BBC News: The mystery of the 'Vauxhall cannibals'

Interesting BBC News story http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33348506 about Vauxhall Corsas and Astras in the Bedfordshire area that are being stripped of parts in the street while the owners sleep. Mostly front end components and doors but sometimes the back ends. Since April 2015, five to 10 of these crimes have been recorded every week. Repairs can cost £5,000 making many vehicles a write-off.

Why Corsas and Astras? It's put down to the high ownership of these vehicles in the area due to the Vauxall plant. I also think maybe there are many people who have worked at the plant who have the knowledge and skills to work on these vehicles. When done on a large scale it can create a merry-go-round of garages or owners buying back the items stolen!

Could our A2s be targeted? Low numbers sold suggests not but A2 parts do have high value and supply will become harder.

How strange and I hope it doesn't cross over to a2's. Cheers for sharing mike

This is getting far more common, the fiat 500 seemed a popular choice for this sort of crime, a work colleague actually drove to work unaware her bumper and headlights had been removed during the night, dark winter morning too

Yes but we are forgetting something the crime is against vauxhalls, which only have about 3 screws holding anything on. If they tried removing the A2's front end in the dark the sun would have come up by the time they were finished.

I could kind of understand it on a VXR (as in th elast picture in the article) as the bumpers are probably sought after by the "chav crew" but regular mainstream cars? Might be just that the parts are easily moved on via ebay and the like without much suspicion.

Or Vauxhalls own supply chain is failing and they are out stealing them for new cars!

My uncle had experience of this with a Vauxhall, but with more unfortunate circumstances......
We're talking Vauxhall Wyvern, parked in the street in S London, in the mid-60s.
He set off driving to work, and soon was distressed to see steam coming from under the bonnet.
Opened the bonnet to check the water level...

No radiator! - someone stole it during the night.
It was the days of manufacturers wanting to control the market on an exchange basis (was the same for chrome bumpers, I think), and a new rad + fixing the engine was a bit too expensive IIRC.

Mark

Steve unless its the foglight covers or lower grille.
Its 20 seconds for either.
Lost me corrado grille,same idea :-/