How well do you know your MG?
You may think that you know your MG so intimately that you could pick it out in any line-up of similar models. Especially if you have owned the car for many years and restored the body work, worked on the engine or refurbished the interior, then you will probably feel that you know all about your car and all it’s distinguishing features. Even if you confine your attention to just giving your MG a regular wash and polish, you will still think yourself completely familiar with every scratch and tiny dent.

Worst nightmare
For many of us the thought of having our MG stolen is too terrible to contemplate especially if we have invested lots of time and money as well as love and affection. Our worst nightmare is the idea that some thief may steal our MG. These cars are now becoming increasingly valuable and are therefore being targeted by car thieves. There are lots of scare stories about the high numbers of cars that are taken but what is not so widely reported is that many stolen vehicles are eventually recovered by the Police. Often these cars are discovered in obscure lock-up garages usually in good condition but disguised for re-sale with all their original identification numbers removed.

Finding the original owner
Once the Police have recovered your cherished MG their job is not finished, because they still have to discover who is the rightful owner. This task will be made even more difficult without any traceable identification marks, such as the registration plate, chassis number and engine number. Try to imagine your MG with all these outward signs removed and consider what indications would be left to enable you to recognise it clearly as your car. MGs in very original condition or those that have been well restored are the most likely targets for the specialist car thief and they will also be the most anonymous. You may have fitted various desirable accessories that could distinguish your MG from the others but the chances are that the thief will have removed them.

Identification
It has often been suggested in the past that it is essential to put some special identification marks on your car and this is a very wise precaution . It could be something obvious such as having the windows etched with the registration number of the vehicle or something hidden such as an identification number of your own stamped in a secret place. A floor panel would be ideal for this but be sure to disguise the number afterwards. Alternatively you could conceal something uniquely yours inside the car, such as a business/address card or an out-of-date credit card. Choose a site that the thief is unlikely to uncover, perhaps inside trim panels or within some deep recesses of the body work. These ways of marking your MG are all excellent means of identification but the limiting factor is that you have to know exactly where to look for them on the car.

Proof of ownership
The point of doing all this special marking is to ensure that you can prove to the Police that the vehicle they have recovered not only meets with the description of your MG, in terms of age and colour, but actually is your car and has not been stolen from some other unfortunate enthusiast. The wisdom of this is clear but the question of identification remains a problem that you need to be aware of. Once an MG has been recovered without any of its official numbers there has to be a way of proving that it is yours. You may even spot what looks very like your stolen car on the sales forecourt of a rogue dealer or perhaps see it advertised in the ‘For Sale’ columns. Only if you can prove it really is yours will you have a good case against the thief.

Hidden transponders

Recently in conversation with a Police Officer who was trying to trace the owners of several recovered MGBs, he mentioned the Datatag system as an excellent means of tracing stolen cars. This is a simple process which gives your MG a unique means of identification which can enable the Police to instantly verify its legitimate ownership. The system comprises of a series of coded microchip transponders or ‘tags’ – some of which are smaller than a grain of rice – which can be concealed around the vehicle body, inside individual component parts including the engine, wheels or gearbox and even in accessories such as car phones and hi-fi equipment.

Transponders or ‘Tags’ of different sizes, some of them as tiny as grains of rice.

Computer database
Each of these tiny tags is pre-programmed with a unique electronic code registered with Datatag’s IBM central computer with the legal owner’s name and address. These are so tiny that they can be concealed anywhere inside the car or in the engine bay. They can be injected into trim parts or deep inside upholstery. Other ‘tags’ may be hidden deep inside the recesses of the body or within the engine bay and being so minute they are quite impossible to detect without the specialist equipment.

‘Tags’ can be injected anywhere into upholstery or trim panels.

Just about any part of the car can be ‘Tagged’.

Scanner Every Police station is equipped with a scanner and the ‘tags’ can be read by sweeping the scanner over the vehicle. A stolen car can be checked out without the Police knowing exactly where the ‘tag’ is hidden. Each ‘tag’ displays a unique code which can be cross-referenced with the Datatag computer database to establish or verify ownership. Instant identification like this is invaluable to the Police to help them secure a successful criminal prosecution.

The Police can easily scan the car to detect the hidden ‘Tags’.

On any suspect car individual components can be identified by the Police.

Deterrent Once a vehicle has been Datatagged , it is fitted with a highly visible warning decal, making the thief aware that the car is equipped with a concealed identification marking system. This should deter both the opportunist thief who would consider the car to be too much of a risk. ‘Tagging’ will also deter the highly organised groups of ‘professional’ thieves who specialise in stealing cars to order and dismantling them for parts because even the separated parts themselves may still carry the identification ‘tag’.

Finding the ‘tags’
The point of the system is that the ‘tags’ are very tiny and therefore can be fitted anywhere and even if a thief discovers one or two of the hidden ‘tags’ they will find it almost impossible to remove them without damaging the vehicle or the parts they intend to sell.

If you sell your car
If you wish to sell your car you can transfer the benefits of the system to the new owner who can have their name and details substituted on the computer database for a fee of £10.00.

Installation of Datatag system can be undertaken by 100 approved centres or the system can be installed while the vehicle is at your home or office. A typical system will cost around £120.00 including professional installation and VAT. This system solves the vital problem of identity and can tell the Police exactly whose MG they have recovered and greatly assist them to reunite you with your cherished car. For further information on Datatag telephone Martine Layland at JBA PR on 01295 272707 or fax them on 01295 272853.