Somebody broke into my Yaris last night

[tomato]

On the plus side:

1) they didn't take anything valuable (because I don't leave anything valuable in there, learned my lesson the hard way - my CRX was broken into *MANY* times *SIGH*).

2) they left one little container open I didn't even know existed (clearly not a theft-proof container but always good to have an extra container )

3) they popped the lock (as opposed to breaking the window) and did so without managing the lock (I think).

On the negative side:

- It always feels really nasty whenever you discover someone has broken into your property and went through your stuff

- they left scratches on the plastic, dash, etc. (probably weren't planning on being too careful) not sure I can get that off and possibly on the side of the door, didn't have time to take a good look this morning before going to work.


I'm making a new thread for this because nobody can tell you too many times: DO NOT LEAVE IPODS, LAPTOPS, ELECTRONICS of any kinds, not even your GPS units in the car. They look for stuff like that because it sells real well.

My neighbor wasn't so lucky and they really damaged her car trying to open it up and got her bike and other stuff. They cut right through the lock (she had a major super-duper lock on it )

BE careful people.

[tomato]

You should know that they removed the mats (?), moved the seats all the way back, so I guess that means whatever we hide under our seats isn't so safe either. I'm not sure what they thought they were gonna find under the mats

Wankers!!

Beware.

[KRAZGRL]

Originally Posted by tomato

I'm making a new thread for this because nobody tells you too many times: DO NOT LEAVE IPODS, LAPTOPS, ELECTRONICS of any kinds, not even your GPS units in the car. They look for stuff like that because it sells real well.

Sorry to hear that you were vandalized! But... glad that you got a new container out of this experience. (Gotta look at the bright side to everything, right?)


I just wanted to comment about leaving electronics in your car... Another reason not to:

If you use your iPod or other electronics in temperatures higher than 95° F (or 35° C), you may permanently damage your battery’s capacity. That is, your battery won’t power your device as long on any given charge. You may damage it even more if you charge the device in these temperatures. Even storing a battery in a hot environment can damage it irreversibly.

[tomato]

The policeman who responded this morning told me that someone broke into HIS car and stole a laptop!

I was lucky they dispatched someone actually. They no longer respond to burglaries (and a host of other stuff) due to cut-backs effective last week. <--- not making it up.

[tomato]

@Kasey ( Casey with a K ;-) yeah that's exactly what I thought when I saw the "new" container.

I'm still pissed because they did a lot of damage to other cars and took some stuff from the building, including my neighbors locked bikes. They had cutters, evidently. Be careful people.

[Astroman]

Too bad there weren't cameras in place.

[YAR1S]

:( sad to hear, what compartment did you discover? :D

[tomato]

It's the one that's directly below the cup holder on the left hand side. What is it, an extra coin holder?

[KRAZGRL]

Originally Posted by tomato

It's the one that's directly below the cup holder on the left hand side. What is it, an extra coin holder?

Not too sure. I keep house keys in there when I'm driving (not overnight or anything).

[33OH]

I use it for change, works good.

Sorry to hear about the attempted burglary!

[tomato]

nah, it's ok, the Yaris is fine!

@Ryan, you changed your name!!! Very cool!

[YarisSedan]

Tip to remove scratches on the plastic is take a rag and tip a corner in alcholhol and gently rub it. Not to hard or it will make things worse. Then finish it off with your favorite protectant.

[solarVitz]

Sorry to hear your car got broken in. I hate them thieves. I hope someday they catch those bastards and let them rot in jail. lol.

Dont you have an alarm?

[Kaotic Lazagna]

Sorry to hear that Tomato.

[BailOut]

Originally Posted by tomato

It's the one that's directly below the cup holder on the left hand side. What is it, an extra coin holder?

I keep my sunglasses in there. They fit diagonally just fine, even in their bag.

Sorry that your car got broken into, though. There's simply nothing fun about that.

[goliath1812]

i'm on the fence with alarms...they don't even seem to be worth it these days, nobody even listens to them anymore. but yes, sorry about your break in, i would want to search and destroy the guy that did it.

[big lo]

I feel you, I had a Toyota Paseo which was robbed six times, stole my radio, amps ect... I know the feeling, but that will pass, thank god it wasnt a car jacking, you only live once they say, but at the end the world goes around and they will get theres and when this happens they will pay, big time. Be safe T, holla.

[tomato]

Originally Posted by YarisSedan

Tip to remove scratches on the plastic is take a rag and tip a corner in alcholhol and gently rub it. Not to hard or it will make things worse. Then finish it off with your favorite protectant.

thanks Jason, and KL :)

Originally Posted by solarVitz

Sorry to hear your car got broken in. I hate them thieves. I hope someday they catch those bastards and let them rot in jail. lol.

Dont you have an alarm?

Yes, I do and that is a good question. Nobody heard a thing last night. Maybe I forgot to turn it on. My neighbor is adamant her car was locked with alarm and everything and we didn't hear a thing. These guys knew what they were doing.

I doubt they will catch anybody, though. We didn't see anything and the police doesn't have anything to go by. Plus, it's one among many, too many. That's the thing. They laid off 80 police officers last week , and as a result the police department had to cut back on stuff like responding to burglaries, etc. You have to do your property damage report online now. They don't show to take a report anymore and look at the evidence. I was lucky 1 officer showed up this morning, but that's probably because I was vague when I reported the robbery and maybe they thought there was a chance the guy might still be around.

In any event it's always frustrating but what's more frustrating is when they actually get something, so be sure to not give them anything they want by leaving stuff in the car even if it's hidden (iPods and stuff like that are real hot commodities and very easy to sell). It's just too easy to get into our little cars apparently