How do I stop my car being keyed?

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markpa12003

Well-Known Forumite
Over the last 4 weeks my car has been keyed by the same low life whilst being parked on the roadside outside of my house. So far, the repair bills have cost me in the region of £600.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can prevent it happening again? So far, I have considered the following options:-

Car cover - however I have no idea how effective this will be.
Dashcam / CCTV camera on my house - does anyone know how much these are likely to cost.

Ideally, I want a strong visual deterrent. Whilst I'd love to catch the lowlife in the act the reality is the police are unlikely to do anything. I just want him / her to stop.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Is it just you?

Have you informed the cops?

Is the 'style' similar each time?

Do you live on a potential route from an establishment that may cater for the perpetrator? This could narrow down the time it occurs at.

Does it occur to any pattern of timing? Day of the week, etc?

Is it the same side of the car each time - pavement/road?
 
C

cj1

Well-Known Forumite
dash cam will only be of any use if it has parking mode even then it will need to be hard wired to the car getting a front and rear set up will probably be necessary to give best chances of getting a good clear face shot of the culprit.a good duel set up will cost in region of 150-200 GBP. cheap systems start at around 10GBP on ebay but the best place for these is the bin. just to prove there is a website for anything dashcamtalk.com. the police will act if in the public interest / good chance of successful prosecution. if you havent already it may be worth reporting it
 
Glam

Glam

Mad Cat Woman
markpa12003 said:
Over the last 4 weeks my car has been keyed by the same low life whilst being parked on the roadside outside of my house. So far, the repair bills have cost me in the region of £600.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can prevent it happening again? So far, I have considered the following options:-

Car cover - however I have no idea how effective this will be.
Dashcam / CCTV camera on my house - does anyone know how much these are likely to cost.

Ideally, I want a strong visual deterrent. Whilst I'd love to catch the lowlife in the act the reality is the police are unlikely to do anything. I just want him / her to stop.
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@markpa12003. I have had 3 cars damaged by mindless vandals round here (Castletown). The first one was damaged by a Polish bloke, The Police caught him, but he naffed off back to Poland before owt could be done. no idea who did Reggie Renault or Percy. What I have may not be worth a small fortune, or be the latest top of the range. But it's mine and I wish people would leave it alone.
 
M

markpa12003

Well-Known Forumite
Gramaisc said:
Is it just you?

Have you informed the cops?

Is the 'style' similar each time?

Do you live on a potential route from an establishment that may cater for the perpetrator? This could narrow down the time it occurs at.

Does it occur to any pattern of timing? Day of the week, etc?

Is it the same side of the car each time - pavement/road?
Click to expand...

Have you informed the cops? No

Is the 'style' similar each time? Yes - he / she has got a distinctive 'tag'. The scratches are virtually identical to one another, however the latest one extends across the full length of my car.

Do you live on a potential route from an establishment that may cater for the perpetrator? This could narrow down the time it occurs at. I live in a nice residential area, however it's used as a short cut for those going to less desirable areas.

Does it occur to any pattern of timing? Day of the week, etc? It's happened at the same time / dy twice. Saturday evening between 1am and 6am. I suspect the lowlife is damaging my car on his way home after a night out.

Is it the same side of the car each time - pavement/road?[/QUOTE] Its on the pavement side both times. Whilst he / she is walking along the payment they are keying my car.
 
kyoto49

kyoto49

Well-Known Forumite
Is you car actually on the pavement? Whilst some streets it's impossible to park wthout being on the pavement, maybe the perpetrator is pissed with cars on the pavement? Other than that it's just another one of the many morons that inhabit Stafford. I feel for you, be gutted if it was my car :(

As an aside, where do you go to get the repairs done?
 
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markpa12003

Well-Known Forumite
My car is parked half on the road / half on the pavement. I always make sure I leave enough space for those with a wheelchair / pushchair can get by. I live on a narrow street and cannot park fully on the road because it would cause a road block. Most of the cars on my street do the same as I.

I do have my suspicions as to who it is.
 
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markpa12003

Well-Known Forumite
I get my car repaired at Caddicks - its around the corner from the ONE STOP shop on the A449.

I own a Nissan and the dealership recommended them. So far, they've done a brilliant job.
 
C

cj1

Well-Known Forumite
is it being done on purpose or is it people being a bit careless whilst squeezing past. is it definitely a key being used or a jean stud or handbag buckle. may be worthwhile parking on road and see if it stops.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Camera in the window, if the car is visible from the house.

It's more likely to be at the earlier part of the time-slot, but not guaranteed, of course.

I dealt with the cops over a broken window once - I expected to be fobbed off and really just wanted a crime number for the owner who lived in USA. I ended up in the car with the keenest copper that I've ever met here - we went round, examined the scene and he went to all the nearby premises (including the home of the person we both suspected) and let it be known that he "wasn't having any more of it"....

..there was no more.
 
kyoto49

kyoto49

Well-Known Forumite
markpa12003 said:
My car is parked half on the road / half on the pavement. I always make sure I leave enough space for those with a wheelchair / pushchair can get by. I live on a narrow street and cannot park fully on the road because it would cause a road block. Most of the cars on my street do the same as I.

I do have my suspicions as to who it is.
Click to expand...

I also live in a narrow road where parking a bit on the pavement is unavoidable and I know pedestrians do get p*ssed off with it! Having said that, you seem clear that it's not accidental or opportunist so gaining evidence is your only way forward to my mind
 
M

markpa12003

Well-Known Forumite
Thanks for the suggestions. I'm trying to sort out parking my car on a neighbours driveway. Annoyingly I used to park my car on my own driveway, however my 'temporary' lodger now parks there, as does my wife. As such, I've been relegated to the road!

I pity the lowlife that finds 'pleasure' in damaging my car. If they get enjoyment from carrying out such an action they can't have much of a life.
 
number9

number9

Well-Known Forumite
have any other neighbours got cctv overlooking the road, just to see who goes by between 1-6am Saturday nights.
a camera placed in your window will be a start, but I doubt you'd get good enough image at night to be able to do anything
I'd be parked further down in your wifes car waiting for the scum. just be careful you don't get yourself in trouble, at least you will know who it is.
 
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