confirmed our worst fears.It was a stolen vehicle!Police were a waste of time.Cut a long story short.Insurance company let us buy it and I sued the Dealer.Got awarded £12k but never got any of it despite sending the bailiffs round,then getting a charge on his house.He went bust and the house was repossessed.
 

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