I had a chat to a couple of coppers the other day about LR theft and they said the most important thing from their point of view to secure convictions for theft was parts identification.

They said they really can't understand why Landy owners don't routinely etch all glass and smart water components.
 
I had a chat to a couple of coppers the other day about LR theft and they said the most important thing from their point of view to secure convictions for theft was parts identification.

They said they really can't understand why Landy owners don't routinely etch all glass and smart water components.
That's a good idea, I have smartwater all over the place on my d2(not that anyone would want it)
 
That's a good idea, I have smartwater all over the place on my d2(not that anyone would want it)

They said they always check for Smartwater on anything suspicious, like DNA it conclusively links parts to a vehicle and owner.
 
They said they always check for Smartwater on anything suspicious, like DNA it conclusively links parts to a vehicle and owner.
It's good stuff apparently,seems to have worked in getting stuff back after they've caught the rats, I got a 5% discount off insurance as well for having it on
 
It's good stuff apparently,seems to have worked in getting stuff back after they've caught the rats, I got a 5% discount off insurance as well for having it on

Quite a few Police forces run special discounts, just need to keep an ear out, last time I got two lots, with lifetime inclusion to the directory for about £30.

Both Landies marked up.

Cheers
 
Well, if anyone is interested... We're engravers, and we can do acrylic/plastic as well as glass! :D

Don't think we've engraved any Landy parts yet, but why not?

To see some of what we do, take a look at harrogate-engraving.com and colonialclassics.co.uk


 
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With the smart water stuff how does it work with secondhand parts? i.e. parts that have been smart-watered by a previous owner or where there are multiple smart waters on a part
 
With the smart water stuff how does it work with secondhand parts? i.e. parts that have been smart-watered by a previous owner or where there are multiple smart waters on a part
That's a blooming good question,when I've sold lorries that were treated with it I and the buyer contacted smartwater and transferred the details accros, obviously you don't know if parts you buy have it on unless they're scanned,there no way I'm aware of to remove it ,that's the idea in the first place
 
how much protection would the factory (or similar) headlight guards provide?? provided they are attached sensibly.. a deterrent?
 
Like some of the other forum members, I too have had my D2 Facelift lights stolen, at considerable expense, I opted not too go through insurance and replaced them myself to the tune of £450 all in, I know this topic has been covered several times and like the advice given I would not succumb to purchasing broken clip lights off eBay, I purchased shiny new ones.
I also discovered that the other bits , trim finishers and Top covers are relatively cheaper than the overpriced stuff offered there, Stratstones sorted the trim finishers XBQ000080/90 at £13.41 and top covers DHH000120LML/130LML at £10.93 each.
Blindly going onto eBay believing that a great bargain is going to achieved is foolish, some of the sellers are not that much different to the thieving scum that steal headlights.
I hope I don't go through this exercise again as it has caused considerable stress and disruption.
I had new ones offered for sale no takers ?
 
Well worth engraving your postcode on every part of your car, turbo/engine/wheels/headlamps and so on.
 
Well worth engraving your postcode on every part of your car, turbo/engine/wheels/headlamps and so on.

Yes, there are small kits available with stick-on stencils cut to whatever you want, post-code, registration number or VIN (usually the last 7 digits). I use the VIN, since the reg mark is mine and if I sell the car the reg is going to change again. The VIN at least stays with the vehicle.
They are available for either acid etch for glass or solvent based for use on plastic lenses.
One point to note however, the acid etch doesn't always work properly on some glass such as quartz based glass used on some spot or fog light lenses.
 
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Unfortunately the answer was no so it looks like an engraver (machine not professional bloke) to get either use VIN, reg no or postcode on your headlights.

Or better still your driving licence number, got mine stamped on several parts on the landy and it looks like a part number
 
sorry to hear this.

I am a police officer in Wakefield and as i run a Farmwatch and also cover wildlife crime i am usually in charge of any Land rover related thefts.

I can confirm that these headlights are very regularly stolen, one couple I know through work have been hit 9 times before i got in touch with some advice.

after the last 2 criminals i caught and put through court for this I can confirm that it is a very very fast process.
through CCTV i can state that from them getting out of their car, removing both headlights and getting back into their car took 21 seconds.

the basic advice is as follows:

-park the front of your vehicle as close to a wall or other car etc as possible, you cannot remove these lights side on you need to be stood in front of the vehicle to generate the force required to remove them.

- engrave your post code in the top of the light. although this doesnt do much it may prevent buyers and therefore reduce the market.

- motion sensor, i got the couple i spoke of to fit this and it saved their lights last time. they are £15 on ebay and about 3 wires, put it behind the grill and wire it to your alarm. when someone walks to front of your car it goes off and is very loud. this made them do a runner.
problem is cant really use it in car parks etc as will be forever going off.

- best one in my opinion is stainless steel straps. i have a photo at work i can upload, but its basically 4 stainlss steel strap bands (2 per light) run over the front of the light at each end anbolt in behind the bumper at the bottom and to the smash panel at the top under the bonnet. when you look at the car you just see 2 thin tidy straps running vertical up the lights, in stainless they look quite good in my opinion and basically they make it so you cant pull the lights out. I am now actively encouraging all my farmers to do this and a few already have. just note where you position the straps for MOT reasons.

hope this helps
Where do you get the straps from cheers
 
Hi all, just a bit of a left field comment.
I KNOW that they look good and that the rest of the world recognises a post-facelift model by them. But if you are really suffering hassle through them getting nicked, why not take them off, store them safely, replace with pre-facelift ones and fit a pair of driving lights. When you come to sell, or want to go to a show or something, you can then put the originals back on. At least it is a relatively quick and easy job.

If memory serves, I think they are the same as Disco 1 headlights, cos I seem to remember "borrowing" one off my 300tdi to go on my TD5 (pre-facelift) to get through an MOT and it fitted fine. Then replaced it with an aftermarket one which was really relatively cheap.
 
Hi all, just a bit of a left field comment.
I KNOW that they look good and that the rest of the world recognises a post-facelift model by them. But if you are really suffering hassle through them getting nicked, why not take them off, store them safely, replace with pre-facelift ones and fit a pair of driving lights. When you come to sell, or want to go to a show or something, you can then put the originals back on. At least it is a relatively quick and easy job.

If memory serves, I think they are the same as Disco 1 headlights, cos I seem to remember "borrowing" one off my 300tdi to go on my TD5 (pre-facelift) to get through an MOT and it fitted fine. Then replaced it with an aftermarket one which was really relatively cheap.

The pre-facelift headlights are separate to the indicators and not a straight swap, requiring some modification. People have done it but it is not something that can easily be changed between facelift or pre-facelift whenever it suits.
 
Right, didn't know that. Thought. Maybe swap both headlights and indicators, from a D1 or a pre facelift? But if this all needs modification...? Depends on how desperate you get. I suppose. No one likes going backwards do they?
 

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