A car dealership has a problem that hardly any other business knows in this form: its most valuable goods stand outside at night. On the customer car park and the areas in front of the building there are new and used cars worth a lot of money – well lit, right on the street, freely accessible. This is exactly where professional thieves strike, and this is exactly what had already happened at the Mercedes-Benz Center in Hamburg: customer vehicles had disappeared from the premises.
On top of that came the everyday nuisance: strangers parked in the customer spaces because the area is open and easy to reach. The operator's brief was therefore twofold. At night, no vehicle should be able to roll off the premises any more; during the day, the spaces should belong to customers – and both without losing the open, glazed character of the building.
Why a fence, gate or barrier arm was out of the question here
A Mercedes-Benz Center lives from its architecture: glass façade, open space, clear view from the street to the vehicles. A fence with a sliding gate would have destroyed exactly that, plus long gate runs, a gate that would be open all day anyway, and a maintenance contract on top. A barrier arm stops no one who is serious – it is broken through in seconds. What was needed was a barrier that is invisible during the day and at night offers exactly the resistance a car thief does not want to overcome.
Glass façade, open space, clear view from the street to the vehicles: this is exactly the architecture that was to be preserved. The red-lit row of bollards in front of it is the only barrier – and goes completely unnoticed during the day.
19 retractable bollards, tailored to the site
We manufactured 19 retractable security bollards from V4A stainless steel and positioned them so that every access to the customer car park and the display areas is sealed off. The spacing is chosen so that no car fits between them, while pedestrians can pass at any time. The brushed stainless steel suits the building and brand architecture; when lowered, all that remains of each bollard is a flush lid in the paving.
After closing time: the raised bollards with red-glowing LED rings cannot be overlooked even in the dark. Red is also the signal – the premises are closed.
Down during the day, up at night
During opening hours the bollards are lowered. Customers drive onto the car park as usual and do not even notice the system. At closing time, all 19 bollards rise, and the red rings show anyone approaching the premises: no vehicle is getting out of here today – and none is getting in. If an area is needed after all, for example for a delivery outside business hours, the bollard concerned is simply lowered. Very much in line with the dealership's motto: “Nobody parks in the wrong place here any more.”
Raised bollards with blue-glowing LED rings – the colour is matched to the façade lighting of the Center. Clearly visible: the flush base plate in the paving; nothing more of the lowered bollard remains visible.
The compressed air comes from the dealership's own workshop
Our bollards work pneumatically – and a car dealership already has what is needed in-house: the workshop's compressed air system. The bollards were connected to the existing network. A separate compressor was not necessary, let alone expensive hydraulic power units. The bollard itself contains only a stainless steel cylinder; valves and control unit sit dry inside the building. There are no electronics, no motor and no oil in the ground – nothing that rain, frost or road salt could harm. This makes the system very low-maintenance. Should a valve need to be replaced after years, this is done indoors, not in the paving.
And what if someone sabotages the system?
For theft protection, this is the decisive question. Our bollards have a mechanical height lock: when raised, they engage via a locking bolt and can then no longer be pushed down. Anyone who cuts the compressed air line does not get a free run – the air escapes, the bollard stays up. For power failures, too, the system can be set so that the bollards stay raised. For a car dealership this is the right setting: if the power fails at night, the premises remain closed. What else matters in a bollard is summarised on our page Security bollards.
Securing a car dealership, vehicle trade or fleet?
We know the pattern from many projects: vehicles stand on an open area at night, and at some point one is missing. You can read how our bollards were used in similar cases here: Airport hangar secured against theft, Sports car protected in the Greater Berlin area and Series of thefts stopped.
Send us a photo or a site plan of your premises via WhatsApp to +49 172 4544485 or call us on +49 40 226390411. We will tell you how many bollards you need, where they should stand and whether your existing compressed air can be used. You will find all models and prices in our overview retractable bollards made of stainless steel V4A; read more on the pages Vehicle theft protection and Bollard drives compared.
