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My car has been violated...twice...

embrikembrik Registered User regular
edited January 2007 in Help / Advice Forum
Grr... so, my car was broken into, presumably by an amateur. Last November, my right-front window was broken. Glass everywhere, but nothing was stolen. I had a car full of nice stuff, but none of it taken. It's parked in a locked, underground garage located in a pretty low-crime area. At the time, I chalked it up to an accident or possibly weakened, due to a past incident (person crashed into that side of the car, but the windows hadn't broken that time.)

This time, however, they took my Valentine One radar detector and my stereo's faceplate and remote. They attempted to get the stereo itself, but gave up. They had even popped the hood and removed the protective plastic cover over the positive battery terminal. (The cop found it under the car for some reason - perhaps it dropped through when they forcefully popped it off)
They broke the same window on the same day of the week. So, it's probably the same person. I'm going to post something in my building to see if anyone saw/heard anything, etc.

In the meantime, my insurance will probably cover the thefts (I hope) and will fix the glass. Needless to say, my security habits will definitely be changing. Assuming the stereo still functions, I should be able to get a new faceplate for less than the cost of the stereo itself through Pioneer's parts department.

So, can anyone offer any tips, tricks, etc? Any good car alarm systems? I figure if I save money by not having to buy a new stereo, I could probably put the cash towards an alarm. Or maybe I won't. It's a '99 Altima, so it's not a brand new car or anything. Grr... I'm very pissed.

Short version: any tips, etc for preventing auto property damage/theft? Alarm recommendations?

"Damn you and your Daily Doubles, you brigand!"

I don't believe it - I'm on my THIRD PS3, and my FIRST XBOX360. What the heck?
embrik on

Posts

  • ZeonZeon Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Can you park outside? Underground parking is terrible unless there is a security guard, or an obvious camera system. Theives will break in, and they can make as much noise as they want because the area itself is rather soundproofed, but also you can hear anyone coming from a mile away.

    If you cant, hide your shit. Take the face plate off, put it in the glovebox or take it with you. Same for anything else valuable in the car. Unless the theives want your car, theyre not going to bother breaking into it if theres nothing worth taking. The first time they probably got interrupted. The second time they came back to get what they wanted.

    Zeon on
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  • KazhiimKazhiim __BANNED USERS regular
    edited January 2007
    I had a car full of nice stuff

    Do you keep valuable looking stuff laying around the car?

    Stuff it all in the glove box or under a seat if you have to.

    Kazhiim on
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  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Don't leave stuff in your car.

    And don't waste your time with a car alarm. Nobody pays any attention to them.

    Thanatos on
  • Blake TBlake T Do you have enemies then? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Thanatos wrote:
    Don't leave stuff in your car.

    And don't waste your time with a car alarm. Nobody pays any attention to them.

    I wouldn't go that far. Are you saying if you were in the car park and you saw someone next to a car with the alarm going off you wouldn't find it very suspicous?

    More importantly don't leave your faceplate where people can easily find it. The point of the face plate is that you can take the faceplate with you and make your stereo worthless to theives. If possible get a car alarm with a radio transmiter built in so it will tell you when you are being broken into (these are however fucking expensive)

    If you don't want to take it with you find a better hiding place, don't put shit in the glovebox, it's the first place they look. I hide my faceplate in a weird spot I shall try and explain. The plastic facade below the steering wheel and above the pedals. It kinda lips in towards your feet and it makes an excellent shelf, stash shit there.

    Blake T on
  • Mmmm... Cocks...Mmmm... Cocks... Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Thanatos wrote:
    Don't leave stuff in your car.

    And don't waste your time with a car alarm. Nobody pays any attention to them.
    Yea - go off to often with little to nothing wrong.
    I remember I took the trash out at about one in the morning once to hear my neighbors car alarm going off. I could have gave less of a shit.
    Nothing against my neighbor, love 'em all, and their car was fine.

    Mmmm... Cocks... on
  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Blaket wrote:
    Thanatos wrote:
    Don't leave stuff in your car.

    And don't waste your time with a car alarm. Nobody pays any attention to them.
    I wouldn't go that far. Are you saying if you were in the car park and you saw someone next to a car with the alarm going off you wouldn't find it very suspicous?
    Yes, you're right. If I were parked somewhere, and someone broke the window on the car next to me in order to get into it, and it set off a car alarm, I would be very suspicious.

    On the other, I would still be suspicious, even if there were no car alarm.

    Thanatos on
  • SandersSanders Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Thanatos wrote:
    Blaket wrote:
    Thanatos wrote:
    Don't leave stuff in your car.

    And don't waste your time with a car alarm. Nobody pays any attention to them.
    I wouldn't go that far. Are you saying if you were in the car park and you saw someone next to a car with the alarm going off you wouldn't find it very suspicous?
    Yes, you're right. If I were parked somewhere, and someone broke the window on the car next to me in order to get into it, and it set off a car alarm, I would be very suspicious.

    On the other, I would still be suspicious, even if there were no car alarm.
    Not only that, but the last thing I would do is try to stop them.
    I ain't getting stabbed or shot just to save your stereo.

    Sanders on
  • embrikembrik Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Yeah, as I said, there will be some habit changing. Actually, some habit-going-back-to. I used to live/park downtown (higher crime area). I always took my detector and faceplate with me. I got careless living in what (I thought) was a secure area. I definitely won't be making that mistake again.
    Blaket wrote:
    If possible get a car alarm with a radio transmiter built in so it will tell you when you are being broken into (these are however fucking expensive)

    I always wondered if something like that existed, but it's probably more than I'd want to pay, especially for a car over 6 years old.

    embrik on
    "Damn you and your Daily Doubles, you brigand!"

    I don't believe it - I'm on my THIRD PS3, and my FIRST XBOX360. What the heck?
  • clsCorwinclsCorwin Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Well, car alarms are good to prevent people from driving away with your car, provided you place additional horns INSIDE the car, so, they'll be going off right in their ear as they try to make off with it. Other than that, mostly useless.

    clsCorwin on
  • MentholMenthol Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    I don't really have shit worth stealing, but my driver's side window is screwed up and can be slid up and down easily.

    Thus, someone made off with my car battery one night; as it's easy to slide down the window and unlock, then pop the hood. My tags have also been stolen, and my tank has been siphoned a few times.

    I drive an '85 Fifth Avenue, and it's hardly worth putting an alarm on.

    My solution?



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    +
    th_45898_Mouse_Trap_122_56lo.jpg
    +
    th_45901_ist2_506272_old_rusty_razor_blade_122_198lo.jpg

    Menthol on
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  • supabeastsupabeast Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Get suggestions from the local police. Car thieves in different areas go after different stuff, and in some places, nothing you do will deter them.

    supabeast on
  • Solidaritus:Solidaritus: __BANNED USERS regular
    edited January 2007
    Does anyone know if there are alarms that can automatically take pictures once set off?

    If not, I'm gonna make them.

    Solidaritus: on
  • blincolnblincoln Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    My car was stolen back in December. When I got it back, I had an alarm installed (DEI Python, on the recommendation of a friend who used to do stereo/alarm work), and when I park it now I throw a Club and a brake pedal lock on it.

    None of those things alone or together will *prevent* it from happening again, but it will slow potential thieves down to the point that I should be able to notice what's happening.

    Also, given that there are 4-5 other cars of the same make and vintage in my parking lot, thieves will probably decide to go for one of the ones that are less of a hassle.

    I've also stopped leaving anything valuable in the car when it's parked. I was fortunate enough to have my car stolen by people who didn't bother looking in the trunk (where I had some tools), but it's not worth taking a chance again.

    I was also thinking that an alarm that took pictures would be good. I'm sure it could be rigged up using one of those in-car PCs. Better yet, make one where it takes a picture, then a pneumatic spike stabs them in the face, then it takes another picture, then uploads both as a before/after combination to Flickr.

    blincoln on
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  • ZeonZeon Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    embrik wrote:
    Yeah, as I said, there will be some habit changing. Actually, some habit-going-back-to. I used to live/park downtown (higher crime area). I always took my detector and faceplate with me. I got careless living in what (I thought) was a secure area. I definitely won't be making that mistake again.
    Blaket wrote:
    If possible get a car alarm with a radio transmiter built in so it will tell you when you are being broken into (these are however fucking expensive)

    I always wondered if something like that existed, but it's probably more than I'd want to pay, especially for a car over 6 years old.

    You can find them relatively cheaply. My friend found one for 180 dollars installed for his 03 maxima, but i cant think of the name brand off hand.

    Zeon on
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  • AurinAurin Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    blincoln wrote:
    My car was stolen back in December. When I got it back, I had an alarm installed (DEI Python, on the recommendation of a friend who used to do stereo/alarm work), and when I park it now I throw a Club and a brake pedal lock on it.

    None of those things alone or together will *prevent* it from happening again, but it will slow potential thieves down to the point that I should be able to notice what's happening.

    Also, given that there are 4-5 other cars of the same make and vintage in my parking lot, thieves will probably decide to go for one of the ones that are less of a hassle.

    I've also stopped leaving anything valuable in the car when it's parked. I was fortunate enough to have my car stolen by people who didn't bother looking in the trunk (where I had some tools), but it's not worth taking a chance again.

    I was also thinking that an alarm that took pictures would be good. I'm sure it could be rigged up using one of those in-car PCs. Better yet, make one where it takes a picture, then a pneumatic spike stabs them in the face, then it takes another picture, then uploads both as a before/after combination to Flickr.

    And then, by the unfortunate circumstances of the US, the car thief sues you and gets monies.

    On topic:

    Definitely stash anything valuable, make the inside of your car look like it just rolled off the dealer lot, and people don't want to mess with it anymore. I made the mistake of leaving a toolbox in the back seat of my car and someone tried to pry the window open in broad daylight. Fortunately the alarm honking chased him off. Still messed my window up, but nothing broken fortunately.

    Aurin on
  • ThanatosThanatos Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Aurin wrote:
    blincoln wrote:
    My car was stolen back in December. When I got it back, I had an alarm installed (DEI Python, on the recommendation of a friend who used to do stereo/alarm work), and when I park it now I throw a Club and a brake pedal lock on it.

    None of those things alone or together will *prevent* it from happening again, but it will slow potential thieves down to the point that I should be able to notice what's happening.

    Also, given that there are 4-5 other cars of the same make and vintage in my parking lot, thieves will probably decide to go for one of the ones that are less of a hassle.

    I've also stopped leaving anything valuable in the car when it's parked. I was fortunate enough to have my car stolen by people who didn't bother looking in the trunk (where I had some tools), but it's not worth taking a chance again.

    I was also thinking that an alarm that took pictures would be good. I'm sure it could be rigged up using one of those in-car PCs. Better yet, make one where it takes a picture, then a pneumatic spike stabs them in the face, then it takes another picture, then uploads both as a before/after combination to Flickr.
    And then, by the unfortunate circumstances of the US, the car thief sues you and gets monies.
    Not only that, but you will be criminally prosecuted.

    Setting a booby trap is a crime. Yes, they're doing something wrong by breaking into your car, but that doesn't give you the right to maim/kill them.

    Thanatos on
  • blincolnblincoln Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Um, I was joking about the pneumatic spike. It would be really hard to do well, and you'd probably end up with something that stabbed *you* in the face too. Aside from the legal issues.

    Anyway. The DEI Python and Viper both have two-way paging remotes. I was at a friend's house the other night and it let me know when the alarm was set off. It doesn't work so well over longer distances (more than about 50 feet). You can get more expensive ones with cellular systems, but I was too cheap for that.

    The Python 700 I got was $199 at Circuit City, but you're required (by DEI) to have it installed by one of their employees, which is another $100. Still, not a bad price.

    blincoln on
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  • ViolentChemistryViolentChemistry __BANNED USERS regular
    edited January 2007
    When I was living in Columbus, all of my housemates' cars got broken into at least twice except mine and my one friend's. The difference between our cars and theirs were that we had shitty OEM stereos and no electronic accessories to speak of. Mine didn't even have a tape-deck, just AM/FM. :P

    ViolentChemistry on
  • CimmeriiCimmerii SpaceOperaGhost Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Beside hiding any of the electronic good stuff, make sure you don't leave any personal things in you car either, paystubs or anything that could lead to identity theft. You don't want to have to deal with that too. :|

    Otherwise get a car alarm.

    Or mabye something that electrifys the outside of the car. :D

    Cimmerii on
    *Internally Screaming*
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