Re: Found my Hijacked A4

[Paul Nicholson <paul@eisusa.com>]

At 9:50 +0200 11/24/99, Peter Merle wrote:
>Police have found my stollen A4 parked in a sleasy hotel in Johannessburg.
>The hotel is largely frequented by Nigerians who have become a serious crime
>threat to South Africa. I have not seen vehicle to determine amount of
>damage. Does anyone know of a way to determine internal ie
>engine,turbo,gearbox damage that might be caused by abuse.

Glad you got it back. I was in Johannesburg a couple of years ago. We drove cross country in a Nissan from Capetown to Jo-burg, and then down to Durban.

I was surprised at the anti theft system on the Nissan, the hidden switch under the carpet that has to be pressed within moments of starting the car, the start sequence, and the massive lock that was installed to immobilize the gear shifter.

The Korean war veteran in the back seat kept a piece on the floor, and as the front seat passenger, I had explicit instructions to get my head down if he had to pull the gun.

Here in the U.S. we know about hijackings (called carjackings here) because we see it occasionally on the evening news, but in Johannesburg, in the course of a few days business I met two people that had actually had their cars taken from them at gunpoint.

Once in Johannesburg, a motorcyclist passed us. His jacket had crept up his back, revealing a piece tucked in the waist of his pants.

By the way, at Capetown airport there was a counter where arriving visitors can register their guns.

Paul