RS4 - stolen and need advice

[hellojed]

Evening all.

New to the forum and in a quandary over my motor.

April 18 and I bought a 2018 RS4. Only released in Jan with lots of lovely extras on and was an absolute dream, just magnificent in every way. That is until early September when some scumbags broke in, nicked the keys (they even got the spares as well) and drove it off – all without any of us in the house hearing anything (they even left 2 laptops, ipads, wallets and purses, phones and about 200 Euro which were by the spare set of keys). The usual MO seems to be drive it to a residential street not far away and leave for 24 hours to see if it has a tracker on. Thankfully I installed a separate one and the car was recovered immediately. The only bit of damage was some wiring that the thieves pulled out as they clearly knew where Audi’s own GPS device was. The vehicle was taken about 3.30am and was recovered the next morning at 8.30am (when I discovered empty driveway) and the tracking company were informed as they spotted it parked and locked up a few miles from my house.

I live in Solihull in the Midlands which at the moment is going through an unbelievable raft of car theft, jackings and burglaries – not good if you have a nice motor. I’ve now installed lots of security (upgraded alarm, anti ram drive post and am looking to purchase a StopLock Pro – are these any good??) but can’t get past the feeling that if they want it, they’ll get it. If I was living on my own then it wouldn’t matter so much to me if someone broke in but I have a wife and daughters and it’s in the back of mind whether to keep it or not. I don’t want my enjoyment of the car ruined by having to look over my shoulder every time I park it.

Due to this I may look to get rid of the car but not sure how ‘tainted’ it has become for sale purposes. I went back to Audi to see if they could offer me something else I.e. could I swap it for another motor, but they basically turned their back on me and said they can’t (won’t) help – very frustrating. What’s even worse is that the car, 4 months after it getting taken, is still not back with me as Audi had to order special wiring from Germany which is on a backlog (some did finally come in and then they found out they didn’t order enough so have to order more – argh!!!) I’m currently in a poolcar Micra....*sigh*

I have a few questions if anyone could help or offer and advice on?:

* Prior to the break in, we had pretty much no security at all and I’m hoping that all these new security measures would put off any future scumbags – is it really the case that making it harder for them puts them off??

* Am I legally obliged to disclose the theft? After all the car went missing for a matter of hours, was not driven erratically or ‘ragged’ in any way and any repairs have been made by Audi (so genuine parts) and will be back to absolute mint condition. In my mind, apart from replaced wiring, it’s as good as new.

* Is there a figure that I can expect the sale price to be dropped due to the theft i.e. 10%, 15%

* I’ve been told it won’t appear on a HPICheck report and even gotten one done (4 months after the event) and it doesn’t show anything about it being stolen/recovered however I’ve also been told that it may some up on certain databases as stolen and recovered but I’m not sure who has access to these – will dealers have access to these systems (so if I went to a local non-Audi dealer and traded it in, would they find out?)

* I’m assuming that everyone on here is a Audi fan so with that in mind would it really taint the sale that much to someone who wanted a RS4? I’d like to think that people who were honestly interested and in the ‘know’ would understand that when it was taken they didn’t drive like maniacs on a joy ride but nice and easy so as not to attract attention (3.30am and the police told me that they definitely would have pulled it to see if it was stolen had they seen it out and about)


Any help would be greatly appreciated. Never had a new car before and pi$$ed that the first time I treat myself some scumbag thinks they’re above the law and can do what they want.

Cheers guys.

[Rs4.]

Sorry to hear you have had a bad experience with your motor
Pretty sh!!t when some Scrote thinks they can just take someone’s hard earned !

Not sure MIAFTR Will show it stolen recovered no damage ect

[Covkiller]

Your car will be as new with only minor wiring had been fixed, a couple of clips and pride. Computer databases are only good if someone accesses them. Sold as seen, no warranty given or implied. Your car is roadworthy. Forget about it.
If you have a garage, park it in there and alarm it. Out of site out of mind.
Robbers are thick as sh1t, they will go for the easy rob. They don't want hassle either. Don't over think things, easier said than done, but try and relax you've had a bad experience which is manifesting exaggerated concerns.

[doodlebug]

You must disclose the theft to your insurer(s), home and vehicle. If you haven’t you should. They can and will terminate your policy and flag you on shared industry database. Yes your renewal will go up, better that than being dinged for no insurance should the worst happen.

The insurance industry is a very well connected. They share information. A lot more so than most would think.

Who’s footing the repair bill?

[hellojed]

Thanks for the replies. My insurers (car and home) both know and I'm having to put the work being done through the motor insurer as too much for me to do on my own.

[Covkiller]

OK insurance is involved, understood and stand corrected. I would advise to take lots of photo's of the damage however minor and keep your receipts from the dealer. Document absolutely everything. Many people don't do this and I only wonder why.