DAMMIT! My BMW was stolen [Archive]

ariastar

12-06-2006, 09:05 AM

I am SO FRAKKING PISSED OFF! I have a loaded 5-series BMW and went to downtown San Jose to go ice skating. I got back to my car...wait. Where is it? FRAKKING STOLEN!!

I didn't ever get around to getting the insurance updated to cover theft. So, unless it turns up....

Let's put it this way. My car is worth what some full-time workers in America make in an entire year. And this is San Jose. The police have other things to do. Who knows how I could get to the police department tomorrow to even file the report.

What's worse is that my ID was already stolen once. I left all my ID and work stuff in the car. All the prime stuff is in there.

crumbles

12-06-2006, 09:47 AM

Ha. There are like 10 things I could say right now, and I'm sure that 9 of them would get me banned. So I'll just say number 10.

Awww.

lupin

12-06-2006, 10:43 AM

you should put "off" in quotes on the first one. This makes it clearer that you mean "you helped your uncle, Jack, 'off' (kill) a horse." Took me a couple reads to get it.

crumbles

12-06-2006, 11:07 AM

you should put "off" in quotes on the first one. This makes it clearer that you mean "you helped your uncle, Jack, 'off' (kill) a horse." Took me a couple reads to get it.Um, you know that 'off' means (dismount the horse) not 'kill' right? I guess you should keep reading it some more....

klitzy

12-06-2006, 11:10 AM

Wow...That is devastating. So did you leave the keys in there? Not lock it? Hope you figure things out...

masherscf

12-06-2006, 11:33 AM

Wow! Are you like... cursed? this really sux...

sevver

12-06-2006, 11:48 AM

That is God telling her that Scientology is a crock.;)

masherscf

12-06-2006, 11:50 AM

That is God telling her that Scientology is a crock.;)

That's mean.

tokenuser

12-06-2006, 11:50 AM

Aria - seriously ... a loaded BMW and NOT insured for theft? WTF were you thinking. Any sort of protection? Car Alarm (useless), engine immobiliser (worthwhile), LoJack (worth every cent)??

sevver

12-06-2006, 12:03 PM

That's mean.

I did not mean to say that out loud.:eek:

casework

12-06-2006, 01:30 PM

Aria - seriously ... a loaded BMW and NOT insured for theft? WTF were you thinking. Any sort of protection? Car Alarm (useless), engine immobiliser (worthwhile), LoJack (worth every cent)??

That's what I was thinking.

slick98gtp

12-06-2006, 03:28 PM

That's what I was thinking.

X2:rolleyes:

rhett803

12-06-2006, 04:10 PM

hahahahahaha

That's like owning priceless jewlery and not keeping it in a safe. etc. etc. So many things can be said.

Hope it turns up. Although by now, unless it was some punks, it's two states away and being torn apart for parts.

ariastar

12-06-2006, 05:21 PM

When I got the car, I was in a good financial standing. Earlier this year, I was such in dire straights that I lowered it to the minimum required since the car wasn't even running. Blew the tranny. Since it wasn't running for a few months and I needed to save the money to have that done, I didn't see the need for insurance for anything else. When I got the tranny done a few months ago, I didn't even think about the insurance, which is paid six months at a time for a lower rate.

bird603568

12-06-2006, 05:28 PM

get repoed?

rhett803

12-06-2006, 05:48 PM

It does indeed suck. I hope they find it.

jdhore

12-06-2006, 06:04 PM

i just got one thing to say about this...Karma's a b*tch.

ariastar

12-06-2006, 06:15 PM

get repoed?

A vehicle gets repo'd is you're behind in payment. I bought the car in full.

rhett803

12-06-2006, 06:33 PM

get repoed?

And if it was repoed the police would have told her so. Once a repo agent picks up a vehicle, item, whatever, the immediately take it to the nearest police department to fill out paperwork and to have it put on record as a repo.

rowlodge

12-06-2006, 07:55 PM

lived there as a kid...was nice...now ..."apartmentville"

oh wait aminute, i mean santa clara.

i have dreams over and over that i go into a store then come out looking for my "silverado", walking around the block asking people if they've seen it.

chrismcq

12-06-2006, 07:57 PM

Fill out a police report regardless.

ariastar

12-06-2006, 08:05 PM

klitzy

12-06-2006, 08:07 PM

ariastar

12-06-2006, 08:15 PM

I feel like my car is being held ransom. It's at a tow yard far from public transit. A friend is waiting for his fiancée to call back, so I may have a way.

It's like the victim being victimized again.

chrismcq

12-06-2006, 08:21 PM

At least it's not stolen.

bigyanks

12-06-2006, 08:25 PM

sure you didnt illegally parked it and then got towed for unpaid parking tickets?

bird603568

12-06-2006, 08:29 PM

could be worse you could have gotten herpes

ariastar

12-06-2006, 08:57 PM

I'm careful where I park and parked where I always do in that area. There are no tickets on the car.

Chris, it was stolen and recovered. I now have to get the shit together to go claim it. Because it's still in my business name, I've got to get together business info too.

_sorrow_

12-06-2006, 09:25 PM

Update: My car was found illegally parked somewhere. Anyway, it was towed to impound. I don't know what condition to expect yet, and have until 5 to claim in before there's another day's fee. The "days" at this place are midnight to 5pm, then 5pm until midnight. So it's like being charged two days for one. "Day" 1 is a setback of $185. Lovely. Right before my b-day.

I'm pissed.

I had my car towed one time for illegal parking. They drove it to a garage that was no more than 2 miles away, and i picked it up 2 days later for about $185 as well. Get it out of there ASAP, because they love to charge people for parking space! :cool:

Are you sure that it was stolen and then parked illegally, or are you just very confident that your original parking job was not illegal? (No offense intended)

tokenuser

12-06-2006, 09:31 PM

I once parked in a subterranean car park in Sydney. It was literally a multilevel car park carved into the rock. the problem was that level 3 was actually a level 3a and a level 3b, with no indication of which was which. If you came out of the elevator and turned left you were presented with a car park that looked identical to if you turned right.

I wandered that damn structure going up and down the "b" side for an hour looking for my car before I realised that there was "a" side.

ariastar

12-06-2006, 09:32 PM

I had my car towed one time for illegal parking. They drove it to a garage that was no more than 2 miles away, and i picked it up 2 days later for about $185 as well. Get it out of there ASAP, because they love to charge people for parking space! :cool:

Are you sure that it was stolen and then parked illegally, or are you just very confident that your original parking job was not illegal? (No offense intended)

Since I've been parking there almost every week for a year for a poetry event, in the same lot that most of the people there park, I was parked fine. I was parked in the lost for the establishment and am well-known there, as is my car. No offense taken, but I know I was parked fine.

nation

12-06-2006, 09:54 PM

Oh lol whats going on in this thread?

masherscf

12-06-2006, 09:58 PM

Oh lol whats going on in this thread?

Those two holes above your nose.... they're eyes.... use them to read...

_sorrow_

12-06-2006, 10:50 PM

Since I've been parking there almost every week for a year for a poetry event, in the same lot that most of the people there park, I was parked fine. I was parked in the lost for the establishment and am well-known there, as is my car. No offense taken, but I know I was parked fine.

Well, in that case i guess you can just be grateful that the idiots who stole it were dumb enough to park illegally and get it towed, if nothing else... :rolleyes:

ariastar

12-06-2006, 10:58 PM

Well, in that case i guess you can just be grateful that the idiots who stole it were dumb enough to park illegally and get it towed, if nothing else... :rolleyes:

Definitively. I just got back from picking it up. Where it was picked up was in an area of San Jose you couldn't pay me to go in by myself. I was downtown for ice skating. The car was found several miles away. Yes, San Jo is several miles big in all directions.

It's messy, but nothing aside from some books are missing, at least that I could find. My purse was stuffed with the outfit I wore yesterday before changing at the center to go skating. My ID was still in the bottom of it, though I am still going to file as lost with the DMV for record. Just because it's still there doesn't mean that someone could copy the number. I know someone isn't likely to steal a car and then nicely leave a license, but I'd rather be safe.

And yes, I will be upping the insurance. I just pre-paid six months back when it still wasn't running and it never crossed my mind since then.

*sigh* I am just glad that I make enough that this is only a small blow.

klitzy

12-06-2006, 11:00 PM

*sigh* I am just glad that I make enough that this is only a small blow.

Bragger!!!!!

masherscf

12-06-2006, 11:12 PM

*sigh* I am just glad that I make enough that this is only a small blow.

You dodged a bullet. And there's nothing like a small blow to get your attention.

bird603568

12-06-2006, 11:35 PM

OMFG IM ****ING BLIND

wait my lights were off close call

ariastar

12-06-2006, 11:37 PM

Bragger!!!!!

Just saying. This ended up being a small blow. A non-recovery would have been devastating. While I can work from home most of the time, there are certain things I'm required to be in to the office for, so this could have resulted in a lot more that just a stolen car.

tokenuser

12-07-2006, 12:00 AM

Just saying. This ended up being a small blow. A non-recovery would have been devastating. While I can work from home most of the time, there are certain things I'm required to be in to the office for, so this could have resulted in a lot more that just a stolen car.Word of advice - get the car serviced ASAP, full mechanical, wheel balance, etc. Joy riders tend to thrash a car, and while BMWs are generally up to the task, if something has shaken loose while the car was doing a handbrake drift turn at 130MPH ... it is better to discover it now than when you are driving in the middle of nowhere in the pouring rain. Also - wheel alignment ... hitting curbs at high speed can also screw you up down the track.

AND ... get a LoJack. At about $700 installed (they come to you at home or work, no need to visit a dealer) it really is a great investment, and will reduce your insurance rates more than a car alarm (useless and annoying), and they have a clause that will pay for your liability in the event of the are being stolena nd not recovered. I wouldn't own a car without one.

masherscf

12-07-2006, 12:07 AM

AND ... get a LoJack. .

At least get a disabler, that cost about $100

ariastar

12-07-2006, 12:17 AM

Word of advice - get the car serviced ASAP, full mechanical, wheel balance, etc. Joy riders tend to thrash a car, and while BMWs are generally up to the task, if something has shaken loose while the car was doing a handbrake drift turn at 130MPH ... it is better to discover it now than when you are driving in the middle of nowhere in the pouring rain. Also - wheel alignment ... hitting curbs at high speed can also screw you up down the track.

AND ... get a LoJack. At about $700 installed (they come to you at home or work, no need to visit a dealer) it really is a great investment, and will reduce your insurance rates more than a car alarm (useless and annoying), and they have a clause that will pay for your liability in the event of the are being stolena nd not recovered. I wouldn't own a car without one.

I know, and it's not driving right now. The front right. I think I'm going to do this tomorrow before heading up to SF.

I didn't realize Lo-Jack could be bought like that. I thought it came pre-installed on vehicles. That you for this advice. I'll definitely look into it! And, being San Jose, will likely get it.

ariastar

12-07-2006, 12:18 AM

At least get a disabler, that cost about $100

Disablers can be by-passed.

casework

12-07-2006, 12:29 AM

Anything is better than nothing. And at the very least, something cheap but not fully effective will at least slow someone down which allows for more time to be seen.

Do you want to spend a few hundred dollars to protect your valuables, or not protect them and have to pay full price when they're stolen?

masherscf

12-07-2006, 12:40 AM

casework

12-07-2006, 12:52 AM

The Club? Would that help?

I don't know if that was meant to be directed towards me or Aria, but obviously, as with most any technology, the more (money) you put into it, the better product you will get. And especially with security, you never want to do something halfway, because that's never good enough. But the idea that something CAN be broken doesn't mean it's not worth it. A house alarm system can be bypassed, a car disabler can be bypassed, but those things will do one important thing in slowing a person down. From the sound of things(the fact that you got your car back in one piece with next to nothing missing after being illegally parked), this was something that was done by some punk kid who may have seen your keys laying on your seat or had seen his older brother hotwire a car before. Any type of security would at least thwart an attack like that.

yashar

12-07-2006, 01:08 AM

How to:
Bypassing "The Club"

Step 1:
Cut the steering wheel

Step 2:
Remove

Step 3:
Enjoy! :D

casework

12-07-2006, 01:13 AM

How to:
Bypassing "The Club"

Step 1:
Cut the steering wheel

Step 2:
Remove

Step 3:
Enjoy! :D
And while a professional wouldn't blink an eye at such a task, some punk teenager wouldn't necessarily have a free ride, which this incident seems to imply. Something so simple can't be your only line of defense, but there's nothing wrong with it being an element to the entire picture.

yashar

12-07-2006, 01:37 AM

Yea, that teenager would have to be pretty stupid to risk it all just to have a short ride. I wonder where they get their logic.

masherscf

12-07-2006, 01:43 AM

Yea, that teenager would have to be pretty stupid to risk it all just to have a short ride. I wonder where they get their logic.

There is such a thing as a prohibitive barrier. My VW has a disabler that kicks in when the key with the RF-ID tag code isn't in the ignition. A determined thief could bypass it or just tow the car away. But it would probably stop a joyrider.

anyhow, I've also seen people remove the wheel completely and drive with a set of vice-grips.

rhett803

12-07-2006, 02:45 AM

Eh, there really isn't any 100% full proof way to go about this. Everything can be circumvented. Cars, just like computers, are nothing but technology. And I think we all can relate to that when it comes to ideas of circumvention.

The only advice I can give you is lock it up, have the insurance, put whatever on it that might make you feel better, and hope for the best.

I have to admit that I've parked in bad areas before where I live, and when in a bad mood I wish I could come out and see someone trying to steal my truck.

tokenuser

12-07-2006, 02:49 AM

And while a professional wouldn't blink an eye at such a task, some punk teenager wouldn't necessarily have a free ride, which this incident seems to imply. Something so simple can't be your only line of defense, but there's nothing wrong with it being an element to the entire picture.A professional would come along, remove the steering wheel entirely, put on a replacement, and drive off ... its what they did to my dad's car :) ... on a car I had, they wanted the stereo ... and took the whole ****ing dashboard.

Best thing about LoJack is that it is passive, no alarm, no blinky lights, and installed within the panels/body of the car in any number of places (the LoJack installer wont even tell YOU where it is), but one stolen vehicle report, and it is activated and can be traced by the cops.

yashar

12-07-2006, 02:51 AM

A professional would come along, remove the steering wheel entirely, put on a replacement, and drive off ... its what they did to my dad's car :) ... on a car I had, they wanted the stereo ... and took the whole ****ing dashboard.

Best thing about LoJack is that it is passive, no alarm, no blinky lights, and installed within the panels/body of the car in any number of places (the LoJack installer wont even tell YOU where it is), but one stolen vehicle report, and it is activated and can be traced by the cops.
well its not useful when they just take parts from your car, maybe some sort of a dash cam that emails you pictures when movement is detected?

rhett803

12-07-2006, 03:56 AM

the LoJack installer wont even tell YOU where it is

Yeah...I'll be damned if they wont tell me where it is.

"Oh you can't tell me where it is? Well I'm going back isnide, you take it back out and get the hell off my property..."

lupin

12-07-2006, 04:34 AM

Um, you know that 'off' means (dismount the horse) not 'kill' right? I guess you should keep reading it some more....

shut up I was really ****ing tired at the time. I should really start drinking or smoking pot so I can use one of those as a scape goat when I **** up :P

ariastar

12-07-2006, 09:26 AM

My car HAS a disabler, which is why I'm saying it can be bypassed.

It's really odd though that someone got it started. I am so certain that I locked it. I actually remember locking the driver door and closing it, and I had the back door of the same side open. I closed the driver door, gathered my skating (ice) stuff from the back, then closed it. I remember it so clearly. When the car is locked from the driver door, the car is disabled. My ex, John, showed me. He locked me in the car from the outside and told me to start the car with one of the keys. Well, I knew we were doing this, so it's not like I suddenly found myself in there. And yeah, the car wouldn't start. Actually, you can't even unlock the locks. Not even from the inside. That car is NOT supposed to move when it's been locked from the driver side door.

masherscf

12-07-2006, 12:50 PM

My car HAS a disabler, which is why I'm saying it can be bypassed.

You can download the specs of most after-market security devices and turn them off, if a clever thief can find it. The security system in my VW is integrated into the electronic starter system in such a way that you'd have to know quite a bit about the design to get around it. The disabler not triggered by the alarm system but by a absence of a coded RF-id tag embedded in the ignition key. You'd have to read the code from the tag and copy the ignition key to start the car without extensive bypassing. However, my car doesn't seem to be a big hit with car thieves anyway.

My Honda works the same way, but no-one steals mini-vans.

phool

12-07-2006, 03:44 PM

what year was it? What options?etc

Just curious to see what you think most "full-time workers in America make in an entire year" is.....

tokenuser

12-07-2006, 04:02 PM

According to the US Department of Social Security, the average US wage was calculated (based on 2004 census data and projections) at $35,448.93.

Our resident Mathematics Prof, as well as anyone doing basic stats in college will tell you that there is a difference between the average/mean and the median ... and as you can see by the table located here (US Department of Labor - 2005 numbers) (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm) the MEDIAN hourly wage is actually LOWER than the mean, so most US adults actually earn less than the $35k listed above.

It doesn't take long for even a used BMW with options to hit that level.

tribis

12-07-2006, 04:08 PM

I believe it was a Motor Trend article in which I read about how sophisticated thief can steal the most advanced of vehicles, one of the easiest ways is a quick swap of the ECU or a piggy back unit.

No car is secure Aria...sorry. :(

Everytime we take a trip to the BMW dealer or Mercedes dealer or any high end car, one of the most focused on areas is security. Mainly because I know I dont want someone stealing my $90,000 7 series, but no matter how many types of wireless keys, engine disconnection, etc you may have in your car the fact remains, its vulnerable.

Look at it this way, all that secuirty will keep your average smash the window and hot wire crook, but when you have organized crime or master thiefs, you must understand theyre "experts" they know what they are doing and may know just as much as the engineers at BMW know about the car.

Thats why we have LOJACK on all our cars, and to the guy who says that there is no way he'd let them put it on without knowing where it is... you sir will not be getting LOJACK then PERIOD. The point is that since you dont know where it is no one else does either. Also it all comes down to insurance as well.

phool

12-07-2006, 04:09 PM

lol thanks, it was a bit of sarcasim though.

still curious on the model?

525i,530i,540i?

masherscf

12-07-2006, 04:40 PM

According to the US Department of Social Security, the average US wage was calculated (based on 2004 census data and projections) at $35,448.93.

Our resident Mathematics Prof, as well as anyone doing basic stats in college will tell you that there is a difference between the average/mean and the median.

Other than spout a dry definition, I'll point out that I don't study Stats because I find if personally offensive.

Suffice it to say, a consequence of the strong law of large numbers and the central limit theorem is that the mean and median will be roughly coincident for large enough samples.

On the other hand, even my HONDA minivan cost more than $35K when it was new... but that was 2 years ago.

tokenuser

12-07-2006, 05:07 PM

Other than spout a dry definition, I'll point out that I don't study Stats because I find if personally offensive.

Suffice it to say, a consequence of the strong law of large numbers and the central limit theorem is that the mean and median will be roughly coincident for large enough samples.

On the other hand, even my HONDA minivan cost more than $35K when it was new... but that was 2 years ago.thats because you got it optioned up to the max ... dual baby wipe dispensers, fold down change table, hose down seating, baby on board window decal ...

masherscf

12-07-2006, 05:22 PM

thats because you got it optioned up to the max ... dual baby wipe dispensers, fold down change table, hose down seating, baby on board window decal ...

Dude, you gotta have a wipes. There's nuthin' worse than a shitty baby when you got no wipes.

rhett803

12-07-2006, 06:32 PM

and to the guy who says that there is no way he'd let them put it on without knowing where it is... you sir will not be getting LOJACK then PERIOD.

And that is perfectly fine with me. I just can't allow anyone to mess with my vehicle without me know what they are doing. I do most of my mechanic work myself, and don't want any unknown foreign things popping up on me while I'm working.