Epidemic of Model 3 small window break-ins

[Akikiki]

It looks like a lot of these other folks think the same way.

 

[YisSerL]

@EVnut, so do you want your towels back?

I agree it is not practical to leave the rear seats down. Might as well leave the window down too. The thief just wants stuff out of the car, right? If they can't drive the car away, why not just leave the door open?

It is just sad there is not a "real" solution to the problem quite yet.

 

[EVnut]

@EVnut, so do you want your towels back?

Yeah, it aways feels icky when somebody goes through your stuff. I actually used those towels to flick as much glass off the seats as possible (Note: Doesn't work! Definitely need a vacuum. Lots of glass gets trapped in the seams). But I had to do my best because three people needed to sit back there to get home. Then we shook the heck out of the towels and washed them. Just used one this morning and didn't cut myself to shreds, so I think it worked.

I agree it is not practical to leave the rear seats down. Might as well leave the window down too. The thief just wants stuff out of the car, right? If they can't drive the car away, why not just leave the door open?

It is just sad there is not a "real" solution to the problem quite yet.

I have dark tint on the rear, and it was parked in a dark area. Without some good lighting, there's no way to determine if my seats are down. And the windows down thing.... doesn't work with rain in the prediction!

There are things we can do that may help a bit. But yeah.... no "real" solution except not owning a car, or at least never parking a car. I can't believe I'm going to go back to driving the Prius into SF. :sigh: My first "nice" car, and I can't really use it.

 

[Reeler]

Yet another reason I am thankful that I don't live in California anymore. Crime rates are extremely low in Colorado and car theft is very rare. One of the benefits of being far from a port or border.

 

[SMAlset]

@EVnut, so do you want your towels back?

I agree it is not practical to leave the rear seats down. Might as well leave the window down too. The thief just wants stuff out of the car, right? If they can't drive the car away, why not just leave the door open?

It is just sad there is not a "real" solution to the problem quite yet.

You must not have heard about people who will use other people's cars for shelter to keep warm and dry and to shoot up, eat, urinate, etc. then? Leave your car unlocked and invite that in.

 

[EVnut]

You must not have heard about people who will use other people's cars for shelter to keep warm and dry and to shoot up, eat, urinate, etc. then? Leave your car unlocked and invite that in.

Regardless of any of the rest of this... my friends can't seem to figure out how to use the door handles, so leaving it unlocked may have zero effect in many situations anyway.

 

[Akikiki]

What about boycotting the businesses that are anchored for these parking lots? And maybe - maybe print some handouts and put them on the windshield of people that are parked there so they are aware. Maybe after the stores are impacted they will increase the security guards?

Someone is going to jump in and say there's already security guards. Well - doing what? Standing there and watching or helping?

 

[MXWing]

Serious question, has anyone had a window smashed and people go into trunks with a car seat installed?

You can't fold down seats with car seats attached.

 

[run-the-joules]

The "access" is through the huge opening left when the seats are folded down. For sure they have pulled stuff out through that "small" window... which is actually quite large. My Macbook Pro 13 will fit through the opening. Any camera would fit. I guess if there was something *big* and valuable, they'd open the door or break the larger window. Door would alarm, but they'd be gone in moments so it wouldn't matter.


Just the two problems with this. It assumes that people can see into a heavily-tinted car at night. And it assumes that everybody drives around without needing cargo.


Same answer as above. The "solution" that I keep hearing is that cars should have no trunk, and that no cargo should be carried. The main reason that I use a car for transportation is to move cargo that I can't haul on my bike.


It would require *everybody* to stop leaving anything in their car. Otherwise, the scumbags still have to check to see if there's something good hidden in there. And the idea of taking our overnight gear with us into a restaurant etc. just isn't gonna work.


Ok. I get it. And I appreciate that people want to help. I've heard these suggestions about 100 times now:

• Ensure that the car is empty every time it is parked.
• Don't park in the Bay Area.
• And of COURSE leave those rear seats down so that the thieves are sure the car is empty

Unfortunately, none of these suggestions allows me to use my car in a practical manner. There is rarely a reason for me to drive anywhere without gear. And there's no way to take it all with me every time I park. At that point, there's no reason to leave the seats down (for two reasons.... I HAVE stuff in the trunk, and nobody can see in the back of the car to determine that the seats are down).

I hear it. I really do. And I no longer need to hear these "solutions" to the problem that don't solve anything for me. The problem isn't the victims. It is the perpetrators. Any real solution involves going after the criminals, not going after the victims.

That said, here is what I've done on purpose that resulted in nothing being stolen from my smash and *not* grab last night:

Against the back of the seats in the trunk I shoved our tote bags that were full of clothing and towels. After that was "second tier" cargo. And then the "valuables" like my laptop and camera were placed in the sub-trunk completely out of sight and potentially forgotten (hell, even I forget to look there for stuff I can't find!).

When the scumbag reached in, only the clothing bags were available. Those were pulled up into the cabin and rifled through. Between getting past my tint, and spending the time poking through the dirty towels, the grab was given up.

So... nothing taken but the $500 wrapped up in that window. :sigh:

Put razor blades in the seat latches, and coat them with a highly lethal neurotoxin. If we all do this, the problem will stop.

 

[EVnut]

Serious question, has anyone had a window smashed and people go into trunks with a car seat installed?

You can't fold down seats with car seats attached.

I've recently been through a lot of threads with pictures.... and sure enough there are several picks that show car seats in the back. If they're installed in one side, then the other side can fold, certainly. Installing in the middle would definitely be an annoyance for the thief (and of course for many owners who need to use those back seats for adults.)

 

[EVnut]

Put razor blades in the seat latches, and coat them with a highly lethal neurotoxin. If we all do this, the problem will stop.

I'd try non-lethal neurotoxin first, just to be on the safe side.

 

[run-the-joules]

I'd try lethal neurotoxin first, just to be on the safe side.

If you're gonna swing, swing hard!

 

[MXWing]

I've recently been through a lot of threads with pictures.... and sure enough there are several picks that show car seats in the back. If they're installed in one side, then the other side can fold, certainly. Installing in the middle would definitely be an annoyance for the thief (and of course for many owners who need to use those back seats for adults.)

Very informative. Thanks. I happen to have two car seats installed. I wonder if a middle install would be a successful deterrent.

There are car seats that can be installed in 30 seconds but look like they would be difficult to remove.

 

[SMAlset]

What about boycotting the businesses that are anchored for these parking lots? And maybe - maybe print some handouts and put them on the windshield of people that are parked there so they are aware. Maybe after the stores are impacted they will increase the security guards?

Someone is going to jump in and say there's already security guards. Well - doing what? Standing there and watching or helping?

I'd like to see a travelers boycott of San Francisco & San Jose, since SF has the highest rate to start with and San Jose is pretty bad too, and see if that gets the politicians to sit up and do something. From what I've heard many tourist rental cars in SF are targeted. If there was a movement to avoid cities where this is a high crime maybe then the issue would go to Sacramento. Somebody other than us car owner victims should be feeling some pain from this. I certainly hope that travel agents (does anyone even use them any more?) would warn anyone visiting who takes their car or rents a car to avoid staying there.

@EVnut I was sorry to read you were a victim now too.

 

[EVnut]

If you're gonna swing, swing hard!

Oh, dang. You quoted me before I edited.... I kinda screwed up my joke by leaving out "non". :-(

And believe me when I tell you that I've thought of all sorts of snares and such.... Maybe some glass-impregnated string like the fighters use??

 

[SMAlset]

BTW I see that the title of the thread has been changed (I started it so know) and I think combined with another one since we are now 27 pages!

This is a serious issue for owners but Model 3 owners should also be aware Model S owners are equally susceptible, only on the Model S you can leave your parcel shelf off. If you know anyone with one of the two vehicles and certainly if they live in the SF bay area or even southern Calif., do them a favor and make them aware of this issue before they too become a victim. Model S owners would be recommended not install their parcel shelfs and Model 3 owners to leave their back seat/s down. People who have tinted their windows also make their cars more susceptible to this activity because the perps can't see in even if you do have the shelf off or seat down. Something to consider.

 

[Glamisduner]

I was at the service center in Oceanside and a guy that had an X was having this same window replaced.

He says these guy works in 3's 2 lookouts and one going around smashing windows. So it's not likely you would catch them in the act.

 

[EVnut]

What Tesla can do is make that upper cover of the trunk below the rear window removable. It also give us slightly more space.

Any chance we can DIY it? I guess its not too solid to cut. But can some aftermarket manufacturers provide a removable replacement?

I'm not sure that I understand this suggestion. Completely remove the package shelf? For the purpose of.... being able to see into the trunk?

BTW I see that the title of the thread has been changed (I started it so know) and I think combined with another one since we are now 27 pages!

Oh man, thanks for mentioning this. I was in both threads and then suddenly everything went crazy, and I couldn't find where the posts went that I was trying to quote.... Ug. [/QUOTE]

 

[run-the-joules]

I'd like to see a travelers boycott of San Francisco & San Jose, since SF has the highest rate to start with and San Jose is pretty bad too, and see if that gets the politicians to sit up and do something. From what I've heard many tourist rental cars in SF are targeted. If there was a movement to avoid cities where this is a high crime maybe then the issue would go to Sacramento. Somebody other than us car owner victims should be feeling some pain from this. I certainly hope that travel agents (does anyone even use them any more?) would warn anyone visiting who takes their car or rents a car to avoid staying there.

Needs to start with the conventions being held elsewhere and publicly stating that the reason for doing so is concerns for the safety of attendees. Oracle World, Dreamforce, Game Developers Conference etc.

 

[TEG]

This video shows some inward facing dash cam to catch break-ins.

It looks like the camera itself was stolen (but video uploaded?). Having an extra camera might attract a break-in on its' own.