4.2 turbo diesel cruiser warning

James, spread the word on every forum you can find, it's the best way to bugger up the Lebbo rebirthers.
Maybe an investment in some cheap tracking device would be good if you own a 'Cruiser.

I've read where a cheap smartphone, hidden inside the vehicle, with a geo-location app loaded, is one of the cheapest and most effective tracking tools. Check out "stealth genie".
These car-rebirthing thieves cost us all in the long run, due to higher insurance premiums.

Be aware that most of these re-birthers send the parts or vehicle interstate to prevent detection - because once across a state border, the cops are hit with jurisdictional problems, database access problems, and a raft of other investigation holdups, that make them lose interest.

The W.A. cops caught a gang of rebirthers selling rebirthed East Coast 4WD vehicles in W.A. a couple of months ago. A number of people ended up in deep poo, thinking they had bought a genuine 4WD (Prados, as I recall), and then found they were caught up in ownership issues of vehicles that had swapped VIN plates and swapped components, and they all had major headaches trying to sort it all out.

Caveat emptor if the deal on a 4WD or highly-sought-after parts looks too good to be true. Remember the rebirthers mostly rely on people who have suss morals, that are happy to buy good stuff cheap, without delving into its origins.

I have heard before from reputable sources that the 75/8/9 series cruiser ute has the lowest recovery rate after being stolen. That is, when compared to any other vehicle, the number of stolen cruiser utes which are ever located is extremely low.
I think it comes down to a combination of a good truck, worth good coin and probably on the easier side to steal and once stolen they could easily be used without being registered again whether it be as a single truck or broken down into parts.
Tim

we had a guy at the local swap meet in Thornie in Perth few years back selling hub caps and rear louvers and other car parts some one got suspicious and called the police and they did follow him during the week

what he did was drive around car parks at night stealing items .

I know one of the police officers who caught him and he said he was making a lot of money for very little effort and no tax was paid and he was on the dole .

we need to protect our cars from these type of people .

may of the part taken were often below what your average excess was at the time so the owners had to pay for the items out of there own pockets very few called the police so they had no idea what was going on.

O.K. - back onto the initial post, here's a few links for general information.

More than 16 rebirthed 4WD's (mostly Prados) were discovered in the Police swoop in W.A. last year.

Rebirthed Prados discovered - http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-30/police-raid-properties-linked-to-rebirthing-vehicles/4341990

It's interesting to note that the only reason the W.A. Police discovered the Prado rebirthing ring was because one of the new owners took their Prado to a Toyota dealer for servicing.
It appears the service manager checked the vehicle VIN against the other numbers on the vehicle according to the (worldwide) Toyota vehicle ID database - and they didn't match, so the Police were notified.

Chop-shop cars - can you spot the difference? - http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/-20120718-22a1r.html

The techniques used by the re-birthers are devious and cunning, and it often takes a very skilled and knowledge person with trade experience to pick them up.

I can recall looking at a nice, very low km used Camry a number of years ago, when looking for a replacement for the missus' car - and very careful inspection showed up some small odd marks in the body structure up near the exterior door mirrors.

I'm knowledgeable enough to realise these were chain marks from a body aligner. Further intense investigation found the vehicle had been written off, purchased by a used car yard manager, and rebuilt. He was selling it off from home and making out it was his wifes car.

Fortunately, rules have been tightened since back then and all written-off vehicles go on the WOV register. However, that still doesn't stop scumbags from trying to circumvent the system.

An interesting discussion about stolen vehicle experiences on Whirlpool forum ..

Stolen vehicles discussion - http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1687295

A website where you can list your car as being stolen ..

http://www.carsonline.com.au/stolen.htm

If you have an expensive 4WD and you're concerned about it being stolen, then I's suggest DataDot is probably a very worthwhile investment. Remember that a large proportion of vehicles thefts today, are carried out via thieves breaking into houses, stealing the vehicle keys and easily making off with the vehicle.

Therefore, in todays world, key protection is essential, so a small safe for keys is probably also a good investment.

My stepdaughters house was burgled earlier this year, the thief merely kicked in the front door when no-one was home (I was stunned at how easily, even top-brand, front door locks are broken), and the thief got away with around $35,000 worth of goods.
She has a new Subaru Outback, and thanks to a stroke of luck, we had the car and the keys at our house while she was at work (FIFO) - otherwise the thief would have got the Subaru, and loaded it up as well.