Attempted theft, now no electrics

Some toe rag decided they wanted to pinch my Defender last night from my drive.

They have completely destroyed the ignition / steering lock (and put a brick through the windscreen, or smashed it trying to prise the screen out). The contact part of the ignition switch is hanging off.

I am hoping that assuming I can get the steering lock assembly off of the steering column, that fitting a new one is just a case of doing up two bolts and putting the wires back on. There is a coil-like thing that I assume is part of the imobiliser / the reason to need to have the key fob on the key-ring - My Haynes manual does not mention it.

My main worry at the moment is that there is absolutely no power to anything: not even the hazards or interior lights work, and the clock has stopped. Does anyone know if this is a security feature - with the ignition destroyed, power to everything is lost, or have they actually done something to the battery connection? (The battery is all connected up under the seat).

Check your fuses, might have shorted something out when they were ripping wires out.

Mcclegend said:

Check your fuses, might have shorted something out when they were ripping wires out.

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I can not see any blown - it is the fact that absolutely nothing works that seems weired. Also why the alarm did not go off when they broke in, so was wondering if there is a "standard" way these cretins kill the juice, or is it a security feature if the ignition is wrecked.

I think all the live feeds go via the ignition switch so if that's smashed the electrics may well be dead

At least the to$$ers didn't get your Landy. Windscreens are easy to change and cheap, l was charged £150 including a new seal.

Defenders are going one a night round here according to my local lndy LR dealer.

What defender is it? Tdi td5 tdci ect?

There is normally a brown wire from the back of the starter motor to the ignition, this is a constant live feed, everything is switch off this via the ignition.

It could be somthing as simple as they ripped everything off and and maybe not put it back on right, I had an ignition fail on my 1st 90 had to hot wire it to drive it home, was a simple cheep fix with a new one.

Could be somthing to do with your imobalizer but they normally kill the starter and fuel pump,

Maybe the imobilzer has done its job and frustrated the ****s that tried to take it and that's why they smashed the windscreen

warrior said:

What defender is it? Tdi td5 tdci ect?

There is normally a brown wire from the back of the starter motor to the ignition, this is a constant live feed, everything is switch off this via the ignition.

It could be somthing as simple as they ripped everything off and and maybe not put it back on right, I had an ignition fail on my 1st 90 had to hot wire it to drive it home, was a simple cheep fix with a new one.

Could be somthing to do with your imobalizer but they normally kill the starter and fuel pump,

Maybe the imobilzer has done its job and frustrated the ****s that tried to take it and that's why they smashed the windscreen

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It is a td5 Defender. Although the CSI lady thought the windscreen had been prised, my initial thought was it had been smashed because they failed to get it to start and just did it out of spite. No idea why the alarm didn't go off though.

Have you actually checked the battery is charged, they may have shorted something out and discharged it? Also if you have to get a new windscreen try and get a heated one (even if it was not heated before), you can always wire it up at your leasure, at least that would help to cheer you up when its icy.

LeeF said:

It is a td5 Defender. Although the CSI lady thought the windscreen had been prised, my initial thought was it had been smashed because they failed to get it to start and just did it out of spite. No idea why the alarm didn't go off though.

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Have alook at this link I think it's this but I took a screen shot of, there's a few big fuses under the seat box that is to do with the alarm and ignition I think, sorry I've always had 200 and 300 tdi's
Try page 20 in the link http://www.landroverweb.com/Pdf-files/Defender MY2002 Wiring Diagram.pdf

Have they messed with the headlights? PM me and I'll explain. Not for open forum

Good shout Shifty

Check cable from seat box to seat box, accessed from underneath.

Thanks for the reminder regarding the fuse box under the drivers seat. Looked there, all fuses good, put meter on the main feed, and nothing.

Took the centre seat out and the cover, and yes - wire had been cut (to busy getting the old steering lock security bolts out and trying to fathom the problem out to be looking at the forum. If I had, I would have seen Lynall's comment above, which was spot on!) so that explains why the alarm didn't go off, but how on earth did they think they were going to move it as they had totally mobilised it! It is parked too close to the house for someone to pull up with a loader and winch it off.

Getting the steering lock security bolts out was not too bad - drilled and then used a stud puller, turns out they are not really that tight when the security heads break.

Patched the cable together and now all alarmed again, hopefully I can get a new steering lock / ignition locally in a day or so, and can get back to work - I need it as I am a tree surgeon.

One possible lesson learnt: I will be getting a new batteryto fuse panel lead, and think I will run it inside and leave the old one there - if someone tries that trick again, the alarm will go off!

Still unsure about the coil thing that they had unpluged. Think it must be to do with the imobiliser and steering lock assembly, but not sure how to fit it to the new steering lock! Hopefully the local LandyParts will have seen it all before. Can't help thinking they new what it did, as they had unpluged it from the loom (not ripped it out fortunately), so perhaps if it is not there, it will work anyway...

Kwakerman said:

Have you actually checked the battery is charged, they may have shorted something out and discharged it? Also if you have to get a new windscreen try and get a heated one (even if it was not heated before), you can always wire it up at your leasure, at least that would help to cheer you up when its icy.

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The old windscreen was a heated one, although it had stopped working - hopefully out of all this I end up with one that works!

Autoglass coming Tuesday to fit a new screen.