Missing solar panel

[briwy]

Our Cali is usually parked round the back of the house but for the last few days it's been in the front below our bedroom window.
Opened the curtains this morning, looked down on the Cali and the solar panel has disappeared.
The bolts and alloy angle holding it down are intact with bits of the panel still connected to them. Wires just trailing down the side of the van.
I was out in it yesterday and my initial thoughts were it has come off. However it's been connected this way for around 10k miles so I can't see that happening without some noise and me noticing it and other drivers waving or pulling me over as there was a fair bit of traffic around.
So the conclusion is that it's been nicked sometime during the night. Just ripped off and the wires pulled apart.
New panel ordered and I'll modify the connections to make it harder to pull off.

 

[WelshGas]

I doubt if the panel is still functional after being forcibly removed, so why go to all that effort? Some people have IQ's comparable to their shoe size.

 

[MattBW]

People are awful sometimes sorry to hear

 

[welshwestie]

If I had mine pinched from outside my house I wouldn't replace it, as 'tea leaves' like to return to a 'successful' poaching spots. I would do away with having the panel on the roof, and buy a flexible panel and connect it via an anderson plug.

My set up is as follows. Anderson plug (20amp) under EHU flap, cable from that plug goes to my solar regulator in cupboard immediately above battery storage. When I park up on site, I take my flexible solar panel from pop top roof space, get my fly lead from the back of Corky, flip panel face down so there is no power, connect fly lead to panel, and then the other end to Anderson plug. Go into van and insert my 10amp fuse, go back outside and position my panel either on ground, up against the van, on the roof, on the awning, wherever I get the most amperage.

Make my self a cup of tea and occasionally watch my wattsamp meter to the wife's bemusement.

Why did I go down this route. It was the best compromise for my setup. Didn't want to sikafix or bolt on a panel on the pop top. Too many panel failures when permanently glued to pop tops at the time. Didn't want the weight of a glass panel, either fixed and left outside the van. Wanted to park under shade when camping, the idea of leaving Corky in the full sun as the panel is on the van didn't make sense to me as it meant that the compressor fridge is working harder with increased ambient temperature.

I would do the same today, though I would likely go for the fiber glassed backed flexible panel that lensun is selling as it is smaller than my CIGS flexible panel, and therefore less of a kerfuffle when taking it from or returning it to the pop top roof space.