Car broken into last night, what to do now?

Toyotafanboi

just a quick question for you's as to what you would do. might be better placed in the conspiracy theory's forum but hey :P

basically during the night last night (between 1am and 8am) the yaris (2000) was broken into and roughed up pretty bad on our driveway. no signs of forced entry around the bodywork/ interior remarkably.

they just went through it, all the contents of the door pockets, glove boxes and boot were strewn all throughout the car, the underseat trays and ash-trays were pulled right out. simple burglary from the car by the looks of things but for one thing.

the bonnet was opened at some point and the plastic casing from over the battery "+" connection was ripped off and was now inside the car. i dont understand much about robbing cars but would this be a sign they tried to rob it too.

or more crucially is this to give you a false sense of security that lightning never strikes twice and because there was a "failed theft" last night we will relax tonight but then they will come back tonight/ soon and really steal the car.

maybe i'm just being a bit crazy?

Stheno

DId they take anything?

Toyotafanboi

Stheno wrote: »

DId they take anything?

no. but that could be because the door pockets and glovebox were full of scratched cd's and snotty tissues and nothing worth having.

Stheno

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

no. but that could be because the door pockets and glovebox were full of scratched cd's and snotty tissues and nothing worth having.

Lolol sounds like my car.

I wonder was it just a bunch of ****? Can't see how removing the battery cover would have enabled them to steal the car?

Toyotafanboi

Stheno wrote: »

Lolol sounds like my car.

I wonder was it just a bunch of ****? Can't see how removing the battery cover would have enabled them to steal the car?

neither can i... that's why i'm wondering. maybe they want you to think they tried and failed, then come back and really take it, or worse, take my car :P

if the bonnet hadn't been opened i'd be happy to chalk it up to a car burglary.

Stheno

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

neither can i... that's why i'm wondering. maybe they want you to think they tried and failed, then come back and really take it, or worse, take my car :P

if the bonnet hadn't been opened i'd be happy to chalk it up to a car burglary.

I'd give your local cop shop a ring and see if it has been reported as happening to anyone else?

Jimmy Garlic

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

neither can i... that's why i'm wondering. maybe they want you to think they tried and failed, then come back and really take it, or worse, take my car :P

if the bonnet hadn't been opened i'd be happy to chalk it up to a car burglary.

Seems like a typical junkie raid. They probably wanted the battery to sell as scrap, worth a few quid.

StickyIcky

I don't know much about car security but things I would do to secure my car would be.
Get one of those steering wheel lock then clamps over your steering wheel and are usually a bright yellow colour.
Get all your windows etched with ID numbers ( I think this mainly works because it gives the impression you've gone to greater than normal length to secure your car, plus if anyone steals it they have the extra task of replacing all the windows which would cost them money making the car worth less than other non window etched ones. )
If it was an expensive car with nice tires I'd get an alarm that goes off even if you were to give one of the tires a kick.
If it was a cheap car I'd get at least a fake flashing LED with alarm sticker inside the windows.
I'd make sure that my stereo wasn't visible.
I'd make sure to absolutely clear everything out of the car and leave the glove box compartment open so they can see this car is empty move on.
If you're worried the person is coming back leave a note visible from the dashboard "to the wanker who broke into my car, I have a webcam trained on this vehicle now so don't even think about it' - but I reckon if you do all the above you shouldn't need to worry

Also if you're really worried about your car being stolen and want to go to extra efforts to make sure it's not stolen I used to live in a dodgy area and had a car that was a target for being stolen I'd pop the bonnet and take out a fuse and the car wouldn't start without it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GolUQCblm0I

Another tip, if you have a load stereo ALWAYS turn it off at least a block or two before you arrive where you'd going. A nice loud stereo is like jam attracting bees, you'll make every car thief within two blocks aware of your nice loud car stereo just waiting to be stolen.

YbFocus

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

neither can i... that's why i'm wondering. maybe they want you to think they tried and failed, then come back and really take it, or worse, take my car :P

if the bonnet hadn't been opened i'd be happy to chalk it up to a car burglary.

Maybe it's their thing like the burglars in home alone flooding the houses
Sounds very amateur, I doubt they had any hope, or that they'll be back.
If they were fit to take it it'd be gone.

keithsfleet

I have to partially disagree with stickyicky on the loud stereo.
I've an amp and sub (50euro on DD) in the car and the last thing I do at night is turn the volume right up to max.

I've had a few cars taken from me in the past and the one thing I noticed is that they remove the ignition barrel in the driveway before moving the car onto the road and starting it up a few houses down.

If they remove the ignition barrel in my drive and were to turn the ignition enough to turn the accessories on, the stereo will come on with the sub pounding away.
It would certainly wake me and my neighbours and might possibly be enough to scare the thieves away.

YbFocus

keithsfleet wrote: »

I have to partially disagree with stickyicky on the loud stereo.
I've an amp and sub (50euro on DD) in the car and the last thing I do at night is turn the volume right up to max.

I've had a few cars taken from me in the past and the one thing I noticed is that they remove the ignition barrel in the driveway before moving the car onto the road and starting it up a few houses down.

If they remove the ignition barrel in my drive and were to turn the ignition enough to turn the accessories on, the stereo will come on with the sub pounding away.
It would certainly wake me and my neighbours and might possibly be enough to scare the thieves away.

Great idea

CiniO

In my experience best security option for your car is insurance policy which provides theft cover without affecting NCB

And seriously, one can get a top brand car alarm, steering locks, gearbox locks, etc... but usually those (especially good alarm) cost big money, and still doesn't give any guarantee that car won't be stolen.
Good security equipment might stop some teenagers from braking the window to check if there is satnav in the glovebox, or it might stop someone inexperienced from starting the engine, but let's face it - most people who steal cars professionally, can workaround even the best alarm and security systems in minutes or even seconds.

The best protection to prevent car from being stolen, is something homemade.
Might be some extra switch disabling one of the circuits crucial for running the engine.
Might be swapped pins in interface socket, so thief won't be able to connect to the car.
Also switched pins for the ECU (both on ECU and plug) might prevent someone from being able to plug in his stuff.

Generally even the biggest professional thief, won't be able to quickly workaround on some kind of security that is completely not typical.

colm_mcm

Maybe the car was unlocked and it was just opportunists, do you not have another car that's a lot more likely to be messed with?

Have you driven the car since? No chance any parts were robbed?

StickyIcky

Yip that's what I mean, make your car a deterant by having regular anti theft devices plus find some other way of making it harder for them to even start the car in the first place. CiniO make some good points there. I'll keep a note of these points myself for future reference.

Atlantic Dawn

That car has an inbuilt immobolizer and so can't be robbed using tradional hot wiring. Most likely the reason they took the + connection off the battery was to disable the alarm, perhaps they popped the bonnet first from outsude before breaking in.

Chris_Heilong

Thats awful news, do check out your window for the next few nights as if they thought it was an easy car to get into the will try it again most likely. Get the guards involved also.

JohnBoy26

StickyIcky wrote: »

I don't know much about car security but things I would do to secure my car would be.
Get one of those steering wheel lock then clamps over your steering wheel and are usually a bright yellow colour.
Get all your windows etched with ID numbers ( I think this mainly works because it gives the impression you've gone to greater than normal length to secure your car, plus if anyone steals it they have the extra task of replacing all the windows which would cost them money making the car worth less than other non window etched ones. )
If it was an expensive car with nice tires I'd get an alarm that goes off even if you were to give one of the tires a kick.
If it was a cheap car I'd get at least a fake flashing LED with alarm sticker inside the windows.
I'd make sure that my stereo wasn't visible.
I'd make sure to absolutely clear everything out of the car and leave the glove box compartment open so they can see this car is empty move on.
If you're worried the person is coming back leave a note visible from the dashboard "to the wanker who broke into my car, I have a webcam trained on this vehicle now so don't even think about it' - but I reckon if you do all the above you shouldn't need to worry

Also if you're really worried about your car being stolen and want to go to extra efforts to make sure it's not stolen I used to live in a dodgy area and had a car that was a target for being stolen I'd pop the bonnet and take out a fuse and the car wouldn't start without it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GolUQCblm0I

Another tip, if you have a load stereo ALWAYS turn it off at least a block or two before you arrive where you'd going. A nice loud stereo is like jam attracting bees, you'll make every car thief within two blocks aware of your nice loud car stereo just waiting to be stolen.

But sure those locks that go over the steering wheel can easily be breached and who takes notice of alarms these days?

Wibbs

CiniO wrote: »

most people who steal cars professionally, can workaround even the best alarm and security systems in minutes or even seconds.

I disagree. Well I disagree if and only if the install of the alarm is a good one. I'd rather a 100 quid alarm installed correctly, than a 1000 quid alarm installed badly, or in the usual way. The usual crap install of siren under the bonnet, alarm brain cable tied under the drivers lower dashboard and the immobiliser connections being so obvious stevie wonder could spot them is easily bypassed. Indeed some alarm installs even make it easier to "hotwire" a car. Starter immobilisers are the usual one and about as much use as tits on a bull if you have a manual car as you can just push start the yoke(Alarms are more aimed at the us where autos are more the thing). Instead hook it up to the ignition, fuel or main relay(or better yet all three have separate immobilisers). Don't put alarm stickers on the car. It tells the scum what type you have on board, the flashing LED is enough.

The best protection to prevent car from being stolen, is something homemade.
Might be some extra switch disabling one of the circuits crucial for running the engine.
Might be swapped pins in interface socket, so thief won't be able to connect to the car.
Also switched pins for the ECU (both on ECU and plug) might prevent someone from being able to plug in his stuff.

I'd agree 100% on this C. Add layers. The more layers the longer it takes and it confuses the scum. Like cockroaches they hate light and noise, so motion detecting floodlights outside your house are a major deterrent.

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

But sure those locks that go over the steering wheel can easily be breached and who takes notice of alarms these days?

I do when it's mine.

flutered

a way of securing the clutch pedal to the steering wheel, and of securing the handbrake so it cannot be released, added to the steering wheel being secured, plus a secreted on off switch, they may tackle one of the three but they will not taclke all three, a guy i know has the knob taken off the gear stick, why he has a rather strong electric fence current aattached to it, i know its a bitch, but it is better to be sure than sorry.

dr.fuzzenstein

This is what you need:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w39o6eSI06Y

dgt

Ah that's awful to hear scum like that id that to us about 10 years ago, car in the car park was broken into, rummaged for whatever etc. Was the ignition barrel damaged?

A large dog may help to deter intruders

Toyotafanboi

colm_mcm wrote: »

Maybe the car was unlocked and it was just opportunists, do you not have another car that's a lot more likely to be messed with?

Have you driven the car since? No chance any parts were robbed?

the starlet that i have is the reason i thought this might be to generate a false sense of security because i know of another car very similar to mine stolen locally not so long ago.

the yaris is "perfect", driving fine etc.

dgt wrote: »

Ah that's awful to hear scum like that id that to us about 10 years ago, car in the car park was broken into, rummaged for whatever etc. Was the ignition barrel damaged?

A large dog may help to deter intruders

we have a dog and a motion sensor light over our driveway... the dog must have been asleep :pac: it's just infuriating knowing that some ****ing scumhole was in our car in our garden pawing through our belongings while we slept just a few feet away :mad:

anyway, to put a wrap/ update to this, we went to the gardai just to mention in encase anything else happened locally last night. there was 6 other cars within 150 meters of our house broken into last night :eek:

so i think its safe enough to say it was opportunists and they probably wont return? so i can sleep a little easier tonight.

dh0011

OP maybe they were at the battery to disable any alarm they thought you might have had

Ded_Zebra

It's probably a little late for tonight but what I would be doing is disabling all of my cars in some way. Take the fuses for the fuel pumps and keep them under my pillow Just for a few days incase they come back.

Esel

Years ago a mate of mine had a Vauxhall that was stolen regularly (he lived halfway between city centre and Ballymun). Always got the car back OK.

Eventually he got a block of wood with a 6" or 9" inch nail through it and put it under the driver's seat every night. He came out one morning to find a nice bloodstain on the seat. No more thefts after that.