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Post by Magill on Apr 7, 2004 11:38:20 GMT -5
So this morning I was running a bit late getting ready for work, so I was hoping there'd be major traffic problems or something to give me an excuse as to why I was going to show up late for my meeting.
There's that saying, "Be careful what you wish for, you may get it."
I started up my car and went to adjust the airflow when I noticed the plastic trim around it looked like it had been jimmied. I looked up a few inches and noticed my CD player had been stolen. I looked to the right and saw both passenger doors unlocked. I looked back and saw that my rear window (the triangular one, not the one that rolls down) had been broken, leaving glass all over my backseat.
Overall, I'd say I got off easy. The thief(ves) was kind enough to break the window that is going to be cheapest to fix (though goodbye $280). Nothing else was taken (I had a friend who had her car broken into and her wallet and checkbook removed, which has caused her way more hassles due to forgery, etc.) and my car still works okay. It didn't rain last night and it's not cold today, so I guess this was an okay time of year to get a window smashed.
I'm just frustrated more because of the hassle than anything. Because my car's older ('93) I only have liability insurance, so everything's coming out of my pocket. I have to get the window replaced today (more hassle) because I'm leaving tomorrow to visit a friend, and the last thing I want to do is leave my car in an airport parking garage for 4 nights with a bit of plastic over the open windown. I don't have a parking space (I'm on the waiting list for my apartment) so I park on the street. This happened right in front of my apartment building, so now I'll always be a bit worried when I park overnight (especially if I buy a new stereo).
Ranting is now over. Thanks.
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Post by PoolMan on Apr 7, 2004 11:49:57 GMT -5
Aw, man. Stupid, stupid, stupid thieves,
I had my car broken into last year. No glass broken (looks like they forced a window down, if you can believe it), but they stole the change I had in the car (about $30 at the time), my CD wallet (with all my favourite CD's in it, of course), and the faceplate to my stereo (which I thankfully found down the alley... guess it was too old to try and hock... yes!). Oh, and of course, they rifled all the papers I keep in the glove compartment. It's a wonderful feeling, isn't it?
I know the horse is already out of the barn, but here's my advice for you in the future, which I follow myself, religiously.
- have a club or equivalent steering wheel lock
- keep NOTHING in the car. Nothing. Not fooling here
- leave your glove compartment and ashtray open when you're not in the car
I guarantee that last one will feel the weirdest, it sure bugged me when I started doing it. But if you show that there's nothing in the car worth stealing (cause they can see the entire interior, including the glove and ashtray) and the car itself is going to be difficult to mobilize (in case they want the vehicle itself), they'll leave you alone. I've personally never had a problem since.
Anyways, sucks, my friend. Hope it isn't too tough to get worked out.
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Post by dajaymann on Apr 7, 2004 12:14:57 GMT -5
Aha, speaking of stupid theives...
Many years ago (between '99 and '01) I lived with my girlfriend/fiance/future wife in Tallahasse, Florida, right up against the FSU campus (where I went to school). We lived on the non-shady side of a shady apartment building, and we had several stupid theiveries happen to us. After living there for about a year, My bike got stolen. It was attached to the chain-link fence outside the apartment building with a very nice and very tough locking cable. The best part? The bike didn't work. I had changed the rear tire out and had never quite gotten the gears back together right, so you couldn't really ride it at all. So I suppose I have the consolation of know whoever stole it had to really work on that cable to free the bike, only to steal a non-functioning item. Also, at the same apartment my wife had a UWF vanity plate on the front of her car. Someone stole it. I guess it's not copasetic to profess admiration for a different university when you're on FSU campus.
And one time, I swear someone stole a lightbulb out of our outside light. That's ok, because it was burnt out anyway.
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Post by PoolMan on Apr 7, 2004 12:37:04 GMT -5
I remember once, in high school, having some idiot put their bike lock over my own so that I couldn't take my bike off the railing it was attached to.
The nice part, however, is that the school shop teacher and I were friends, so I went and got him, and he cut the extra lock off with a torch. So at least whatever moron did that to me was probably out about $30 for a nice U-lock.
Heh.
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HRCC04
Boomstick Coordinator
Captain Sassy Pants
Posts: 64
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Post by HRCC04 on Apr 7, 2004 12:49:47 GMT -5
Stupid theives...sorry to hear about that, but atleast they left your car for you, my friend had his car stolen, and the headache he went through and the time he was without a vehicle because of the investigation and what not...its a freakin' nightmare.
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Post by Magill on Apr 7, 2004 13:26:20 GMT -5
Yeah, I'm glad I'm not one to stash a lot of stuff in my car. I'm also glad I didn't leave a CD in the player.
I should probably check out the neighborhood when I get home today. My player is supposedly disabled and requires a key CD to get it working. I wonder if the thief realized that and just dropped it somewhere.
Thanks for your sympathy and advice. I hadn't thought about leaving the glovebox and ashtray open. I don't know how viable that would be for me, as I have tons of maps and stuff in the glovebox and general garbage in the ashtray. And if I go and get a new CD player, wouldn't that be more tempting than whatever might be in my glovebox?
I'm glad my car wasn't stolen. Currently there's no mass transit here, because of a strike (not that it's very conducive to my commuting habit--out of the city in the morning and into it at night).
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HRCC04
Boomstick Coordinator
Captain Sassy Pants
Posts: 64
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Post by HRCC04 on Apr 7, 2004 13:31:33 GMT -5
You had an eclipse deck? If so call them right now (get their #, and if you have the model # and the time frame in which you bought the thing, they can flag your area for people that will call in and request it to be reset...what happens is, they take their information and then ask for it to be sent in, then they send the deck back to you and inform the local police of the person that called it in and they do their own investigation.)
I used to work at an audio shop installing radios for years, and if yours was an eclipse, they have like one of the best systems for getting your radio back that any company offers...
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Post by PoolMan on Apr 7, 2004 14:26:23 GMT -5
I have tons of maps and stuff in the glovebox and general garbage in the ashtray. And if I go and get a new CD player, wouldn't that be more tempting than whatever might be in my glovebox? Well, the sacrifices you make. Like I mentioned, I had $30 in change in my ashtray at the time, which implies (correctly) that I saved change in my car for parking. Now I carry change with me (hooray for $1 coins!) or pay for parking with a credit card, a surprisingly viable option in Vancouver (only the street meters don't let you pay with plastic, and there's tons of lots downtown). Likewise, the only things in my glovebox now are my insurance papers, my owners manual, and a tiny package of kleenex. That's it. There's absolutely nothing else visible in the car. Which means you have to get used to being pretty spartan, but most of the time when someone busts into your car, it's to get something of little value that's easy to see, not to steal the car. |
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Post by Magill on Apr 7, 2004 15:58:06 GMT -5
You had an eclipse deck? If so call them right now (get their #, and if you have the model # and the time frame in which you bought the thing, they can flag your area for people that will call in and request it to be reset Yes, I do (the key CD thing must've tipped you off). Thanks for the suggestion--I didn't even think of that. I made the call and reported it as stolen. I had the owners manual right here at my desk (the police asked for the model and serial # when I filed my report). I saw that the 1-year theft protection had expired (too bad no one tried to take it before Jan 31) and didn't think there was much more Eclipse could do. Just got my window fixed. It was pretty speedy--only about 30 minutes. |
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Post by dajaymann on Apr 7, 2004 16:18:52 GMT -5
If this thread becomes another derailment on the merits/non-merits of change I will strike at someone with a fireball. Hurled Street Fighter II-style. |
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HRCC04
Boomstick Coordinator
Captain Sassy Pants
Posts: 64
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Post by HRCC04 on Apr 7, 2004 16:26:15 GMT -5
No prob man...trust me, when they were first released, we had the people coming to the shop asking what to do...we even had some people that had actually stolen the units asking how to reset them, we usually just said "Leave it with us for a couple of days and leave your name and # and we'll get it fixed up for ya..." and then get in touch with the police and eclipse...its a really handy thing to have, especially when the idiots that stole it probobly dont realize that when they try to be slick and get it reset, they are really setting themselves up for bad news...most of the time though the people just say they bought it off someone and nothing happens but you do eventually get your deck back...hopefully.
Good luck man.
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Post by jenfrazer on Apr 7, 2004 17:28:58 GMT -5
Having more insurance wouldn't have helped. Chances are, your deductible would be more than the $280. Plus, the incident would place you one step closer to the high-risk pool.
Parking off-street does help, but my car has been broken into twice in the last 9 months inside my apartment's garage. I have one of those stereos with a detachable faceplate. I removed it once while my car was in the shop, only to have it stolen from a rental car.
Combined with some vandalism, that's 5 broken windows in 4 incidents in 3 years and 2 cars. Three different apartment complexes in various parts of town, cars parked in garages and on the street. Not a penny covered by insurance.
I know how much your day must have sucked. You definitely lose peace of mind (as well as a chunk of change). Sorry, dude.
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Post by duckie on Apr 7, 2004 22:16:23 GMT -5
Sorry to hear about the break-in, that really sucks.
Since misery loves company, let me share a few gems of mine, so you can be impressed by the police departments in the towns where I lived...
A few years back, I was playing basketball at the public courts AT THE POLICE STATION, and someone broke into my car. We didn't hear anything, since we were up on the courts and focused on the games. But, apparently, someone walked down the rows of cars in front of the station doors, and opened up every unlocked car. Thought i was okay to keep the door unlocked in our one-stoplight town, at the police station, guess I was wrong. they stole all my tapes, but then I found my robbie robertson tape behind the car. either they dropped it, or weren't robbie fans!!!
And then, this one time, at college... i got this call at 1:30AM, after a night out at a party... the campus police were calling me. The conversation went something like this...
cops: Do you own a chevy camaro, parked in the long-term lot?
me: ummm, yea... why?
cops: were you missing a set of hubcaps?
me: i don't think so... why?
cops: well, we were out in the lot, saw a few people walking away from your car with hubcaps in their hands.
me: so, did you get them?
cops: well, no... we didn't actually see them taking them from your car, only saw them at your car with them in hand. we weren't sure if they came from your car.
ugggh! ;D
and this in no way should suggest that I think police are inept (I have the utmost respect for them), I just wonder about the quality of the campus police we had at Penn State...
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Post by Head Mutant on Apr 7, 2004 22:31:54 GMT -5
Had a similar break-in in 2001... CDs and stereo stolen, car doors ruined. Sorry to hear it, man.
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Post by DocD83 on Apr 8, 2004 0:08:32 GMT -5
I'm not hugely into cars so correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the steering wheel lock one of the easiest things to bypass? I hear the locks themselves are a cinch to pick, and that the wheel can be easily cut.
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