[samurai]

I live in Boston right next to Brookline. So I rented a spot on Brookline (supposed to be a much safer neighborhood), and parked my car in an open garage as the springs are rusted out.

This morning, I see the garage door down. So I look inside and find my Prius with the headlights (I have HID) missing, fenders all busted up, hood, bumper, and inside damaged.

Oh well...

 

[samurai]

On the good side...

Brookline police came in 5 minutes. Along with officer, and detective with camera and finger print kit. They took bunch of pictures, and finger printed the car.

I'm sad about my prius, but I'm impressed with Brookline police department.

 

[hyperion]

I'm more interested in the "rusty" springs! Notice this is your first post so please elaborate. What year and where has car been? Can't get any rust in the Brookine Newton area in just two years. Not even on Revere beach at high tide. Don't believe the HID's were ever put on any of the classics.

 

[mrv]

factory HID headlamps started becoming available with the NHW20 (2004 model year). Unfortunately, you can tell if a Prius has them, as the Prius will also have the factory fog lamps.

 

[firepa63]

Seems that HIDs are a target in the Boston area. One person who had her's stolen twice, ended up selling her Prius and getting something else.

 

[Roger V]

I'm more interested in the "rusty" springs! Notice this is your first post so please elaborate. What year and where has car been? Can't get any rust in the Brookine Newton area in just two years. Not even on Revere beach at high tide. Don't believe the HID's were ever put on any of the classics.

Hyperion,
I took it to mean the garage door springs were rusty, so it wasn't being closed.

 

[samurai]

rusty springs - garage door

Roger is correct, I should've specified that all 3 garage doors' springs are rusted. Mine was a 2005 Prius purchased last September. While it was parked in Brighton, I never had any problems. In fact, I have a fully enclosed garage but my insurance would be higher. (~700 more in fact). So it's a toss. Park it in enclosed garage and pay more insurance, or park in Brookline where they can get me. The detective said "On a rainy nights like last night, people close their windows and the sound of the rain makes a good cover.".

My co-worker cautioned that "Once they know you are there, they may come back for it.". Last thing I want is to go through the hassle of fixing this car and find out that same guy broke it again. I called the insurance guy and he said there isn't anything I can do. He said "You could put an alarm on...". (I'm guessing motion or vibration sensor). "...but your neighbors will just get annoyed and it won't do you much good.". Well, I have lo-jack, but I never thought someone would come after my headlights. On the good note, I have a relatively low deductible ($300), and my job's flexible and things are quiet.

I'm going to print out bunch of letters telling everyone to be cautious and keep an open eye for strange people walking around the car. I am also parking my car so my headlights are facing outward. I tried to see if I can buy just the housing and swap out the xenon lights but I can't find it anywhere on internet. If you guys know of a site that sells just plain ol' halogen ones, I'd appreciate it.

BTW: I heard someone in Somerville had their headlights stolen 2x in one month and they sold the car as well.

 

[Phish Phood]

Re: rusty springs - garage door

I think that one person that had their car lights stolen (that posted here before) also didn't replace their lights with HID but still ended up with the lights stolen.. people just assumed they were still HID I guess. Hope it works out for you!

 

[samurai]

I was pondering about not putting in HIDs

My co-worker asked. "You think they'll bother to see if it is HID or rip it out in 5mins and deal with it later?". I think people assume that if there's a fog light, it's HID.

I guess it means I will need to move my car elsewhere because now they are waiting for brand new sets of headlight assembly to be ripped out.

If you live near Boston, be very careful. My car was ripped off between Cleveland Circle and Washington Square.

 

[DanMan32]

Insurance is more expensive if the car is garaged? That's strange. Usually it is cheaper than parking in the street since the car is more secure in the garage.

I think you'll find it a big challenge to switch to halogen. It will probably be easier though than going from halogen to HID, I'll grant you that.

 

[Roger V]

Samurai,
If you have a deductible of $300, and this happens again, you have just about made up the difference in insurance premium ($700) that you are saving. Plus, you wouldn't have the worry about when it was going to happen again. I cringe at the thought of having all that damage done!
I have to admit, that sounds like a heavy penalty to pay for choosing to live in one zip code over another. Recently here in Calif. some insurance companies have changed their rating methods to put less weight on where the car is garaged, and more on the owner's driving record and years of driving experience. The state insurance dept. has been hammering on them for years to do this.
Have you considered going with another insurer, or are the rates about the same for all of them in your area?

 

[David Beale]

A few years ago this started happening to Nissan Maximas, again in the same area. Some of the owners started a class action lawsuit against Nissan! I find that incredible. Nissan did come out with a kit that secured the assys better but then the thieves just did more damage prying them out. Many owners switched to halogens, others sold the car. I guess the rest just park in safer areas such as locked garages. You can read all about it on the Edmonds site under Nissan Maxima - stolen headlights.

 

[SYNCMASTER]

This morning, I see the garage door down. So I look inside and find my Prius with the headlights (I have HID) missing, fenders all busted up, hood, bumper, and inside damaged.

Oh well...

Can you post pictures of the damage ?

 

[mrv]

MA is one of the most heavily regulated auto insurance states... (Not all insurance companies will sell in MA. An old joke is about the Almost-AllState insurance, for example.) A big difference in price can be found just by parking the vehicle in a different ZIP code. Then there's the driver's step rating, and the replacement cost of the vehicle...

 

[DanMan32]

A big difference in price can be found just by parking the vehicle in a different ZIP code. Then there's the driver's step rating, and the replacement cost of the vehicle...

That's not unusual. But parking in a MORE secure location should LOWER the rate, not raise it.
Garaged: unseen, protected by walls.
In street: seen by the public, not protected by a building.

Unless they think that if it is in a building, tampering would be less noticed. But being in a secure building should improve the situation more than it hurts.

 

[samurai]

update

Insurance company said it will cost $1200 to fix my car. (Huh?). I am taking it to the body shop so they can deal with it. When I called toyota parts store, I was told it will cost $350 for 1 light assembly without bulbs. I don't know how they got the $ as fenders are bent, and the bumper is damaged as well. (knicked when they used a screw driver to pry the hood open). Good news is since the check that insurance cut me is under $1k, my autobody will handle the rest of it directly with the insurance.

Mass insurance is corrupt. It's priced is fixed by the state based on 'recommendation from the insurance companies'. Rate is totally dependent upon 'zip code'. Whether it's parked in an enclosed garage, or on a street doesn't matter. I've asked them the same question "My car is in a secure heated garage. Why don't I get a discount?". Answer is "it's set by the state.". Mass used to be 'step' but they changed it to 'points' this year. Once you got a ticket, you basically had to pray to the Gods (Irish mob) that you don't get into an accident for another 2 years. With points, things have gotten a lot better though.

 

[romad]

Samurai,
Recently here in Calif. some insurance companies have changed their rating methods to put less weight on where the car is garaged, and more on the owner's driving record and years of driving experience. The state insurance dept. has been hammering on them for years to do this.
Have you considered going with another insurer, or are the rates about the same for all of them in your area?

The change was mandated by the State Insurance Commisioner, John Giramindi, to lower rates in high crime, high repair cost L.A. / Bay Areas, and raise rates in the low cost, low crime rural areas. Of course, the fact he is a Democrat, the rural areas vote Republican and the urban areas Democratic, didn't come into it, right?

 

[DanMan32]

Ok, your last post appears to have contradicted itself. In one sentence you said that parking on the street versus parking in a secure garage made no difference, yet in another you said you got different rates.

Unless the street and the garage are in different zipcodes, what else would cause the difference?

 

[Roger V]

Dennis,
You are correct in that the insurance commissioner mandated the change, but I think that what I read about the situation a couple of months back was that the matter was still headed for the courts. The Auto Club of So. Calif. stepped up first and said that they would change their rates to comply without any further court challenges. A couple of other companies followed suit (no pun intended) but I can't remember now which ones. Some companies said they would continue to fight. The Auto Club claims that most of their insureds rates will drop, and a very small percentage will have their rates rise. There are too many variables in buying insurance to be able to say one system or company gives everyone the best possible rates. The only thing you can do is shop around based on your own underwriting profile, in order to compare apples to apples.
Roger

 

[hyperion]

Ok, your last post appears to have contradicted itself. In one sentence you said that parking on the street versus parking in a secure garage made no difference, yet in another you said you got different rates.

Unless the street and the garage are in different zipcodes, what else would cause the difference?

.
.I believe Rodger did indicate that the reason for the move was the "zip-code." The town accident rate sets the insurance and if you keep your car registered in Boston and drive it 15 miles a week you will still pay about four times the rate you will pay if you live in the suburbs and drive 35 miles a day into your job in Boston. Catch 22.
I have a son who at one time lived in the city but kept his car registered at my Cape Cod address to save close to $1,000 a year.
It's another racquet controlled by the insurance industry and our state legislature. The auto insurance industry has been claiming loss since the day I moved here in 1950 and I've seen every major insurance company flee the state..
.