My Problem is this!
I have a Ford Focus Ghia 1.6 Sedan - 2001 Model car.
When I was on holiday , my airbags were stolen.
Is there a way to learn when the event happaned (date and time)? Is it electronically possible to check it?
Is there a computer test to show the exact time and date?
Thanks in advance
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I've heard of this before.
I don't think it is possible for the cars' airbag control unit to log the actual time of disconnection....surely your motor insurance covers you for this unfortunate crime? Not the ideal way out, but the only one I fear, given the potential costs of replacement parts.
I can see this crime becoming more prevalent in the future...
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I've never heard of this before.
What can the motive be behind this theft? I cannot imagine any benefit from it.
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Windscreen theft was quite common - it probably still is.
When a car crashes, the airbags fire and the control unit becomes permanently inoperative, having done its job.
Replacement of the system [including the SRS wiring loom] is the only cure - certainly from an approved repair method point-of-view it is, anyway!
Replacement airbag components are very expensive...hence the attraction of theft.
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DL, you are correct in what you say about the control unit becoming inoperative once it has done its job, as when I used to have to put new airbags in vehicles during accident repairs the control unit always had to be replaced as well.
Airbag theft, like you say is more common than you would think. But also look at it this way, if you are repairing an accident damaged vehicle and you have to resort to stealing airbags to do the job, then Mr Thief isn't going to be concerned about the fact that they won't work should the car ever have another major shunt.
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Its been a while since I have dealt with a stolen windscreen, the main reason being that very few cars are now on the roads with indirect glazed (rubber seal) windscreens. Always used to be Nova's.
I remember one Christmas day when i was on callout duty I had a very busy day from storms on Christmas eve. I arrived at one house where the owner of a Peugeot 309 required a new screen as the one in the car was very badly dammaged all around the edges.
I asked the customer "what happened here then" as you do chatting awy and he replied "I think someone has tried to steal the windscreen, I've heard that happens". Anyway he goes inside to make me a cuppa whilst I carry on, then his little lad come over with the smile inducing quote of "hey mister do you want to know what really happend" of coures my reply was "go on then" "well dad locked his keys in the car and said that the windscreen comes out real easy with a screwdriver"
Always make me smile when I think of the look on the little lads face as he is dropping his dad in it.
Kid 'ey who'ed 'ave 'em ??
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Also Ahmetyh, didn't the thief disconnect the battery before they stole your airbags? If they didn't then they have got more nerve than me to mess about with them while they are still 'powered' up.
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I've removed airbags from cars for the past 8 years without disconnecting the battery.....have I been lucky?
I do know loads of others who do the same.....
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Well it is recommended that you should disconnect the battery and wait for half an hour before commencing work involving an airbag. Its got something to do with allowing the airbag system to become completely discharged of any power so it cannot 'go off' while you are playing with the electrical connections etc.
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Yeah...one day I will probably end up with a flat nose and broken eardrums from one of these........
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On most cars now you don't NEED to remove the battery but it is recomended. In fact some manufacturers recomend NOT removing the battery but simply have the ignition off with the key removed, with the "key removed" being the most important part.
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Disconnect the battery on a Range Rover at your peril!
For starters the BBUS (Battery Backed Up Sounder) will yell for ages, making you deaf!
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My mum owns an old 94L Volvo 850 T5, fitted with a drivers air-bag. I know in october or there abouts it needs to have something done to the air-bag- de-activation/replcement i don't know?
What exactly will need to be done? Where can i get it done? And how much will it cost?
Thanks.
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Ben - I doubt that your mum's car NEEDS to have its airbag seen to, it's just that ten years is the recommended period for 'maintenance', like 5 years for cambelts. As airbags haven't been around for many decades I bet manufacturers are only guessing at their safe lifetime.
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Removing air bags without removing the battery first and waiting.
I don't wish to sound rude, but that is incredibly stupid, especially when you consider that it could KILL YOU if the charge went off.
During my job as a lorry driver, i had a delivery to a company in fareham that makes airbag units and i asked how they worked, i was then shown a test rig and the explosive device that fills the airbag when it goes off. Trust me, you do not want to be in close proximity to one of these charges when they go off.
During a car accident sitting in front of a steering wheel in a controlled environment is one thing, but unbolting it or just holding the unit without the proper safety procedures can set it off, is it worth the risk ?, no, you've been warned.
Pastyman...
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I must get into the habit of pulling the battery cable......
Repeat 50 times.....
No offence taken!
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DL,
No offence was intended, but none of us in the backroom wants any of us injured due to lack of basic common sense.
Pastyman...
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I must get my flat nose attended to!
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www.wreckedexotics.com/newphotos/weird/weird331.sh...l
Re the above link, it claims to show a brand new Scenic that was not securely fastened on the transporter and when it stopped suddenly, the Scenic came flying off the transporter and landed on its nose.
Now if you look closely, its airbags have been triggered. Therefore, its either
a. They do work without the ignition on
b. Ignition was left on whilst transporting
c. Someone drove it off!
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Seeing this, I would therefore assume they had activated with the ignition off - therefore almost negating the rule of turn off and wait 10 mins before working on the airbag system.....
Interesting site aswell, I must spend some time over there!
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Re: the crunched Scenic picture,
Even if the Scenic was not strapped or chained onto the transporter, even if the truck was only going slow, surely the handbrake would have held it, plus there are small chock/wheel pits at the front part of the transporter body to stop cars rolling off and even then for it to fall off, the driver couldn't possibly stop the truck without pushing the Scenic on its side or further along. My guess is that it was being loaded and someones foot got confused/stuck with the pedals and drove it straight over. Once the initial weight was bumped over the chocks, it just carried on over onto its nose.
A interesting site by the way.
Pastyman..........
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I agree with pastyman, there are no airbag systems that are active with the ignition turned off (AFAIK) apart from the VERY early mechanical systems found on the likes of Jag XJS's, even then I'm pretty sure the ignition still needs to be on.
Must have been a loading of the transporter error.
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