7:04 am, August 15, 2025
Volkswagen is ‘monitoring the situation’ surrounding a spate of badge thefts which has seen thieves target expensive radar sensor components.
A large number of Volkswagen owners across London have seen their cars targeted by thieves who steal the badge and an expensive radar sensor hidden behind it.
Footage online shows thieves raiding cars in London boroughs to steal the badges and their sensors in seconds. Official replacements cost as much as £1,500 from a VW main dealer.
Tom Blackwood Murray, who lives in Tooting, owns a 67-plate Volkswagen Golf which was targeted by thieves this week.
He said: ‘The thieves turned up on our road on rented Lime bikes and did about four or five cars in the same road.
‘They stole my badge and the sensor behind it which means I now have a warning light on my dash and the radar cruise control doesn’t work. The stop start system has also failed as a result.
‘It’s shocking how quickly these thieves pinch the badges. I’ve been quoted £1,500 to have mine replaced at a VW main dealer which is a huge amount. I think I’ll just replace it with a normal badge and live with the warning lights.
‘Thieves have done the same to the cars in roads all around where I live and it’s a major problem across London.’
The Sunday Times reported of similar thefts across the capital with BMW and Mercedes models being targeted as well as Volkswagen.
The newspaper found a number of similar parts being sold on auction websites for as little as £80 with cut wires clearly on display.
However, second hand parts are unlikely to work as they need to be fitted and recalibrated by a Volkswagen main dealer or specialist.
A spokesperson for Volkswagen UK said replacement rates for the part in question at main dealers across the country was only a ‘handful’ a month, but admitted there was a spike at a few London dealers.
‘This supports the observation that these thefts are highly localised,’ added the spokesperson.
‘We advise any customer affected by this crime contacts the police to log the incident, providing them with their vehicle’s VIN.
‘As this part is chassis-stamped, a Volkswagen diagnostic tester with an authorised online connection to our factory is required in order to fit the badge to another vehicle.
‘We are monitoring the situation.’
