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Old 05-02-2011, 05:03 PM   #1
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Theft of GPS Unit from Towing Vehicle

Last week while our car was parked at a warehouse store within half an hour the GPS unit was stolen. The thief smashed the driver side window grabbed the unit and was gone. While the car has a burglar alarm it did not go off since the door was not opened.

There are some hints of how to prevent such a theft here:
Protect your car from GPS theft | Seattle News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | KOMO News | Consumer News

Suggestions are:
1. use a friction mount, not a windshield mount
2. take the unit with you or hide it when you leave the vehicle
3. password protect the data so that the thief can't punch "Go Home" and rob your house

Any other helpful suggestions?

Brian
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Old 05-02-2011, 05:13 PM   #2
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Get a better alarm that detects glass breakage, but if you aren't close enough to react to the sound of the alarm nobody else will bother. Sorry about your loss, I lost a bird dog (radar detector) once.
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Old 05-02-2011, 05:59 PM   #3
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Out of Sight.Out of Mind.....Words to live by.

Sometimes it just helps to remove the temptation from idiots.

Sorry about the break-in, it's a shame.
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Old 05-02-2011, 06:08 PM   #4
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Never EVER leave ANYTHING of value (or its related patch cords/mounts) visable anywhere in the vehicle.....
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Old 05-02-2011, 06:51 PM   #5
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Of course hide the gps unit but be sure to take the suction mounting bracket off the windshield....Thieves are smart...... If they see the "O" ring left by the gps mount on the windshield be sure to wipe it off as they know you have it hidden in the car when they see that.
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Old 05-02-2011, 07:28 PM   #6
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When my truck was broken into... screw driver in the lock, it cost more to fix it than the item stolen cost brand new.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
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Old 05-02-2011, 08:49 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Donna D. View Post


When my truck was broken into... screw driver in the lock, it cost more to fix it than the item stolen cost brand new.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
Donna:

True for us also. We had insurance to cover the glass breakage and theft, but the deductible was more than the cost of the GPS.

This certainly points to the wisdom of not leaving anything valuable within view.

Brian
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Old 05-02-2011, 08:56 PM   #8
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After having two windows broken out with the truck sitting in the driveway, I make sure that my GPS is not easily seen. I use a sand bag type of mount and simply put in on the floor when leaving. It's black the floor is dark and windows tinted. Very difficult to see.
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Old 05-02-2011, 09:39 PM   #9
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Unfortunatly I live in California. It's become second nature to hide anything of value in our vehicles or it will be gone.
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Old 05-02-2011, 10:11 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Van Snell View Post
Donna:

True for us also. We had insurance to cover the glass breakage and theft, but the deductible was more than the cost of the GPS.

This certainly points to the wisdom of not leaving anything valuable within view.

Brian
I always say " Cars with glass windows don't need doorlocks!"
I have an old Nokia phone, an obsolete navigon GPS, home burned music from the '70s, and an open can of "Dr. Thunder" in my car.....I could leave all that stuff on the hood and the thieves would leave it alone.
My only fear is that they won't check the door before breaking the window!

JoeZ...I know what you mean, but by definition...thieves aren't smart.

Brian... The real harm can be what it does to your soul ,put it behind you as soon as you can, and get yourself another GPS, maybe the same kind so you will have double accessories and the thief will have none!
Seriously though , sorry for your loss
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Old 05-02-2011, 11:42 PM   #11
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Unhappy Blasted flywrap

How about labeling as "Home" the local police station. Wouldn't that be a hoot?

We had someone attempt a break in at our house while we were out in Homelet. Think about it, you see this trailer in the yard and suddenly it is gone. The house is empty!

Luck being, he broke the double pane window to unlock the window, and he picked the one window that had a stuck switch! So he must have thought our alarm system labels weren't true when he slid the window open and no alarm, but then the motion detector got him!

I can tell you from experience that alarm is loud inside the house. Of course by the time the police arrived, he was long gone. The alarm system paid for itself that day.
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Old 05-03-2011, 12:34 AM   #12
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AH the joys of living in Smallville. We leave the keys in the truck, the house is unlocked 24/365, even when we are off-Island and our friends are welcome to whatever is in our fridge - and we to theirs. Been 4 years since anyone stole a vehicle on the Island and that was a drunk who stole the fire truck. Hard to get on the ferry unnoticed.
More concerns in campgrounds than at home.
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Old 05-03-2011, 07:41 AM   #13
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I take mine down when leaving the car and hide it. As popular as they are you'ld think everyone had one and wouldn't need to be stealing them.
sorry to hear about it and that they damaged the vehicle.
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Old 05-03-2011, 10:19 AM   #14
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I'm with Ian-Vicki, I fell bad for the rest of you. Anyway if needed in Texas we have really cool gun laws.
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Old 05-03-2011, 06:24 PM   #15
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Living in the city, I have to keep everything locked up and out-of-sight too.

I have a deal with my next door neighbor - when I leave with the egg, they park their extra cars in my driveway. So, it always looks like someone is home (and they get off-street parking for a few days!).
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Old 05-03-2011, 08:39 PM   #16
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It is certainly a good idea to keep valuables out of sight -- even things that don't seem so valuable. A friend of mine had her Jeep soft top slashed open just so the thief could steal the handful of change in her cup holder. Needless to say, it cost a lot more to replace the top than the $2 in change she lost.

Before we had an alarm system at work, someone broke in and used a crowbar to break open the cash drawer and steal about $30. The cash drawer cost about $100 to replace. The real kicker was that the key was in the cash drawer lock! All they had to do was turn it and it would have opened! They also took my tool box that was sitting next to the cash register. They left all the electronics, though... including a nice digital camera on the counter. Must not have had a flashlight.
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Old 05-03-2011, 08:43 PM   #17
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I never lock the doors on my Jeep no matter where it's parked, those tops aren't cheap.
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Old 05-03-2011, 10:22 PM   #18
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That's a shame!
That's how a friend of mine found out that his auto insurance doesn't cover the contents of the car.
I was shocked when he told me that- until I checked and found out that mine doesn't either!

Francesca
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Old 05-03-2011, 10:34 PM   #19
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Cool another hint

I understand that in Paris one leaves their glove box open to show thieves that they are empty.

One hint we use:

Keep your registration and insurance papers on you. Then if your car is stolen, they won't have those to show if stopped or for identity theft.
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Old 05-03-2011, 11:13 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roger C H View Post
Quem deus vult perdere, dementat prius
Observate!
Converte hanc sententiam...
Difficile est.

Gratia

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