arggg car broken into

hey all
I had my car that is less than two months old broken into thusday night. I'm sooo angry. My window was smashed and the toook the cradles for my satellite radio and GPS> I know that this part is my own damn fault but i left my GPS in the glove compartment. Funny part is they left my satellite radio. I wonder if the empty docking cradles is what made them smash in the window to begin with. learned a good lesson. Now not only do i not leave anything in my car.... I don't leave anything that could be a docking station for anything else. Needless to say i had to pay out quite a bit of cash to get a new window. I really really hate theives. So i'll be having some sale threads to fund another roadmate 800 as i really need my GPS. Anyone into custom hand made knives let me know. I'll probably have to give up my Reise Weiland mini gambler 1 of 1 mother of pear double action, and some of my Bob Turzuola custom folders. This really bites
jimmy

Sorry to hear of your loss, there has been a recent price drop on the 800, here are some links, hope they help

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/mes...adid=611626&highlight_key=y&keyword1=roadmate

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/mes...adid=617516&highlight_key=y&keyword1=roadmate

thanks radio.
actually that does help and i'm not as far away to a new one as the price i payed before. Today i'm going on a useless waste of my time adventure. I'm checking out the local pawn shops with my serial numbers and recipt. In the unlikely event i stumble upon it i hope i can buy my own possesions back at a reasonable price.
jimmy

Best of luck, I hope you find it, just be aware that a lot of these "smash and grab pros" take orders in local bars and such, I myself have been approached many times with questions of wants or desires, they also fence them in bars and ebay as well, Just some food for thought, good luck, I have had this happen twice, luckily my glass is covered and the contents are replaced by my homeowners at replacement value minus of course the $250 deductible.

Also sorry to hear of your loss - I take the same approach you described, don't leave anything valuable in the car and in sight. I hate having to replace windows and the mess left if they rip out the radio or other electricals. In fact, usually I leave the car unlocked so they don't need to break the window. Then one time I lent the car to my brother in law and he locked it and they broke the window to get in - nothing to take however.

Sam

And leave the glove box and ashtray and armrest box empty and open, so it looks like thieves have already been in your car. Who want's to break in to a car that's already been rifled thru?

I have this recurring dream. I'm coming out of Sears carrying the new crowbar I've just purchased. And guess what -- there's some ********* reaching thru the newly broken window of my truck.........

ya my room mate uses that method. He leaves his doors unlocked so that the windows don't have to be broken to find out there is nothing in the car. the only visible thing was the cigarette power adapter for the gps and cradle. I guess that is enought in the wild west.
jimmy

I'm seriously considering getting renters insurance. My knives, lights and firearms are my highest assets and i really cant be carrying 200 pounds of toys everyday!!. locked up is one thing but i guess you cant really realy on that or safes. If a safe can be brought into my house it can be brough out of my house.
jimmy

I'm sorry to hear abot this. Were there any surveillance cameras rolling in the vicinity of the theft?

Makes me want to put a bunch of exploding dye packs in the glove box! :scowl:

You should make a police report before you go to the pawn shops. Make sure you give the police the serial number of your unit.

Sometimes I wish they really made one of those electrical gizmos found in the Robocop movie, where the thug breaks into a car and starts to look for items of value, then two metal claws grab him and electrocute the SOB, then the owner opens the door and removes the loser and says something like "And it doesn't run down the batteries" and drives away.

Hope this site makes you feel better! I would give it a PG-13 rating so your call...

http://www.stickdeath.com/2002auto.html

http://www.stickdeath.com/2003auto.html

http://www.stickdeath.com/2005auto.html


AlexGT

Well, I disagree that it was your own damn fault. It was the thieves' fault. I know, I was reprimanded by my agency for leaving some gear in my car and it got stolen during a smash and grab. It was the second time.

My parents had their GPS stolen out of their vehicle in the driveway of my stepsister's house. A cul-de-sac driveway!

It is a very common crime especially for police cars, which criminals assume will have lots of goodies plus it is like vicarious revenge on the cops.

The inside of my car looks like a trash can to discourage thieves from the arsenal in my trunk. So far, so good.

re: buying your stuff back from the pawn shop -- wouldn't that mean the pawn shop bought stolen property? Let alone if the pawner says "hey the guy walkied in here with the gps, how wuz I to know it wasn't his?" It's was still stolen, and he made an error. If it's yours, you shouldn't have to pay them... next time the pawn shop can ask for a receipt, or positive ID..

I am going to assume that pawn shops there work like ones here in Virginia. The person doing the pawning signs an affidavid stating something to the effect that they are the rightful owner of the property. They probably are required to get identification from the pawner.

thanks for all the advice. I will be taking more precautions now. Not that i wasn't paranoid enough. I'm thinking of spending a couple hundred on some security laminates for my side windows. At least it would be a deterent to not a window break through and then the alarm could provide some use.
jimmy

This comes to mind as my favorite anti-theft device:

http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/africa/9812/11/flame.thrower.car

PS: Watch the video!

Maybe that's okay in your state, but most states have laws prohibiting the use of an unattended booby-trap type device. I don't doubt that the use of such a device might also leave you vulnerable to both criminal and civil actions.

ABTOMAT said:

This comes to mind as my favorite anti-theft device:

Click to expand...

Holy cow! oo: Yeah, that would definitely stop a thief. Yikes!

After thinking this over for awhile, I see three immediate flaws with that design -

1) Sooner or later a little child will accidentally bump into the car and set it off.

2) The career criminals will figure out where the nozzles are and defeat them.

3) You can never, NEVER forget to deactivate it before entering the car!

Brighteyez said:

Maybe that's okay in your state, but most states have laws prohibiting the use of an unattended booby-trap type device. I don't doubt that the use of such a device might also leave you vulnerable to both criminal and civil actions.

Click to expand...

It's not legal anywhere in the US, much less my state. Keep in mind that thing's from South Africa, where apparently it is legal. Another South African anti-carjacker device is a spring-loaded bar that snaps out and breaks an attacker's lower legs.