Stolen civic tragedy - Suggestions on repair?

TridenT · Feb 10, 2014

EDIT: Go to bottom of thread for new material.

So, some people with a serious tobacco, lighter, and nuts addiction hijacked my car for about a week. I'm trying to recover what there is of my car.

They ruined my steering column to an extent. http://youtu.be/TasbM4SPxh0?t=9m21s Look at 9:21, and see the rectangular steel object in the background that is aimed towards the steering wheel? Yeah, well, imagine that they hit that shit with a sledgehammer such that it's seriously offset. Not only that, but so are my blinkers and wiper controls. (Offset, weird and uncomfortable angles now) Great. That's fixable, maybe. I'm going to try hitting it with a hammer in the opposite direction and see if that solves it. There is no other solution, so it seems.

On top of that loveliness, I have this HORRIBLE SMELL OF SMOKE IN MY CAR AND I WANT TO MURDER. Suggestions? Should I just rip all the carpet out (top and bottom), remove all the seats (back and front), and just have one 5 point harness bucket seat for me? I'm not sure if that will solve the smoke problem either.

They also ripped out the radio (Worthless radio, IMHO) and ruined my entire climate control getup. Destroyed all the plastic and destroyed the radio mounting metal. So, that's going to set me $100 back on ebay. http://************/m7eakt6, it's a tiny url

I've also removed my ignition lock cylinder from my ignition module (Whatever you call it, honestly) and am going to order a new one off of RockAuto. That's also about $80-$90 after shippin'.

Doppel · Feb 10, 2014

What's the story behind how you got it back? They get caught or anything?

tortillasoup · Feb 10, 2014

Check salvage yards like Car-part.com for potential parts replacements. You can also check craigslist as well in case anybody is parting that stuff out.

TridenT · Feb 10, 2014

Doppel said:
What's the story behind how you got it back? They get caught or anything?

No and they won't from my case. As the report said, "No evidence found." Whatever. A lady reported the car on her street. (For some reason; AKA, crackheads attract attention)

tortillasoup said:
Check salvage yards like Car-part.com for potential parts replacements. You can also check craigslist as well in case anybody is parting that stuff out.

I've pretty much already done that. No one has the part except on ebay. It's very specific to the 99-00 Civics and seems to be in low-supply. I would try salvage yards, but this is a high demand item. I also don't know of any with 99-00 Honda Civics. (Preferably EXs, from what I can tell)

I'm just going to have to part with about $500 in the end. The windshield was cracked and that's $200. Climate console is $100. New ignition module is going to round up to $100 somehow. (I do need new bolts) And I need a new radio... So, there's $500 so far.

And I still want a different car because my civic is so low on storage capacity.

mmntech · Feb 10, 2014

Ozone gets the smoke smell out for the most part. We had an ozone generator at the rental lot for just that purpose. You can rent them, though a good detailer will probably have one.

jagec · Feb 10, 2014

TridenT said:
On top of that loveliness, I have this HORRIBLE SMELL OF SMOKE IN MY CAR AND I WANT TO MURDER. Suggestions? Should I just rip all the carpet out (top and bottom), remove all the seats (back and front), and just have one 5 point harness bucket seat for me? I'm not sure if that will solve the smoke problem either.

Pray To Jesus · Feb 10, 2014

At least they didn't take your tires.

DaTT · Feb 10, 2014

Don't you have insurance?

halik · Feb 10, 2014

TridenT said:
So, some people with a serious tobacco, lighter, and nuts addiction hijacked my car for about a week. I'm trying to recover what there is of my car.

They ruined my steering column to an extent. http://youtu.be/TasbM4SPxh0?t=9m21s Look at 9:21, and see the rectangular steel object in the background that is aimed towards the steering wheel? Yeah, well, imagine that they hit that shit with a sledgehammer such that it's seriously offset. Not only that, but so are my blinkers and wiper controls. (Offset, weird and uncomfortable angles now) Great. That's fixable, maybe. I'm going to try hitting it with a hammer in the opposite direction and see if that solves it. There is no other solution, so it seems.

On top of that loveliness, I have this HORRIBLE SMELL OF SMOKE IN MY CAR AND I WANT TO MURDER. Suggestions? Should I just rip all the carpet out (top and bottom), remove all the seats (back and front), and just have one 5 point harness bucket seat for me? I'm not sure if that will solve the smoke problem either.

They also ripped out the radio (Worthless radio, IMHO) and ruined my entire climate control getup. Destroyed all the plastic and destroyed the radio mounting metal. So, that's going to set me $100 back on ebay. http://************/m7eakt6, it's a tiny url

I've also removed my ignition lock cylinder from my ignition module (Whatever you call it, honestly) and am going to order a new one off of RockAuto. That's also about $80-$90 after shippin'.

I think you can get a bunch of those upholstery cleaners from vatozone and go to town on all the carpeted surfaces.

The other stuff should be fixable on the cheap, ebay is full of chopped up civics. You might wanna consider getting an alarm system with ignition cut, just so your car doesn't disappear again.

Seaneboy · Feb 11, 2014

Sorry to hear about your car man! That just blows...
I second the ozone generator for sure... That's the best way to go because you're not covering the smell, but actually eliminating it.

BUTCH1 · Feb 11, 2014

Ditch the early model Civic, not that it's a bad car, it's just prone to be stolen often..

halik · Feb 11, 2014

BUTCH1 said:
Ditch the early model Civic, not that it's a bad car, it's just prone to be stolen often..

IIRc he's got no comprehensive, so it's a sunk cost at this point. May as well drive the POS till the wheels come off; just get an ignition cut system and replace some of the trim.

I honestly wouldn't waste too much time fixing it, just get the smell out of it and put the steering column back. It's a 150+K mile civic, not exactly special.

Also this whole debacle has been foretold:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=29132905&postcount=399
http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=28919515&postcount=37

onza · Feb 11, 2014

i would now try to make that civic the most eco mpg friendly vehicle known to man!

amdhunter · Feb 11, 2014

onza said:
i would now try to make that civic the most eco mpg friendly vehicle known to man!

That's what I was thinking. Gut the thing and make it super lightweight at this point.

Herr Kutz · Feb 11, 2014

TridenT said:
On top of that loveliness, I have this HORRIBLE SMELL OF SMOKE IN MY CAR AND I WANT TO MURDER. Suggestions? Should I just rip all the carpet out (top and bottom), remove all the seats (back and front), and just have one 5 point harness bucket seat for me? I'm not sure if that will solve the smoke problem either.

Steam cleaning--twice. It was the only way I could get rid of the smell in the used car I purchased. Before steam cleaning it, the smell was so bad my clothes would reek after a short 10-minute drive. Now, the smell is completely gone.

In addition to the steam cleaning, I also wiped down any non-facric surface I could find, including under the steering wheel, seats, etc.

Edit: I don't know the exact model, but I used something like this (with the nozzle attachment): http://www.amazon.com/Hoover-SteamV...&qid=1392141275&sr=8-5&keywords=steam+cleaner

pauldun170 · Feb 11, 2014

Herr Kutz said:
Steam cleaning--twice. It was the only way I could get rid of the smell in the used car I purchased. Before steam cleaning it, the smell was so bad my clothes would reek after a short 10-minute drive. Now, the smell is completely gone.

In addition to the steam cleaning, I also wiped down any non-facric surface I could find, including under the steering wheel, seats, etc.

Edit: I don't know the exact model, but I used something like this (with the nozzle attachment): http://www.amazon.com/Hoover-SteamVa...=steam+cleaner

In addition to this, fabric softener sheets and two containers with holes in the lid (like what you get for chinese soup) filled with coffee grinds. Put them under the seats

vshah · Feb 11, 2014

Isn't insurance covering at least part of this?

TridenT · Feb 11, 2014

They cover nothing. It is not a crash and therefore it is not something they cover.

Occ · Feb 11, 2014

You should look into installing a fuel pump kill switch. My buddy has one for his... I think it's a 2000 civic or close to that year.

TridenT · Feb 11, 2014

Occ said:
You should look into installing a fuel pump kill switch. My buddy has one for his... I think it's a 2000 civic or close to that year.

I was just planning on removing the fuse, but that will only make them realize it won't start after they've damaged it.

But, whatever.

ViviTheMage · Feb 11, 2014

TridenT said:
They cover nothing. It is not a crash and therefore it is not something they cover.

I would talk with insurance, because when my car was broken into, they said I could file a claim on EVERYTHING that was broken .. arm rest, steering wheel, sub (aftermarket), GPS. I had comprehensive/collision though, maybe you don't?

tortillasoup · Feb 11, 2014

ViviTheMage said:
I would talk with insurance, because when my car was broken into, they said I could file a claim on EVERYTHING that was broken .. arm rest, steering wheel, sub (aftermarket), GPS. I had comprehensive/collision though, maybe you don't?

he doesn't have any coverage, just liability only. I don't know what he is babbling about.

hanoverphist · Feb 11, 2014

for the smoke smell. i used to use the spray kind tto cover up pot smoke in my moms car when i was a teen. she has very acute sense of smell, and while she would complain that i sprayed her car, she couldnt tell it was masking pot smoke.

what part is specific to the 99-00 civic that you cant find? the whole interior is common to the 96-00 models as far as i know, the only things that arent are the front end components. i have a 96 civic, i know how few there are in salvage yards. usually youll find any part you need with some patience and watching craigslist tho. hell, i have a 2000 double din stock radio in the back of my work truck that i got for free. wont fit in my 96, but i will find something to do with it. you can have it if you like.

TridenT · Feb 11, 2014

hanoverphist said:
for the smoke smell. i used to use the spray kind tto cover up pot smoke in my moms car when i was a teen. she has very acute sense of smell, and while she would complain that i sprayed her car, she couldnt tell it was masking pot smoke.

what part is specific to the 99-00 civic that you cant find? the whole interior is common to the 96-00 models as far as i know, the only things that arent are the front end components. i have a 96 civic, i know how few there are in salvage yards. usually youll find any part you need with some patience and watching craigslist tho. hell, i have a 2000 double din stock radio in the back of my work truck that i got for free. wont fit in my 96, but i will find something to do with it. you can have it if you like.

The climate control console is unique to the 99-00 models, I believe. I bought one with the stock radio and storage din as well. Needs some cleaning but otherwise looks great. $105 though. Steering column cover was $30. And I bought a new ignition lock cylinder+locking mechanism/module (for steering wheel locking and starting the car). That was about $82. First two were on ebay. Last was on RockAuto.

I'll replace the windshield last and it'll be $200. I'll buy a new iphone 5s compatible radio soon too.

They put a lot of dents all over the car. As if they walked on it or just threw bricks at it. I don't know. Crack heads...

I'm taking a Jeep back up to Seattle while my car is down at my parents place. We'll see how that does. First time on my own with a manual transmission car. Ho-ho.

TridenT · Feb 11, 2014

Stolen civic tragedy - Suggestions on repair?

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