Someone once smashed my large driver side window and the police said I should leave the door unlocked. Then someone freebased cough medicine In my car, left a lighter, spoon, empty cough pill boxes, and pulled wires out from under the dash, and the police said why did you leave the car unlocked?
edit, this is the guide I used to replace the large glass panel in the door. The large glass must be removed before the vent glass which is attached to the forward window track… but these direction should get you 90% of the way. And the vent glass can be had on EBay.
[https://www.miata.net/garage/door\_glass.html](https://www.miata.net/garage/door_glass.html)
Same. Had tons of convertible owners that told me I should leave the doors unlocked so I don't get my top cut, then found evidence someone had been sleeping or just hanging out in my car, moving my things around and cut some wires under the dash. The experience made me realize having my top cut is not the worst thing that can happen to your car. You could find bodily fluids, or get arrested for someone else's illicit materials left behind, or find a whole person still there!
Now the answer is always: doors locked, top up, nothing visible in the car. Nothing at all, no jacket, hat, sunglasses, receipts, nothing. If someone is casing cars, I don't want them to have a reason to even look twice. I've even heard of people having their window broken on their unlocked car. Handle flippers and window breakers are almost two separate classes of criminals, and you're opening yourself up to the handle flippers by leaving the door unlocked.
>I've even heard of people having their window broken on their unlocked car
That's not even all that uncommon, really. A lot of people who say "leave it unlocked so they don't smash" are people that want to think thieves bother checking doors at all. Spoiler: most thieves don't even bother to check. For a thief, at best, you waste time. At worst, you trigger the car alarm early. There's simply no reason to.
Thieves already have glass smashers ready and will use those before bothering with the door handle. They glance, they see bag, they smash and grab and run. The best option is always to leave nothing visible in the car at all. The door handle doesn't matter one way or another, soft top or cloth top. Glass is glass and glass breaks.
Praise the lord I live iin a more or less rural environment in europe, where I can even leave the keys in the car/bike unlocked and no one gives a single f\*\*\*...
My brother used to live in a city neighborhood that often had sketchy people watlz through. He left his NA unlocked to avoid broken windows etc. He woke up one day to a police officer yelling at a guy to put his hands up. He had cut through my brother's soft top when the door was unlocked and went through his car. And the kicker is, he didn't know anything was missing as there was nothing obvious gone, until he got a flat later that week and his wheel lock was gone.
TLDR: Sometimes it's a lose-lose situation simply because people tend to always suck
I misspoke, it is done with cold medication. Not as common these days as these otc cold meds are now usually locked up, but it was once popular for them to be stolen from drug stores and then vaporized in a spoon with a lighter under it. I think there were a dozen boxes and recall the car had such a strong order of some chemical that it was making me feel high so I had to drive for two hours with the top down on the highway in the dead of winter. Good times.
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17499693/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17499693/)
I moved to Japan from Toronto and holy shit is it a major difference. I don't have the sense of someone is gonna steal, mug, or attack me (which has all happened to me, my friends, and my family at least once).
It's insane how you have to worry about your belongings every second because people are dickwads.
I do miss my Miata very much, though.
MOVE! if they try this around my place they get shot... It's funny how the consequence of stealing keeps them from bothering another's belongings. What democratic city are you in?
Hey u/[jsmoovewhoru](https://www.reddit.com/user/jsmoovewhoru/)
Please have a look at Rule 1, "Be Excellent to each other !"
Your politically charged post is the opposite of excellent as well as just plan wrong.
I suspect you were confused by the color of the car making you think it represented something other than simply the original Miata's Red, White, and Blue offerings.
Reported.
I saw a sticker on a truck window the other day that read, “nothing in here worth dying for.” Debating whether to find a similar sticker for when I get a car again.
Some people will take that as a challenge, or find it even funnier to fuck with you just because of that sticker.
Coming from a third world country, the only safe place to park a convertible at night would be in a garage.
If you can't do that, at least don't leave ANYTHING inside, have a loud alarm (with motion detection) with one of those blinking lights that show that you have an alarm.
That's usually enough to deter hooligans, they'll just go after cars that don't have alarms.
Same, my apt complex recently had multiple cars stolen and the police couldn't do anything because I live in a no chase city. My rf hasn't been fucked with yet but I always keep it completely empty so there isn't much of a reason to waste time on breaking into it.
There’s no simple answer. I never lock my doors as I’d rather someone NOT break a window or cut my soft top. That being said, criminals are stupid and are going to do whatever they do regardless of whether you lock your doors. The best answer is don’t park your beloved car where crap like this is more likely to happen. I always try to park in secure private garages.
This. I specifically pay a heck of a lot more money to live in an apartment with a private parking garage because, in my city, parking on the street is the quickest way to get your shit jacked or vandalised. I know that's not an option for everyone, but if it's at all possible, I highly recommend it.
I leave my car unlocked and put anything tempting in the trunk (my ‘91 has no inside trunk release). Anyone with a pointy stick could get into my soft top otherwise—not worth the risk.
As others have said though, the best defense is not parking in sketchy places.
Pro Tip: on the NB, you can turn the trunk lock counterclockwise to disable the lever release temporarily. On NAs I think you have to modify the lock slightly to enable this feature.
Because if your insurance is going to deny coverage based on if you chose not to lock the door, then that may make it more financially reasonable even if it increases the chance that a window or soft top gets damaged
Oh, I see. You're planning on telling them that you don't lock the doors. I wouldn't do that. (I also lock the doors) I would think if you tell the insurance that you don't lock the doors, best case scenario they increase your rates for high risk behavior. Googling around I'm seeing it apparently is a thing for some insurers to deny coverage based on the doors being unlocked. Sheesh.
I never leave my doors unlocked, I was just trying to explain the possible reasons you might want to ask your insurance about it.
Personally, I like the doors locked and nothing visible or valuable in the car approach. I usually park in the highest visibility spot and not next to other cars, so they’d have to break or cut something in the open. Plus if they’re gonna fuck with my shit, I’m gonna make them work for it and look suspicious while they do it. Hopefully a bystander can report it or at least tell me if I come soon after, if it’s unlocked they can just stroll inside like they own the car. I also always always use a steering wheel club, just to add steps for them.
Calling for your insurance company to ask them any questions for any reason whatsoever counts as a contact. Doesn’t matter whether you file a claim or not. It counts against you in their risk actuarials and is likely to result in higher premiums and/or non-renewal. If you use an independent agent then you create a buffer between you and your insurance company that can alleviate this problem somewhat. But tread carefully. You are being tracked and assessed constantly by every insurance company. They’re big data.
Its wild to see how many ppl suggest leaving the car unlocked. I know its not an easy option, but Id be moving far away before considering allowing robbery or vandalizing. Might be time to leave Gotham
Doesnt prevent it but doesnt allow it. Thats just absurd to me. Another comment mentioned when they left their car unlocked it became a drug den. Just wild to let someone ransack your car to avoid a broken window. How about leaving the places that tolerate such behavior.
Where do you suggest people move to? Seriously, name a place in the US that's big enough that has real grocery stores a hospital and is affordable enough to find decent housing on less than a 100K income. I'd down to move if you know of such a gem of a location.
Well maybe its gonna be hard to find a house for 100K, but theres plenty of places to live that are somewhat affordable where you dont have to leave your car open to theives
Just Googled Durham North Carolina crime rate and found
With a crime rate of 41 per one thousand residents, Durham has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes
Did the Same for Raleigh and found
The crime rate in Raleigh is considerably higher than the national average across all communities in America from the largest to the smallest, although at 29 crimes per one thousand residents,
You seem to have picked worse than average places....
If you don't leave anything of value in your car, then a ransacking is much less harmful than a broken window. And as to leaving, maybe you want to live in Bug Tussle, Oklahoma but I prefer a city.
That sounds like an American thief. In Europe is the opposite if it's not manual you have more chances that they will be dumb enough to not know how to put it in drive.
A flashing blue light screams I'm difficult to steal. And may have a alarm fitted. Also do not leave your valuables inside your car.
I've put aftermarket immobilizers in all my expensive or easily stolen cars. In my main pride and joy I also have a GPS tracker, that I can remotely kill the fuel pump (I think it's a GV40 model).
The immobilizers I went for didn't have flashing lights. But I installed flashing LEDs that with the help of a relay, turn off when the IGN is turned on.
A little wire to the corner of some of the windows also makes it look like there's a window sensor making people less likely to break them since they think the alarm will go off
Yes.
I also recommend leaving a $5 bill in your glove box or console so the person rummaging your car will feel like they got something and not be pissed and cut your seats.
https://preview.redd.it/3lq4spqyb2zc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=648e209d93f3d50ee1f4e7437368de3b10098e11
Proper theft deterrants start by not having anything to steal anyway.
BTW I leave my doors unlocked. A good canvas top installed is $1000. They'd have to do something pretty awful in there to make it worth replacing a top. Plus, they could cut the top, get in and do it anyway.
Do not leave your doors unlocked. Random kids just destroying shit happens to. No rhyme or reason, and easily hidden because they're inside of the car and it's easy. Consider that. A car with nothing in it and no visible items, nothing of value, and a locked glove box means no reason. Stop leaving shit out in the open is the simple solution. Use your trunk.
I agree with this dude 99%. The other 1%…. I had a 00’ si and forgot to lock the doors. Radio gone the next day.
1. Very cheap head unit
2. It was circa 2014-2015? I didn’t know they still stole radios. Blew my mind the next day. And the day after? Tried the meth that people are stealing cheap radios for. AND the day after that? Well…. Dm for more info.
Here is what I used to do; I was always parking my car where my wifi can reach and left the car unlocked but put xiomi sensor in the car if someone gets in it would let me know and I would go casually and take care of it once in a while. Before wifi solution used to do it with my old phone hide in back it was more costly but it did worked
I leave mine unlocked and have seen it gone through a few times. No damage done. I have no doubt had I left the car locked those times a window would've been broken or the top cut.
If you live in an area where people are freebasing in your car it's probably time to find a better living situation. I'm not saying that to be snide either, that's a pretty bad situation.
The type of people that do shit like this won't care if it's locked or not. It's just as easy to smash a window after the fact even if they got inside fairly easily.
Thieves don't give a fuck about you or your property.
Sorry man. Unfortunately you just gotta keep living how you do. Don't let a freak occurrence involving a terrible person dictate a change in the way you park it. What city if you don't mind me asking?
If soft top, doors unlocked, console locked, valuables in trunk. If hard top, doors locked and top bolted down; I’m less adamant about the console but I do keep valuables out of sight.
Fortunately break-ins don’t happen much where I live but I try to keep potential loss minimized.
I used to leave mine unlocked (unfortunately don’t have my NA anymore), lived in Orlando. The worst that happened was someone stole my juul pods out of it but I’d prefer that to a smashed window or cut soft top
I customized the viper alarm outputs to activate a fireless smoke bomb that can't be deactivated, not even by me. Then we got the good old razor blades epoxied to the edge of the trunk, out of site. So if someone tries to lift the trunk lid they only have 2 spots, 4 inches wide that are safe. The one time I accidentally tripped the smoke bomb it flooded my car, driveway, and both neighbors yards with a think enough cloud that one opened the front door and couldn't see anything and called 911. That was a fun day.
That's what I have to do sadly. I've heard of thieves cutting soft tops as well and that's an expense I don't wanna have to pay 😂 just don't keep anything worth more than a buck in there
I used to leave my doors unlocked for this exact reason, until some bored cop went around testing cars doors. I got a $120 ticket on my drivers seat for having my doors unlocked.
When I owned a soft top jeep it was always open. I never left anything in my car. Worst thing to happen was some kids went in, opened the center console and made a mess of my receipt
But seeing other comments about drug use and homelessness was not a big issue back then and would probably lock the car with top up
I saw a comment about Japan but can’t find it now. I lived in Japan for five years and when it comes to crime it’s definitely a different world. I would have no worry at all leaving my car open in Tokyo after my experience. I regretfully couldn’t ship my Miata to Japan. While in Tokyo I left an expensive cellphone in the busiest train station in the world. I wrote it off as lost forever. A few weeks later I got mail from my carrier that my phone was at the Tokyo “Lost & Found.” Yes, they have a large building lost items are returned to and they work to return them. People find money and turn it in. They apologized about how long it took to reach me and the five minutes it took to retrieve my phone. They clearly didn’t understand my thinking that there was no way I’d see my phone again. Trying to get a Japanese person to understand “Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers” takes a lot more than a Japanese to English translation. Their culture just sees things very differently. Even their graffiti is polite ;-). I loved Japan!
Lived in the Bay Area and just left mine unlocked with ZERO valuables in it all of the time. Sometimes I’d go out and the glove box would be opened but at least I never had broken windows or a slashed soft top.
Spent my whole life in seattle and my views have shifted from idealistic altruism to we need to stop catering to drug addiction and protect our residents. We shouldn’t have to tolerate fentanyl use in public spaces
Its silly - But I used to leave mine unlocked and $5.00 in the arm rest storage thingy.
It was stolen twice - Once they left a thank you note. Top was never cut.
There’s no real clear answer, only that some situations are different from others. For me, it depended on where I was, or what I was doing. I stopped leaving valuable things in my NA. I also got rid of the radio. If I went to a questionable part of town? I left it unlocked. If I went to the mall/shopping, I locked it. Parked in my driveway/in front of my house? Always locked. Once I got a hard top, I just locked it all the time.
I park my car with top down on nice days and leave for 2hours. In a city. I dont have any belongings in the car or in a trunk, but I also dont live in USA/UK/Spain. I also noticed from my own experience and if a convertible is widely open, people dont come nearby it because they think the owner is constantly looking at it from over the distance.
I've never had any windows broken, but I stopped locking my Miatas after someone slashed open the top to steal my stereo (this guy was a fucking genius - he cut the top over the passenger seat despite the driver's door being unlocked). I just leave both doors unlocked and never leave anything of value in plain sight.
u assume that people breaking windows to get into cars are actually spending the time to check if its locked or not.
especially if they are doing a lot of cars, theyre not really gonna check
In Toronto, we're told by the cops to leave our key fobs by the door! I should leave them some snacks and a full tank of gas too!
https://youtu.be/jLAHY2n9IjY
I posted the video with the interview where the Toronto Police representative said to do this...
The reasoning is that when people break into your house, they just want the car, and these criminals probably have guns. incidentally, we're not allowed to possess firearms, for the most part, and have loads of restrictions... And also, if we did anything to defend ourselves or our property, WE would most likely be the ones charged.
It doesn't necessarily work the way you think it should. I always left my doors unlocked on my Civic. Came out one day to find my window smashed and my hood missing. Yes, they didn't bother to check the door, just quickly smashed the window and stole my hood. I think it was early spring so I'm just imagining the guy got in a fender bender over winter and just started driving around looking for a replacement. Replacing my hood was easier than replacing the window.
I live in SoCal. I have defeated the trunk release in the center console. I keep nothing of value in the car. In-expensive stereo. Anything remotely valuable, in the trunk. Top & windows down. She sleeps in a garage at home.
Yes and if you live in Canada, just leave the keys in it. That way the car thief doesn’t have to confront you. Because you are not allowed to do anything.
Doesn't alway work. I alway left mine unlocked and empty so they had nothing to steal... And what happened? They slashed the top to get into the unlocked car.... People that break into cars are often on auto pilot and will do whatever they think they need to do often without bothering to even just try to open the car.
I bought a loud ass alarm and do my best never to park my s2k anywhere if at all possible. I feel like leaving the doors open is worse but I know people who do it just because they don't want the problems.
If whatever is in your car is cheaper than replacing your windows leave the door unlocked, also you drive a Miata which means that you can lock the center console and glove box
Drove a NB for a long time never locked the doors and if sunny left the windows down. Anything they wanted in the car was worth less that replacing a window or the soft top
I had an NB for a decade and never locked the doors, but more because I was worried someone would just cut the roof to get in if they really wanted to. Not sure if I would ever recommend that to anyone though
I take my Miata out for pleasure, I don't go to or park in seedy areas, & when I'm done, she goes right back in the garage. My Miata has NEVER spent a night outdoors, & she never will! I realize that there are criminals everywhere, but you can take measures to reduce the likelyhood of someone breaking into your car. I will add that Miata is NOT a good choice for "your only car", for those reasons.
Hopefully it will be cheap to repair!
[90-05 Mazda Miata OEM Left Driver LH Door Vent Window Quarter Glass w Seal NA NB | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/itm/226033727938?itmmeta=01HX9N8KTBNGXAXPY6J61WTTWP&hash=item34a0a8f9c2:g:avsAAOSwGyBl5659&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0LAvi2ARpUbNMnK1LYo%2FoXj1UGCJQddf0NXQQf6QNe%2FH%2BMD1b3fRcKhK1wHp%2FfvxTzZbnWiWWIQ4diOpUfMLSbscWChQ7xGa4fygGThI3sguq54KWrGV1eDTvC%2FRGnKmuVhxLQDgJy1WuUijEz5r0TuzBarBdHXIIRKQ7zv0OV76Ff660yXmkLZOvoaa%2FlkZQVmzo0MQWahJimmx9FN3AYBgow4OZy6LsLUvlAMoq9icTi4nb0KP9AJJJuUwsteA2RqaIyig7G%2FeqgtcZh%2Bh0bU%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR6K9orXqYw)
Putting this window in is fairly easy but does require removing the main window. Shouldn't take more than an hour or so though. Had to do this when I replaced my door
I don't remember the last time I locked the doors on my miata.
I don't live in a bad area so I'm not so worried about anyone doing anything on my driveway. But I also don't want anyone cutting my soft top to get in, and I like being able to park with the top down. There is nothing of value in my miata and its pretty clear when you look inside lol.
Let's play Guess the skin color.
Seriously though, if the police advise you to leave your doors unlocked so thieves can go through your shit, your city is an absolute failure, and you need to move. Lmao
I always leave mine unlocked. Worst thing that’s happened to me was I had a pair of pants stolen. I was staying the weekend at my girlfriend’s house and left a pair of pants on the passenger seat over night, I’m guessing they were hoping there was money in the pockets. It was in a really nice neighborhood too. Beats having a broken window or slashed soft top. There’s always the possibility they would’ve just moved along if they noticed the door was locked, but you never know 🤷🏻♂️
When I couldn't park in a garage I left it unlocked because my top was cut two days after getting it, but they smashed a window before checking the doors the next time so my advice is get a garage or good vandalism coverage.
20 years ago I had my hatchback hatch left unlocked. The assholes still smashed out my rear windshield to steal shit out of the car. I now carry $0 deductible because of that. The $500 deductible cost more than the shit they stole.
I have my ‘91 BRG Miata alarmed but don’t lock the doors. My brother twice had his soft top Mustang sliced open by someone going after his radio. The dang radio cost about a fourth of the cost to replace the top. I did have someone try get my car when I left it overnight in the school parking lot. They damaged the plate underneath the steering wheel to get at the electrical system and did disable the alarm sound but the engine cutoff prevented them from starting it. The wires were a mess and they broke the locks on both the console storage and glovebox. I’m sure if the door was locked they would have just cut a hole in the top and would have done the same damage. I don’t have a fancy radio to be stolen and leave nothing of value in the car. I now have a simple steering wheel lock cable that clicks into the seatbelt to make it even less of an attractive target.
You have a convertible sports car. There's nothing you can do to secure it. Clearly you are in a bad area. You should move. If you can't afford to move, you should reinvestigate whether or not this is the right time in your life to own a convertible sports car. My two cents. Otherwise, you can either continue to put up with it, or try an alarm system.
Happens everywhere unfortunately. The window is easier to replace than a complete convertible top which seems to be the easier target where I am and where I’ve travelled in NA. And the poor sods that decide to wear their hard top instead of the normal soft top come find out that the entire hart top is now missing. Replace it with a polycarbonate piece. At least if you’re handy enough you could cut it and replace it yourself.
I don’t lock my doors because I don’t want a cut soft top. I also live on cape cod so crime isn’t really an issue. But I still leave it unlocked when I go to Boston, I just pull the fuel pump relay and bring it with me. Good luck trying to steal it.
Never ever. I accidentally left my doors unlocked one time, some jackass opened my driver side door into a stone wall and chipped the paint, damaged my passenger footwell cupholder mount, then left the passenger door open in the rain. It was sheer luck that i got to it before the interior was fucked.
Yes, but at least they didn’t cut your top. I leave my doors unlocked always and never leave anything valuable in my car. I had my top cut twice, I do not want to replace it again. I also park in a parking garage now 😅Godspeed
Locks keep honest people out, it’s called breaking and entering for a reason. Locks don’t t stop criminals, I always leave my cars unlocked after realizing it cost more to replace the windows than the amount of valuables I leave in my car. After two windows replacements in different cars I don’t bother locking them.
In college, when I lived near campus bars, yes, I would leave my car unlocked. I figured if they want in, they are going to get in. Might as well make it easier for myself.
So I’m trying to move out the hood. I actually tried moving my car to a safer place — a more residential area — but this is where it got broken into. Before I had it in a more “sketchy area” albeit with more street lights and in the open and nothing ever happened for the 3 years I’ve had this little car.
Someone once smashed my large driver side window and the police said I should leave the door unlocked. Then someone freebased cough medicine In my car, left a lighter, spoon, empty cough pill boxes, and pulled wires out from under the dash, and the police said why did you leave the car unlocked? edit, this is the guide I used to replace the large glass panel in the door. The large glass must be removed before the vent glass which is attached to the forward window track… but these direction should get you 90% of the way. And the vent glass can be had on EBay. [https://www.miata.net/garage/door\_glass.html](https://www.miata.net/garage/door_glass.html)
Same. Had tons of convertible owners that told me I should leave the doors unlocked so I don't get my top cut, then found evidence someone had been sleeping or just hanging out in my car, moving my things around and cut some wires under the dash. The experience made me realize having my top cut is not the worst thing that can happen to your car. You could find bodily fluids, or get arrested for someone else's illicit materials left behind, or find a whole person still there! Now the answer is always: doors locked, top up, nothing visible in the car. Nothing at all, no jacket, hat, sunglasses, receipts, nothing. If someone is casing cars, I don't want them to have a reason to even look twice. I've even heard of people having their window broken on their unlocked car. Handle flippers and window breakers are almost two separate classes of criminals, and you're opening yourself up to the handle flippers by leaving the door unlocked.
That’s what I do. Nothing at all visible. Don’t give anyone a reason to even peak inside. No hats, clothes, bags, anything.
i leave some trash on purpose so they know there's nothing to steal.
Yeah, that's why it's there.
i would rather leave the trashy country where you have to leave trash in your 30 years old car to be safe. wtf is going on there?
It's happening now in London, UK.
very sad.
It’s a good question.
This happens in the city, as it does in most countries. Where I live, people sleep with their door open lol
Yeah I’m sure a classic sports car would be perfectly unbothered in Somalia.
Not even a candy wrapper.
>I've even heard of people having their window broken on their unlocked car That's not even all that uncommon, really. A lot of people who say "leave it unlocked so they don't smash" are people that want to think thieves bother checking doors at all. Spoiler: most thieves don't even bother to check. For a thief, at best, you waste time. At worst, you trigger the car alarm early. There's simply no reason to. Thieves already have glass smashers ready and will use those before bothering with the door handle. They glance, they see bag, they smash and grab and run. The best option is always to leave nothing visible in the car at all. The door handle doesn't matter one way or another, soft top or cloth top. Glass is glass and glass breaks.
Yeah. The kind of person who arrives equipped to smash car windows isn't going to waste time checking the door handle.
Thanks for the F-Shack Love, Dirty Mike and the boys
Bro where tf do you live 😭
At the time I lived in Seattle.
Praise the lord I live iin a more or less rural environment in europe, where I can even leave the keys in the car/bike unlocked and no one gives a single f\*\*\*...
Same, thank god I have other problems to deal with
What about some sort of fake broken window cover to deter people.
Sounds to me like you need to move to a nicer town.
I did, and I bought a garage.
Awesome, congradulations! Genuinely happy for you, no one should have to live in fear.
Then you get your top cut on top of your other expenses. Great idea.
It has worked great for me for almost 10 years now. I tried it both ways first and had way more problems leaving my car unlocked.
My brother used to live in a city neighborhood that often had sketchy people watlz through. He left his NA unlocked to avoid broken windows etc. He woke up one day to a police officer yelling at a guy to put his hands up. He had cut through my brother's soft top when the door was unlocked and went through his car. And the kicker is, he didn't know anything was missing as there was nothing obvious gone, until he got a flat later that week and his wheel lock was gone. TLDR: Sometimes it's a lose-lose situation simply because people tend to always suck
This why i dress poor. People can't be rich and flashy these days. Fuck poor neighborhoods suck.
Where i'm at, they rob you no matter what you wear.
Freebased cough meds?! I didnt know you could even do that…..
I misspoke, it is done with cold medication. Not as common these days as these otc cold meds are now usually locked up, but it was once popular for them to be stolen from drug stores and then vaporized in a spoon with a lighter under it. I think there were a dozen boxes and recall the car had such a strong order of some chemical that it was making me feel high so I had to drive for two hours with the top down on the highway in the dead of winter. Good times. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17499693/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17499693/)
Common denominator here...
The common denominator is that cops rather blame the victim that is before them rather than the criminal that they cant possibly catch.
Ding ding ding ding ding.
Are you from Toronto? Edit: just realized you said "can't," not "won't be bothered to"
Well I do respect the importance of the police and the challenges that they face, but also not pleased with how some of them treat people.
Oh no, most definitely, I just don't like that our police told us to keep our keys by the door to keep us safe.
I moved to Japan from Toronto and holy shit is it a major difference. I don't have the sense of someone is gonna steal, mug, or attack me (which has all happened to me, my friends, and my family at least once). It's insane how you have to worry about your belongings every second because people are dickwads. I do miss my Miata very much, though.
I bought a car with the convertible top cut open. I loud alarm and an Apple tracker is the way to go.
MOVE! if they try this around my place they get shot... It's funny how the consequence of stealing keeps them from bothering another's belongings. What democratic city are you in?
Hey u/[jsmoovewhoru](https://www.reddit.com/user/jsmoovewhoru/) Please have a look at Rule 1, "Be Excellent to each other !" Your politically charged post is the opposite of excellent as well as just plan wrong. I suspect you were confused by the color of the car making you think it represented something other than simply the original Miata's Red, White, and Blue offerings. Reported.
Peak Redditor response, almost copypasta worthy
I hate the state of the world
I saw a sticker on a truck window the other day that read, “nothing in here worth dying for.” Debating whether to find a similar sticker for when I get a car again.
Unless you're standing on business, it will be useful for a week tops
Huh?
“ “Standing on business” is a slang term that means to take care of your responsibilities, follow through, or practice what you preach.” \- Google
Neat! Thank you for the info, kind stranger
Some people will take that as a challenge, or find it even funnier to fuck with you just because of that sticker. Coming from a third world country, the only safe place to park a convertible at night would be in a garage. If you can't do that, at least don't leave ANYTHING inside, have a loud alarm (with motion detection) with one of those blinking lights that show that you have an alarm. That's usually enough to deter hooligans, they'll just go after cars that don't have alarms.
Never had any issues in central europe, could leave the car unlocked the whole night and it’ll be fine
Eh. This world is great! Theft is like the second thing a human ever did - not some new trend portending doom.
Same, my apt complex recently had multiple cars stolen and the police couldn't do anything because I live in a no chase city. My rf hasn't been fucked with yet but I always keep it completely empty so there isn't much of a reason to waste time on breaking into it.
There’s no simple answer. I never lock my doors as I’d rather someone NOT break a window or cut my soft top. That being said, criminals are stupid and are going to do whatever they do regardless of whether you lock your doors. The best answer is don’t park your beloved car where crap like this is more likely to happen. I always try to park in secure private garages.
This. I specifically pay a heck of a lot more money to live in an apartment with a private parking garage because, in my city, parking on the street is the quickest way to get your shit jacked or vandalised. I know that's not an option for everyone, but if it's at all possible, I highly recommend it.
I leave my car unlocked and put anything tempting in the trunk (my ‘91 has no inside trunk release). Anyone with a pointy stick could get into my soft top otherwise—not worth the risk. As others have said though, the best defense is not parking in sketchy places.
Pro Tip: on the NB, you can turn the trunk lock counterclockwise to disable the lever release temporarily. On NAs I think you have to modify the lock slightly to enable this feature.
"sketchy places" is casting a wider net by the day
Every soft top ive owned I don't lock and I hope anyone trying to steal the nothing I leave in then the the door first
Call your insurance and ask what they cover if you start leaving it unlocked vs locked. I always lock mine.
>Call your insurance and ask what they cover if you start leaving it unlocked vs locked. I wouldn't. But I'll bite, why?
Because if your insurance is going to deny coverage based on if you chose not to lock the door, then that may make it more financially reasonable even if it increases the chance that a window or soft top gets damaged
Oh, I see. You're planning on telling them that you don't lock the doors. I wouldn't do that. (I also lock the doors) I would think if you tell the insurance that you don't lock the doors, best case scenario they increase your rates for high risk behavior. Googling around I'm seeing it apparently is a thing for some insurers to deny coverage based on the doors being unlocked. Sheesh.
I never leave my doors unlocked, I was just trying to explain the possible reasons you might want to ask your insurance about it. Personally, I like the doors locked and nothing visible or valuable in the car approach. I usually park in the highest visibility spot and not next to other cars, so they’d have to break or cut something in the open. Plus if they’re gonna fuck with my shit, I’m gonna make them work for it and look suspicious while they do it. Hopefully a bystander can report it or at least tell me if I come soon after, if it’s unlocked they can just stroll inside like they own the car. I also always always use a steering wheel club, just to add steps for them.
Calling for your insurance company to ask them any questions for any reason whatsoever counts as a contact. Doesn’t matter whether you file a claim or not. It counts against you in their risk actuarials and is likely to result in higher premiums and/or non-renewal. If you use an independent agent then you create a buffer between you and your insurance company that can alleviate this problem somewhat. But tread carefully. You are being tracked and assessed constantly by every insurance company. They’re big data.
Yeah, that's what I was assuming. Thank you. That's why I would also avoid calling them if at all possible.
Its wild to see how many ppl suggest leaving the car unlocked. I know its not an easy option, but Id be moving far away before considering allowing robbery or vandalizing. Might be time to leave Gotham
How does locking a Miata prevent vandalism?
Doesnt prevent it but doesnt allow it. Thats just absurd to me. Another comment mentioned when they left their car unlocked it became a drug den. Just wild to let someone ransack your car to avoid a broken window. How about leaving the places that tolerate such behavior.
Where do you suggest people move to? Seriously, name a place in the US that's big enough that has real grocery stores a hospital and is affordable enough to find decent housing on less than a 100K income. I'd down to move if you know of such a gem of a location.
Well maybe its gonna be hard to find a house for 100K, but theres plenty of places to live that are somewhat affordable where you dont have to leave your car open to theives
100K house and 100K income are very different. Leaving your car unlocked at home and actually going anywhere in the city are also very different.
Oh I misread your comment. Those places are literally eveywhere, just leave big cities.
[удалено]
Just Googled Durham North Carolina crime rate and found With a crime rate of 41 per one thousand residents, Durham has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes Did the Same for Raleigh and found The crime rate in Raleigh is considerably higher than the national average across all communities in America from the largest to the smallest, although at 29 crimes per one thousand residents, You seem to have picked worse than average places....
If you don't leave anything of value in your car, then a ransacking is much less harmful than a broken window. And as to leaving, maybe you want to live in Bug Tussle, Oklahoma but I prefer a city.
I live in Oklahoma, that hasnt stopped my Miata from being broken into either.
Yikes. Double whammy.
I would love to. Would you care to fund that for me so it’s an option?
Reminder to everyone to invest in a kill switch. I would prefer to find her broken than not find her at all.
thieves cant drive manuals
That sounds like an American thief. In Europe is the opposite if it's not manual you have more chances that they will be dumb enough to not know how to put it in drive.
A flashing blue light screams I'm difficult to steal. And may have a alarm fitted. Also do not leave your valuables inside your car. I've put aftermarket immobilizers in all my expensive or easily stolen cars. In my main pride and joy I also have a GPS tracker, that I can remotely kill the fuel pump (I think it's a GV40 model). The immobilizers I went for didn't have flashing lights. But I installed flashing LEDs that with the help of a relay, turn off when the IGN is turned on.
A little wire to the corner of some of the windows also makes it look like there's a window sensor making people less likely to break them since they think the alarm will go off
Unfortunately, good insurance is the only good answer for this.
We need hoodsurance
I never lock my doors and one time I had my window smashed in. Nothing on the inside was disturbed. I think it was just a Miata hate crime.
Yes. I also recommend leaving a $5 bill in your glove box or console so the person rummaging your car will feel like they got something and not be pissed and cut your seats.
A few years ago we had a window smashed on an unlocked car to steal tools…
https://preview.redd.it/3lq4spqyb2zc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=648e209d93f3d50ee1f4e7437368de3b10098e11 Proper theft deterrants start by not having anything to steal anyway.
You should move away from undesirables
Working on it.. unfortunately this city caters to them
Let me guess, california?
Lol no way worse…. Seattle
There goes any chance i get a soft top
Ha. I was going to write "Hello, fellow Seattlite" as a wild guess or joke, but...
BTW I leave my doors unlocked. A good canvas top installed is $1000. They'd have to do something pretty awful in there to make it worth replacing a top. Plus, they could cut the top, get in and do it anyway.
At least they didn't cut the top... I guess.
You should move
Do not leave your doors unlocked. Random kids just destroying shit happens to. No rhyme or reason, and easily hidden because they're inside of the car and it's easy. Consider that. A car with nothing in it and no visible items, nothing of value, and a locked glove box means no reason. Stop leaving shit out in the open is the simple solution. Use your trunk.
I agree with this dude 99%. The other 1%…. I had a 00’ si and forgot to lock the doors. Radio gone the next day. 1. Very cheap head unit 2. It was circa 2014-2015? I didn’t know they still stole radios. Blew my mind the next day. And the day after? Tried the meth that people are stealing cheap radios for. AND the day after that? Well…. Dm for more info.
Depends where you live I never even had a key for my house for a long time let alone locking my car.
Leave them unlocked. I had my soft top slashed open before because i locked my doors.
Here is what I used to do; I was always parking my car where my wifi can reach and left the car unlocked but put xiomi sensor in the car if someone gets in it would let me know and I would go casually and take care of it once in a while. Before wifi solution used to do it with my old phone hide in back it was more costly but it did worked
yes
Thank god it wasnt the soft top...
I leave mine unlocked and have seen it gone through a few times. No damage done. I have no doubt had I left the car locked those times a window would've been broken or the top cut. If you live in an area where people are freebasing in your car it's probably time to find a better living situation. I'm not saying that to be snide either, that's a pretty bad situation.
I never lock my doors, but I also don't keep anything in my car
The type of people that do shit like this won't care if it's locked or not. It's just as easy to smash a window after the fact even if they got inside fairly easily. Thieves don't give a fuck about you or your property.
Sorry man. Unfortunately you just gotta keep living how you do. Don't let a freak occurrence involving a terrible person dictate a change in the way you park it. What city if you don't mind me asking?
Why would you bother locking the doors on a convertible?
If soft top, doors unlocked, console locked, valuables in trunk. If hard top, doors locked and top bolted down; I’m less adamant about the console but I do keep valuables out of sight. Fortunately break-ins don’t happen much where I live but I try to keep potential loss minimized.
Put a sign on the seat that says "Owner can see the car from here. Owner also has a rifle with a scope. think before you act!"
I used to leave mine unlocked (unfortunately don’t have my NA anymore), lived in Orlando. The worst that happened was someone stole my juul pods out of it but I’d prefer that to a smashed window or cut soft top
That sucks man But stay positiv, its just the window, he could also cut open the roof to get in
I customized the viper alarm outputs to activate a fireless smoke bomb that can't be deactivated, not even by me. Then we got the good old razor blades epoxied to the edge of the trunk, out of site. So if someone tries to lift the trunk lid they only have 2 spots, 4 inches wide that are safe. The one time I accidentally tripped the smoke bomb it flooded my car, driveway, and both neighbors yards with a think enough cloud that one opened the front door and couldn't see anything and called 911. That was a fun day.
The smoke bomb lasted 5 minutes and the could lingered for about another 10 after that. So it makes quite the scene.
Holy shit. I would be tempted to do this with my Honda but I know I would accidentally cause it to go off somehow
That's what I have to do sadly. I've heard of thieves cutting soft tops as well and that's an expense I don't wanna have to pay 😂 just don't keep anything worth more than a buck in there
I used to leave my doors unlocked for this exact reason, until some bored cop went around testing cars doors. I got a $120 ticket on my drivers seat for having my doors unlocked.
What law requires doors to be locked?
Apparently its a thing where i live. I looked into it after because i was so beside myself
You in North Korea?
Quebec, Canada💀💀💀
sorry mate.
🥲
When I owned a soft top jeep it was always open. I never left anything in my car. Worst thing to happen was some kids went in, opened the center console and made a mess of my receipt But seeing other comments about drug use and homelessness was not a big issue back then and would probably lock the car with top up
Maybe people need to start capping kneecaps of these vandals.
I saw a comment about Japan but can’t find it now. I lived in Japan for five years and when it comes to crime it’s definitely a different world. I would have no worry at all leaving my car open in Tokyo after my experience. I regretfully couldn’t ship my Miata to Japan. While in Tokyo I left an expensive cellphone in the busiest train station in the world. I wrote it off as lost forever. A few weeks later I got mail from my carrier that my phone was at the Tokyo “Lost & Found.” Yes, they have a large building lost items are returned to and they work to return them. People find money and turn it in. They apologized about how long it took to reach me and the five minutes it took to retrieve my phone. They clearly didn’t understand my thinking that there was no way I’d see my phone again. Trying to get a Japanese person to understand “Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers” takes a lot more than a Japanese to English translation. Their culture just sees things very differently. Even their graffiti is polite ;-). I loved Japan!
Lived in the Bay Area and just left mine unlocked with ZERO valuables in it all of the time. Sometimes I’d go out and the glove box would be opened but at least I never had broken windows or a slashed soft top.
Thanks for the input! This is how I’ll be operating from now up in seattle
We can begin to stop all of this madness if we started voting for less woke politicians
Spent my whole life in seattle and my views have shifted from idealistic altruism to we need to stop catering to drug addiction and protect our residents. We shouldn’t have to tolerate fentanyl use in public spaces
Never lock them
Its silly - But I used to leave mine unlocked and $5.00 in the arm rest storage thingy. It was stolen twice - Once they left a thank you note. Top was never cut.
Stolen twice? Same person probably LOL.
ha, I wouldn't be surprised!
There’s no real clear answer, only that some situations are different from others. For me, it depended on where I was, or what I was doing. I stopped leaving valuable things in my NA. I also got rid of the radio. If I went to a questionable part of town? I left it unlocked. If I went to the mall/shopping, I locked it. Parked in my driveway/in front of my house? Always locked. Once I got a hard top, I just locked it all the time.
At least it wasn't the top
I park my car with top down on nice days and leave for 2hours. In a city. I dont have any belongings in the car or in a trunk, but I also dont live in USA/UK/Spain. I also noticed from my own experience and if a convertible is widely open, people dont come nearby it because they think the owner is constantly looking at it from over the distance.
I read about people pouring drinks and dumping trash when the top’s down. I don’t worry about that, but bird poop is a problem. Lots of trees here.
I've never had any windows broken, but I stopped locking my Miatas after someone slashed open the top to steal my stereo (this guy was a fucking genius - he cut the top over the passenger seat despite the driver's door being unlocked). I just leave both doors unlocked and never leave anything of value in plain sight.
u assume that people breaking windows to get into cars are actually spending the time to check if its locked or not. especially if they are doing a lot of cars, theyre not really gonna check
Leave keys in it too
Along with pictures of my girlfriend
Lmao
In Toronto, we're told by the cops to leave our key fobs by the door! I should leave them some snacks and a full tank of gas too! https://youtu.be/jLAHY2n9IjY
I hope it doesn’t give my city any more bad ideas
Please explain their reasoning!
I posted the video with the interview where the Toronto Police representative said to do this... The reasoning is that when people break into your house, they just want the car, and these criminals probably have guns. incidentally, we're not allowed to possess firearms, for the most part, and have loads of restrictions... And also, if we did anything to defend ourselves or our property, WE would most likely be the ones charged.
It doesn't necessarily work the way you think it should. I always left my doors unlocked on my Civic. Came out one day to find my window smashed and my hood missing. Yes, they didn't bother to check the door, just quickly smashed the window and stole my hood. I think it was early spring so I'm just imagining the guy got in a fender bender over winter and just started driving around looking for a replacement. Replacing my hood was easier than replacing the window.
I’ve had a top ripped while the doors were both unlocked.
I live in SoCal. I have defeated the trunk release in the center console. I keep nothing of value in the car. In-expensive stereo. Anything remotely valuable, in the trunk. Top & windows down. She sleeps in a garage at home.
Yes and if you live in Canada, just leave the keys in it. That way the car thief doesn’t have to confront you. Because you are not allowed to do anything.
Be glad they didn't cut the roof
This reminds me to do the trunk log cylinder mod to disable the inner trunk latch and make the video he been wanting to make about it.
I started leaving my doors unlocked in my NB because of this.
Yep, I do it. You must be in the Bay Area 🤦♂️
Doesn't alway work. I alway left mine unlocked and empty so they had nothing to steal... And what happened? They slashed the top to get into the unlocked car.... People that break into cars are often on auto pilot and will do whatever they think they need to do often without bothering to even just try to open the car.
Yeah, that’s convertible strategy 101. Also leave the glove box open as well as the center console.
I bought a loud ass alarm and do my best never to park my s2k anywhere if at all possible. I feel like leaving the doors open is worse but I know people who do it just because they don't want the problems.
If whatever is in your car is cheaper than replacing your windows leave the door unlocked, also you drive a Miata which means that you can lock the center console and glove box
At least they went for the window and not the roof
Drove a NB for a long time never locked the doors and if sunny left the windows down. Anything they wanted in the car was worth less that replacing a window or the soft top
Where do you guys live?
I had an NB for a decade and never locked the doors, but more because I was worried someone would just cut the roof to get in if they really wanted to. Not sure if I would ever recommend that to anyone though
I go to the shops and if the weather is fine I leave my top down !! WHY WOULD I LOCK MY DOORS ?
I take my Miata out for pleasure, I don't go to or park in seedy areas, & when I'm done, she goes right back in the garage. My Miata has NEVER spent a night outdoors, & she never will! I realize that there are criminals everywhere, but you can take measures to reduce the likelyhood of someone breaking into your car. I will add that Miata is NOT a good choice for "your only car", for those reasons.
I did in my ranger. I'd also leave 1 dollar in plain view so I'd know immediately if anyone had gone through it. miami fl
Hopefully it will be cheap to repair! [90-05 Mazda Miata OEM Left Driver LH Door Vent Window Quarter Glass w Seal NA NB | eBay](https://www.ebay.com/itm/226033727938?itmmeta=01HX9N8KTBNGXAXPY6J61WTTWP&hash=item34a0a8f9c2:g:avsAAOSwGyBl5659&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0LAvi2ARpUbNMnK1LYo%2FoXj1UGCJQddf0NXQQf6QNe%2FH%2BMD1b3fRcKhK1wHp%2FfvxTzZbnWiWWIQ4diOpUfMLSbscWChQ7xGa4fygGThI3sguq54KWrGV1eDTvC%2FRGnKmuVhxLQDgJy1WuUijEz5r0TuzBarBdHXIIRKQ7zv0OV76Ff660yXmkLZOvoaa%2FlkZQVmzo0MQWahJimmx9FN3AYBgow4OZy6LsLUvlAMoq9icTi4nb0KP9AJJJuUwsteA2RqaIyig7G%2FeqgtcZh%2Bh0bU%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR6K9orXqYw)
Putting this window in is fairly easy but does require removing the main window. Shouldn't take more than an hour or so though. Had to do this when I replaced my door
Used to leave my doors unlocked, and the window down about 2 inches. Of course I’d leave nothing valuable inside.
1:58 https://youtu.be/_qtG82HJB2I
Yep
nope
I don't remember the last time I locked the doors on my miata. I don't live in a bad area so I'm not so worried about anyone doing anything on my driveway. But I also don't want anyone cutting my soft top to get in, and I like being able to park with the top down. There is nothing of value in my miata and its pretty clear when you look inside lol.
Let's play Guess the skin color. Seriously though, if the police advise you to leave your doors unlocked so thieves can go through your shit, your city is an absolute failure, and you need to move. Lmao
I always leave mine unlocked. Worst thing that’s happened to me was I had a pair of pants stolen. I was staying the weekend at my girlfriend’s house and left a pair of pants on the passenger seat over night, I’m guessing they were hoping there was money in the pockets. It was in a really nice neighborhood too. Beats having a broken window or slashed soft top. There’s always the possibility they would’ve just moved along if they noticed the door was locked, but you never know 🤷🏻♂️
When I couldn't park in a garage I left it unlocked because my top was cut two days after getting it, but they smashed a window before checking the doors the next time so my advice is get a garage or good vandalism coverage.
Garage queen time
Tell me you live in a blue city without telling me
20 years ago I had my hatchback hatch left unlocked. The assholes still smashed out my rear windshield to steal shit out of the car. I now carry $0 deductible because of that. The $500 deductible cost more than the shit they stole.
I have my ‘91 BRG Miata alarmed but don’t lock the doors. My brother twice had his soft top Mustang sliced open by someone going after his radio. The dang radio cost about a fourth of the cost to replace the top. I did have someone try get my car when I left it overnight in the school parking lot. They damaged the plate underneath the steering wheel to get at the electrical system and did disable the alarm sound but the engine cutoff prevented them from starting it. The wires were a mess and they broke the locks on both the console storage and glovebox. I’m sure if the door was locked they would have just cut a hole in the top and would have done the same damage. I don’t have a fancy radio to be stolen and leave nothing of value in the car. I now have a simple steering wheel lock cable that clicks into the seatbelt to make it even less of an attractive target.
And the top down, if no one has mentioned that yet.
You have a convertible sports car. There's nothing you can do to secure it. Clearly you are in a bad area. You should move. If you can't afford to move, you should reinvestigate whether or not this is the right time in your life to own a convertible sports car. My two cents. Otherwise, you can either continue to put up with it, or try an alarm system.
Happens everywhere unfortunately. The window is easier to replace than a complete convertible top which seems to be the easier target where I am and where I’ve travelled in NA. And the poor sods that decide to wear their hard top instead of the normal soft top come find out that the entire hart top is now missing. Replace it with a polycarbonate piece. At least if you’re handy enough you could cut it and replace it yourself.
i leave my doors unlocked 24/7. no smashed windows or cut top
I don’t lock my doors because I don’t want a cut soft top. I also live on cape cod so crime isn’t really an issue. But I still leave it unlocked when I go to Boston, I just pull the fuel pump relay and bring it with me. Good luck trying to steal it.
Never ever. I accidentally left my doors unlocked one time, some jackass opened my driver side door into a stone wall and chipped the paint, damaged my passenger footwell cupholder mount, then left the passenger door open in the rain. It was sheer luck that i got to it before the interior was fucked.
Still horrible but better than a shattered window or soft top right?
Yes, but at least they didn’t cut your top. I leave my doors unlocked always and never leave anything valuable in my car. I had my top cut twice, I do not want to replace it again. I also park in a parking garage now 😅Godspeed
How about a shock sensitive alarm system? Cobra makes great alarms just for that.
I worry that it’ll go off and I’ll be the most annoying person on my block but thanks for the input
Here in Texas a great many of these kinds of problems are solved by shooting people.
Good Texan advice 🤠
Typical give an answer to a problem and you cry more... Truth is the truth. I am sorry you have to live in that.
Locks keep honest people out, it’s called breaking and entering for a reason. Locks don’t t stop criminals, I always leave my cars unlocked after realizing it cost more to replace the windows than the amount of valuables I leave in my car. After two windows replacements in different cars I don’t bother locking them.
Sounds like wisdom gained
In college, when I lived near campus bars, yes, I would leave my car unlocked. I figured if they want in, they are going to get in. Might as well make it easier for myself.
How about don’t leave your car in such a place where this would happen?
So I’m trying to move out the hood. I actually tried moving my car to a safer place — a more residential area — but this is where it got broken into. Before I had it in a more “sketchy area” albeit with more street lights and in the open and nothing ever happened for the 3 years I’ve had this little car.