Albert's ZHP stolen

[johnrando]

Mafia family, extremely sad news tonight. Albert's (tripod06) blue ZHP was stolen today, from in front of his house. He's devastated and I'm heartbroken for him. We all know how much heart and soul we put into our cars, and to have someone steal that is just so not right. I had a car stolen from me decades ago and I still remember that car and wish I still had it.

So, send your best wishes or thoughts or prayers to Albert and hoping against hope that somehow he gets his car back. He was insured but that's a whole different conversation.

:mafia

[danewilson77]

:mafia

Totally sux. All people in the area and on the interwebz be on the look out. Should post it on all forums, and see if parts and what not shows up.

[JupiterBMW]

Geezus, this is terrible news... Hope all turns out for the best.

[kayger12]

Wow. Sucks.

Sent from my kick-A Galaxy S3

[SoCalZman]

Wow. That is some of the worst news to get. Was his car equipped with an alarm? Where exactly was the car stolen from, so family in the area can keep a look out? What about a few pics of the car, license plate number, visible mods to help identify, etc?? Is the word going out to e46fanatics too? Hell, even Jalopnik has been helping out people find stolen cars by putting it on their blog.

I have been wondering this for awhile: How easy are our ZHPs to steal? Dont we have a chipped key? How do criminals get around that? I have been wondering if I should invest in the OEM alarm now that I will be parking my car outside.....

[danewilson77]

Wow. That is some of the worst news to get. Was his car equipped with an alarm? Where exactly was the car stolen from, so family in the area can keep a look out? What about a few pics of the car, license plate number, visible mods to help identify, etc?? Is the word going out to e46fanatics too? Hell, even Jalopnik has been helping out people find stolen cars by putting it on their blog.

I have been wondering this for awhile: How easy are our ZHPs to steal? Dont we have a chipped key? How do criminals get around that? I have been wondering if I should invest in the OEM alarm now that I will be parking my car outside.....

All great questions.

[Mtnman]

Dang

People

Suck

[Whitexi]

That sucks, Sorry to hear about this. I have read that for BMW's usually they are taken by a tow truck. The guy I bough the roof rack for my car from had his E46 flat bedded out from in front of his house. His neighbors saw the whole thing but just thought it was going to a shop for repairs.

The E46 is generally harder since it has the actual metal key to turn the ignition, but I know in the last year the newer push button style BMW's are a target now since thieves have gotten a hold of the coder used to create a key. They can do it and leave with your car in minutes and its caused alarm enough that BMW has had to revise the loop hole that allows it to be done. There is a video of a guys 6 month old 1M coupe being taken from his driveway this way, but its a EU issue only apparently.

[Johnmadd]

L.A. is the worst area in the country for this and I guese the outer areas are included

[3ZHP]

Totally sucks, I feel his pain

[az3579]

I thought our cars were unstealable... leave it in first with the handbrake up and it ain't going anywhere, no???
WTF

[WilC]

Oh man, sorry to hear that.

[Don Adolfo]

I AGREE...THAT SUCKS. I can't imagine how painful that must be. I many times wonder if my car will be there when I return to it at the end of the workday. I secure it with a 'Club,' but even that is no guarantee. I feel your pain.

[LivesNearCostco]

A motivated enough thief could still winch it up onto a flatbed even with the handbrake up, if they don't break into the car to release the handbrake and put it into neutral.

[danewilson77]

I thought our cars were unstealable... leave it in first with the handbrake up and it ain't going anywhere, no???
WTF

They would just drag it up on the flat bed.

HTC DNA, Williamsburg, VA

[az3579]

Flatbedding a car isn't a quiet business... I wonder how nobody heard this happening?

[Johal E32]

If a thief really wants a car, he/she will take it somehow.. Tow truck, or whatever, they will do some crazy shit to take it..

My family has a had a vehicle stolen in the past, it sucks.. Luckily I found it in a parking lot a few months later. It was crazy, only a few miles away from where it was originally stolen from. It was parked at my Taekwondo place.. Just tell everyone in your area to keep their eyes open, you might find it. And search Craigslist like a hawk.

Best of luck Albert. Hopefully your insurance will be helpful and you cana hopefully recover your ZHP.

[az3579]

The thing is, once it's stolen, it's "stolen". Do you really want it back after someone else has molested it? I'd be torn on that one. Who knows what kind of damage or other theft has occured since the original incident.

It's kind of like rape for cars... it'll never be the same.

[johnrando]

It's either taken for a joy ride and dumped, or more likely stripped for parts and you don't want that back.

[az3579]

It's either taken for a joy ride and dumped, or more likely stripped for parts and you don't want that back.

The former is unlikely if they involved a tow truck. Shiiiiiiiii...

[Avetiso]

Bastards.

[WOLFN8TR]

Wow that Sucks. Sorry to hear the Bad news.

[Oli77]

That is terrible news. Can someone post a pic of his car here?

Happened in LA?

[bmshen]

Ugh, I feel ill for you...so sorry to hear...

[cakM3]

Albert....I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. I have had this done to me in the past, in my case I was out to sea onboard a submarine with 3 days left before coming back home. I got word from my Captain that my '85 GSL-SE RX-7 was stolen. It sucked...I know how this feels. Hopefully your ZHP will be recovered quickly with no damage done to her.....

reading this thread made me reconsider where my ///M was parked in my hotel parking lot tonight and I just moved it to a much more secure location....

[BavarianZHP]

Pics here:

2004 330i ZHP Sedan
Mystic Blue
AT

These are old pics, so I'm not sure if it is up-to-date (modifications may be absent). Tripod06 can chime in whenever he's free:

For now:

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc12/Bike_enthusiast/9fc13214_zpsd879ca35.jpg (http://s218.photobucket.com/user/Bike_enthusiast/media/9fc13214_zpsd879ca35.jpg.html)


http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc12/Bike_enthusiast/50d035ac_zps5a847fd5.jpg (http://s218.photobucket.com/user/Bike_enthusiast/media/50d035ac_zps5a847fd5.jpg.html)


http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc12/Bike_enthusiast/57af4d00_zpsd057f76e.jpg (http://s218.photobucket.com/user/Bike_enthusiast/media/57af4d00_zpsd057f76e.jpg.html)

[BavarianZHP]

My first color of choice would have to be mystic blue... Then silbergrau (Sorry my babe but you want what you don't have!!!)

[Snowboardinwny]

This really sucks. I have had dreams before of something like this happening. I wake up and run to the window to see if my car is still there. I couldn't imagine the pain of having such a valuable item torn from your hands. If you do get it back hope it is unharmed.

[BimmerWill]

Really unfortunate to read about, hopefully it will turn up with no damage done to it. I've been revived out of a passed out drunken state when one of my friends said my car had been stolen to try and revive me, I can only imagine how horrible it would feel for this to actually happen. Best of luck to finding it.

[Whitexi]

Any updates?

[johnrando]

No updates yet, and his car was basically stock so those pics are accurate.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

I talked to Albert yesterday.

Here's the deal: his car suffered a flat tire on Sunday (if not Monday). The car was sitting in front of the house with a flat tire. A day later, after returning from work, Albert came home to no car. This occurred in Alhambra, CA (northeast Los Angeles).

My guess is that it was flat bedded. People who saw the flat tire probably figured that the tow truck was just picking up the car and taking it to get fixed.

Albert was pretty distraught when I talked to him. I asked him two things: one, where was the car parked when it got stolen. And, two, was the car insured. Car was in Alhambra. Car was insured.

I told him to get over it. Had to give him some tough love on this. I have had several cars stolen. The first time you feel violated. The second time you just get on the phone with the insurance company (after you have filed a report with the police) and wait for the 30 days to lapse. I told Albert the car might come back (hopefully it doesn't). If the car is not found in 30 days, the insurance company will cut him a check. If the car does come back, Albert will need to get the car inspected for damage (assuming the car is not flat-out stripped to begin with).

Regardless, I think Albert was feeling a bit better by the end of the discussion. Still, I understand what it's like to have a car stolen. It's shocking the first time around. But, yeah, it's time to move on. Start looking for a new ZHP while you're waiting on the status of the stolen one.

[johnrando]

Glad you got a chance to talk to him too Mark. Maybe between the both of us he's starting to be able to process though this, get the initial sting out.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

Hopefully so, Rando.


Sent from my ZHPMafia.com iPhone

[SoCalZman]

I am in SoCal twice a month. I will keep an eye out.

This makes me want to call up the BMW dealer and price out an alarm install. :(

[jayjay_dee]

good move Boss...

Hopefully, things turns out for the best... GL Albert!!!

[wsmeyer]

I talked to Albert yesterday.

Here's the deal: his car suffered a flat tire on Sunday (if not Monday). The car was sitting in front of the house with a flat tire. A day later, after returning from work, Albert came home to no car. This occurred in Alhambra, CA (northeast Los Angeles).

My guess is that it was flat bedded. People who saw the flat tire probably figured that the tow truck was just picking up the car and taking it to get fixed.

Albert was pretty distraught when I talked to him. I asked him two things: one, where was the car parked when it got stolen. And, two, was the car insured. Car was in Alhambra. Car was insured.

I told him to get over it. Had to give him some tough love on this. I have had several cars stolen. The first time you feel violated. The second time you just get on the phone with the insurance company (after you have filed a report with the police) and wait for the 30 days to lapse. I told Albert the car might come back (hopefully it doesn't). If the car is not found in 30 days, the insurance company will cut him a check. If the car does come back, Albert will need to get the car inspected for damage (assuming the car is not flat-out stripped to begin with).

Regardless, I think Albert was feeling a bit better by the end of the discussion. Still, I understand what it's like to have a car stolen. It's shocking the first time around. But, yeah, it's time to move on. Start looking for a new ZHP while you're waiting on the status of the stolen one.

Is he certain it wasn't just impounded?

You can't park a disabled car on a city street and they are pretty picky about that stuff around here.

[Washburn]

This is terrible !
My thoughts are with him, and hope for a good outcome..,

[Dave_B]

Man this sucks! I'm sorry to hear, Albert.

Having left the Honda scene, I thought for sure there weren't concerns with the bimmers.

Guess I'll have to start considering anti-theft options.

[SoCalZman]

Having left the Honda scene, I thought for sure there weren't concerns with the bimmers.

Guess I'll have to start considering anti-theft options.


Right? For everyone including Albert when he gets his mint new ZHP or his old one back, it looks like the OEM alarm system is silly-easy to install. Only requires you to have the dealer code it to the car after install. I will be purchasing/installing it next month on my car. Includes a tilt sensor for flatbed theft attemps.

DIY: http://m3.madrussian.net/diy_alarm.shtml
or http://www.my330i.com/mod8.php#F

[RITmusic2k]

Holy shit. Albert, if you end up seeing this thread, I'm really sorry that this happened to you. But Marcus has some good advice above.

Meanwhile, let's everyone be vigilant and keep an eye out if somebody posts a link to a similar car for sale. Another picture of Albert's ride:

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-fmGUDyav4BA/TXUj5VCjPYI/AAAAAAAABPI/uB9p5fYnAWw/s800/1000000941.JPG

I thought I had a good shot after he had his front license plate installed, but it was too far off to read.

[JupiterBMW]

Another thing to consider... Given that the car would immediately show up as stolen if someone tried to transfer title, I doubt finding it for sale would be realistic. Parts from it on co-part or similar sites is more realistic. Perhaps a full car sale in Mexico though seeing as you guys are close... I don't know the laws there but perhaps there's a Tijuana Craigslist?

[fredo]

Sorry to hear the news. Getting a new key won't be easy. You need to go to the stealership (no pun intended) and show proof of ownership.

[webster]

very sorry to hear of this. nothing worse in the world than thieves.

also an unfortunate lesson in where to park (or not to park in this case) if you have visually obvious issues with the car. i never would have considered it dangerous to park a car with a flat tire on the street for thievery, but now it's something that will stick with me forever.

[yura]

Very shitty. I've had things stolen from me (never a vehicle - knock on wood), and I know the feeling of being violated all too well. Myself - I wouldn't want a stolen vehicle back. Hopefully the insurance company pays out a proper amount.

I had an OEM alarm on my ZHP - it was great. Interior motion sensors, tilt sensors (which would be handy in the flatbed case), etc. And the one time I locked my keys in my trunk I learned just how hard it is to get into the car - three tow truck drivers didn't even try to open it when they came and saw the car, and the fourth only managed to get the interior open (the trunk was a no-go).

[johnrando]

Is he certain it wasn't just impounded?

You can't park a disabled car on a city street and they are pretty picky about that stuff around here.

He called the police... I'm sure they would have said if it was impounded.
@Kevin, great pic. That's the day I first met you all on our 1st ever mini West Mafia meet.

[johnrando]

Right? For everyone including Albert when he gets his mint new ZHP or his old one back, it looks like the OEM alarm system is silly-easy to install. Only requires you to have the dealer code it to the car after install. I will be purchasing/installing it next month on my car. Includes a tilt sensor for flatbed theft attemps.

DIY: http://m3.madrussian.net/diy_alarm.shtml
or http://www.my330i.com/mod8.php#F

Where you getting your alarm from?

[midlandtech]

This sucks I know how he feels. Perhaps (although it will be difficult) he could use the time between now and when the insurance pays out for the stolen car to gather information so that he gets an accurate settlement for his car.

[SoCalZman]

Where you getting your alarm from?

Getbmwparts.com has it for 295. If anyone knows where to get it cheaper I'm all ears. :-)

[jgt_zhp]

There's a guy on E46f who pieces together kits from various parts sources, and will sell a complete set of "new to you" alarm parts for $160 shipped

[echo46]

Man, that really blows. I will bet that she went right to some shitty chop shop. So sorry.

[johnrando]

There's a guy on E46f who pieces together kits from various parts sources, and will sell a complete set of "new to you" alarm parts for $160 shipped

I'll check that out.

[Oli77]

Thanks for checking in with him and reporting back Mark.

[imola red zhp]

Just read this, sorry to hear about this Albert. Hope everthing works out...

sent from my new Samsung Galaxy III

[kpro]

Rob was reading through here the other night and told me that Albert's car got stolen, I was hoping to come in here and find out that it was found or just impounded. Really sucks, but Mark has some good advice. I too have had a prelude stolen from me and some close friends have had their Honda's stolen and it just plain sucks when you've put hard earned money into your car and to have it taken away. I wish you luck with the insurance company Albert.

Just an FYI, the police may not know if it was impounded or not, so I would look into that... Once upon a time I did a friend a "favor" and lent him one of my civics for a couple of weeks and he had gotten it impounded and called it in stolen. I filed the police report myself with him there and they never told us that it was impounded. The insurance company found it in impound almost a week later and I had tons of fees to pay to get it back out. I would just double check...especially since it was in the street with a flat tire.

[cakM3]

Curious to know if there's anything new concerning Albert's ZHP?

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD using Tapatalk 2

[Meric]

This sucks.. People get OEM alarms and retrofit them.. Its not that hard..

It comes with Interior Motion sensor (Really sensitive)
Tilt Sensor (Flat beds or jacks to steal rims..)
Alarm Horn which has a small battery inside if they try to disconnect the battery it will still working for sometime..

Also people who have it get it coded to disable mechanical lock that disarms the alarm.. Mostly this is how thives get inside.. I installed it myself pretty easy.

[johnrando]

Curious to know if there's anything new concerning Albert's ZHP?

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX HD using Tapatalk 2

I txted him Saturday to see how he's doing and hadn't heard back yet.

[SoCalZman]

This sucks.. People get OEM alarms and retrofit them.. Its not that hard..

It comes with Interior Motion sensor (Really sensitive)
Tilt Sensor (Flat beds or jacks to steal rims..)
Alarm Horn which has a small battery inside if they try to disconnect the battery it will still working for sometime..

Also people who have it get it coded to disable mechanical lock that disarms the alarm.. Mostly this is how thives get inside.. I installed it myself pretty easy.

Yeah I am making a note to ask whoever I find to code this after I install the alarm to disable the mechanical lock disarming.

[Hermes]

DAMN! Sucks to hear this, hopefully it works out.

-----

Albert's car also has clear front turn signals, amber side markers, and R/A/R tails

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c288/jhermes/9-18-11/DSC_9799.jpg

and it might still have his mafia sticker in the rear passenger opera window
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c288/jhermes/9-18-11/DSC_9741.jpg

[danewilson77]

Red, white and blue. Neat shot.

[328ioc]

Damn sorry to hear about this.

Its a long shot but I know a few cars have been found by posting pictures and Info in Jalopnik. But at this point who knows.

Sorry to hear again Albert.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[ryankokesh]

That's awful... there's (admittedly) quite a few qualities I despise in people, but disrespect for other peoples' property is pretty darn high on the list.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

I heard from Albert a few days ago. Still hasn't found it. I told him that was great news. Told him he does not want it back.

This was our exchange:

Me: Anything new on the car? I will update the thread on zhpmafia. The longer it's gone the better. You don't want it back.

Albert: I haven't heard anything at all on the car. Sadly.

Me: That's actually good. The longer it's gone, the worse shape it is in. You don't want it back now.

Albert: Yeah I miss it but perhaps it's time to move on.

Me: It is. Trust me. Start looking for a new one. These cars are like girlfriends. There will always be another one.

Albert: Hahaha ya that's true. I think that would be the best route.


Sent from my ZHPMafia.com iPhone

[Hermes]

I tried calling him and haven't heard back yet. Maybe this will be the motivation he needed to buy a 335 or whatever he was thinking about buying last summer

[Marcus-SanDiego]

The car was never found. Insurance paid out.

Albert eyeing an E60 M5 now.

The beat goes on.


Sent from my PeerlessFineArt.com iPhone

[Avetiso]

Upgrade!

[Hermes]

sweet... now he just needs to hang out

[JupiterBMW]

Still sucks he lost something he enjoyed owning, but glad insurance handled things and he's on to newer and better. :thumbsup

[ryankokesh]

Girlfriend analogy... :rofl


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[danewilson77]

Albert's last post was January. What's going on with him?

[johnrando]

New job, married, stolen car... a LOT.

[ryankokesh]

Doesn't he know he's supposed to be posting from the alter?

[Hermes]

Albert texted me last night. He said he's working 60+ hours/week and misses us. He'll try to get online soon