New 2010 Honda Civic EX coupe--VANDALIZED after only ONE MONTH of ownership

Hi all,
In July I bought myself a brand new silver 2010 Honda Civic EX coupe,
which I parked in the parking lot of my apartment complex.

And last Monday, less than 5 weeks after I drove the car out of the
showroom, the car was vandalized right in the parking lot, not far from
where I sleep.

Thieves jacked up the car and stole the wheels and wheel covers. But
they weren't careful: The jack must have slipped, because the car minus
its wheels fell down on the ground, damaging the bumper and
undercarriage and left front rotor. It's going to take a week of work
from a body shop to restore the car.

I can't keep having this happen once a month.

So I'm wondering what steps I can take to prevent this in the future.
I'm putting locking wheel lug nuts on (the kind you need a key to
remove), and I'm looking at an alarm system w/tilt sensor.

Any other ideas?




-- Steven L.

 

Move to a better neighbourhood.

 

You had steel wheels and they still ripped them off?

They were, of necessity, in a big hurry. I'll bet they had all 4 wheels off
in less than two minutes.

The locking wheel nuts are not likely to be effective. The thieves use
cordless impact guns and special sockets designed to remove those locking
nuts.

Even an alarm may not help much. I understand that sometimes crooks jostle
the car to set off any alarm, then they hide nearby and see if anybody
responds to it. If not, they come back later and do their damage.

I like the alarm idea. An alarm at least gives you the hope that the noise
may scare them off. But spend the bucks to have a competent shop install it
so as to prevent damage to the car's electrical system.

 

Buy and drive a beater for everyday use.

Keep the "good" car in a safe place.

If in a state like Texas, be on the alert and keep the Glock 19 handy.

JT

 

Just sleep under a cover in the back seat... Keep that Glock handy though!

JT

 

A Glock is a mouse gun, go for a M1911A1 .45ACP, John M. Browning's
finest

 

Nothing wrong with a G36 or G30. I have the latter. Just call it the
"Mouse that ROARS!" Amazingly accurate little hand cannon right out of
the box. Have a friend who carries the G36 in an ankle holster, talk
about a surprise package for somebody<g>

 

Cars are too uncomfortable to sleep in unless you're drunk.

 

it's deliberate to leave the car on the ground.
I've seen it on many cars that had their wheels stolen.
they take the jack to leave no evidence,even take the lug nuts.

Locking or keyed lug nuts can be removed;
Harbor Freight and Advance Auto both sell devices specifically made to
remove locking lug nuts,they fit on a 1/2" breaker bar. Advance Auto also
sells "slim-jims" to open your car door without keys.

Just remember that once the alarm goes off,the police will take some time
to arrive,after you've spent several minutes answering the 911 operator's
many questions and repeating them over and over.
(when seconds count,police are minutes away)
the 911 operator will want to know how many thieves,what race,what are they
wearing,what color,make,model and license number of the vehicle they're
driving.

One other thing;
Honda often routes the hood release cable through the left
wheelwell,thieves tear out the plastic wheelwell,cut the cable and pull it
with pliers to unlatch your hood,then when they open the hood,a second
thief quickly cuts the wires to the alarm siren/speaker.
The alarm only sounds for a second,not long enough to waken you at 3:30 AM.

That's the typical time frame when "Midnite Auto Parts" strikes;after the
bars close and the drunks have gotten home,but before people begin rising
to go to work.

Also,you may need to make a shield to cover the hood latch itself,because
the thieves also can use a wire hook to reach under the front bumper and
pull the latch wire;there are websites online that show how.

I have had lots of experience with such thieves... :-(
My 94 Integra GS-R was burglarized for the ECU,then a few years
later,stolen,stripped and torched.A friends Integra was burglarized and
stripped in the manner I described about the hood latch. Thieves also pried
off the Acura name,GS-R badge and Acura symbol from my car's hatchback.They
are not cheap.
I did not get the fuel cutoff switch installed in time to prevent my car's
theft.My alarm did wake me to see them push-starting it and to hear the
alarm fade in the distance as it went down the street,already out of sight.
(a gated apartment community,too.) "Gone in 60 Seconds" was accurate.
My Integra did not have the Immobilizer key system that newer models have.

If you decide to go out to confront them yourself,be prepared.
some of these thieves are armed,and there's usually more than one of them.

Garage the car,if possible.
Or get wheels and tires that have no value. no fancy,low profile
tires/rims. forget about replacing the hubcaps.

there's really no other way to keep the wheels from being stolen again.


--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
localnet
dot com

 

A big hole in the end of the barrel is a big hole in the end of the barrel,
regardless of the style of the pistol.

I used to have a Glock 22. I used handloads that were set up to make major
in IPSC competition. Can't imagine the kick you'd get from a light, short-
barrelled, polymer-framed .45.

 

The thieves stripped everything to the rotors.

While the car is in the body shop, I rented a car. The rental car guy
told me that in our town, he's seen plenty of ancient Honda Civics with
suspiciously brand new tires and brand new wheel covers. He's positive
that these were stolen wheels and covers.



-- Steven L.

 

Hey, don't laugh.

I had thought about that option too.

But I've never owned a gun before; and to me, guns look to be quite
complicated mechanisms to operate.

Maybe there's like a SIMPLE gun for first-time gun owners?



-- Steven L.

 

Ah, so that's why they took the lug nuts and left my car on the ground.

Thank you.
This was very good information.

I do have Lo-Jack installed, which should help if the car is stolen.
But obviously not if all they do is steal the tires and wheels.



-- Steven L.

 

No gun for first time owners is simple and safe without training. That
said, Tupperware (Glock) is quite simple, quite safe so long as one rule
is remembered. Do not place your finger inside the trigger guard unless
you want to hear a load noise and feel recoil. No manual safety, it's
all automatic. Gun is safe unless you place a finger on the trigger.
That's about all you must remember.

 

Tegger, all I can say is you have to shoot that thing to believe it.
Less perceived recoil with G30 than I have with my G23 or my S&W 469
(9mm). I couldn't believe it until I actually fired the damn thing.
First .45 I'd shot since back in the day (~ 1969)when I had an old 1911A
from, I think, the Civilian Marksmanship program.

The G30 is more of a "shove" than a snappy recoil. Dead nuts on right
out of the box with fixed sights.

 

Yep, no fumbling around in the dark trying to dislodge the safety in
times of urgent need.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

If there is still movement...

Bang! Bang!

JT

 

Your're just not accomplished in the art or snoozing anywhere, anytime,
anyhow.

Being retired, I have lotsa time to practice!

JT

 

..357 Magnum revolver (I had a S&W model on the advice of the local gun
shop owner and retired cop. He advised learning to shoot with the
revolver, then move on to something fancier, e.g., 9mm semi, if you
wanted to). .38 ammo for practice and .357 Magnum for the bad guys - the
louder the better. The only thing I ever shot was paper targets. lots of
fun, still.

Don't feel too screwed over, I bought a new car in 1982 which was broken
into about 6 hours after I took delivery (living in NYC at the time).

 

Buy a new jack for every car they rip off? Forget it, too expensive!
You're not thinking like a businessman!

As you know, they don't work neat, either, they'll easily do $1,000 or
more damage to your interior heisting your $1,000 radio (or used to,
modern Honda radios have no value if stolen without the code, but my
point remains).

 

I must be lucky, 20+ years never locked my cars (outside on single home
driveway) and never had anything stolen...even left my wallet on the
driver's seat a couple times. Nice cars too, Integra and Accord.