[rtaschengeld]

Hello all

Unfortunately the front radar on my M3 Touring (still running it in but enjoying it so far...) was stolen during the night while it was parked outside my home in London.

Obviously this is incredibly annoying and disappointing but I worry that if I even replace it, there's nothing to stop it happening again. It seems far too easy to remove this piece of equipment given how expensive it is to replace (I've been quoted £2,400 by BMW just for the two parts I require). The BMW dealer I corresponded with said as much but also said there was no way to make them more secure.

I've seen a few references to aftermarket solutions to making them harder to steal but wondered whether anyone had any experience of them.

I'm trying to look on the bright side. At least there was no damage to the car, unlike when the wheel was stolen on my X5 M50d and that required quite a bit of repair.

Many thanks in advance.

p.s. I'm calling it the 'radar' but it's the sensor which is used by the driving assistant plus, the semi-autonomous driving, active cruise control, etc. See photos...

[yocubed]

Woah that's crazy. First I've heard of that. From the looks of it, it doesn't seem like it's too hard to disconnect either as there doesn't appear to be any collateral damage. Kind of shocked that it's so easy to remove. Not sure how one could prevent this issue unless you were to park it right up against something to block access

[forcefed]

Get the part numbers from the dealer and look on ebay for a used one. You'll still need to get them to install it and recalibrate it but it will be much cheaper. I bought one for $200 but got very lucky me thinks.

[aktif8]

Also, look at replacing any bolts that hold it in with torx security bolts - much higher likelihood that thieves won't have those bits.

[SwankPeRFection]

Is that a reflection on the edge of the front grill kidney bumper section above your M emblem or is it scratched?

All that said, WTF do they plan on accomplishing with the radar head? Bad news is once replaced, you’ll most likely need to get it realigned and calibrated, so expect a cost for that to happen. Might as well do an alignment on it if you were looking to do one to kill two birds with one stone since that same recalibration is necessary for that procedure as well. If the part and install/calibration is higher than an alignment, get the part, install it yourself and then just get an alignment, if it’s cheaper that way. Just evaluate it, but know that so you can play the game if needed.

[vasillalov]

They will probably sell them on eBay

[SwankPeRFection]

Originally Posted by vasillalov

They will probably sell them on eBay

Next time just tape $200 to the sensor head so the guy doesn’t have to go through all that hassle of stealing just to turn around and sell it to forcefed 😆

[Misterleeman]

Originally Posted by vasillalov

They will probably sell them on eBay

You could be getting the one that came from your car !

[kjx]

Laser etch “stolen from VIN XXXX” before you install the next one?

[beamlord]

Originally Posted by SwankPeRFection

Next time just tape $200 to the sensor head so the guy doesn’t have to go through all that hassle of stealing just to turn around and sell it to forcefed 😆

They cost 2500 so 200 won't help much.

Don't park the car on London streets? That city has become a nightmare...

[Hit_Apex]

Clever, they're effectively creating a market for an expensive, easy to steal part. Very difficult to avoid buying used given the new price but you're just feeding their market.

[sergbaja5t]

Originally Posted by forcefed

Get the part numbers from the dealer and look on ebay for a used one. You'll still need to get them to install it and recalibrate it but it will be much cheaper. I bought one for $200 but got very lucky me thinks.

It would be awful if he bid on the one they stole....

[Aalfred]

Sorry about whats happened. I think given its easy location, the only thing you could do is to use a different screw that isnt readily available. You could try buying it used on ebay and use the tamper resistant screw to see if its still stolen. We have Grainger here but you could try Amazon to see if these screws are available. They should come with a screw head tool to use. The criminals might just break it and pry it off but then its no good to sell the part anyways

https://www.grainger.com/product/TAM...sbrItems_5KA70


https://www.tamper-pruf-screws.com/

[hinckley]

OMG, that's crazy! First hearing a story like that. Unfortunately means there's a new trend out there. Headlights . . . catalytic converters . . . now radar units. Just wow.

Tangentially, I'm always blown away by the beautiful/expensive/exotic cars I see parked on the streets of London. You never seen anything like that anywhere else in the world.

[dtronics]

New concern unlocked.

[jro]

Looks like you were also caught out by the mass theft of BMW radar sensors in SW London that happened on Monday night - welcome to a pretty unhappy club. As part of the £4k replacement for parts/labour I'm getting part 66315A336F7 fitted - "Retrofit Kit Theft Protect.front Radar" which seems to consist of a new mount, proper security bolts and some deterrent stickers. Not sure there's much more that can be done.

[Mike02z]

Very odd. If it was the theif why would they unplug the connector? I would think they’d just cut it off. I’ve found most BMW connectors are a PITA to remove so I would expect a thief to just cut it and remove the connector in a more safe location. Who knows? 🤷‍♂️

[Aalfred]

Originally Posted by jro

Looks like you were also caught out by the mass theft of BMW radar sensors in SW London that happened on Monday night - welcome to a pretty unhappy club. As part of the £4k replacement for parts/labour I'm getting part 66315A336F7 fitted - "Retrofit Kit Theft Protect.front Radar" which seems to consist of a new mount, proper security bolts and some deterrent stickers. Not sure there's much more that can be done.

I find it ironic that BMW literally sells a retrofit kit to protect the radar but wouldnt put them in the first place. Its crazy that to save $10 customers have to shell out $4K !!!

[Aalfred]

Originally Posted by Mike02z

Very odd. If it was the theif why would they unplug the connector? I would think they’d just cut it off. I’ve found most BMW connectors are a PITA to remove so I would expect a thief to just cut it and remove the connector in a more safe location. Who knows? 🤷‍♂️

If they cut it, they cant resell it. So they want the connectors. Plus I think its not that bad to unplug it. Just a flat head screwdriver /plies and some elbow grease...lol

[Mike02z]

Originally Posted by Aalfred

If they cut it, they cant resell it. So they want the connectors. Plus I think its not that bad to unplug it. Just a flat head screwdriver /plies and some elbow grease...lol

They can’t resell the radar if they cut the wire leading up to it? They can just unplug the cable with the cut wire from the radar before selling unless I’m missing something

[SwankPeRFection]

Originally Posted by Mike02z

They can’t resell the radar if they cut the wire leading up to it? They can just unplug the cable with the cut wire from the radar before selling unless I’m missing something

They can. The other poster misunderstood what you were describing. At least the thief was thoughtful enough to not cut the wires, so the OP can buy his radar head back from them on eBay and reinstall it with ease. 😆

[jro]

Originally Posted by SwankPeRFection

They can. The other poster misunderstood what you were describing. At least the thief was thoughtful enough to not cut the wires, so the OP can buy his radar head back from them on eBay and reinstall it with ease. 😆

I’d rate the thieves as 90% thoughtful - only 1 in every 10 or so cars seems to have their front wiring loom cut, based on a 20 min walk around.