How far could they have driven with the flat donut (unless they did it when abandoning)? I am doing a detective work here.
My theft recovered car had 3 donuts - driver side was flat - the rim seems beaten up with edges bent at 3 places.
They took 3 alloy wheels (with new Michelin tires), 4 wheelcaps, donut, tono shade, one head light, took pieces from under the hood and put it in the car. Tried big time to remove the windshield but it cracked. Car was found at 9am Sat - it was gone 7pm Sat from my apt parking.
They also removed the metal that sits next to spare donut - so the donut doesn’t move when you ride.
They had the car for a week and did 65 miles - it was found 3 miles from my home in a residential area - neighbors called the police.
My question is how far could they have driven hopefully in the dark with a flat donut on the driver side and with one headlight?
I wondered if it stayed in the same zipcode all the time?
Any thoughts?
From the original post…
“My question is how far could they have driven hopefully in the dark with a flat donut on the driver side and with one headlight? …They had the car for a week and did 65 miles”
This must be a trick question…
Yup!
As msugna noted, you have asked and answered your own question.
On a similar note:
Who is buried in Grant’s Tomb?
What color was Washington’s gray mare?
Is this common to remove and steal a windshield?
I thought that the targets are engine, tranny …
We are the people you must trust with the whole story,you can’t play dective with us,we are not the potential car thieves.
midnight auto will provide parts when available…even windshields…
I don’t think there’s any limit on how far you could drive with a flat donut-- probably until you got pulled over. If the tire isn’t completely torn up, they probably didn’t drive too far with it flat.
But, they could have been stopping and airing it up, no?
Yes of course - I admired a lot of matured & sensible advice from people here.
I am seeking insight from other people’s experience - I am just curious and overwhelmed.
Thanks for the info - I appreciate it.
Assuming the car wasn’t actually professionally “chopped” (sounds like not here), the targets of opportunity are anything that are expensive but easily transported (computer parts) or are easily fenceable (an aftermarket stereo, or the aluminum wheels which are worth a fair amount for scrap).
I’m not really sure how the windshield fits is-- maybe they just needed a windshield.
Didn’t this car have theft insurance? Why are you struggling with all this on your own?
Somebody took it from my backyard - what is the guaranty that s/he is not going to strike (big time) again if we don’t strike at the root cause?
Other than this, perhaps its just how I think and act!
Of course, I will be putting additional security to the car when its operational again.
Were you attempting to answer my questions or someone else’s questions?
I am just suggesting you contact your insurance company and have them tow it to a shop, where they should be able to fix everything, including the windshield and wheels.
The answer to your question is you have no guarantee. You never had any guarantee and you never will have a guarantee. That is why people buy insurance.
Now I will ask again:
Did this car have theft insurance? Why are you struggling with all this on your own? Why don’t you let your insurance company worry about it?
You’re going to fix it and try to drive it again?
Why?
Let it go, man.
You must be in love with this car.
Bad idea.
Thanks “mcparadise” for your suggestion:
My view was they didn’t strip my car - so I am wondering why your have such a view - why you think it is a “bad idea” - I appreciate if you could clarify me pls.
Besides, this car did the job all these days - does 2.5k miles every yr - I wasn’t looking for a ak47 type car to do 2.5k miles/yr.
Thanks
The car was taken to the shop - the driver side donut was inflated - it is still holding the air.
I am wondering when the thieves abandoned the car, they released the air!!!
In a publicly run drug de-tox center, these are perfectly normal people…Everything described here is perfectly normal activity…Forget LOGIC…
It is becoming clear you either have no insurance or the car is worth so little the insurance company considers it totaled.
You aren’t driving this thing around on three donuts, are you?
If I am reading mcparadise correctly, he is probably suggesting in terms of monetary value, the car is worth less than you will have to spend to get it in running order. You are throwing good money away.
This makes a lot of sense - “Forget LOGIC”!
Thanks " Whitey" - it is in the shop for a discovery.
You know the car went 65 miles. That’s not too far. Driving on any donut will wear it out in about 50 miles, these are just temporary spares. Can’t drive too far on a flat donut without doing some damage. At a minimum the donut tire would be frayed and likely off the wheel entirely and the wheel would be all acrapped up on the beads. Sounds like they stopped the car and left it when the donut went flat, or just left the car and the donut went flat later.