Car break in

D

DarkImpact

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Good morning everyone.

So this morning at 3:30 AM, my neighbour knocked on my window to wake me up. She told me to come look at my car. My door was open and the cover under my steering wheel was removed. So they tried stealing my car. This is in our yard about 10 meters from my bedroom window. My neighbour’s car is parked right next to mine but they picked my car. My car horn is really sensitive to touch and the perpetrator accidentally pressed on it and that woke my neighbour causing them to flee. I feel so useless now that I slept through it all. So our electric gate was open when I got outside so there is another point of concern.

It seems that these guys took their time. They unscrewed all screws and did not do any other damage to the car other than a busted door lock and busted ignition. No damage to the covers or wires or anything. So I can start the car but the steering lock prohibits me from driving. Unfortunately my alarm stopped working a few years back and the immobilizer starting giving issues and I removed it, so those measures are not in place. I luckily have other security measures in place so they would not have been able to start the car even if they had the key. An alarm would have saved me an ignition I guess.

So here is my plea for help from you guys. Where do I take my car to get it fixed? Does anyone know of a reputable place in Pretoria I can take it to? I need the ignition and door fixed. It is a Toyota Corolla 97 model. Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Have you phoned your local Toyota dealership nd are you suspecting your neighbour?
 
Hamster said:
Have you phoned your local Toyota dealership nd are you suspecting your neighbour?
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Everything is still closed so can't phone yet. No definitely not suspecting the neighbour. A car was stolen a few houses down last week.
 
Don't tell the insurance company that the alarm & immobilizer weren't working ...
 
You should look at getting a cut off switch installed.

I feel so useless now that I slept through it all.
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Happens to us all. Be grateful that your you have alert neighbors. I would have never look out if my neighbor hooted. :?
 
Mk786 said:
You should look at getting a cut off switch installed.


Happens to us all. Be grateful that your you have alert neighbors. I would have never look out if my neighbor hooted. :?
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I have me one of those. That is what I referred to when I said I have 'other security measures in place'. Works better than any alarm system could ever work.
 
Had my fathers 4x4 toyota Hilux d-cab stolen from outside my bedroom window when i was 17 alone along the wild coast.

Not a nice feeling to hear vehicle start up and drive away.
 
Just one of those things you need to accept if you own a VW or Toyota in SA I am afraid.
 
Brenden_E said:
I own a VW and a Toyota and no attempt has been made to steal either. I must be very lucky.
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Depends on where you live. If you are driving a double cab Toyota Hilux in PTA you are looking for trouble.

...oh **** :p
 
Hamster said:
Depends on where you live. If you are driving a double cab Toyota Hilux in PTA you are looking for trouble.

...oh **** :p
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The Fortuner and the Hilux engine fits perfectly into a taxi. So yes, specifically avoid those models!
 
Brenden_E said:
The Fortuner and the Hilux engine fits perfectly into a taxi. So yes, specifically avoid those models!
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Yeah obviously it's model dependent.

I doubt many tourans are stolen but if you have a Polo, golf, corolla, tazz, hilux etc the chances of your car being stolen is rather high...
 
My car window was once broken and I woke up to the alarm , I can relate to the feeling you have when you are left to deal with the mess. Have you worked out a plan by now btw?
 
1. It appears you cannot drive the car.

2. I would call a locksmith out to repair the ignition cylinder(it will need to be replaced). Cheaper than towing to garage, they will still call a locksmith to repair it.
3. Try calling toyota, they might be able to recommend a locksmith that they use.

4. Your car does not have a built in immobiliser.

You could go to a scrapyard and get a working ignition barrel (with the keys). It is not too difficult to replace. I believe it is two bolts on your car.

The ignition cylinder releases the locking pin. When they were forcing the ignition, it could have caused the locking pin to bind.

-tap the cylinder to see if it loosens the pin, rock the steering wheel.

-you might be lucky and the replacement of the ignition barrel will return the locking pin to a working state.

5. just a word of warning.

5.1 check them for wear. insert your original key an check if it turns. It should not.
5.2 your car door lock and boot lock will require use of original key(this can be annoying)
5.2.1 You can get a locksmith to cut you a key that works with both
5.2.2 You can just buy the door/boot barrels from the same car as the ignition and transfer them. (3 in total)

6. you could watch the guy stripping it and then try yourself. Or pay him to do it for you.

NB disconnect your car battery before working on the car.

I am sorry for your trouble. I hope you sort it out.
 
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I had to replace the lock barrel set on my uno years ago and it was not all that hard. Took a mornings work. Had to buy the bolt that "breaks" when in place seperately so keep that in mind.
 
The police in Pretoria have recently cautioned Toyota owners to be especially vigilant. It may be best to have additional security installed when you have the car fixed.

Here is some more on it from the Centurion Rekord.

No fewer than 14 vehicles, mainly Toyotas, were stolen in Gauteng the past weekend. Hannes du
Buisson, head of the Wierdabrug Sector 3 Community Policing Forum, said there had been an increase
in the number of Toyotas stolen.“Toyota Fortuners and Toyota Hiluxes are being targeted by criminals.
Criminals use signal jammers to block the tracking devices in the cars.
As technology improves, so do the people who steal it. It is easy to steal one of these cars in under three
minutes.” Du Buisson said the easiest way to steal a car was to simply replace the ignition. “Car thieves
drive around with lots of replacement ignitions and computer boxes for these cars. A while back,
apprehended a man driving around with lots of spare ignitions to different cars.”
Hijackings tend to increase sharply in the run-up to the festive season. Du Buisson said cars were often
stolen outside schools. “People often park outside schools when they attend school events, and leave
their cars unsupervised. Before attending any event like this, people should insist that the school provide
security guards accredited to the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority,” said Du Buisson.
“Some reports suggest that the Toyotas are being stripped for parts and used on taxis, though this is
unconfirmed. Most of the time the cars that are stolen end up in Mozambique or Zimbabwe, because it is
so easy to cross the borders between the two countries.”
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My old Ford Bantam was nearly stolen from a shopping centre parking lot (That's why I don't tip car guards). They busted the door lock, and tore up the ignition, key wouldn't go in at all, wheel lock was engaged. Had it towed for free by insurance to a mechanic and they replaced the ignition barrel for about R1150 so it's not too bad.

Since then I had central locking, alarm, impact sensors, anti hijacking, immobilizer and 20% smash and grab tints installed all for R2k it is well worth it
 
About 10 years ago I recall an ou-toppie with a Venture around the block from where my girlfriend (now wife) stayed. The car was parked outside and he literally chained to a big old oak tree because it was stolen one too many times. He'd back it up till the tow-bar touched the tree and then took a chain around the tree securing the car to it.
 
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