They finally got me

I have been driving for 11 years and have never had my car broken in to until last night:

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll90/Mattman_2000/Car%20Pics/PIC_0494.jpg
http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll90/Mattman_2000/Car%20Pics/PIC_0500.jpg

It is such a shame that we live in a world where people can be such cowards and will sell their honor, respect, character, and moral fiber for a few hundred bucks. I really hope that whoever took my belongings finds enough joy with them to offset the painful consequences they will one day not be able to escape.

What? No theft deterrent system?

That's the thing! It does have one! Whoever did this definitely new what they were doing. We woke up this morning and the flashers were on and the trunk and door were left open.
We live at a townhouse and are a distance away from the car and wouldn't have heard the alarm. It's just too bad that the neighbors who are quite close to the car didn't see or do anything.

well car alarm is easy to shut off..i know cause i use to be one of them people that do bad stuff, but sorry for the lost...killing an alarm is a piece of cake, but for a heat sensor alarm like Viper, its kinda hard or with a back up battery.

well car alarm is easy to shut off..i know cause i use to be one of them people that do bad stuff, but sorry for the lost...killing an alarm is a piece of cake, but for a heat sensor alarm like Viper, its kinda hard or with a back up battery.

Yeah, I'm not too shocked they were able to get it off. I'm just more surprised no one saw or did anything. I mean you would think it would have gone off for a little while. It sucks.

Being someone that used to "do bad stuff," what kind of things can I do to make sure (or at least prevent) this from happening again? I've heard of people leaving the factory decks installed and then putting the nice deck under a seat or in a glove box. I can't imagine people break in to cars just hoping there might be something of value inside. I'd think they'd at least see something they want first.

always make sure no one is following you into your neighborhood. if someone hears you driving, they may follow you to your house, and come back another time. if someone whos car you dont recognize is behind you as you pull into your neighborhood just keep driving, and maybe pull into a driveway in another part of the area. then they will never be able to find your car because if they come back they will be looking at the wrong house... thats my little defense against it. also if you have anything else visible other than the aftermarket deck, try to hide it. the minute they see aftermarket speakers, capacitors, or wiring they are gunna know youve got some good stuff

always make sure no one is following you into your neighborhood. if someone hears you driving, they may follow you to your house, and come back another time. if someone whos car you dont recognize is behind you as you pull into your neighborhood just keep driving, and maybe pull into a driveway in another part of the area. then they will never be able to find your car because if they come back they will be looking at the wrong house... thats my little defense against it. also if you have anything else visible other than the aftermarket deck, try to hide it. the minute they see aftermarket speakers, capacitors, or wiring they are gunna know youve got some good stuff

I always keep driving if someone is behind me. I also make sure to turn the stereo volume way down before I enter the neighborhood as well.

ooo.. well im sorry to hear about your whole situation. do you live in a bad area? try checkin on craigslist for the things that were stolen by the way. maybe you could catch the guy. if u live in a good area then id bet my money that it was a kid. i know a couple guys my age who rob cars even though their families have plenty of money... people suck and again, sorry to hear that

Yeah, I'm not too shocked they were able to get it off. I'm just more surprised no one saw or did anything. I mean you would think it would have gone off for a little while. It sucks.


Being someone that used to "do bad stuff," what kind of things can I do to make sure (or at least prevent) this from happening again? I've heard of people leaving the factory decks installed and then putting the nice deck under a seat or in a glove box. I can't imagine people break in to cars just hoping there might be something of value inside. I'd think they'd at least see something they want first.

in this world neighbor don't look out for each other unless they know you, you should've known that...you could modified ur decks in ur glove department but thats up to ur skills if ur able to or not.

I wouldn't want to show any wires, always take of the face plate,unplug the wires that connect to the yellow button that open the back trunk, which only key can open it, but a lot of GM keys can open other GM cars easily, if that was a good sound system, you should of gotten after market alarm like viper or such with tilt system on ur car, so when there is movement that would alarm your key remote since u live far from the car...don't EVER EVER!! thump ur system around ur neighbor hood and a lot of the time the people that steal from you is the person thats closest to you....been there done that...i don't really know how to explain it but hope this helps a little...
cause all those car that i've been doing, some does have alarm but it was a quick trip or sometimes the subwoofer would be mount on the car so it takes longer thats when the alarm have to be disengage,


the new model cars have laser key ignition so its harder to steal, but for older model cars, i put a switch on my gas pump and my starter so when im not there i can switch to off so people wouldn't be able to steal the car.

don't car alarm goes off after a while?

ask me more if i haven't coverd what ur asking sorry but hopes it helps a little...

ooo.. well im sorry to hear about your whole situation. do you live in a bad area? try checkin on craigslist for the things that were stolen by the way. maybe you could catch the guy. if u live in a good area then id bet my money that it was a kid. i know a couple guys my age who rob cars even though their families have plenty of money... people suck and again, sorry to hear that

people do it for the feelings, its very addictive the rush of adrediline running through ur body feels great...thats just me :wink:

Sorry about your car dude...hope your insurance covers some of the loss... in the past 2 weeks my cousin and my uncle have both had there trucks stole

Man, that sucks. Thats why I've kept stock on my cars, I wouldn't be so mad about losing the aftermarket deck, but what damage did they do to your car to get in?

Like suggested, run a search of craigslist for your stuff. If you find someone selling a deck, amp, and speakers like yours, go meet him, snap a few pictures with your cell phone, and get his name and number. Act interested but tell him you will call him tomorrow because its payday and you will have the cash. (obviously all lies) If it is your stuff, call him back only have an officer meet you to meet him. I hope you filed a police report.

wow, sorry to see this Matt. Did they bust up the dash piece pretty good?

that happened to me with my '97 GTP i had. Broke into the F'ing sunroof. I left it open one night, and came out to my car with a busted sunroof, dented roof, busted up dash, and rear seats ripped out. i was PI$$ED. Good thing insurance covered everything (except the stereo system of course) since then, havent had any kind of system in my car other than some nice aftermarket speakers.

Thanks guys. Yeah the neighborhood isn't the greatest and that's the main reason why we're moving. I've had enough with the neanderthal mentalities and people preying on each other. Thieves are cowards in the truest sense of the word.

I meet with the adjuster on Wed. so we'll see what they say.

wow, sorry to see this Matt. Did they bust up the dash piece pretty good?

that happened to me with my '97 GTP i had. Broke into the F'ing sunroof. I left it open one night, and came out to my car with a busted sunroof, busted up dash, and rear seats ripped out. i was PI$$ED. Good thing insurance covered everything (except the stereo system of course) since then, havent had any kind of system in my car other than some nice aftermarket speakers.
Man, that sucks. Thats why I've kept stock on my cars, I wouldn't be so mad about losing the aftermarket deck, but what damage did they do to your car to get in?

Like suggested, run a search of craigslist for your stuff. If you find someone selling a deck, amp, and speakers like yours, go meet him, snap a few pictures with your cell phone, and get his name and number. Act interested but tell him you will call him tomorrow because its payday and you will have the cash. (obviously all lies) If it is your stuff, call him back only have an officer meet you to meet him. I hope you filed a police report.


Whoever did this knew what they were doing. There is no sign of force-able entry whatsoever. I was incredibly relieved to find no damage (that I've found so far) to the car at all. Glass, doors, locks, all seems fine. They actually took the time to unplug the fog light switch from the dash shroud and unplugged all the deck plugs and wires - no cutting. It really doesn't make sense. They were in too much of a hurry to notice my $125 radar detector just sitting there, but took enough time to undo everything without leaving really any damage. They just made a mess of the interior and that's all they wrote.

We did file a police report and of course they aren't going to do jack beyond providing a case number. I called the insurance and who knows what they'll cover. Having worked in insurance I'm not too optimistic. They stole the deck, remote, registration, insurance cards, my repair/maintenance log book, safety and emissions cert., tuner lug key, 1200 W amp, 2 10" kickers with the box, my blackberry charger and headset, the center console tray, GTP owner's manual, all the paperwork for the tires I'm putting on once my rims get here.

i dont know if putting on new rims is a good idea now...

One other thing to also remember, do not leave your GPS mounting bracket on the windshield. It is inviting the thieves to break into your car.

They stole your paperwork????? Can they use the registration etc for identity theft??

I am not. sure, but swiping the pw seems like an odd thing to do.

And yes, some people suck. I have had lots of stuff stolen from me in the past and its always depressing, especially the first time.

i dont know if putting on new rims is a good idea now...

Oh, I won't until after we move for sure.

They stole your paperwork????? Can they use the registration etc for identity theft??

I thought about that and we mentioned that to the cops as well. The most they have from that stuff is my name, address, signature, and license plate number. All stuff that anyone could get by seeing my car driving down the road or if they work anywhere I've ever written a check to. The cops said they usually raid the glove box because people sometimes leave emergency cash, credit cards, etc in there. I didn't have any of that stuff fortunately. If they can use that info on those papers to steal my identity, I'll be impressed. I'm uneasy at the thought of them having it, but I'm really not sure how far they can get with just that info.

Bummer! Sorry to hear that. Salt Lake City of all places? :shakehead

It sounds like someone very familiar with Grand Prixs. Probably owns one and needed parts.

Bummer! Sorry to hear that. Salt Lake City of all places? :shakehead

I was talking to a guy at a rental car place and he said that Salt Lake is one of the worst places in the country for vehicle theft and break-ins. The city itself has gone to pot and it's really sad. Hence why we're moving.