Thief magnet

[NachoRuby]

LOL @ the some of the responses in here. Body shop quoted almost $800 to pound the bed back in and refinish (good thing insurance deductible is low). We got the losers on the security cameras including the license plate from the getaway car. I guess this is just part of the problem of owning a truck.

If you were in a car,they'd just have smashed the windows. Gotta love modern home security cameras. I wonder why they picked you?

I don't know if the tri-fold hard bed cover is any better (I ordered this on my 2022 to come), maybe a little, but a determind thift will get much of what they want...Only thing you can do is try to disensetivise a theif as much as you can.

How are the alarms on the Gladiators? Others have posted that they go off pretty -easilly-? And are loud.

But honestly, the biggist enigma about these jeeps is that there is no hood lock and no locking gas flap/cap in a $55,000-65,000 Truck....

But, I get it, you have a truck, you stick stuff in the bed, it is at risk, but I thought we pretty much invented the tecnology to "defeat" a "Hole" from getting under the hood or pouring stuff down your gas-tube some untold decades ago LOL!...Jeep dosn't seemed to be too worried though, I can buy a heated stearing weel, but have to wait for aftermarket to get some very basic theft deterents. Go figure...But I got hooked on this pricy thing anyway. ?

You can enable the hoodlock alarm with a tazer. No idea why they don't enable it from the factory. Or do you mean an actual hoodlock? I honestly don't want that on a jeep. If I change my mind, I'll go aftermarket with lockable traditional jeep latches. I like the old school styling of the latches. Supposedly, those with alarms also have shock sensors. But, these aren't all 55k-60k (some are 34, and mine was just shy of 50), and the more loaded varieties are still the same basic truck 34k truck based on a 29k wrangler, just with more stuff or capabilities added. But these aren't meant to be luxury vehicles, and most of that price is because it's a convertible, an off-roader and also just because they know we'll pay it. Jeep expects Gladiator and Wrangler drivers to like to rough it or else to go aftermarket. The sparsity is kind of the enigma.

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[Daddiator54]

I get the whole thing that locking could cause the thief to do damage but let’s go with statistics here. Like others have said, most thieves are opportunistic and will move on.

Case in point, years ago, I was sitting in my car around 4am in lower Manhattan with a buddy (we just arrived from an overnight road trip) and right before we were about to get out, I notice in my rearview mirror 4 guys coming down the side walk trying every car door handle and moving onto the next. By the time they got to mine, I had locked the doors and the one guy didn’t even realize we were in the car until his buddy told him. That’s when he finally noticed us and they took off. While my buddy and I were outnumbered, I’m glad they ran off because I was carrying at the time and was ready to end it quickly with a very advantageous drop on them but I personally didn’t want to.

If I had to guess, they we’re heading home after coming from the bars drunk and were just trying their luck.

 

[ACAD_Cowboy]

For all this talk about "thats why I own a gun" how many of you have A. confronted said car thief and B. solved said car thieving with the aforementioned gun?

I ask because I hear it a lot and despite the frequency it's stated, I see precious few dead car thieves. Mind you I live in a very low crime area with a high gun ownership but we are talking about long guns, the 30-06 and super magnum 12ga slugs I have at hand are not something I want to start throwing around because someone is sniffing around the rig.

Just wondering is all. I just spent a month in St.Louis and there were areas we were patently told to not go to period. About the worst I had was some guys decided my work truck made an excellent bench to have some drinks on. I was very polite when I asked them to step down and they were very polite in doing so, it was not what I was expecting being from Ne'yawk and all.

 

[Sarge502]

Exactly why I’m getting a diamondback

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

I haven't read EVERY response but I read enough jackassery about shooting people and leaving a giant dog in your truck to say, I ain't killing anyone over "stuff" and I sure as hell am not letting one of my beloved dogs get injured or killed over stuff either.

Stuff is stuff and SOME people - very few - are thieves. Neither merits me changing my life or living nervous/in fear. Yeah, it'll piss me off if I ever get my car broken into - so far in my 66 years it has never happened. Luck? Yeah maybe. Using reasonable sense about where I park and what I drive probably has more to do with it for my length of time though. YMMV.

 

[Cburd61]

I’ve been fortunate. Never had anything stolen from my vehicles, or any vandalism. Although, my dad and I found a runaway girl sleeping in my old Studebaker truck one morning, when I was about 17. I have no clue who she was, but, it was wild. That was in the 70’s, when I lived in SoCal.

 

[Jefe1018]

For all this talk about "thats why I own a gun" how many of you have A. confronted said car thief and B. solved said car thieving with the aforementioned gun?

I ask because I hear it a lot and despite the frequency it's stated, I see precious few dead car thieves. Mind you I live in a very low crime area with a high gun ownership but we are talking about long guns, the 30-06 and super magnum 12ga slugs I have at hand are not something I want to start throwing around because someone is sniffing around the rig.

Just wondering is all. I just spent a month in St.Louis and there were areas we were patently told to not go to period. About the worst I had was some guys decided my work truck made an excellent bench to have some drinks on. I was very polite when I asked them to step down and they were very polite in doing so, it was not what I was expecting being from Ne'yawk and all.

Thank you for this. I feel that many of the folks saying these things don’t underestand the repercussions of using a firearm against another human.

To begin with, legal consequences even if found to be “justified” means some suits and maybe even a jury of your peers will be deciding the rest of your life over a decision made in a split second. The even bigger impact might be living with the fact that you’ve permenantely impacted your life as well impacted or ended another, plus the impact to friends and loved ones. Things to think about before playing cowboy.

 

[joeym7]

If you were in a car,they'd just have smashed the windows. Gotta love modern home security cameras. I wonder why they picked you?

You can enable the hoodlock alarm with a tazer. No idea why they don't enable it from the factory. Or do you mean an actual hoodlock? I honestly don't want that on a jeep. If I change my mind, I'll go aftermarket with lockable traditional jeep latches. I like the old school styling of the latches. Supposedly, those with alarms also have shock sensors. But, these aren't all 55k-60k (some are 34, and mine was just shy of 50), and the more loaded varieties are still the same basic truck 34k truck based on a 29k wrangler, just with more stuff or capabilities added. But these aren't meant to be luxury vehicles, and most of that price is because it's a convertible, an off-roader and also just because they know we'll pay it. Jeep expects Gladiator and Wrangler drivers to like to rough it or else to go aftermarket. The sparsity is kind of the enigma.

A few comments:
I hardly think a hood lock and gas cap lock qualify as luxuries - right? I had them on my first car ever which I paid 100$ for in the 1970's ...At the very least they should have them as an option (esp the hood lock) for us folks into "Luxuray" ;-). This isn't rocket science, all they need to do is run a cable and what not. No need to take the traditional latches on the sides off either.

And what about all that other Garbage they option in these Jeeps these day, I hardly think the GI's in WW2 had heating steering weels and what not.

Rough? Just about every option package kinda tosses the "rough" image out the window.

So this "keep the jeep pure" angle (got it from the salseperson too about the hood lock - his only defense on the matter) has way too many inconsistancies in it...

One would be better off driving around in a tank-top in a Hyndai-Santa Fe (if they have done their time working their shoulders, maybe a tatoo also but I am against them personally-lol) if they want their driving to manifest a "I like to Rough it" type of Guy .

A little morning "fun"...

 

[joeym7]

I get the whole thing that locking could cause the thief to do damage but let’s go with statistics here. Like others have said, most thieves are opportunistic and will move on.

Case in point, years ago, I was sitting in my car around 4am in lower Manhattan with a buddy (we just arrived from an overnight road trip) and right before we were about to get out, I notice in my rearview mirror 4 guys coming down the side walk trying every car door handle and moving onto the next. By the time they got to mine, I had locked the doors and the one guy didn’t even realize we were in the car until his buddy told him. That’s when he finally noticed us and they took off. While my buddy and I were outnumbered, I’m glad they ran off because I was carrying at the time and was ready to end it quickly with a very advantageous drop on them but I personally didn’t want to.

If I had to guess, they we’re heading home after coming from the bars drunk and were just trying their luck.

Exactly, no guarentees, but it is about providing "disensentive" which will deter many theives...No disensentives you may get more of them.

Some of this depends on where one lives and where you leave your car unattended...But even in the nicest neighborhood, every once in awhile the Dirt bags do drive-buys looking for easy targets. Yea, may be low probability if one lives in nice area, but who needs the agrivation if it does happen.

 

[ACAD_Cowboy]

@Daddiator54 surely you've heard of Bernie Goetz?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_New_York_City_Subway_shooting#Shooter

No matter how right you might be, NYPD would not be so agreeable; transporting long guns through the 5 boroughs I keep bolts in one box and ammo in another even with a copy of "The Permit" that says I am allowed to.

Hand guns is a whole other kettle of something: new york city makes it illegal to posses a handgun in new york city without a permit issued by new york city, heaven help you if you are carrying it without the additional carry permit. In short even if the rest of NYS says I can own and carry, NYC does not agree inside NYC. You being out of state would only make it worse. An armed society may be a polite society but the gang colors you need to worry about the most in NYC is Blue and Gold.

 

[Daddiator54]

@Daddiator54 surely you've heard of Bernie Goetz?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_New_York_City_Subway_shooting#Shooter

No matter how right you might be, NYPD would not be so agreeable; transporting long guns through the 5 boroughs I keep bolts in one box and ammo in another even with a copy of "The Permit" that says I am allowed to.

Hand guns is a whole other kettle of something: new york city makes it illegal to posses a handgun in new york city without a permit issued by new york city, heaven help you if you are carrying it without the additional carry permit. In short even if the rest of NYS says I can own and carry, NYC does not agree inside NYC. You being out of state would only make it worse. An armed society may be a polite society but the gang colors you need to worry about the most in NYC is Blue and Gold.

I’ve not heard of Bernie Goetz but I’m definitely familiar with New York’s gun laws. One of the reason why I was hoping there wouldn't be an issue. When I said I was carrying, I should have said that it was in the car with me. I definitely did not carry on my person while I was walking around NY. The decision to bring a firearm at all was definitely thought over several time. We we’re on a 2 week road trip from Florida to Canada so I knew we’d be passing through several areas that weren’t 2A friendly but that was a decision I had to make for myself.

Thanks for the reference.

 

[ACAD_Cowboy]

Yeah NYC is not a welcoming environment for firearms. Goetz taught us all that its better to hand over some cash than hand out some lead; no matter how right you might be, you are still wrong and he got sued civilly for the injuries despite them being incarcerated for the assault.

 

[Sazabi19]

I lock my truck at night but never leave anything valuable in there. I have a safe where I can keep my gun while running around if I don't have it on me. I got the safe so I could have something that should make it obvious that someone was doing something they shouldn't be in a crowded parking lot if they tried to pry it open, not overnight.

Also, because I do run around in the warmer months without doors/roof sometimes I also made sure to put all of my personal info for the truck in the bungie pocket behind the rear seat and locked it. That makes that info quite a bit harder to get to, certainly better than the glove box. Leaving the console vault unlocked shows (hopefully) there's nothing important in there. Who would think something really valuable would be behind a rear set?

 

[OVERLORD]

Yup, it does.

 

[syreeves]

Yep - is why locking gas caps/doors are dumb. Let the thief EASILY steal your gas. Lock the cap? He'll just cut fuel lines or crowbar the cap open causing hundreds if not thousands in damages.

I used to leave all the doors unlocked in my older cars - nothing worth stealing so please don't break any windows - PITA to clean glass out of the door cards....

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