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

[Raduque]

I bet they stole it because of the wheels. It was probably a spur-of-the-moment grab. My family lets our vehicles idle for up to an hour to warm them up, up here in WV, but we live in a very rural area; our nearest neighbor is just barely within shouting distance. In Martinsburg, though, people leave their cars idling all the time at gas stations and so on, and they city police was handing out tickets like candy last winter

 

[Lucky]

Originally posted by: ProviaFan

Originally posted by: MX2times

Originally posted by: her209
I let my car idle but I lock the doors.

Smashing a window isnt too difficult you know

And somehow that won't help a theif if the car isn't running, but will help if it is?

Duh, the keys are in the ignition.

 

[DeeKnow]

Originally posted by: BobDaMenkey
That's a REALLY dumb thing to do, ANYWHERE.

its also sad to live in places where you cannot do that... anywhere

 

[Lucky]

I feel lucky to live in a nice-enough neighborhood to be able to warm up our truck here unlocked in the MI winters. But our driveway winds behind our house and is bounded by a seldom-used alley, so it's not really in a high-traffic area.

But then again it's a POS. I'd rather have it stolen than deal with the gas tank leak, the broken winshield wipers, and the shot front-end suspension.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Originally posted by: Rufio
she's an idiot.
ahahahhhahahhhaahhha

 

[stnicralisk]

Originally posted by: Lucky

Originally posted by: ProviaFan

Originally posted by: MX2times

Originally posted by: her209
I let my car idle but I lock the doors.

Smashing a window isnt too difficult you know

And somehow that won't help a theif if the car isn't running, but will help if it is?

Duh, the keys are in the ignition.

My parents used to take in foster children. One of them ran away with some friends one time. He wasn't a genius he wasnt macguver - he used a screwdriver and a hammer. He would smash the screwdriver into the ignition and turn it. I hardly see how the keys are very helpful.. if someone wants your car they can take it.. this child was 13.

EDIT: I do see how it would be a fringe benefit that she warmed the cabin for the perp. though!

 

[SearchMaster]

Sheesh, some of you are harsh. I leave the keys in my car in my driveway all the time - heck, we hardly ever lock our house except when we go to bed.

There are some advantages to living in a somewhat rural area.

 

[marvdmartian]

Tell this to your sister:

1. carry 2 sets of keys
2. lock the car doors while warming the vehicle
3. when you come out the house, you have a warmed vehicle that you unlock with your 2nd set of keys.

Either that, or look into remote starting systems for her.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Ronstang
If they cover it I am fine with that as long as she tells the truth as to the consequences of the theft.

:thumbsup:

 

[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.

 

[iamwiz82]

My brothers truck was stolen out of his garage while it was being warmed up.

 

[nakedfrog]

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.

Just last week here in Nebraska it was below zero, and I didn't freeze to death scraping the thick ice from all my windows... you really oughta try wearing a coat and some gloves

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: RebelDog
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

I hope your car doesn't idle at 1400RPM for half an hour...

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: BigJ
Wow that was dumb. If you do that, at the very least lock your doors and use your spare key to open it.

:thumbsup: I don't care how safe you think your neighborhood is.

Besides, if I was a cold-hearted criminal witnessing this everyday, it's not so hard to pick a time to swipe the car. Our "safe neighborhood" home got broken into during the only 2 hours of the entire day nobody's home. It happens because someone probably staked out the routine...

 

[Legend]

I recently saw someone leave their car to warm up. In an apartment complex! This isn't an affluent suburban house with 1 acre plots. Even then I wouldn't do it.

 

[AdamSnow]

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 agree...

Every morning I go out, start my car and go back into my house... I let it idle for about 5 minutes before I actually go and get in it...

It just doesn't happen around here... I've done it for years...

 

[Kelemvor]

Any time I do that, I lock the door after I start it. Then I unlock it with the remote (which I take off the keychain) when I'm ready to get in.

But there's no reason to let a car idle anyway. You waste so much gas doing that. Cars warm up far faster when actually being driven than they do sitting in your driveway.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: montanafan
Yeah, and what about all those idiots letting their kids play in their yards unattended and then complaining about it when a child molester comes along and grabs one of them.

I understand what you're saying, but the car was stolen. This was a crime. Sure, she made it easy for them, but she didn't commit a crime. She paid her insurance premiums and this is what she paid for, to be compensated in the event of a crime.

But the more people who get their cars stolen because of doing really, really dumb stuff, the higher MY insurance premiums get. Maybe they should have two grades of insurance: one for normal people, and higher premiums for people who like to leave their cars unlocked, unattended, running, with the keys in the ignition:roll:

 

[Superself]

Always get a remote start system installed.

I use an Avital alarm system with remote start.

Would be very hard to steal a car that shuts off when you put your foot on the brake pedal when no key is in the ignition.

Get the top of the line from one of these companies....

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: rh71

Originally posted by: BigJ
Wow that was dumb. If you do that, at the very least lock your doors and use your spare key to open it.

:thumbsup: I don't care how safe you think your neighborhood is.

Besides, if I was a cold-hearted criminal witnessing this everyday, it's not so hard to pick a time to swipe the car. Our "safe neighborhood" home got broken into during the only 2 hours of the entire day nobody's home. It happens because someone probably staked out the routine...

I remember they hit Plainview with the home invasions a few months ago (October I think). One of the nicest neighborhoods around with an avg income of $90,000+, and yet crime still occurs there.

 

[mercanucaribe]

So she usually leaves her kids in the cold car when she goes inside to let it warm up?

 

[CraigRT]

I always let my car idle in the morning, without an alarm. I use my 2nd key fob to lock my keys in the car, and go inside. I've never had a problem in almost 5 winters.

 

[nakedfrog]

Originally posted by: BigJ
I remember they hit Plainview with the home invasions a few months ago (October I think). One of the nicest neighborhoods around with an avg income of $90,000+, and yet crime still occurs there.

Robbing other people that live in the ghetto isn't very profitable, you make out better hitting the people with more money

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog

Originally posted by: BigJ
I remember they hit Plainview with the home invasions a few months ago (October I think). One of the nicest neighborhoods around with an avg income of $90,000+, and yet crime still occurs there.

Robbing other people that live in the ghetto isn't very profitable, you make out better hitting the people with more money

This is why everyone has a false sense of safety because they live in a nice neighborhood. It also explains why that even in a safe neighborhood, she might've been more prone to having her car stolen then in a ghetto, because of how nice the car is and what might be in it.

 

[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.