Re: Sanity check

["DRoxburgh" <DRoxburgh@email.msn.com>]

Sorry to hear that Phil. Similar happened to me in the 80's. I had a fwd
coupe which was parked outside my flat in west London, on the road. I came
home one evening to find the car looking odd. Both front wheels with 30
degree toe in. Closer inspection revealed that the front bumper had 'gone'
plus both front drive shafts and the wheels were held on by one nut each.
The police came to see it as they did not believe me when I phoned up!


-----Original Message-----
From: Phil Payne <quk@isham-research.demon.co.uk>
To: quattro@coimbra.ans.net <quattro@coimbra.ans.net>
Date: 07 August 1998 22:40
Subject: Sanity check


>This is _really_ off the wall.   If anyone gets to the end of this and
>thinks I've lost it - you have my sympathy.  That's how I feel, too.
>
>The ur-quattro lives, overnight, in a locked and alarmed garage.
>
>The family run-about - a 1986 Passat GL5 - sits on a concrete apron
>in front of it, with a movement sensor switching on a 500w floodlight
>if anyone goes near it.   20,000 vehicles pass the house each day.
>
>For the last three months, the Passat has been the target of persistent
>petty theft:
>
>a) The front bumper and all attached accessories.
>
>b) The tax disc.
>
>c) The front passenger window switch, and the front console switch
>   for the rear passenger side window.
>
>d) One wheel trim.
>
>e) One indicator lens.
>
>So we got the impression that someone, somewhere, was detailing a Passat
>at our expense.  Annoying.
>
>So I fitted an unobtrusive alarm - current and motion sensing.  Sure
>enough, three weeks ago at 04:20, it went off and we looked out of the
>window to see the passenger door open by a few inches.  Fine - the
>bastard knows there's an alarm and perhaps he'll leave us in peace.
>
>Until today.  My wife took the car on a long drive and, just as she
>was entering the village again (60 miles later) she was temporarily
>blined by the sun and pulled for the washers.  The windscreen wipers
>were all over the place.
>
>A check showed that the nuts securing each windscreen wiper arm were
>_VERY_ loose - only holding on by a turn or two.  Now - I'm happy that
>nuts loosen of their own accord every now and then.  But _both_ at once,
>and to the same degree?
>
>My best scenario is that someone has:
>
>a) Removed the plastic cap from the left wiper arm boss.
>
>b) Loosened the 11mm nut.
>
>c) Replaced the cap.
>
>d) Removed the plastic cap from the right wiper arm boss.
>
>e) Loosened the 11mm nut.
>
>f) Replaced the cap.
>
>It's weird.  The usual scenarios of "disturbed in the act of theft"
>don't apply.
>
>Has _anyone_ ever seen or heard of _both_ wiper arm securing nuts
>loosening off by around four turns each simultaneously within the
>space of around four days after 120000 miles and 12 years of
>uneventful service?
>
>Given that the most recent event is neither theft nor criminal damage,
>but merely seems to be intended to cause annoyance, I've asked the
>police to redefine the events as "stalking".  The advantage is in the
>severity - stalking is taken pretty seriously here.  Police Constables
>Derbyshire and Haydon of the Finedon Division are investigating under
>incident NW 401/98 and others.  I'm obviously fairly concerned - every
>family trip is currently preceded by a brake and general safety check.
>
>--
> Phil Payne
> Phone: 0385 302803   Fax: 01536 723021
> (The contents of this post will _NOT_ appear in the UK Newsletter.)
>