We have a Chevy Silverado Duramax Diesel that is either a 2002 or a 2003 (maybe a 2008? … Its not my vehicle.) that was broken into last night. There were plenty of stealable things. So many stealable things. Only things that were stolen were 3 knives still in the package that were bought recently near Black Friday on sale that were in the center console.
However, the drivers door lock cylinder is totally gone. Its missing. The police said it wasn’t pushed in or popped out but cleanly removed. There is damage to the drivers side door handle but nothing else on the door, the steering column was trashed, and something was done to the ignition lock. The ignition lock is totally exposed now and very difficult to get a key into or out of and very scratched/gouged.
None of the plastic shards that are missing from the door handle are on the floor of the truck or the ground. There is not a single piece of the truck that was removed left anywhere. No tools left, nothing riled through other than the center console, no small pieces of plastic from the steering console anywhere in the truck either. The car reeked of cigarette smoke. So they took the time to smoke in the truck while they were screwing around with it.
Police think that they took the cylinder to make a key for it. That all being said, other than rekeying the whole vehicle, is further theft really a risk with the cylinder missing? Can anything be done to deter them from stealing the new cylinder and trying again? Is this a normal break in attempt?
I’ve seen this kind of thing before, and in almost every single instance, the lock cylinder has been punched through, and it’s lying inside the door. You’d have to pull the door panel off to find it, FWIW
It is not that difficult to punch it through, and have somebody think it was “cleanly removed”
Considering the level of damage these thieves left behind, it makes me think they were anything BUT professional and/or intelligent. Just your run-of-the-mill thief, scumbag, human parasite, unworthy of life, etc.
I agree with db. Pulling the lock was just an easy way to get in to steal the truck. Just a dent puller with the screw on the end will pull the cylinder out. If you take one apart, they aren’t very study at all. Then must have run up against not being able to jimmy the ignition for whatever reason and took what they thought was useful and got out. Just to be safe though as long as insurance has to pay for the inside damage and lock damage, might as well just re-key the other door to a new code.
Yes.
In addition, if you get stopped for a simple traffic stop the cop who stops you is going to be very suspicious of the condition of your cylinder area.
Do you have comprehensive? Unless you have a higher than normal deductible, your insurance should be accessed to get it all repaired properly. Odds are that will cost well beyond the typical $500 deductible. You’ll have to 'eat" the deductible, of course. File a claim. You’ll need to “case number” from the police to do so.
But when OP provides the driver’s license and vehicle registration, all with the correct name and address, then there’s really no longer any reason for suspicion. At that point, the cop should focus on the infraction, not the missing door lock cylinder
Or are you suggesting that the cop might assume the worst, do something drastic, and ask questions later?
That’s true, but when he sees the lock cylinder he might just have you exit the vehicle and pat you down before asking for your license and registration, just to be safe. If I were a cop and it was in a high crime area or 3:00 Am in the morning, I would. Any cop in his right mind would. Being a cop is a dangerous job. Their first option if anything looks “off” is to stay safe.
I agree with the others. The police story doesn’t make sense. Why would they bother making a key for it? They already got in the truck - they don’t need a key anymore.
Making a key to steal the car would be pointless, as they can make a key that fits the lock all they want, but it still won’t have the chip inside, and without that chip the car won’t start. It would also require a thinking thief, and thinking thieves don’t make keys that won’t start the car they already broke into.
They already tried to punch the ignition - that’s why it’s messed up. In the old days a car thief would stick a flathead screwdriver into the ignition, then give it a good solid whack with a hammer. Then he’d turn the screwdriver, which would turn the switch and start the car. But, of course, the screwdriver doesn’t have a chip in it, so that didn’t work for your thieves either.
You got hit by idiot kids looking to joyride, and when they couldn’t get your car started because they’re too dumb to even steal things properly, they stole whatever was at hand in order to feel like a badass and then bolted. They probably won’t be back, and I’d bet a lot of money that the key cylinder is sitting in your door just like others said.
Similar thing happened to me this past summer. A couple of idiot kids broke into my garage. They stole a landscaping shovel and a tennis racket, because those two things were hanging right next to the door they got in through. They didn’t steal them because they wanted them or wanted to sell them - they told the cops after they were caught (don’t steal stuff when there are HD cameras pointed at your face, kids) that they ditched them in a pond on their way home. They just stole them so they could say they stole something because they thought it would make them cool.
Several years ago, I was asked to look at one of our fleet’s trucks, that was a theft recovery
The guys had punched the door lock cylinder through, it was in the door panel, rolling around
They had busted out the ignition lock cylinder and used a flat head screwdriver to start the engine . . . they even managed to forget their screwdriver in the truck
Anyways, the only things I actually needed to replace were the exterior door lock handle and the ignition lock cylinder
I was actually able to reuse the door lock cylinder. They had managed to punch it through, without damaging it . . . !
And I had to code the new ignition lock cylinder to match the existing key
But that was it, as far as new parts goes
I checked the truck out top top to bottom, front to back. I drove it, and everything was fine. They didn’t burn up the brakes, tires or transmission. They didn’t even bash up the body or hit anything
Considering the low amount of damage, I wonder if somebody just needed a truck to use to haul some stuff . . . ?
Yeah I think I need to edit my post to agree that it was punched through not pulled out. Never having done it myself, sounds like the punching method works better.
There’s a parking lot on my daily walk-a-bout route where commuters park their cars and apparently meet up in order to car pool in one car to work. I find these door-lock cylinders strewn about that parking from time to time. I have two right now in fact torn apart laying on my diy’er table, interesting to take apart to see how they work. They have the tiniest springs you’ve ever seen. Not sure if they cylinders are from thieves breaking into those cars, or b/c the drivers locked the keys in the car and needed a way in. One clue the lock met a violent end, these cylinders I find have a sort of arm on one end, and the arm is always severely bent.
My oldest son had a far from pristine 1984 Honda Accord. He was moving into an apartment and had a small U-Haul parked in his space so he parked the Honda around back. In the morning he found the driver side window smashed with a brick and the OEM stereo (which I doubt would bring $10) stolen. The car was such a POS he never locked it! Thieves are rarely smart.
