For those of you who are interested, the car is back! No damage, nothing missing! Found 6 blocks away. So, the thief was a joy rider? And if he/she comes back, you know what I'm thinking. My Mossy is now tactical with Federal 00, no more # 4! But I am being measured in my response;the car now has the Club LX, so if they have a master key,this will(I hope)stop this from happening again. By the way, any master sleuths have thoughts on how the car came back unscathed. Is there such a thing as a master key? I hope this is not a Stephen King ala "Christine" event. Anyway, the money we saved by not having to buy a new car will take (for the family) a trip to Hawaii, and I'd like to get a Wilson 1911 custom 45.Isn't America great! You betcha.
Wife's Car Stolen 2...Back Home!
- Thread starter Deliverer
- Start date
"Master keys" do exist. Ever wonder how cars are repo'ed so easily? I've heard (no confirmation) that Toyota needs only 6 keys to access any car they have ever made. I HAVE seen the Ford master key ring, they have about 90-100 keys. I've had my cars re-keyed on a custom key. Expensive, but worth it.
You were lucky.
When my car (Jeep Cherokee) was stolen, they simply threw a big rock through the window. Didn't even brush the glass off the seats.
Stole everything in the car worth anything! (umbrella, sunglasses, tools, pens..., including my two-tone Sig P228) (Got the gun back about 2 years later... found it during a house raid in an "unsavory" part of town)
They blew out a tire, and trashed the interior. Got the car back about 4 days later. Happily, insurance took care of the rehabilitation.
When my car (Jeep Cherokee) was stolen, they simply threw a big rock through the window. Didn't even brush the glass off the seats.
Stole everything in the car worth anything! (umbrella, sunglasses, tools, pens..., including my two-tone Sig P228) (Got the gun back about 2 years later... found it during a house raid in an "unsavory" part of town)
They blew out a tire, and trashed the interior. Got the car back about 4 days later. Happily, insurance took care of the rehabilitation.
Mazda Rx-7 stolen twice, recovered twice; first time, minor damange, second time, no damage at all.
Car theives are the scum of the earth because it's easier for them to take what you have out in the open than to work for it themselves. They only need your car to get to a party or go home from one, so oftentimes, no damage is done because they just don't care enough.
IMO, law enforcement doesn't pursue GTA well enough to make it a deterrant that jail is a possibility - but that's just me, I'm sure. (No offense against LEO's, just prosecutors and investigators).
Lock your doors, use Club religiously, and DON'T LEAVE ANYTHING VALUABLE IN YOUR CAR!
Car theives are the scum of the earth because it's easier for them to take what you have out in the open than to work for it themselves. They only need your car to get to a party or go home from one, so oftentimes, no damage is done because they just don't care enough.
IMO, law enforcement doesn't pursue GTA well enough to make it a deterrant that jail is a possibility - but that's just me, I'm sure. (No offense against LEO's, just prosecutors and investigators).
Lock your doors, use Club religiously, and DON'T LEAVE ANYTHING VALUABLE IN YOUR CAR!
riddleofsteel
New member
a friend had his car (mustang) stolen from his front yard during the night. he reported it and was told they probably would strip the car as it was a classic. he was at the local mall over a month latter and saw his car parked there. fighting the urge to just get in and drive it away he called the police. after 20 minutes they showed up and pulled up to the car lights ect. going. this of course eliminated any chance of the thief coming back to the car, idiots. upshot was he got the car back unharmed. the thief must have been going to keep it because he had put plush seat covers on the front seats and two new front tires!!
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Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what is for lunch.
Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the outcome of the vote.
Let he that hath no sword sell his garment and buy one. Luke 22-36
They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. Song of Solomon 3-8
The man that can keep his head and aims carefully when the situation has gone bad and lead is flying usually wins the fight.
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Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what is for lunch.
Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the outcome of the vote.
Let he that hath no sword sell his garment and buy one. Luke 22-36
They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. Song of Solomon 3-8
The man that can keep his head and aims carefully when the situation has gone bad and lead is flying usually wins the fight.
Glad your property was returned and in good shape.
The club is another tool to thwart theft that has a way around it. The thieves here just cut your steering wheel rim into with a hacksaw blade and then twist the two pieces open and pull the Club through the opening. Then they jerk your lock out with a slide hammer and about two seconds later they are gone.
But! the cheapest and most reliable system I have seen is a toggle switch and relay that kills the power to the starter. When the starter don't work, the thief don't go.
This switch can be hidden easily and be quickly accessed, it does work. The system can probably be made for less than $ TEN BUCKS $.
Not many thieves will ever open the hood and try to figure out what is wrong with the car. They usually bail and run.
You may have a jerked lock and ruined steering column and maybe a window broken. But ol' Bessie will still be there in the morning.
PROSOUTH
The club is another tool to thwart theft that has a way around it. The thieves here just cut your steering wheel rim into with a hacksaw blade and then twist the two pieces open and pull the Club through the opening. Then they jerk your lock out with a slide hammer and about two seconds later they are gone.
But! the cheapest and most reliable system I have seen is a toggle switch and relay that kills the power to the starter. When the starter don't work, the thief don't go.
This switch can be hidden easily and be quickly accessed, it does work. The system can probably be made for less than $ TEN BUCKS $.
Not many thieves will ever open the hood and try to figure out what is wrong with the car. They usually bail and run.
You may have a jerked lock and ruined steering column and maybe a window broken. But ol' Bessie will still be there in the morning.
PROSOUTH
Jeff Thomas
New member
PROSOUTH has a good idea. I did something similar on a Jeep CJ5, and always felt good about it.
You might even be able to do both of these on the same switch.
In addition to the starter kill switch, also consider a fuel line cutoff. Just install one of those valves they use when you have two gas tanks. But, block off the one 'tank' with a neoprene hose with a bolt clamped in it. Then, when you leave the car, just throw the switch. A thief will only get a short distance before the fuel runs out. Even trickier would be to wire it so the fuel gauge registers empty as well.
Glad you got your car back.
Regards from AZ
You might even be able to do both of these on the same switch.
In addition to the starter kill switch, also consider a fuel line cutoff. Just install one of those valves they use when you have two gas tanks. But, block off the one 'tank' with a neoprene hose with a bolt clamped in it. Then, when you leave the car, just throw the switch. A thief will only get a short distance before the fuel runs out. Even trickier would be to wire it so the fuel gauge registers empty as well.
Glad you got your car back.
Regards from AZ
Jeff,
Unfortunately, that fuel switch will not work on fuel injected cars. The fuel lines for FI cars is much harder to splice, in fact you shouldn't even attempt it! I saw a one-week-old Lincoln burn to the ground because the fuel line popped off the cut off switch and sprayed fuel on the catalyst.
A better tactic for Fuel Injected cars is to put an electrical switch in the wire going to the tank-mounted pump. With no pressure, no fuel gets into the injectors and the car won't fire. It will still crank, but it won't fire up.
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Remember, just because you are not paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you!
Unfortunately, that fuel switch will not work on fuel injected cars. The fuel lines for FI cars is much harder to splice, in fact you shouldn't even attempt it! I saw a one-week-old Lincoln burn to the ground because the fuel line popped off the cut off switch and sprayed fuel on the catalyst.
A better tactic for Fuel Injected cars is to put an electrical switch in the wire going to the tank-mounted pump. With no pressure, no fuel gets into the injectors and the car won't fire. It will still crank, but it won't fire up.
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Remember, just because you are not paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you!
I had a real nice Z-71 with a 4 inch lift, Alpine stereo, big ole muddin tires (hey I'm a Texan), and all kinds of other goodies. It was stolen TWICE from the apartment complex we used to live in. The first time the police actually rolled up on the guys in the process of stripping it. These guys were good, they even took my doors off before they were caught. I got everything back and put together again, I even put the club on this time. Didnt' know about that hacksaw trick then. About 2 months later, the truck was stolen again. This time, all they took was my stereo, ammatures. When I got it fixed the last time I took it down the same day and traded it in on a Jeep. Luckily it hasn't been stolen yet. I really don't like car theives.