Topic: attempted theft? maybe they got lazy?

[stan98tj]

My girlfriend was out walking our dog this morning and found my driver side door wide open. She checked inside to make sure nothing was gone and came in to tell me. When i went out there, i did a quick inventory..GPS was still in glove box, cd sleeve was still above the visor, stereo face was still in place. but then i noticed the stereo volume bottom was laying on the floor board. Maybe someone had tried to remove it, broke it off, and then gave up. WHere i park is in a corner where it is kind of dark, they prob couldn't see well enough and didnt want to use flashlights. Maybe they got lazy lol? I think maybe they heard someone coming and ran off. Given the fact that whomever was in my Jeep was unable to remove an unsecured stereo, an unsecured GPS etc makes me stand firm in NOT locking my doors. An amature like this would prob be more likely to cut my windows and soft top.
Vandalism has occured here before, twice in the past 3 years. One car got completely wrecked, the other incident involved a string of vehicles left unlocked having things removed from them. We were living there then, but my jeep was left alone. Kind of surprises me because this is a real quiet neighborhood and the apartment complex is tucked very far from the road actually making it impossible to see from there. In fact, quite a few ppl from the town don't even know this complex exists given how far back and tucked away it is. Anyway, that's my rant. Ill be on the lookout i guess. But for now, ill just be removing my stereo and gps from the jeep when i go to bed.

[DodgeMudder]

One idea I had recently that would stop this is to add a preasure sensitive switch to the drivers seat hooked up to the horn w/ a hidden switch, when you get out you turn it on, if anyone tries to get in, the horn goes off, when you go to get back in turn it off. lol would seem easy enough to set-up and be very effective.

[stan98tj]

One idea I had recently that would stop this is to add a preasure sensitive switch to the drivers seat hooked up to the horn w/ a hidden switch, when you get out you turn it on, if anyone tries to get in, the horn goes off, when you go to get back in turn it off. lol would seem easy enough to set-up and be very effective.

that would prob scare off my amature car theives. for now im just going to pull out the valuable stuff. One thing that is kind of annoying is that i usually like to take the doors off during the summer. I store them under my front porch. the porch is at about 5'5" so it makes it easy to toss the doors under there and get them when i need them (rather than lugging them up the stairs to put them into the apt). Im thinking ill have to start stringing some type of chain through the door handles and wrap it around the porch suport beam.

[chardrc]

Given the fact that whomever was in my Jeep was unable to remove an unsecured stereo, an unsecured GPS etc makes me stand firm in NOT locking my doors. An amature like this would prob be more likely to cut my windows and soft top.

X2 on that... jeep used to be stored outside in our side yard (corner lot) for about 2 years, never had any issue. one Saturday afternoon I parked it in the driveway and while I left to get some parts at the parts store someone cut my passenger side soft door window and tried to steel the radio (was only gone for 20 minutes.. brother was actual at home)... really ticked me off... still does every time i see my jeep with the ductaped passenger window.. I never lock my doors now... and I always take the faceplate off my radio when I park it.

[Jeffy]

Well, I don't think keeping your doors unlocked really does much.  I've seen several cases where even if the door is unlocked someone will slash their windows and then sometimes even the seats.

The real key is not lot leave anything in your Jeep.  If you do lock it up.  I wouldn't trust the glove box holding anything securely.  Neither would I put anything in an OEM console.

[stan98tj]

  I've seen several cases where even if the door is unlocked someone will slash their windows and then sometimes even the seats.

well that sounds like they were just trying to be vandals. If you had hard doors, ppl like that would just smash the window. It's not like they were gaining anything by slashing seats. Id like to think there are more thieves than vandals out there, and would rather they just open the door and rip out the stereo (loss of $60, though it is a few yrs old and prob worth $35) rather than trying the door, finding it locked and saying "screw that" and slashing windows (now a loss of $100+) just to get to my crappy stereo. Then again, maybe there are more vandals out there...at any rate there is not much i can do if kids just want to be jerks.
When something like this happens-or in my case almost happens- the real annoyance is the forced change of habits. Here you were living comfortably, leaving your doors unlocked, leaving the jeep with the top off and stereo in..something like this happens and now u have to remove all your valuables and remembering to bring them back out when you go back out..kind of sucks. Just want to go back to not worrying about stuff like that.

[chardrc]

ya it does suck. seems like i forget my faceplate for my radio more than i remember it almost defeating the purpose of having it (store it inside overnight because i don't have a good lockable anything in my jeep)... really makes a guy paranoid.

[stan98tj]

i took to a simple solution for the night. I rigged the jeep so i could tell if it's been opened in the night.

[Green97TJ]

Thats the good thing about living out in the sticks, and having a big dog... When he goes off you just grab the big light and shotgun...

[stan98tj]

Thats the good thing about living out in the sticks, and having a big dog... When he goes off you just grab the big light and shotgun...

my buddy lives in florida and was out wheeling in a rural area. jeep hydrolocked and he had to leave it overnight. next morn he and a friend were off to tow his jeep out of the woods at around 7:30am..ran into a group of guys walking out of the woods who asked them if they were headed in to strip down the jeep that was stuck..these guys were actually headed to walmart to get tools to remove his winch. they took off when he told them he was the owner. seems it doesnt matter where you live, jerks are everywhere.

[Jeffy]

ya it does suck. seems like i forget my faceplate for my radio more than i remember it almost defeating the purpose of having it (store it inside overnight because i don't have a good lockable anything in my jeep)... really makes a guy paranoid.

I leave my face plate on but then again it's circa 1995.  No one steel old stuff.  Although my Jeep doesn't look that great and there are better targets out there.

[stan98tj]

I leave my face plate on but then again it's circa 1995.  No one steel old stuff.  Although my Jeep doesn't look that great and there are better targets out there.

+1
in my case however, i think i am dealing with curious kids rather than pro thieves. because of that, ive actually started to prep myself mentally to walk out one morn and find my stuff slashed. the young kids around here dont have much to do, parents arent home much and that boredom tends to lead to mischief.

[Jeffy]

+1
in my case however, i think i am dealing with curious kids rather than pro thieves. because of that, ive actually started to prep myself mentally to walk out one morn and find my stuff slashed. the young kids around here dont have much to do, parents arent home much and that boredom tends to lead to mischief.

You need to add some hunting permit stickers on the windows.   

[RT]

+1 on the big dog lol. Mine goes ape**** whenever she even THINKS someone could be outside. I've had my jeep broken into a couple times, last time the person left my doors open, ripped out one of my speaker wires, tried to wedge the steering wheel cover off with a screwdriver to get to the ignition terminator style, and tore my glove box out of my dash and threw it in the street. Thankfully i didn't have anything in my jeep except for a 30pack of trojans my mom decided she'd sneak into my glove box while she was visiting, which were exploded out of the package all over my jeep and in the street.  you don't know the meaning of 'wtf' until you walk out to your jeep at 6am to find the doors and windows open with a screwdriver wedged into the steering column and everything covered in cheap condoms.

[neale_rs]

   That scene would sure make you wonder what they were trying to do with your Jeep!