raja777m

Hello all, I'm back with another insurance claim.
Cop gave me the case number. They stole the dashcam as well as it got motion detection.
My deductible is 500, so I'm paying out of pocket and the total estimate is 350$ including disposal, first time discount and mobile repair with safelite.
They are doing a free crash wrap for the window and if I'm not comfortable, Geico will provide a rental car for this period.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17Zytj0BIHneAwks6fR6O20t3XvmmAFqF?usp=sharing

I couldn't add pics, so, google drive pics is what I could share for now.

ygmn

Cannot see pics says I have to log into google.... which I do not have account for.

DFWdude

404 error on the pics, and I do have Google.

raja777m

Please try this

https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...qF?usp=sharing

DFWdude

Did your alarm not sound when the window was broken?

kajtek1

MB doesn't have vibration sensors, but they have tilt sensor in case somebody would hook up tow truck.
Sad to see it happen.

Mud

I never knew that, thanks.
Raja, I'm sorry to hear, I hope it resolves ok. Shame is that it's huge damage for minimal gain to some crackhead.

DFWdude

So... If the window was broken to open the door to gain entry to the car, the alarm will sound the instant the door is manually unlocked and opened (presuming the door was locked).. At least it always has (on my 'lowly' C-Class) when I lock the doors with a window open and later pull the door pin and open the door.

raja777m

The door want opened, because the pick was still in and (they didn't pull it up to unlock). Probably experienced thief. Probably smart as well, as he stole the dash cam too.

Also, the car is parked a bit far away from my apartment and I was already tired from driving 6 hours straight.

raja777m

Currently getting the crash wrap from Safelite so it could be driveable. If not comfortable I'll ask for rental vehicle from Geico

dbldpr

Sorry to see it was broken into. Do you live in bad neighborhood? That is why the dash camera should go to computer at home instead to a chip in camera. I do not think they make them that way.

ygmn

bummer

Hard to have nice stuff in this world.

kajtek1

In my previous house I had gate and cars park in carports. I never locked them and only 1 time in 28 years we had something stolen.
They took Valentine One from my car and pet carrier (!) evidently looking for stash cash or CC as all the stuff from glove compartment was spilled on the floor.
Friends ask me why I did not lock the car > to have broken window?
Don't know if raja could install a light on his balcony, that would overlook the car, but lately I install KUNA light/camera.
Just slightly above $100 the motion detector turns the stylistic light (4 designs to choose from), make a sound and start recording via WI-FI.
Even I don't pay $5 monthly for cloud service, within 2 hr I can check on my android who was fooling around my property and also have phone ring whenever detection happens.
You can also use it as intercom.
Great technology.

KEY08

Sorry for your bad luck again, Raja. Car looks great, even with the busted out window. You take great care of it.

raja777m

Just finding the good things to satisfy in the bad situation, thanks Keith for your kind words.

Apartment property couldn't install cameras for "privacy" reasons. Definitely I'll install if I'm living in an individual home or own home. Thank You for the suggestion, I'll definitely come back here for such ideas.

That was the first thing that occurred when I saw this, with tears. First thing I said to my wife is, I'll sell the car and get a beater vehicle.

Hope to find such cameras or I need to buy Tesla as they could record and store separately I guess.

raja777m

No matter how worthy the item inside the vehicle is, it is never okay to break into a car like that.
There are shards of glass all over the place and so far I've been stung(probably not the right word) 3 times just cleaning it.
I'm paying it out of pocket and I'm pretty sure I'll find piece of glasses for next few months.

kajtek1

Apartments are having their rules and tenants convenience is not the highest priority.
That said, KUNA is 1 of the options. IMHO the biggest theft prevention is motion-detecting light and you can buy them in 12V models. Installing 1 inside the car should not be a problem and hopefully they will detect via car windows.
Than even KUNA works on 120V, for light, I think electronic and motion detector might be low-voltage. Meaning it could be possible to convert it to 12V. Maybe somebody else is making it already?
The biggest advantage of KUNA is sound and phone beeps. Sounds are prerecorded and for Christmas I set to to "Merry Christmas Ho, ho, ho" and later on to dog barking.
My purpose for KUNA is mailbox protection since that is a problem in my neighborhood.
When thieves might ignore motion lights, once they hear a sound response and see recording light, that should be enough for average thief nerves.
Than when you manage to get whole thing inside WI-FI range, you will get notification and you can talk back or set alarm.
My neighbors live at dead end of the street and being only 1 house there, often have cars park there for marijuana poof, beer drinking, or even sex.
They install 2 of such cameras along their property fence and each time a car parks there, they set the alarm. Even some cars might park there for just a walk, not too many drivers have nerves to stay there with alarms blazing.

DubVBenz

What was visible that enticed them to break the glass? You've had bad luck with this car..

raja777m

Oh I see, that's why it didn't alarm the day when someone did this while I was waiting at the dentist (less than 100feet) from the car.





My dashcam ran out of charge and the dentist office didn't have cameras.

KEY08

Honda Fit

That’s ridiculous. Some *** hat did a hit and run on my daughters car while parked on the street the other day. Some people would rather take off than deal with it. I remember the dude that backed into your car while you were in it was denying everything. I hate this stuff.

cetialpha5

Mine got smashed a while ago. Every time I vacuum, I still find little bits of glass. They basically hide under the tracks of the seats and it's hard to get them out even with a nozzle on a vacuum. I did have no deductible on my insurance so it didn't cost anything. There wasn't anything in the car either, the state police told me that the street I parked on tends to have crack heads hoping to steal some change. Seems to happen every couple of years so I leave nothing visible in the car so it's not worth breaking in but I guess even a crack head can dream for a score.

kajtek1

What I found quite amazing about MB paint, that it is much harder than other brands paint.
So the black stuff on raja's car is most likely other car paint and it will buff off.
Can't tell from the picture, but hopefully there are no deep scratches.

Mud

True, it appears to be a ceramic-based material as applied at the factory. I had an old lady back into my door a couple of years ago - her insurance (hooray, someone with insurance) paid for replacement door rather than repair. The new door was painted and blended with Sikkens but the shop also commented that they could not replicate the original factory application. Fair enough, it looks perfect.

Raja, I think also it will buff out with only perhaps very minor imperfections that won't stand out. Hopefully you can resolve the break-in and continue to enjoy the car. It seems to be a rule of nature I guess, the nicer the vehicle the bigger the magnet it becomes. Good luck.

hyperion667

Well damn! Sorry to see it. At least you don't have to steal stuff to live......people mostly suck.

thefisch

Sorry to hear about this. Many years and two cars ago, I left work to find my passenger window smashed and the guy was still in the car trying to pry out the radio. Good times.

Seeing this reminds me to check my comp deductibles. I hate paying when it's someone else's fault.