While it may sound hard to believe, thieves stealing the logos from the front of select Volkswagen cars are setting owners back by almost $2,500. That is primarily because the VW badge at the front is not just an emblem made of plastic.In London, thieves have been targeting select Volkswagen cars for their logos because the company identity on the nose of these vehicles actually has radar sensors underneath, used by the onboard driver assistance systems and the adaptive cruise control feature.A report by The Telegraph revealed that thieves stole the front badges and radar sensors from as many as 70 vehicles in south-east London in just four days between July 15 and 19. Car owners affected by theft reported seeing a drone that was used by the thieves for reconnaissance. The thieves reportedly took just five seconds to steal a Volkswagen badge.Detailed image of a Volkswagen ID.4 badge and logo with raindrops on a blue surface.Graham Dunn, 34, who lost his Volkswagen T-Roc badge to thieves on July 18, handed the security camera footage to the police for further investigation. He told The Times:AdvertisementAdvertisement"It was two guys on Lime bikes, it took sub-five seconds, and they've done nearly two grand of damage in that time. They harvested this area."Thieves also stole the front badge from Giorgina Tomlin's Volkswagen T-Roc. Speaking about the organized crime, she said:"It was highly organised, they knew exactly where every car was, so they'd obviously scoped it out previously."Stratis Alisafakis, 40, who lost the front badge of his Volkswagen Golf to thieves, even started a petition to address the issue but decided against adding a new badge on his car because he thought it would get stolen again. The dealership told him it would cost £1,500 ($2,026) to replace the badge. He said:AdvertisementAdvertisement"They just wash their hands [of it]. I am really frustrated. It is rife and it is getting worse. I did not want to put another one on yet because it can be nicked in four seconds flat."He added:"The guy [at the dealership] told me he sees three to four a week come in asking about this."It is worth noting that not all Volkswagen cars are affected by this problem. AutoBlog stated that this specific radar setup is used only on select vehicles and models, including the Golf, Tiguan, Jetta, Passat, ID.4, and ID.5.The German brand appears to have recognized the drawbacks of placing the radar sensor behind the logo. As a result, Volkswagen has switched to a different design for the radar on the newer models, in which the radar is not placed behind the badge.
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