benz thief ratings?

Is Mercedes Benz high on the list of thief magnets? like them Camrys and Accords?

Reply to
Orc General
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Not likely... too much headaches... especially with satellite theft recovery capability on most late model Mercedes.

Reply to
Tiger

The recent ones with the electronic key are "known to be" impossible to hot-wire or drive away without the key. I've heard of insurance companies refusing to pay for theft, though that may be apochryphal. Either way, lots of trouble, and as Tiger mentioned, easy for the owners and/or police to find with GPS and cellphone integration.

Reply to
William P. N. Smith

Did my 1966 200S come with those options?

TIA cp

Reply to
cp

If you've got the bubble antenna on the back of the roof (GPS wart with cellphone antenna), then yes. Otherwise it's a dealer upgrade.

Reply to
William P. N. Smith

Well, darn it, looks like the original owner was too cheap to get that option. cp

Reply to
cp

Just because you have the antenna does not mean the vehicle can be tracked. You must have the TeleAid equipment installed and you must be subscribed to this optional service. They can't track the vehicle unless it's actively subscribed, and you must have the vehicle in your possession to activate it. The service is free for the first year on new vehicles, then it costs about $240 per year after that. I believe it became available beginning in model year 2000 and was standard on most all US models except the C-Class, where it was an option.

Reply to
Rodney T. Grill

That's right. The SmartKey system using DAS-3 has a rolling code handshake that is virtually impossible to crack (unlike the recent news about the easily cracked TI-supplied chips in Ford, Toyota and other makes). The exception to this would be older models that use the switchblade type keys. While those system also use a rolling code key, there is a flaw that would allow them to be cracked (and obviously I won't bother to post the flaw here, but it was eventually corrected).

Generally, Insurance companies won't pay for the theft if the owner somehow contributed to it, as in leaving the vehicle unlocked with the key in it in a public place. However, if a thief did somehow circumvent the security, either by ordering new keys or stealing the key from the owner, then insurance will pay.

As I stated in another reply, this is only possible if the vehicle has an actively subscribed Teleaid system. If not, it cannot be "retroactively" subscribed after theft.

As for the overall theft rate of MBZ vehicles, it is very low. While they are certainly sought after, they are among the hardest to steal. Most that are stolen are towed and then stripped and chopped. Others are stolen by creative thieves that obtain the keys, but either way, they are no taken by your average street thug.

Reply to
Rodney T. Grill

Read the OP:

"Did my 1966 200S come with those options?"

Tracking those retro subversives might be a good idea, though. ;->

Reply to
Kenneth P. Stox

:-)

Reply to
cp

Can't say when it was introduced, but US '00 E-320 had it. Now they offer a " concierge" tele-aid upgrade, but other than traffic warnings, and restaurant reservations, I can't think of anything else that THAT program offers.

Hunt

Reply to
Hunt

I think that the '66 came with two tin cans and a very long string .

Hunt

Reply to
Hunt

Depends on the country and model. I don't think Camrys etc are stolen as much in parts of Europe.

DAS

For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling

Reply to
Dori A Schmetterling

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