I was at a formal event tonight when one of my friends told me I was needed outside. ON my way there I didn't think a whole lot of it until I began to climb the stairs to the door. As I neared the top I saw police lights flashing. My first thought was "oh no, someone hit my baby" But my friend then told me someone had broken into some cars. "Mine?" I asked, he said yes. Greatfully when I got there it turned out not to be the case, but someone had definatley tried to get in. The rubber weatherstripping had been pushed down the window in several spots where someone had tried to pry. Interestingly enough, this was one of the few times I neglected to take off my stereo's face plate, so I was releived to find out my car was safe. As it turns out, 3 young teenagers had broken into two vehicles (smashed the windows) and had gotton one of the two car's faceplate. Immediately after they broken the second window, another one of my friends caught them. Unfortunatley wearing dress shoes and a suit, he couldn't catch them. Even though my car is safe and no permenant damage, I'm still a little on edge from the whole event. I'm curious why my car seems to be the only one they tried to pick their way into and I'm curious why my window wasn't broken. I'm assuming it is that I was parked under a light and lightening is proven to deter crime. Something probably spoked them and they went on to darker prey.
hummm getting into the mind of a criminal?
what were the diffences in the three cars?
year, make, color,,
Not to hijack your thread or anything but when I was going to school in Long Beach, campus police (actual LBC cops) caught a suspected murderer breaking into my '88 t-bird. All he did to get in was pop the lock out with a screwdriver and then somehow got the door opened and disconnected my alarm's wiring harness. Damaged my door but didnt touch the glass. I really understand that feeling when someone has jacked with your car. Pretty py. I keep wanting to "break-into" a junkyard t-bird/cougar to see how hard or how easy it is.
It's insanely easy to break into these cars. I know lots of ways....not going to repeat them here in case we've got some idiots lurking. Needless to say, though, you should just be smart and protect yourself. Take your faceplate with you, always....get in the habit. It's a pain in the ass, sure, but at the very least a missing faceplate will give the appearance that there's no radio in the car, therefore nothing worth breaking in for. Hide all your valuables in the trunk. Don't leave your CD's or tapes out in the open. Basically make your car look like an old person owns it. If you can swing an alarm system, do it, but have the installer get creative with the location of the head unit, sensors, etc.
At least y'all have coupes. I can break into the convertible six different ways...
MN12's are really easy to get into as well. I locked my keys in my 1990 XR7 once. I didn't have any spare keys and I didn't what to call a locksmith either. It only took me about 3 minutes to get in without the keys.
The other two cars were:
A red early 90s Escort
A brown early 90s LeBaron (parked in a very dark spot)
Both cars were stock other than stereo systems.
I beleive the LeBaron was the car that lost his faceplate.
I would say >90% of the time I take my faceplate with me, but last night was not one of those times.
The only other thing visable in the car was a completed 1/4"=1'00" Architecture model I was bringing home. Maybe my design was so great they wanted to steal that :D
I dont lock the door to my cougar. Stock radio and only one speaker works. Locked my keys in one, and it took me about 15 seconds to break in the first time. With a jimmy, less the 5 seconds.
hmm... i should start locking my cougar.
Never really did..... but for a early graduation gift I'm getting a full alarm system w/ pager and stuff. can't wait!!!
It's time to chain dogs to all four wheels. Let the s try it again.
Chris
SSX - Although it sucks that someone tried to violate your car, just remember that it's more than likely just a random act and that you weren't specifically targeted. There are two things you can get out of this experience. One, let hate and fear build up so much that it consumes you or two, learn from it and make your car more secure. Eric's suggestion of having the installer hide everything they can is exactly right. The boys at Stereo West in Omaha do a great job with alarm installs....give them a call. Finally, go Cyclones! :-)
I'm not shaken up about it, it's just one of those things I never expected to happen to me. I think there are much more valuable cars to break into, so I don't think I'll be getting an alarm. I just need to remember to remove my faceplate. If they want more than that, then so be it. I do think I will install the sneaky blinking LED to fake an alarm though :) One last thing. Go Huskers :D
We'll have to agree to disagree on who the better collegiate team is, although everyone knows its the 'Clones. Anyway, I put a blinking light in my cougar for a temporary "alarm" years ago. I drilled a small hole in one of the blanks to the right of the headlight controls. Before you go drilling in yours, I'm going to replace mine shortly and you can have the old one if you like. Let me know.
sorry to hear about that.
i loathe bandits. lol. tis the reason i never lock my car. i'd rather have stolen property than broken glass AND stolen property. i hate it when they screw your locks and sheetmetal up too! i will gladly leave everything unlocked so crackhead won't get desperate and screw up my car. ugh!
by the by, every car i've locked my doors with has been broken into. kinda sucks that way. >.<**
The very first thing I did was get an alarm when I bought my car back in 1992. I went to a lot of shops, and I went with the shop that claimed to have the best install. They were adamant that their install was designed to best prevent theft of the car (the school I was going to was in a wealthy area and they did a lot of expensive cars -- I never saw so many Jags and Mercedes'). The lessons I learned:
1. All connections should be soldered for the best durability.
2. The alarm head unit should be somewhere that's extremely hard to get to. Mine is hidden somewhere behind the instrument panel, so high up that I've never even seen more than a corner of it. They must have pulled the entire dash out or something to get it up in there, or their installer is plasticman...
3. If your alarm has a valet switch (mine does, and I assume it's a pretty standard feature), disconnect it, leave it where it is as a decoy, and put in the real one that's well hidden. It should be somewhere where you have to actually remove something to get to it (I'm not saying where mine is :) )
4. Have at least *three* remotes, and make sure you know how to disable the alarm in a pinch. I was once on a weekend vacation in Williamsburg, and on the final day my remote died (not a dead battery -- it really died). Once that starter cutoff trips you really want to be able to get your car to start...
5. You're going to live with your alarm a long time. Get a name brand that will be around in 20 years. Remotes don't last forever, and getting parts for our cars is enough work. Also, make a photocopy of your alarm manual. I didn't do that and I'm *so* thankful that old Alpine manuals can still be found, though it took a while.
6. Like someone here said: don't leave *anything* visible in the car. When I was in undergrad I spent time talking to one of the security guys (I used to drive in really early -- the cafeteria always served the best breakfasts then, when the dorm students were still asleep and only the security people were around) and he told me story after story about how cars were getting broken into just for the loose change in the armrest. Unbrella and ice ser -- that's it. That's all that should be visible (at the time I had a lemon-yellow '72 Torino sedan so I wasn't too worried). For my 'Bird I bought a set of matching rear floor mats (red) at Pep Boys and whenever I have to make stops I put anything I bought under a mat (bonus trick: get a bookbag that's the same color as the mat, and get one of those foldable windshield sun visors to put on top of the mat (same color if possible) -- the less they can see the better, and when everything is the same color it's hard to make shapes out).
7. Don't drive through residential areas with your stereo booming. It ticks off middle-aged codgers like me :), and it broadcasts to every punk in the area that you've got something good. I have a 10' sub, 2 amps, MB Quart all around, yada, yada, yada, but I don't broadcast it. On I-95 I'm anonymous but not in neighborhoods or up in the city. Stealth is your friend. If you have a T-Bird or Cougar, it should be second nature. Mustang kids we ain't :)
8. Visible alarm LED, and the loudest, most obnoxious alarm you can get your hands on. It must honk the horn. Horns clash with alarm sirens like few other sounds, and it will better get people's attention (though back in the day when I bought mine, alarms were new enough that people still paid attention -- I don't know about today).
9. As the guy at the shop told me, "You don't have a 'Vette, you have a T-Bird. You're looking to stop the crackhead, or the kid that wants a quick car." The point is that we're not stopping professionals here. Our alarms and procedures have to be as much about deterrence as about physically preventing theft.
10. And the other quote from the guy at the shop: "An alarm will prevent someone from taking the car, not from taking the car radio." So deterrence, deterrence, deterrence. Don't let people know you have something good in there, and make it look like it will be a PITA to take the car. There ain't much you can do otherwise except let it just become second nature.
Great suggestions Quitleaf! I had never thought about a fake valet switch....that's a great idea. I just added this to my alarm system this weekend.
http://www.trunkmonkey.com/content/view/29/51/
I don't leave anything in my car and I have the STOCK stereo. The speakers are upgraded, but hidden behind the factory covers. As far as some morons taking it for a joyride....let's just say I disable the car when I park it somewhere (Ancient Chinese Secret...You must first take the stone from my hand before you too can be a master, Grasshopper). The moron would have to go to the auto parts store to get it started.
Do you have your started wired through an oil pressure gauge?
I have had a few old hot rodders tell me to do this.
You have a button under the dash that you have to hold until the oil pressure gauge show pressure. Then you turn the key and away you go.
Not sure how well this works.
Here's the pics of the damage the dumbass's did to get into my trunk even though my car was backed right up against a wall(1" bumper clearance) and my faceplated for my dvd and deck where removed.
I thought my trunk would be pretty safe(think again)it's just as easy for some punks to get at your amps and subs.
Luckly my box is so big(5 cubic feet) that they could not move it or steal my subs so all they took was my amps from my trunk.
However they did manage to steal my drop down tv by riping the shiznit out of my headliner.
Anyways all was insured and i now have the ultimate security system,anti theft devices and even better equipment.
My security system is a paging ungo 5000,with a mini pain siren mounted it the dash(you don't want to sit in there long,trust me it hurts)my factory hood realease is fake,and i mounted one were it will never be found so cuting my batt cable to disable my alarm ain't gonna happen.
Also my trunk lock is in place but if removed(while alarm is going off and me running down the street with a bat)the lock is disabled at the latch so it cannot be turned with a screw driver,now if they do manage to break in to my trunk my amps are hidden in the trank well half under my giant sub box and cannot easily be removed,o i think i forgot to mention they'll never see the amps due to the fact that the carpeted board the hids them is chained to the floor with 1800 pound test chain large pad locks that would take for ever to cut even with the biggest bolt cutters.
Anyways enough of my chatter here's my pics.
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Trunk is the EASIEST spot to get into in these cars. I've actually locked my keys in the trunk and the two times I did it there was no way to get to the other set my wife has. Never had to drill a lock or bend/break anything. It takes about 90 seconds.
God ... This thread is making me feel REALLY insecure! And I may regret asking, but in the interest of finding a way to make the car safer, what's the trunk popping secret?
Um, I think I'm gonna go and figure out how to make a cover plate for my head unit that'll snap on and look like a nasty old AM-only Monoaural head.
No secret just use the trunk realease button or the remote button on your alarm with an actuator if you don't have auto realease.
That's not it. I don't have a trunk release and I can STILL get in in under 90 seconds. I've changed mine a little so it would be harder, but I can still do it.
Open your trunks and take a step back and look at em.....
I have it down to about 2 min using a coat hanger inside the door. I know it isn't lighting fast but it makes you wonder. The only thing I can say about our doors is It is a pita unless you know exactly where to slide the coat hanger in at.
Doors take me a little longer than the trunk and like you said its a matter of knowing where to slide the hanger/slimjim.
Last summer when my stereo was stolen I was more upset about the damage to the car than I was about the stereo. It was a cheapo JVC MP3 CD deck that cost me all of $99, but some crackhead wanted it.
To get it, he
1) Jammed a screwdriver in between the right window and the moulding, badly bending the moulding and breaking the window
2) Grabbed the radio/HVAC bezel and ripped it off the dash, taking parts of the dash with it
3) Grabbed the radio itself and ripped it out of the dash, once again taking part of the dash with it
4) Pulled a bunch of harness out of the dash, breaking and chaffing a few wires within that harness
Luckily I am handy with electronics and fiberglass so I got it all back together nicely, but I was still pissed. The car had an alarm at the time of the break-in, but my mother had borrowed it and did not set the alarm.
The alarm. Since the break-in I've done some changes. While in itself it is not a particulary sophisticated piece (combo remote starter/alarm/remote keyless entry) I've done a few things to it to make it a bit more effective. It is very well hidden in the car, and everywhere it is electrically connected to the car is done in a way that makes it look like a factory harness, so the thief would not know where to start disconnecting it. I've also got it attached to the horn and wigwag flashers in addition to the cheapo siren speaker that came with it, but the kicker is the 100 watt Federal police siren connected to the alarm, with the speaker (A Federal MS100 Dynamax) mounted under the passenger's seat. I don't know what the dB rating of a police siren is, but I guarantee that you would be hard pressed to stay inside the car with that thing yelping away. This summer I will be adding four-corner strobes to the mix for added sparkle. I might still end up losing a window but it would take a desperate thief to go any further.
I just wish the law didn't coddle criminals like it does, else I'd have a flyback transformer ready to give someone a nice jolt as soon as they touched the metal stereo housing. And razor blades strategically placed on the housing to ensure that the thief left plenty of DNA evidence behind.
When I was 16 I did y-trap the stereo in my old Firebird. After losing two stereos in two weeks I got fed up and installed a dummy stereo. It was a Clarion that I gutted and filled up with model rocket engines. I connected the ignitors to the power wires going into the radio, and it looked stock. I even ran a dummy harness into the dash of the Firebird to make it look real. When it got stolen I gleefully awaited hearing the news of somebody burning their hands off or burning their car to pieces, but I never did. To this day I don't even know if my "bomb" went off, but I certainly hope so...
HAHAHA ,yea i hear ya on that, i'd love to rig up some flames that shoot out the side upon opening my door if not disarmed,possibly a large electric shock that would leave the thief dead on the floor.
I say that if someone breaks into your car or house you should have the right to do whatever you want to them as they had no right to be there in the first place.
If a law like that were passed(never gonna happen)then i bet you'd see house and car theft go down a hell of alot!
It's ok though because the alarm i bought never falses and if set off it pages me,so i'm gonna catch whoever tries it and since i have keyless and illuminated entry,just touching my keypad or my door handle will alert me,then somebody better look out!
If I recall, didn't Texas change the law a few years ago, extending the "house threshold" to include your vehicle? The point was so that homeowners could shoot or otherwise treat car thieves the same way as someone entering their house. Anyone in Texas know?
Would that include if the vehicle is in fact not on your property at the time? Like if it was parked in front of the house?
Wait...I could be mistaken here, but the law does NOT allow you to shoot, kill or otherwise maim someone who is tresspassing on your property or trying to break into your car unless certain conditions exist. The typical example is setting up a y trap in your home that kills a teenage thief who breaks in - the owner of the home will be prosecuted even though it is their property and the minor was committing a crime. In order to be qualified as self-defense, the tresspasser/criminal must also clearly threaten your own life or body. Life-threatening force can only be used to counter life-threatening actions. Of course, there's always a gray area in most situations, but I'm really hoping no one on this board thinks they can gun down or badly burn a petty thief and expect to be free of legal punishment.
You're right, you'd be on the hook if you set a y trap (I didn't care when I did it 17 years ago). This part of the law should change. You should have the right to defend your property against anyone that threatens it. It's a sad society in which a thief can slip on ice on your property and then sue you...
No we all know the consequences of doing that would be disastorous but we definetly wish we could.
dominator, atleast they didnt get pissed off about not being able to take the subs.. and ripping the cone out.
Trust me.. im suprised they didnt.