Anti-theft........what can be done?

[Marc R]

hi guys,

Offcourse we do not want our cars to be stolen,therefor the W124 500 series are mostly fitted with anti theft systems... but what more conceiled precautions can be done to prevent our cars from being stolen?

 

[r44raven]

Don't let it out of your sight!

 

[Christian_K]

GPS tracker with own little battery, charged by a special relay/switch from the main battery, to keep it alive.
Mount it at a spot where nobody would ever assume it.
I saw the tactics from eastern european people and the 500E is within their top10 list of cars they want to steal. They come with a trailer, just pull the car up with a steel cable, go WOT and escape. Alarm siren starts but goes silent again after approx 1 minute (thats requirement by german law).
A few km later they stop, open the trunk, disconnect the battery and continue drive to poland, and other countries where they disassemble the car fully and sell the spare parts over german Ebay and special car markets near the german border.

For that only a GPS Tracker with GSM card and with own power source, where is set up a "geofence" with software will get your car back if anyway.

 

[r44raven]

hi guys,

Offcourse we do not want our cars to be stolen,therefor the W124 500 series are mostly fitted with anti theft systems... but what more conceiled precautions can be done to prevent our cars from being stolen?

Ignore my somewhat facetious comment about not letting the car out of your sight (although probably the best but somewhat impractical suggestion)! But it does seem to me a contradiction in terms to talk about "concealed precautions" to prevent theft. Surely, by their very nature, anything concealed would not be a deterrent? If you have a tracker fitted, then also place prominent stickers on each window to alert thieves to this effect.

 

[gsxr]

Ignore my somewhat facetious comment about not letting the car out of your sight (although probably the best but somewhat impractical suggestion)! But it does seem to me a contradiction in terms to talk about "concealed precautions" to prevent theft. Surely, by their very nature, anything concealed would not be a deterrent? If you have a tracker fitted, then also place prominent stickers on each window to alert thieves to this effect.

Wouldn't this also alert serious thieves to simply remove the device immediately after they thief the car?

Joking or not, I think the best prevention is to keep the car stored somewhere safe (locked indoors, somewhere it can't easily be towed out and put on a flatbed truck to be hauled away).

 

[Marc R]

My W124 will be stored inside next to my RS4.

 

[R129 UK]

I did a search and this was about the only thread that came up and is 10 years old...

With the horrible news of what happened in this thread recently - what is the current thinking on additional security devices?

WANTED Thread '$15,000 REWARD — Two Mercedes Stolen'

Aug 10, 2025

Gents,

A few days ago, a bold theft took place at my warehouse in NJ — two cars were stolen.

Details of the vehicles:

• 1994 Mercedes E500
  VIN: WDB1240361C156136
• 1999 Mercedes E55 AMG
  VIN: WDB2100741A682361

I’m offering a $10,000 reward for the E500 and a $5,000 reward for the E55.

If you have any information, please send me a private message or call 929-641-3100.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Victor

• stickyvicky
• Replies: 30
• Forum: Cars for Sale - 500E / E500 ONLY

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I have an Apple Air Tag which I currently use for luggage mainly when travelling on business (we also use them to track high value shipments to ensure we know where they are at any given time) which is quite good at alerting you to the fact the tag has moved location etc. Obv. only works on an iPhone.

Very cheap but not as reliable as a true GPS tracker which will provide its current location in real time - the Apple tag relies on being near other Apple devices to share location information - that said there are plenty of Apple devices all over the planet so in built up areas coverage should be good.

I have read you can also remove the speaker so that any attempt a thief tries to make the tag give an audible notification is silent.

Battery life is ~1 year, I'm thinking about adding one to each of my cars.



The 3 tags above were all "Last Seen" within the past 30 minutes.

 

[doolar]

AirTags are good, problem is that the thieves learned about them long ago, especially that you can scan for one in your vicinity with your iPhone (this is to make stalking more difficult).

This makes the AirTag less of a great option these days. Hidden well enough with disabled speaker, sure, but it only makes the risk of the thieves tearing the interior apart bigger. They know it must be accessible to replace the battery.

I’m leaning towards something like a Monimoto. Its been very well reviewed in the motorcycle community in Europe, is totally stand alone from the vehicle electrical system, easy to hide, self arming and activating.

You just need a small fob with you. If the vehicle moves without the fob, you will get a call immediately, you can track your vehicle live via the app.

I think I’ll order one now actually, in light of what @stickyvicky have been subjected to.

 

[R129 UK]

You just need a small fob with you. If the vehicle moves without the fob, you will get a call immediately, you can track your vehicle live via the app.

That presumably requires mobile phone coverage so not without limitations but also a good option overall and reasonably priced.

 

[doolar]

That presumably requires mobile phone coverage so not without limitations but also a good option overall and reasonably priced.

Yes it does of course, so not perfect at all, but the cell coverage and penetration is quite extensive in Europe right now. Even underground garages have some coverage often.

The Monimoto also use the old 2G network, it is to be shuttered in Sweden in 2027, but for now it is still there, and 2G are low frequency compared to 4G and 5G so it travels easier in denser environments - so very good for this application.

With a modded AirTag hidden in the car as an extra layer, I believe it’s at least better than what I have now (which is only the factory alarm).

An AirTag only needs a Apple device nearby, in Sweden more than 50% of all phones are an iPhone so AirTags are very effective here as I’ve come to experience with my sons lost keys several times.

It’s unfortunately good to remember the old saying ”Locks are only effective against honest people” or whatever it would be in English, so the best is to have your car not stolen at all in the first place (easy to say…).

I would hate to feel like I don’t want to use my car due to fear of theft. I just came home from a three hour drive in it, such a joy to have!

 

[JC220]

A couple of my cars had anti theft markings done years ago by previous owners. So each window etc has a unique ID etched into it which is linked to a national database. I know my V12 has it for sure. Its to discourage "chop shops" from taking the car in the first place as many main parts are security marked and they would see that by looking at the glass etc from outside.

I also just seen this video of DNA kits- I will be ordering a couple of these kits too and may treat a couple of my cars with them!

I think the best deterants are a proper Thatcham cat 1 alarm fitted very deep into the car and in full working order with dual channel immobiliser. Second is to ensure where the car is kept is covered by the likes of ring doorbells or other modern cameras that detect motion and alert on your phone anywhere in the world. I have a system like that covering all around my house. And I also have a top of the range live monitored burglar alarm into my garages too including break glass sensors.

Finally this guy is outside all the time

 

[stickyvicky]

AirTags are good, problem is that the thieves learned about them long ago, especially that you can scan for one in your vicinity with your iPhone (this is to make stalking more difficult).

This makes the AirTag less of a great option these days. Hidden well enough with disabled speaker, sure, but it only makes the risk of the thieves tearing the interior apart bigger. They know it must be accessible to replace the battery.

I’m leaning towards something like a Monimoto. Its been very well reviewed in the motorcycle community in Europe, is totally stand alone from the vehicle electrical system, easy to hide, self arming and activating.

You just need a small fob with you. If the vehicle moves without the fob, you will get a call immediately, you can track your vehicle live via the app.

I think I’ll order one now actually, in light of what @stickyvicky have been subjected to.

Thanks doolar, I will take a look.

 

[R129 UK]

Finally this guy is outside all the time

View attachment 220404

The majority of the time my >2000kg W164 is parked in front of my garage which is also an effective deterrent...

 

[TerryA]

A couple of my cars had anti theft markings done years ago by previous owners. So each window etc has a unique ID etched into it which is linked to a national database. I know my V12 has it for sure. Its to discourage "chop shops" from taking the car in the first place as many main parts are security marked and they would see that by looking at the glass etc from outside.

I also just seen this video of DNA kits- I will be ordering a couple of these kits too and may treat a couple of my cars with them!

I think the best deterants are a proper Thatcham cat 1 alarm fitted very deep into the car and in full working order with dual channel immobiliser. Second is to ensure where the car is kept is covered by the likes of ring doorbells or other modern cameras that detect motion and alert on your phone anywhere in the world. I have a system like that covering all around my house. And I also have a top of the range live monitored burglar alarm into my garages too including break glass sensors.

Finally this guy is outside all the time

View attachment 220404

@JC220,
Joe, I like your dog it’s great protection for your property. I once worked for a guy who just happened to be Irish. He had a guard dog at his company yard. He looked just like yours. When I first went to work for this guy I met his dog who at the time was locked up in a cage during the day. He was so vicious and intimidating I thought he was going to bust out and eat me alive. After some time we became friends but I learned he couldn’t see very well. Making a long story short one weekend I had to go to the yard and the dog was out. So I unlock the gate and go in the yard. No sooner than I close the gate behind me I hear this vicious dog charging towards me from across the yard. O-Shit! I thought I was as good as dead.

Remember he couldn’t see very well. Anyway he got within about 10 feet from me and he recognized me and started wagging his tail happy to see me. Whew! Boy was was I relieved with his change of attitude.

 

[alabbasi]

I think the best deterants are a proper Thatcham cat 1 alarm fitted very deep into the car and in full working order with dual channel immobiliser

An alarm might stop the opportunist but it won't stop anyone who's determined.

The best deterrent is to 1) not let people know what you have not 2) not taking people to where you keep it.
If it gets stolen from where you store it, it's probably by someone who knows you and has already been on your property.