Help - Attempted theft

[Pickard1 0]

Right then.....I have put this onto general car chat as it covers a magnitude of problems......

Last night someone has tried to break into / steal my Corrado :(

 

They appear to have gone in through the front grille and popped the bonnet. The wires to the alarm have then been cut / unplugged

 

Both door handles are broken. The passenger side one just in the traditional way - it pulls out but doesnt catch. The passenger one has been prised off with a screwdriver and was laying in the road :(

 

I have gone in through the boot and initially managed to open the bonnet for a look, this is how i know about the alarm cables. Stupidly i let the bonnet shut and now i cant get in. :oops:

Needless to say it wont start due to the wires being cut, first thing I wanted to do was attempt to reconnect them just to see if i can move the car.

 

I have used the search and looked at a few threads about bonnet release. My drivers side pin is released, the passenger side one is stuck. looking at this :

http://the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewtopic. ... et+release

 

I have found the bowden cable , I have tried pulling it fairly hard but it doesnt seem to do anything. Do i need to split the cable to reveal a central wire and pull this to release the passenger side pin????

I have aso heard of a method from underneath of twisting the L shape rods visible in the photo in the thread i posted.....does this work?

 

Problem No 2: I have not sent them my Thatcham certs as they are missing, although i do have a receipt for the instasllation. Do you think i have any chance of a payout if i send them what i have of my alarm info after the event....anyone have experience on this......? I havent even bothered ringing them yet as I think i've got no chance....does anyone have any stories of encouragement......?

 

Also the Cnuts appear to have stolen my front grill complete with G60 badges....... :mad:

 

 

Cheers,

 

Dan

[chrishill 0]

barstewards! not a nice thing to wake up to mate, i feel for you.

 

on the insurance front, I was told that I didnt need to present a thatcham certificate since my alarm was installed over 5 years ago, and thats how long the certificates are valid for... really dont know how it works becuase the insurance company needed a cat1 to insure me at all, then didnt need proof... :?

 

I would guess that if the insurance company has issued you a cover document, thats that. I would think if they wanted evidence of an alarm they'd ask when you took out the policy.

[Pickard1 0]

Thanks Chrishill.....just called your namesakes (almost) at Churchill insurance.... Apparently they would be prepared to pay out if i can send the proof of having the alarm / immobiliser which is a supprise to say the least! :)

 

Unfortunately they want 250 quid excess plus I'd loose my 45% no claims which would probably be another 4-500 quid a year for the next 2 years......

so I'm pretty much back to square 1........

Dan :(

[chrishill 0]

at least you're covered mate, thats the main thing.

 

the worst part is its not even your fault!

 

I would have thought you could get it all sorted out for under £250 though? couple of 2nd hand handles, a grille and a badge shouldnt be too much, then its should just be a case of getting a good electrician to fix the alarm. The bonnet cable (from what I hear) isnt too tricky to replace. might save you some cash in the long run if your insurance is going to hike by £500!

[Pickard1 0]

Right, ive got it jacked up and going at those pins from underneath seems a no-go as there is too much crap in the way......

I cant reach them from the sides either as they seem to be behind the headlights.

The only option seems to be yanking the bowden cable......I have tried yanking pretty hard, but probably not as hard as the theiving scum that were yanking on it last night. Is brute force the way? :?

[chrishill 0]

not having done this before I'm not 100% sure but I 'think' you should be able to get a grip on the cable through the hole where the grille should be (not wanting to rub it in but...!) pair of pliers on that and give it a good yank...

[JBOB 0]

Sorry to hear about your car mate :( cant imagine how id feel if I came out to that :x

 

I had trouble with my bonnet a while ago, I found that if you get someone to pull on the release handle as hard as they can and then if you push down as hard as you can right on top of the pin then it might release :D Worked for me so might help you out 8)

[Trig 0]

Ahh the buggers. Tough luck mate but you seem to be taking it on the chin, hope you get it sorted out, at least Churchill are paying out. :)

[Pickard1 0]

Yep.....brute force was the trick. I suppose i was just being gentle with my baby.....I was forgetting that the blokes last night probably wern't going for that option!

 

Ive plugged the alarm back in and the locking and siren are working again.

Ive another wire that they've cut, not sure what it is, doesnt seem to affect the alarm. Ive got a pic but cant post it up....i used to be able to....am I having a mental block or has the site changed? :?:

[H8RRA 0]

what model we on here?

 

On the vr, the offside (drivers) pin is accessible from below if you jack it up -

 

The nearside is more tricky if the cable has snapped as it would seem to have from what you've said. To do this side, I had to remove the grill, chop away the plastic radiator cowl to access the spring lever that retains the nearside pin and then use a tie wrap to loop around said spring lever to pull it and release the pin - see editted pic below

[Trig 0]

Is the picture 1024pix or smaller wide? If it's too big you'll need to resize it.

[Pickard1 0]

Its the right right size trigger.......I just seem to have had a mental block on how to upload it.... :lol:

H8RRA - thanks for the pic, I have managed to release it by pulling on the cable through the grille, i think it has snapped near to where the hande is in the cockpit.

[Trig 0]

email it to me: mailto:[email protected] i'll whack it up for ya :)

[Trig 0]

Cut Wire... (It was slightly too high as well ;) )

[Pickard1 0]

I have sent my pic to Trigger......

 

It shows the back of the engine bay drivers side. To the right hand side you can see the brake fluid reservoir. In the center is my alarm siren attached to the front suspension strut. Positioned at the top of my suspension strut is the wire in question.......is this a standard G60 thing or is it something to do with the many alarms and immobilisers that have been fitted to this car......just a bit worried thay have cut the abs off or something.... :lol:

[destructiv dave 0]

ABS sensor^^^

[Pickard1 0]

Trigger - Thanks for that!

Dave - you sure....? Do you think the wire can just be spliced back together or does it consist of several wires?

Dan

[destructiv dave 0]

Pickard,

 

Yep positive. If you follow the cut end down by the Brake servo you will see it go through the inner arch then come out and attach to the wheel sensor.

 

Not sure about splicing it back together as have never cut one, but as you are looking for the short end of wire you may be able to source one quite easily from a breaker.

[Pickard1 0]

Thanks everyone....Have got to go to work now.

I think im deffinitely going to get the work done myself as it is now drivable. Im going to take it back to my mum and dads and borrow my dads Rover 220 Turbo :D for the week!

Does anyone know a friendly (cheapish) bodyshop in Leicester who will be able to replace fecked door handles and respra a few little scratches?

 

Then I'm off to see Gav for a complete new alarm system!!

[chrishill 0]

door handles are a doddle mate, DIY job :)

[Pickard1 0]

Bit of an update and some new questions here.....

 

I have discovered the cause of the bonnet not opening, they seem to have broken a clip on the release mechanism. Does this mean a whole new cable? I cant see any way of taking the clip off the cable to reattach a new one to the lever mechanism.

 

Also the ABS sensor on the previous page, I have been told that this connects direct into the hub and I need to fit a whole new one. Is this right?

 

 

On a positive note I have had a new Cat 1 alarm fitted, have brought some passat handles (x4 :lol: ) and have found somewhere that can respray and repair the doors.

 

Cheers,

 

Dan