My truck got broken into on Christmas morning... :(

Mtrhd0024

Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Location
High Point, NC
Long story short, my truck got broken into on Christmas morning at about 12:30am.

It was right after the 11:00 candle light service was over at Wesley Memorial UMC in High Point. My dad is one of the associate ministers there, and I left my truck in the parking lot for my dad to use that night since the seats were down in the back of my Bronco, and went home with my mom and sister in my moms new heep grand cherokee. My dad had a few things to attend too after the service, came out about 15 minutes later, and saw "me" messing around in my car. He thought I had just stayed behind and waited for him, and got halfway across the parking lot before he realized something was fishy. The guy was wearing a toboggan and moving all about my car. His car was parked directly behind it, still running.

The second my dad realized what was going on, he yelled "HEY! HEY YOU! What the HELL do you think you're doing!!??" The guy immediately jumped from my car into his, but he had to drive past my dad to get out of the parking lot. Dad got his license #. :flipoff2: I believe he said it was a grey 91 Toyota Corolla. Cops showed up and took down the info, then went and staked the guys house out. Car was actually registered to a woman, but the car has still yet to be reported as stolen, so hopefully they'll find it and can tie it back to the thief. She'll have a hard time claiming she doesn't know who was in it, or that it was stolen that night since it hasn't been reported stolen yet. I'm sure they'll find the car, but i doubt they'll ever get my stuff.

Thief smashed my drivers side window, ripped my dash apart (destroyed my 4x4 switch for turning on and off 4x4) stole my headunit that I got for my 19th birthday 2 weeks ago, as well as the remote that goes with it, the aux cable, and the other plugs that go with it. Even worse though, is I had a grey Craftsman toolbox in the back (always be prepared remember!) with loads of different tools that I put together in case of an emergency, and to help people on the side of the road. I always stop and try to help people change tires, etc etc if I'm not in a hurry. That alone was worth at least $300, and there were a few tools in there that I inherited from my grandpa when he died last January that had a bit of sentimental value. Thats mainly what pissed me off cuz that stuff can't be replaced.

Anyway, I think my insurance will cover it. I'm gonna use the money from that to buy junkyard glass and parts, then just do all the work myself, and use any left over money towards an alarm system. That was seriously the most low of low times/places/peoples cars to break into. Breaking into and stealing stuff from the preachers car, in the church parking lot, on Christmas morning! What an a$$hole!!! I hope at the very least he used my stuff to buy something for his kid or something. More than likely it was for drug money or something though.

Anyway. Here's a quick pic of the damage:
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That said, I didn't let it ruin my Christmas. I still had a good day, although I didn't sleep much that night! :rolleyes:
I did get these Christmas morn though!:

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In case you can't quite see, thats an HID bulb and ballast down below. 55w 5000k HID Hellas FTW!!! These are gonna be BRIGHT!!!!

So before I go back to college in January, I've gotta get all this done:
Replace glass
Rewire a new Headunit
Fix my dash
Rewire doors
Install an alarm
Build either a roof rack or bumper (I've wanted to do one or the other for a while anyway.)
Install my new Hellas!! :)

And I'd like to get my CB installed if I can find a nice antenna! lol

Looks like I've got my work cut out for me!! lol
 
let me know what dash parts you need we can go look at my bronco and see if you can use an of the parts. I dont have the doors though so cant help with the glass.
 
Man! I am so sorry that you had to deal with that!

My car last year got broken into. They stole my sunglasses, my MP3 players and a white T shirt. Bastards.

Just a little FYI when working with car trim: BUY ONE OF THESE

awww.tundrasolutions.com_forums_attachments_1gen_tundra_40492d027c81babf1e400434eb9b9abc7fc08d.jpg


It is a trim piece remover. This makes removing trim (especially the door trim!) a breeze. TRUST ME you want this. I think they are 11 bucks at advance auto.

Also I'd recommend you replace the window regulator while you are in there if you haven't done so already. You'll be in there, easy to replace. When they go out, IT SUCKS.

Lastly, make sure you tack weld the nuts on those hellas. I've had lights stolen off at a college parking lot (as have others). Fortunately, they stole the $5 ones from Northern Tool.

Those are nice lights, you don't want those gone as well.
 
nice. what college are you going to? if it's close to me and you need help I'll help ya out if I can since I'm off work until the 4th.
 
We had our stock wheels and tires stolen off our church van a few years ago. In the church parking lot under the canopy. They did leave us four like new cinder blocks though. LOL

LOL! Yea, my dad could tell you a lot of stories about theft from the church. Its pretty bad no matter the time of year, and then Christmas made this one worse! :rolleyes: At one of my dads previous Churches, our Youth Trailer got stolen from next to the picnic shelter at the Church.
At least you're taking it in good spirits!

Haha yea thanks, it was a bummer but hey, all I can do is hope the cops catch the thief, but I'm not optimistic they'll find my stuff. Probably already got that sold. I figure there are far worse things that coulda happened!
let me know what dash parts you need we can go look at my bronco and see if you can use an of the parts. I dont have the doors though so cant help with the glass.

Thanks man you're very kind. Right now, all thats really damaged is the trim on the front of the dash that goes over the gauges and down the side to the radio and heating controls. I managed to piece my 4x4 switch back together (thankfully, cuz those are more than $200 from the dealer.) At the minute I think I may just modify the trim and cut the broken tabs off the bottom, and just let all the clips hold it on. It already stays pretty well, its just that the screw mounts are broken where he ripped it off.
I could pull glass from my spare BII, but its still watertight at the minute, and I hate for that to be the first part I go pulling off of it.

Man! I am so sorry that you had to deal with that!
My car last year got broken into. They stole my sunglasses, my MP3 players and a white T shirt. Bastards.
Just a little FYI when working with car trim: BUY ONE OF THESE
awww.tundrasolutions.com_forums_attachments_1gen_tundra_40492d027c81babf1e400434eb9b9abc7fc08d.jpg

It is a trim piece remover. This makes removing trim (especially the door trim!) a breeze. TRUST ME you want this. I think they are 11 bucks at advance auto.
Also I'd recommend you replace the window regulator while you are in there if you haven't done so already. You'll be in there, easy to replace. When they go out, IT SUCKS.
Lastly, make sure you tack weld the nuts on those hellas. I've had lights stolen off at a college parking lot (as have others). Fortunately, they stole the $5 ones from Northern Tool.
Those are nice lights, you don't want those gone as well.

Thanks man, yea break in's SUCK! I actually thought my dad was joking when he came home and told me. He had this look of disbelief on his face, and I just laughed when he told me, thought he was pulling my leg. When he kept being serious, then I knew he wasn't joking.
Thats good advice about those clip removers, I actually saw one of those in advance the day after I finished installing my stereo, (door speakers and everything got replaced) and thought ahh that would have been nice to have. Since the work was already done, I didn't bother. But i think I may go back and get it now.

And yes I will DEFO be tack welding the bolts on those lights! I'm well aware that people like to steal them too, so I'll be taking appropriate cautionary measures. I'm still debating whether to put them on the roof or on a custom bumper, but the roof would sure make them more secure. Bit harder to steal em off the roof cuz everyone will see you, and also you'll end up shaking the car, which should set any decent car alarm off.

nice. what college are you going to? if it's close to me and you need help I'll help ya out if I can since I'm off work until the 4th.

Hey, thanks man I really appreciate the offer, I'm at GTCC there in Greensboro (technically Jamestown I guess) but I live in Thomasville. I don't know where you're from, but right now I'm at the lake in Gainesville GA, and won't be back until Tuesday night. My Bronco is tucked away in my garage until then! I really appreciate the offer, just goes to show what kinda guys are on this forum, some top notch ones for sure! :)
 
aw, he said I was top notch! haha.
I'm from the Salisbury area but stationed here at Fort Bragg. let me know!


Alright thanks dude!

I got back from my lake house today and drove around town getting quotes for my insurance. I rang them up today and they're gonna cover the glass, dash, and other damage, but they won't pay for my tools. :(

I went to the dealership, and they quoted $700 in parts to put the truck back like normal, not including labor, and not including the headunit that got taken, since that was aftermarket.

Still, considering I went and bought the parts I need to fix my truck from a junkyard for $50 today, I didn't do toooo bad! :flipoff2: If insurance even pays me $500 I'll be pleased. That way I can put the money towards a viper alarm system i've been eying.
 
i know how u feel bout insurance not paying for tools when my cherokee got stolen they not only wouldnt cover my tools but only gave me $800 for the dang thing
 
i know how u feel bout insurance not paying for tools when my cherokee got stolen they not only wouldnt cover my tools but only gave me $800 for the dang thing


ouchhh! well I hope I don't get totally ripped off by the insurance company. I have no idea how much they'll pay me, but it was gonna be over 700 in new Ford parts, plus labor, plus my headunit, so hopefully even if they don't factor in new parts, I'll be getting close to 700 once everything is calculated up.

I was warned yesterday that the insurance will even calculate in depreciation on a headunit if that is stolen, so I need to save the box to prove I only got it 2 weeks ago. Sneaky fools!
 
yea man that sucks im sorry that happened but atleast you got some new lights haha
but yea thats why i try to keep stuff out of my truck because the doors dont lock i would hate for someone to brake the glass with unlocked doors but if you still need some help im about 30 to 45 mins from you so just let me know if i can be any help
 
yea man that sucks im sorry that happened but atleast you got some new lights haha
but yea thats why i try to keep stuff out of my truck because the doors dont lock i would hate for someone to brake the glass with unlocked doors but if you still need some help im about 30 to 45 mins from you so just let me know if i can be any help

Thanks man! Really appreciate the offer, I'll let ya know if I need a hand! And yea, I pretty much never lock my doors either. My electric locks don't work all the time, so I usually just leave it unlocked. I always kinda figure my car will be safe in a church parking lot, but thats obviously not always true! Some random guy cruised by and thought he'd take a chance on my ride!

I'm really thankful for my dad walking out when he did though... He saved a bunch of my stuff I think. I get the feeling that this guy would have sat there at my truck all night and just stripped the blasted thing. It was kinda secluded, and I'm sure he figured that at 1am on Christmas morning, he'd not be bothered by anybody. Just too bad he wasn't packing a glock! :lol: haha
 
Insurance told me the only way my tools were going to be covered was if i had home insurance & only if i told them bout the tools i was like wtf but hopefully you will get your truck running soon
 
Would tools be covered under renters insurance as well? Or is that only for stuff in your apartment?

Really depends on your policy.. My house policy specifically covered items stolen from my car(s)

But surprisingly it had a 1 full page cover sheet that said I was NOT covered for mud slides and floods or water damage of any kinds caused by overflows or back ups etc. (Unless related to my internal plumbing) Wonder where all that came from :rolleyes:
 
Home owners Insurance covers vehicle possessions, never understood that one but yeah.

My Tahoe got broke into a few years ago and they made off with a laptop 2 pistols a bad ass knife and literally hundreds of CDs...

SHitty part is you hiut 2 dedductibles 1 for he vehicle damage and a 2nd for the contentd
 
As ya'll pointed out, my tools would be covered under homeowners insurance. I was told the same thing by the people who do my car insurance. I was like ehhh???

But also as pointed out, the deductible for my car damage was going to be $100. The deductible for my homeowners insurance was going to be $500. There was only something like $400 worth of tools stolen, so no point in claiming and having to pay the second deductible really. I don't see how that makes sense at all.

And how am I supposed to prove what tools there were anyway? Just kinda pisses me off, cuz I could very easily claim I had a huge box full of craftsman tools, a circular saw, three new power drills, and a lincoln welder in the back and they'd be none the wiser. Yet they won't even pay for 400 dollars in hand tools I had in the back. Meh... :(

As I stated above, I asked for a quote from the dealership as if I wanted all damaged parts replaced like new, which caused my estimate to be quite high. In practice, I'll be using junkyard parts, so the additional leftover $$ will help cover the lost tools. But we'll see, I'm still not sure how much $$ the insurance is gonna give me. The guy who's coming out to look at my car for the insurance company is gonna be a couple days :( which means my car has to stay in the garage as it is until he comes. Which sucks, cuz I have a LOT of work to do on it in the next 2 weeks, and I really need to get a move on, but I can't touch the thing till he gets here.

I'm planning to rewire my doors, install an alarm with keyless entry, rebuild my window motor regulators, replace the drivers glass since it was smashed, build a custom front bumper so I can mount my 4 new driving lights, and then wire up the lights. I've also got to install a new stereo, fix my dashboard, and I'd really like to get my CB installed too, but that may have to wait. And all before January 11 when I go back to school! So yea, I need this insurance guy to hurryyyyy!!!

Anywayyy... I suppose at the end of the day, its not the insurance companies fault. Its the retarded muthafuka' who decided to break into my car. Damn I hate thieves! Wish people would stop being arseholes and work harder for themselves, instead of stealing other peoples crap. :( But there will always be thieves, soo guess there's not much I can do about it...
 
I'm in High Point and ran the car stereo section at Circuit City for 4 or 5 years. I have an automotive shop on the corner of High Point rd and Horney town Rd. If I can help let me know. Would be able to offer a place and time in the evenings the begining of next week.
 
I'm in High Point and ran the car stereo section at Circuit City for 4 or 5 years. I have an automotive shop on the corner of High Point rd and Horney town Rd. If I can help let me know. Would be able to offer a place and time in the evenings the begining of next week.

Ahh I know exactly where you are! I live just off lexington rd, and use horneytown rd as a shortcut to get to N. Main sometimes. Right now my Bronco is in my garage, which although full of stuff, at least gives me a warm, dry place to work. I appreciate the offer, if something comes up and I can't use my garage for some reason, I'll let you know!

Having worked in the car audio field some, (i know this is different) but have you ever installed a car alarm? Just curious, as I've never done it before. I'm pretty confident I can do it if I take my time, but it might be nice to have someone I can ask some Q's if I end up very stuck :D hahaha!
 
Done a few...One year the day after Christmas I did 7 in one day. It was pretty cool I had 2 blazers and a s10 all with a few years with the dashes drop and going between each one. The locks on that thing are more than likely going to be a 5 wire wich is a pita. Call me if you need help....
 
Done a few...One year the day after Christmas I did 7 in one day. It was pretty cool I had 2 blazers and a s10 all with a few years with the dashes drop and going between each one. The locks on that thing are more than likely going to be a 5 wire wich is a pita. Call me if you need help....


Alright thanks bud, good to know someone I can call on if need be! Don't wanna put you outta your way, but if I get crazy stuck I may need some help! Got any recommendations on a good alarm to buy? I was looking at a Python (same as a Viper just a different name, and nobody bids on them on eBay since they don't realize that) which seemed pretty good. They all have the exact same features, they just have a different name stamped on the cases. Everyone seems to swear by Viper though, so I'm guessing its ok.
 
Pm sent. I've got Python on my truck and viper on the explorer. They are both owned by DEI, the biggest alarm maker on the market. By local though that way if you have a problem it can get resolved alot easier than ebay. If they are not an offical dealer for Dei, Dei will give you a hard time on the warranty....Call Jimmy at Sounds Good car stereo in Kernersville.
 
Pm sent. I've got Python on my truck and viper on the explorer. They are both owned by DEI, the biggest alarm maker on the market. By local though that way if you have a problem it can get resolved alot easier than ebay. If they are not an offical dealer for Dei, Dei will give you a hard time on the warranty....Call Jimmy at Sounds Good car stereo in Kernersville.

Thanks man, just responded to PM! I hear ya about the warranty! Although for the price of the unit I linked you too, is it even worth worrying about that? Just wondering, you'd definitely know better than me! I'll give Jimmy a call though, thanks for the advice!
 
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