My sister-in-law had her Jeep Cherokee stolen this morning.

[HomeAppraiser]

She got a Lincoln Navigator rental (insurance paid) and will get a check for the depreciated value of the Jeep if it is not recovered. So basically it will be paid off, then she will have to start over with another new/used vehicle. She is my wifes sister.

 

[Baked]

She loses a big SUV and gets an even bigger one? Lets hope the car thief doesn't come back for 2nds.

 

[CanOWorms]

.

 

[erub]

makes them remote start systems seem cheap, eh?

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: IrocZman223
I haven't read the entire thread, but do all of you live on the west coast? I live in Indiana and you HAVE to let your car warm up this time of year. Often it is entirely too cold to sit in your vehicle for 10-15 minutes while the ice and everything else melts off your car while it warms up enough to drive.

I lived in Indiana for two years, and I always attended my car while it warmed up. I'd be cleaning the ice off the windows while the interior got warm. Oh, and I wore this magical invention called A JACKET.

If I had lived in a colder state, I would have installed a block heater.

Originally posted by: gsaldivar

Originally posted by: brigden
Don't listen to these jaded morons. In Canada, people leave their cars idling without fear because we don't need to fear rampant car theft.

With the exception of a drop from 1996 to 2000, the rate of vehicle theft in Canada has been increasing annually since the mid-1980s...Canada ranked fifth highest of 17 countries for car thefts in the 1999 International Crime Victimization Survey, with 1.6% of the population reporting that they had been a victim of car theft during the previous 12 months. Police-reported data show that Canada's vehicle theft rate has been higher than the U.S. rate since 1996. In 2000, Canada's rate was 26% higher than the comparable American rate.

http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/030108/d030108b.htm

haha, owned.

 

[eelw]

Originally posted by: jagec
With the exception of a drop from 1996 to 2000, the rate of vehicle theft in Canada has been increasing annually since the mid-1980s...Canada ranked fifth highest of 17 countries for car thefts in the 1999 International Crime Victimization Survey, with 1.6% of the population reporting that they had been a victim of car theft during the previous 12 months. Police-reported data show that Canada's vehicle theft rate has been higher than the U.S. rate since 1996. In 2000, Canada's rate was 26% higher than the comparable American rate.

http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/030108/d030108b.htm

haha, owned.[/quote]

But what's the number of cars per person/household difference between Canada and the US.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a higher number of cars per person here in Canada to account for the higher theft/100,000 people rate.

 

[Koing]

I'd never leave my car on idle without me or someone else in it. It may be a cheap car but it would be a h assle to have it stolen...

Koing

 

[dwcal]

Originally posted by: RebelDog

Originally posted by: geno

Originally posted by: EatSpam

Originally posted by: geno
how long do you need to let an engine warm up for? cripes 2 minutes max is all you need

This is on really cold days, like you'd get outside of SoCal. If the car has half an inch of ice on the windshield, you'll freeze to death before scrapping it off. Best to let the car run for a while to soften it up.

that's not really that good for the motor...

ummmm... i'm not a car expert by any means but I do wonder how idling at, say, 1400 rpm for 1/2 hour can be any worse then cruising at 50 mph at, say, 2900 rpm for 1/2 hour???? just my $.02 worth

First of all we're comparing cold starts which has nothing to do with cruising at 50mph.

It's better to warm it up for a short time* then drive gently for the first few miles because your car has more moving parts than just the engine: the transmission, wheel bearings, brakes, etc. If you drive gently the first few miles anyway, then I guess there's no difference, but warming it up for too long just wastes gas and it's not easier on the engine.

* What you call a short time depends on the weather. Obviously, it'll take longer in winter, but as soon as the engine runs smoothly and the oil has had time to circulate, the car is ready to drive.

 

[destrekor]

i guess you people could call me an idiot then
i have no garage, and no money for a remote car starter
so, what do I do? As soon as I get dressed, I walk to my car, start it, then go back inside and finish getting ready for school. Its a safe neighborhood, but thats no exuse. I dont lay that down as an exuse either. Its simply, I refuse to drive my car without warming the engine. It helps to have the interior warm to, but my timing it never is warm immediately. Nor is the engine fully warmed (looking at the temperature guage). I dont drive lightly, never get the chance to going to school. I am almost always running late. So sitting in my car, waiting 5 minutes or so for the engine to warm is not an ideal thing to do.
So im an 'idiot'. Either most of you people live in areas that dont require it, have a garage, or have the money for a remote car starter. Dont jump the gun on people that dont have those luxuries and have to settle on something. Which is letting the car idle and warm up.
its what has to be done. cant drive the car and have that result in engine damage.
and having a spare key on me at all times sounds like a stupid thing to do. Hmm, lets either have the spare key on me at all times, at risk of being lost, or leave it in the car, where it serves no purpose in case of the first key being lost.
locking the doors and using a spare key is more idiotic than just letting it idle. it prevents nothing (smashed rear window does the trick) and risks losing the spare key (which i keep in the house in case anything happens)

 

[HomeAppraiser]

I suppose you could have a spare valet parking key ring that unclips from your main key ring. Go out, unclip extra key, start car with main key, lock car door with extra key, unlock car door with extra key and remember to reattach to main key ring. A pain, but less painful than a stolen car!

 

[Xylitol]

Sorry to hear that
Should lock the door if she has an extra set of keys that her husband has

 

[harobikes333]

simple. Lock your vehicle.

ALso don't let your car run for hours on end its just a waste

 

[HomeAppraiser]

Originally posted by: Xylitol
Sorry to hear that
Should lock the door if she has an extra set of keys that her husband has

Actually they are separated. Assets split, divorce papers signed, but not turned in to the court for the judge to sign yet.

 

[geno]

Originally posted by: RebelDog

Originally posted by: geno

Originally posted by: EatSpam

Originally posted by: geno
how long do you need to let an engine warm up for? cripes 2 minutes max is all you need

This is on really cold days, like you'd get outside of SoCal. If the car has half an inch of ice on the windshield, you'll freeze to death before scrapping it off. Best to let the car run for a while to soften it up.

that's not really that good for the motor...

ummmm... i'm not a car expert by any means but I do wonder how idling at, say, 1400 rpm for 1/2 hour can be any worse then cruising at 50 mph at, say, 2900 rpm for 1/2 hour???? just my $.02 worth

the motor warms up too slowly, the quicker a motor warms up, the better - tolerances tighten up, lubricants do their job better, etc. Now, it won't *kill* a motor, but it's definitely not for its benefit. You also get more fuel in the oil that way (rings don't snug up to the cylinder walls as much and fuel can mix in with the oil more easily)

 

[geno]

Originally posted by: Gibson486
I used to live in Lowell, ma and I used to leave my Eclipse idle in the driveway all the time. It was never stolen. Whoever says she is an idiot needs a reality check.

<--- goes to UML What part of Lowell were you in?

 

[Powermoloch]

Originally posted by: Lonyo
What a freaking moron.
A car in the drive idling is really really asking for it.

 

[archcommus]

You guys think she's an idiot, I'm amazed.

Where I live, everyone does that...all the time. Like, every morning when it's 5 degrees out. It's extremely common and normal.

 

[HomeAppraiser]

UPDATE: She bought renters insurance later that day since the house keys were on the key ring that was in the Jeep and also had all the house locks changed. The kids and she have been staying at her almost ex(divorce papers signed but not filed)husbands house since that day as she is still too freaked out to go back. As for the car theft, she made it really easy for them by backing into the driveway the night before. Gone in less than 60 seconds. She says that she will definitely get a remote start/alarm unit for her next vehicle.

 

[eakers]

I always leave my car going but I lock it. The car just drives better after its warmed up a bunch

Not to mention how getting into a wamer(er) car on -30 days and having the windows a lot easier to scrape is fantastic.

 

[eakers]

Originally posted by: Mucho

Originally posted by: brigden
Don't listen to these jaded morons. In Canada, people leave their cars idling without fear because we don't need to fear rampant car theft.

I am almost certain you can get a ticket in Toronto for doing that.

Only on certain days in the summer when there are "bad air quality" alerts

 

[HarvInSTL]

Originally posted by: archcommus
You guys think she's an idiot, I'm amazed.

Where I live, everyone does that...all the time. Like, every morning when it's 5 degrees out. It's extremely common and normal.

That just means you live next to a huge group of idiots. I don't care where you live, leaving your car idling/warming up is just asking for trouble.

Lets think about it this way, if the car was started and warming up would it have been stolen? Possibly but unlikely.

Originally posted by: destrekor
i guess you people could call me an idiot then
i have no garage, and no money for a remote car starter
so, what do I do? As soon as I get dressed, I walk to my car, start it, then go back inside and finish getting ready for school. Its a safe neighborhood, but thats no exuse. I dont lay that down as an exuse either. Its simply, I refuse to drive my car without warming the engine. It helps to have the interior warm to, but my timing it never is warm immediately. Nor is the engine fully warmed (looking at the temperature guage). I dont drive lightly, never get the chance to going to school. I am almost always running late. So sitting in my car, waiting 5 minutes or so for the engine to warm is not an ideal thing to do.
So im an 'idiot'. Either most of you people live in areas that dont require it, have a garage, or have the money for a remote car starter. Dont jump the gun on people that dont have those luxuries and have to settle on something. Which is letting the car idle and warm up.
its what has to be done. cant drive the car and have that result in engine damage.
and having a spare key on me at all times sounds like a stupid thing to do. Hmm, lets either have the spare key on me at all times, at risk of being lost, or leave it in the car, where it serves no purpose in case of the first key being lost.
locking the doors and using a spare key is more idiotic than just letting it idle. it prevents nothing (smashed rear window does the trick) and risks losing the spare key (which i keep in the house in case anything happens)

Geez, where to start at with this one.

ok, first off you're an idiot too.
Second, I'm sorry that you don't have a garage or the money for a remote car starter. But do you have the money to buy a new vehicle? I know in the state of missouri if the keys are in the ignitation and your car is stolen most insurance companies will not pay the claim. It has happened to my ex's brother, and yes he was an idiot too.

And if you can't keep track of your spare key, then there are other underlying issues we need to discuss.

How is it so difficult to keep a spare key on a ring hanging somewhere in your home. How hard is it to replace that key back on to that ring when you return?
But I digress, the problem here is that someone thought it was safe and they were proved wrong. I'd rather take the extra 4 or 5 steps, (such as remote car start, spare key,The Club,etc) than to have my car stolen because of my own lazyiness or stupidity.

 

[KK]

Originally posted by: HarvInSTL

Originally posted by: archcommus
You guys think she's an idiot, I'm amazed.

Where I live, everyone does that...all the time. Like, every morning when it's 5 degrees out. It's extremely common and normal.

That just means you live next to a huge group of idiots. I don't care where you live, leaving your car idling/warming up is just asking for trouble.

Lets think about it this way, if the car was started and warming up would it have been stolen? Possibly but unlikely.

Originally posted by: destrekor
i guess you people could call me an idiot then
i have no garage, and no money for a remote car starter
so, what do I do? As soon as I get dressed, I walk to my car, start it, then go back inside and finish getting ready for school. Its a safe neighborhood, but thats no exuse. I dont lay that down as an exuse either. Its simply, I refuse to drive my car without warming the engine. It helps to have the interior warm to, but my timing it never is warm immediately. Nor is the engine fully warmed (looking at the temperature guage). I dont drive lightly, never get the chance to going to school. I am almost always running late. So sitting in my car, waiting 5 minutes or so for the engine to warm is not an ideal thing to do.
So im an 'idiot'. Either most of you people live in areas that dont require it, have a garage, or have the money for a remote car starter. Dont jump the gun on people that dont have those luxuries and have to settle on something. Which is letting the car idle and warm up.
its what has to be done. cant drive the car and have that result in engine damage.
and having a spare key on me at all times sounds like a stupid thing to do. Hmm, lets either have the spare key on me at all times, at risk of being lost, or leave it in the car, where it serves no purpose in case of the first key being lost.
locking the doors and using a spare key is more idiotic than just letting it idle. it prevents nothing (smashed rear window does the trick) and risks losing the spare key (which i keep in the house in case anything happens)

Geez, where to start at with this one.

ok, first off you're an idiot too.
Second, I'm sorry that you don't have a garage or the money for a remote car starter. But do you have the money to buy a new vehicle? I know in the state of missouri if the keys are in the ignitation and your car is stolen most insurance companies will not pay the claim. It has happened to my ex's brother, and yes he was an idiot too.

And if you can't keep track of your spare key, then there are other underlying issues we need to discuss.

How is it so difficult to keep a spare key on a ring hanging somewhere in your home. How hard is it to replace that key back on to that ring when you return?
But I digress, the problem here is that someone thought it was safe and they were proved wrong. I'd rather take the extra 4 or 5 steps, (such as remote car start, spare key,The Club,etc) than to have my car stolen because of my own lazyiness or stupidity.

If you ever move out to the country instead of living in a dirty ass city, then your views would change. Not everyone lives in fear of getting their vehicles stolen, atleast not in the country. This is one reason I would never move to a crime infested city, the other reason is I'd rather have my kids playing on grass instead of concrete.

 

[Minjin]

If I ever lived in an area where I was concerned about my car being stolen, I would move. Yes, I leave my car idling. I don't lock my car doors (even with a Valentine 1 in the windshield). And I don't worry...

Mark

 

[HarvInSTL]

KK:
I understand depending on where and how you live will make a difference in if you worried about leaving your vehicle unlocked and running.

Living in fear and being niave enough to think that it will never happen to you are two different things.

I don't think locking your car door while it is running is living in fear. I would classify that as neccassary precaution that would help prevent your car from being stolen.

I would think locking your car door when ever a black guy walks on the sidewalk would be living in fear.

I've lived both in the country, (Kewanee/Princeton, IL small farm town in IL) and a big city (Saint Louis, MO) and I would take the same steps in both. Hell i've seen more Meth heads in my small ass home town than I have here in Saint Louis.

What I seem to have a problem with this is the people that leave their car running, have it get stolen and then can't believe that it happened to them. And then proceed to place blame on anything and everything, when all they had to do was take a few simple steps to prevent it.

 

[saahmed]

Leaving a car idling in the driveway to warm it up is a normality in most places. Probably not a good idea in larger cities, but peaceful towns would be ok. Of course you may run a risk. But everybody in my town does it.