- Mar 8, 2003
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So, two months ago my Mercury was broken into by thieves who stole my after market stereo system. I had the pass phrase on it, so it locks itself out once the power is disconnected, but that is probably bypassable if one knows what they are doing. Gave the serial numbers to the police, but I know I will never see it again, they were nice enough to dust for prints, but the thieves wore gloves.
Thankfully, I have comprehensive insurance, so I am only out of deductibles and time to deal with this crap. The fact that a $400 stereo was stolen was not as bad as the $3000 worth of damage they did to my car to get to it (without my alarm going off). The $3000 was the result of two broken windows, a failed slim jimming that damaged the door and the fact they ripped my entire climate control system out to get to my stereo. Oddly enough, they disconnected my ipod module ($50+ used on Ebay) from the stereo and left it in my car, along with my Sennheiser headphones (~ $50 MSRP) and DvD navigation software ($40+ on Ebay) which were all there and untouched. They did find and take my hidden $5 stash of emergency gas cash.
Since Ford does not have any parts for cars that are 8+ years old, according to the service center, they kept it for about 2 months while they searched for the parts required to fix it. But, right as they found the needed parts, a hailstorm passed through town and finished the job as golfball to softball sized hail rained from the sky. At that point, the insurance company totaled it.
So, I think it finished and returned my rental car provided to me by my insurance company (that was also heavily damaged during the hailstorm). I then purchased a brand new Honda and washed my hands of the entire affair, grateful the ordeal was over.
The other night, my 1 week old Honda was rear ended as I was waiting at a traffic light. The accident destroyed the front of the truck that hit me, with fluids from his vehicle leaking everywhere and the wheels grinding against its warped molding. My Honda's rear is tore up, but still drivable and the trunk still opens.
The other driver, of course, was uninsured (violation of my state's requirement that one must purchase liability insurance (at least)) and he did not have a driver's license (literally none, not even an expired one). Thankfully, he stuck around for the cops and spilled his guts to the policeman that took the accident report about how he had not slept for two days, that his tires were bald, that he knew his brakes were not good, etc. So, it is clear that I am not at fault and I am glad no one was hurt. On a freaky coincidental note, I received the new insurance card for my new car the day the accident occurred.
Body shops around here are booked till late August due to the hailstorm, but at least I can drive it and not have to deal with rentals till it goes in for repairs. Sigh, always buy comprehensive insurance, it really pays off sometimes.
Cliffs:
1. Thieves destroyed my car to steal my stereo
2. Hail storm finished my old car off (resulting in a total)
3. Hail storm severely damaged my rental car (a new 2011 Impala)
4. My new car (2011 Honda Accord), purchased to end the drama, was rear-ended by an uninsured, unlicensed motorist < a week after purchase
5. Always buy comprehensive insurance and do not expect other drivers to have liability insurance
Thankfully, I have comprehensive insurance, so I am only out of deductibles and time to deal with this crap. The fact that a $400 stereo was stolen was not as bad as the $3000 worth of damage they did to my car to get to it (without my alarm going off). The $3000 was the result of two broken windows, a failed slim jimming that damaged the door and the fact they ripped my entire climate control system out to get to my stereo. Oddly enough, they disconnected my ipod module ($50+ used on Ebay) from the stereo and left it in my car, along with my Sennheiser headphones (~ $50 MSRP) and DvD navigation software ($40+ on Ebay) which were all there and untouched. They did find and take my hidden $5 stash of emergency gas cash.
Since Ford does not have any parts for cars that are 8+ years old, according to the service center, they kept it for about 2 months while they searched for the parts required to fix it. But, right as they found the needed parts, a hailstorm passed through town and finished the job as golfball to softball sized hail rained from the sky. At that point, the insurance company totaled it.
So, I think it finished and returned my rental car provided to me by my insurance company (that was also heavily damaged during the hailstorm). I then purchased a brand new Honda and washed my hands of the entire affair, grateful the ordeal was over.
The other night, my 1 week old Honda was rear ended as I was waiting at a traffic light. The accident destroyed the front of the truck that hit me, with fluids from his vehicle leaking everywhere and the wheels grinding against its warped molding. My Honda's rear is tore up, but still drivable and the trunk still opens.
The other driver, of course, was uninsured (violation of my state's requirement that one must purchase liability insurance (at least)) and he did not have a driver's license (literally none, not even an expired one). Thankfully, he stuck around for the cops and spilled his guts to the policeman that took the accident report about how he had not slept for two days, that his tires were bald, that he knew his brakes were not good, etc. So, it is clear that I am not at fault and I am glad no one was hurt. On a freaky coincidental note, I received the new insurance card for my new car the day the accident occurred.
Body shops around here are booked till late August due to the hailstorm, but at least I can drive it and not have to deal with rentals till it goes in for repairs. Sigh, always buy comprehensive insurance, it really pays off sometimes.
Cliffs:
1. Thieves destroyed my car to steal my stereo
2. Hail storm finished my old car off (resulting in a total)
3. Hail storm severely damaged my rental car (a new 2011 Impala)
4. My new car (2011 Honda Accord), purchased to end the drama, was rear-ended by an uninsured, unlicensed motorist < a week after purchase
5. Always buy comprehensive insurance and do not expect other drivers to have liability insurance
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