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MG MGB Technical - Looting

I have been posting on this site for years, with questions and comments related to both the MG midget and the B.

The B was stolen last night from inside my garage with a newly rebuilt front end, rear Bilstein shock kit, recently rebuilt engine, new tires with perfect alignment, etc. Waxing and upgrading the car has been my shelter-in-place routine. It was perfect, including A/C operation.

Whoever stole it was able to break through the lock on the back door to the garage, disconnect the camera and push the car out. I must have been followed home such that whoever took it, knew where the car lived. This is basically looting at a time when the world is locked down.

The photo was taken on Rt66 last month in Oklahoma crossing the U.S. The car had 215,000 miles on it.



Glenn Mallory

Glenn

Sorry to hear that. It's sickening.
Dave O'Neill 2

That's awful, Glenn. I'd be devastated, as I'm sure you are.

Sooner or later the car, or the parts, has to find its way onto the market somehow. Is there a local Club scene that could keep an eye out for a new/or rebuilt MG in the area?

Have the police any CCTV for your neighbourhood? Presume it was put on a trailer.
Peter Allen

Very upsetting.

I feel you might be right that you were targeted possibly by chance or if you drive the car more than the average B owner then perhaps a steal to order, for car or parts.

As I had a time in CCTV I can say domestic cameras, unless covert, are easy to spot and disable, and cameras on commercial premises are often poor quality and poorly maintained, so much so that you wouldn't recognise yourself on playback. Playback quality is often very poor compared to live image and digital zoom can't compensate for poor optical quality. Night recordings can be particularly poor because of lack of or inappropriate lighting or camera set up.

But sometimes some systems are good and/or new and freshly installed so it's always worth asking around and different cameras at different business or homes give different angles which gives more opportunity of getting relevant information (most cameras are fitted too high so angled wrong for good face recognition) but professional thieves know how to disguise themselves enough from cameras.
Nigel Atkins

Glenn,
If you live in a tight neighborhood you might check to see if any of your neighbors have a Ring doorbell or other security cameras that might have caught something.
Bernie
bhall1

Today I got a call from the police, indicating that they had located the MGB. They had me bring my second set of keys, never even asked for ID or for me to sign anything and let me drive it away. The thieves drove it about 80 miles and I haven't been able to detect any damage. Even after a complete wipe down with disinfectant, there is a faint odor of cigarette smoke.

The car had been parked in a questionable neighborhood. The neighbor who reported the car to the police said that it was impossible for those guys who got out of it to be driving a classic car. It just had to be stolen.

So nice to have it back. I will need to buy a new set of tools, a new spare S.U fuel pump and to restock the boot with a couple of quarts of oil. Then I am good.
Glenn Mallory

"The car had been parked in a questionable neighborhood. The neighbor who reported the car to the police said that it was impossible for those guys who got out of it to be driving a classic car. It just had to be stolen. "

You are very lucky! They do that in case it has a tracker fitted, if it's still there in a couple of days they know it's safe to move it on. Doubly lucky that someone living in a 'questionable' area took the trouble to phone the police, the thieves would be banking on no one in that area having a sense of social responsibility.

If you can find out who reported it a 'thank you' gift might be in order.
paulh4

Fantastic news, Glenn! Yes, deffo a bottle of Jack Daniels for the neighbour!

I guess they took whatever they could out of the boot. In the States AF/SAE spanners would have a wider market than in the UK where we've adopted Napoleonic practices. Not sure what they'll do with that SU pump, but I'd be keeping an eye on ebay!
Peter Allen

Great news.

And yes if you can, a small reward to whoever reported it to the Police, if they live in a questionable neighbourhood but still have decency I think they deserve for their spirits to be lifted. You can't always help where you live or your circumstances (despite what some of the privileged believe).
Nigel Atkins

Tomorrow I will be mailing a cashier's cheque to the person who reported the abandoned MG. I made sure that I got his mailing address when I picked it up. He was there with the policeman and policewoman who celebrated the moment when I inserted the key and it started.

I spent today with my mask on and rubber gloves scrubbing the COVID-19 out of the car. Everything got scrubbed with soap, down to the seatbelts and carpets. Tomorrow the garage opener is getting reprogrammed (they kept the control that was in the car) and new locks and a deadbolt will be installed on the back door.

Insurance is an issue. Having the MGs insured for agreed values that include theft, limit the total distance the cars can be driven in a year. They limit it to 3,000 miles and I drive the B about 30,000 miles a year and the Midget at least 5,000. If they are covered by a normal policy and there is a collision, they will be declared a total loss with a reimbursement in the $1,000 range. The stipulation that they are "parade" cars with a limit on annual mileage takes them out of the "daily driver" category that has given me such pleasure over the years. So, I am sorting this out with my insurance agent.
Glenn Mallory

Glad your experience ended well. You did the right thing by sending a check to the people who phoned in the car.

Good all around

Cheers

Gary
79 MGB
gary hansen

Good on you Glenn for sending a reward.

Over here I have unlimited mileage as a no cost extra with proper Agreed Valuation on my insurance but Sod's Law for various reasons for a few years now hardly do 4-5,000 miles a year.

With my previous Spridget I initially put it on 6,000 miles a year as I was also using other cars but found the mileage far too restrictive so paid extra the next year for unlimited mileage, Sod's Law I only done about 3,000 miles in it but the year after it would have been 15,000 miles had I not sold it 12,000 miles in.
Nigel Atkins

This thread was discussed between 12/04/2020 and 15/04/2020

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