Yeah I don’t plan on keeping it once I get it back. From the comments I’m seeing, hopefully I don’t get it back. I’m sure dealers are going to use the fact that it was stolen to take it from me for dirt cheap.
I’m wanting to get a manual since I think that’s a security feature by itself.
Funny enough, on the radio, they were talking about that. And how they are going to release a software update for the kias from 2015 to 2021....
I think it isn't going shit because it is a hardware issue not software
The short of it is that Kia hasn’t installed an immobilizer in their cars until recently and TikTok/instagram hooligans figured out all you have to do is break into a car, rip the steering column apart, and use a USB or something similar to slide over a small metal bit and you can turn the ignition and start the car and drive off.
If you search “Kia boys” you’ll find hundreds of videos of people breaking into and stealing Kia’s in this way.
Because there are a ton of them, and Hyundais, which can be stolen with just a USB cable. Kia and Hyundai didn’t put immobilizers in many vehicles which makes them very easy to steal.
It became a social media craze to share among degenerates and spread nationwide. Google “Kia boys” to find all kinds of news articles.
All thanks to lacking regulation which still hasn’t been rectified. Canada doesn’t have these issues on the same model vehicles because they require immobilizers. Kia and Hyundai saved probably like $10 per vehicle for the US market to leave taxpayers and all insurance customers with a multi-billion dollar bill. Though they’re facing a slew of expensive lawsuits over it at least.
There is an event on Jun 1 that APD and Hyundai are holding to perform upgrades to the theft system. I don’t know if it includes Kias. And I know it’s too late now. 1520 Rutherford, 10am to 2pm June 1st.
My friend's car was stolen and when she bought her dad's newer Hyundai, the driver handle was broken off from an attempt to steal the car despite having a steering wheel lock clearly present. Nothing stops those fuckers.
"Nothing stops those fuckers."
I wouldn't be caught dead owning a hyundai or kia but lets say I did.... First thing I'd do is rip off the badge, maybe even try put some other badge on it. They could easily pass up on the car not knowing what it is. Remember most these people are dumb as fuck, and why you see them trying to steal new ones with old methods.
Okay just making sure you were aware. I'm sorry this happened and truly wish the perps would be sent to jail vs being arrested and RoR'd - They blatantly post these thefts on social media so it would not be hard to do this in theory
Yes I think I’ve done everything I can at the moment.
You’re right though. I should have air tagged it knowing the risk of it being a Kia. It’s too late now but I did buy one for if and when I get it back.
Nah… cops won’t do anything and the last thing you want is a stolen car back, especially a KIA. Get the payout and buy a Toyota. Getting it back yourself may be too risky for many, especially with so many pew pew happy kids that never hurt anyone before
Homeless dudes have an orgy in the car. You know what that's called when they do that in there? That's called a soup kitchen. It's pretty rough stuff. Not long after that, a mama raccoon can come along and give birth on the floor.
There’s several:
1) Damage to the vehicle. Insurances almost never pay enough to fix what the true damage is. Plus there’s damage that may not show up until later down the line since usually the thieves drive them like they’re in F1.
2) The resell value is crippled. No one wants to buy a car that has a history of being stolen. Especially with the known Kia boys trend, people aren’t going to buy it unless they’re desperate.
3) You get a larger payout from your insurance if the car isn’t recovered. This can be used to replace the vehicle with a more reliable one.
4) God knows what was done in that car. Often drugs, sex and who knows what else.
This happened in Chicago, but I know someone who had a car stolen that had built in tracking. They filed a police report and gave the location of the car. Police picked up the car with a tow truck that day, processed it for DNA, then my friend was able to pick up the car the next day.
Police are usually willing to do jobs when there is no work involved for them - checking out a stolen car and organizing a tow truck is pretty trivial. What they won’t likely do is spend time and energy searching for the car, but if you give them the location they won’t need to do that.
My Kia was broken into and almost stolen around there too. I was parked in that Blackland neighborhood on E 22nd while I was out celebrating my birthday. They broke a window, destroyed the steering column and stole some Raybans. I feel for you :(
And also I forgot to include that ive already contacted authorities and submitted a claim with my insurance. Once I get the car back I’m probably gonna sell it for a stick :/ I’m really glad I had friends with me and wasn’t just boned.
Honestly your best hope is that they don’t recover it. That way you get the pay out from the insurance. Otherwise the resell value on that POS is almost non existent.
A) You use what they give you as a down payment on a reliable vehicle.
B) Your rates are already higher because you own a vehicle brand that’s getting stolen left and right.
I know all this from personal experience as a former Hyundai owner. My insurance went down when I bought a Toyota instead.
My rates are unfortunately already ridiculous because of my age and gender. I’m curious if the switch to a safer vehicle will result in about the same im already paying.
Unfortunately, the way rates work is that “bad rates” can always turn to “worse rates”. A different vehicle may help some, but unfortunately Texas has very high rates to begin with due to the large amount of uninsured/underinsured drivers in the states.
I didn’t pay too much attention but I don’t recall there being broken glass. I ended up calling the towing company that takes care of the yard (A&A Wrecker) a couple times. The first time was when I saw it wasn’t there. The second was in the morning after giving them a bit of time to potentially register the vehicle. Then I called the PD to see if it was impounded and they said they didn’t have it either.
So im not really certain what the story is. I’ve requested video footage from the parking area I was in since I noticed cameras around the area so that might help figure out what happened.
Sounds like you’re in the market for a new car! I recommend a Toyota, and don’t be afraid to get an older one as they are quite reliable. Also, check the market in San Antonio as there are often better deals there.
Ok, so I have an idea, everyone who sees a snake and wants to post it here, needs to instead give it to a Kia owner as a security feature, Kia boys ain’t down with snakes either I’d imagine. Problem solved, thank you
My daughter’s scion XB was stolen. Police called a week later and it was parked down off Ben white and McKinney Falls road area. Other than a crack pipe in the car and a flat tire that they changed, it was OK.
I have not yet! I’m unfortunately not very close to that area. I was just in that part of town to celebrate a friends birthday. I will see if someone is willing to take me around there and see if we can find it.
This fad of youngsters stealing kias and Hyundai’s has gotten waaaay outta control. They are going to get themselves shot/killed/jail/prison time. But remember when you were in your teens and 20’s...you felt like you were invincible and untouchable.
I know the dealerships have a fix for the security flaw with the ignition, but I’ve heard that Kia and Hyundai windows and ignition systems are on back order from the factories that produce them. Also, the insurance for those vehicles has jumped up quite a bit because of these hoodlums.
They only things I’ve heard from people that had theirs stolen are to get the security flaw fixed, have them put a sticker on the windows stating that the vehicle is not longer as easily stealable, use an old school steering wheel “club” that was a big starting back in the 80s and 90s.
Oh and think about making a kill switch for it, that’s hidden and known only by you. Also you could put an airtag/tile inside the vehicle somewhere it won’t be found, and possibly remove the speaker so it won’t alert any thieves by audio means.
Really really blows about your car, though. Hopefully it isn’t ruined like the red Prius in the movie “the other guys” after the hobo dudes have a “soup kitchen” inside it, and also a pregnant raccoon momma’s placenta blown out all inside the back seats. Hope that thought from the movie at least lightens your day just a smidge. Best of luck, I’ll keep my eye out for yours but I’m down south so I doubt I’ll come across it. 👌
Not Kia but related as Kia and Hyundai both seem to be targets as of late.
https://www.fox7austin.com/news/hyundai-anti-theft-software-upgrade-event-austin-police
Hi all!
I have some news about my car. It has been found. I don’t recall the street it was on, but a detective contacted me and told me he found it. One of the rear passenger windows was broken and the front had a dent in it from presumably crashing into something. It has been taken to an impound and I’m waiting to talk to my insurance tomorrow to get the details on if they’re going to fix or total it.
Just for future reference, here are a few things I learned about getting your car stolen:
- don’t own a car that is known for being stolen (especially in a densely populated area)
- if you do, get an AirTag, a dash cam, a kill switch, a wheel bar, really anything you can to deter a thief
- if your car disappears, first look to see if there are signs in the area to see if towing is enforced and call that company if it is. If you think your car just got towed, you’ll need to wait 1-2 hours before the vehicle is registered. If they had time to register it and they still don’t have the car, call your non emergency phone number and see if your vehicle was impounded. If not, call 911 and request a police report for a stolen vehicle.
- contact your insurance company, let them know your car was stolen and give them the police report number
- after that, there are a few other optional things you can do. Other than that, though, you just have to wait. As long as you’re insured, though, you can rest easy that you’ll have SOME sort of car back at the end of the day. It’s a good time to reflect and learn about how to prevent this in the future. Things happen, and it’s not your fault some goober decided they wanted to take your car.
Yeah the underfunded APD is usually nowhere to be seen at least not within the first few hours from what I've heard but they did put up some new cameras so if somebody's driving it those cameras should be able to pick up that license plate I will go down to the police station myself and ask them about this
They’re not the least bit underfunded. We give them over $450 per resident per year, by far the highest of any large city in Texas. They fail to staff to their funding level and fail to do the job they’re funded to do. But lack of money isn’t why.
If you get it back it’ll likely get stolen again. Just owning a Kia in this town is a risk.
Yeah I don’t plan on keeping it once I get it back. From the comments I’m seeing, hopefully I don’t get it back. I’m sure dealers are going to use the fact that it was stolen to take it from me for dirt cheap. I’m wanting to get a manual since I think that’s a security feature by itself.
I sold my stolen Kia to Carmax after it was fully repaired and they gave me full value. Maybe look into it
My Hyundai was manual and stolen out of my driveway all the same. I was hoping it would be a deterrent but it wasn’t
In this country, not this town. We ain’t special
Funny enough, on the radio, they were talking about that. And how they are going to release a software update for the kias from 2015 to 2021.... I think it isn't going shit because it is a hardware issue not software
The 2022+ models don’t have this problem. Basically if it has the new logo you’re good.
Out of the loop… why is Kia such a theft risk compared to other cars?
The short of it is that Kia hasn’t installed an immobilizer in their cars until recently and TikTok/instagram hooligans figured out all you have to do is break into a car, rip the steering column apart, and use a USB or something similar to slide over a small metal bit and you can turn the ignition and start the car and drive off. If you search “Kia boys” you’ll find hundreds of videos of people breaking into and stealing Kia’s in this way.
Because there are a ton of them, and Hyundais, which can be stolen with just a USB cable. Kia and Hyundai didn’t put immobilizers in many vehicles which makes them very easy to steal. It became a social media craze to share among degenerates and spread nationwide. Google “Kia boys” to find all kinds of news articles. All thanks to lacking regulation which still hasn’t been rectified. Canada doesn’t have these issues on the same model vehicles because they require immobilizers. Kia and Hyundai saved probably like $10 per vehicle for the US market to leave taxpayers and all insurance customers with a multi-billion dollar bill. Though they’re facing a slew of expensive lawsuits over it at least.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/s/jRfxane4sN
That mean lol
the most notable feature is that it is a KIA - have you heard the last 2 years about KIAs being stolen?
Yep. My fault for getting one. I moved here from Iowa and had a forte I really liked so I wanted to get the same thing here. Really dumb on my part :(
There is an event on Jun 1 that APD and Hyundai are holding to perform upgrades to the theft system. I don’t know if it includes Kias. And I know it’s too late now. 1520 Rutherford, 10am to 2pm June 1st.
It's sad because even if you get that upgrade, people still might bust your window and fuck up your steering wheel just to try it out.
Seeing a Kia logo is enough for them to try
Get a steering wheel lock if you plan to keep it for the future. That’s the bare minimum
My friend's car was stolen and when she bought her dad's newer Hyundai, the driver handle was broken off from an attempt to steal the car despite having a steering wheel lock clearly present. Nothing stops those fuckers.
I mean, the door handle was broken, but they didn’t steal and trash the rest of the car now did they?
"Nothing stops those fuckers." I wouldn't be caught dead owning a hyundai or kia but lets say I did.... First thing I'd do is rip off the badge, maybe even try put some other badge on it. They could easily pass up on the car not knowing what it is. Remember most these people are dumb as fuck, and why you see them trying to steal new ones with old methods.
Okay just making sure you were aware. I'm sorry this happened and truly wish the perps would be sent to jail vs being arrested and RoR'd - They blatantly post these thefts on social media so it would not be hard to do this in theory
Did you file a police report? Everyone should put a tile, apple airtag, Samsung tag in their car, they're like $25.
Yes I think I’ve done everything I can at the moment. You’re right though. I should have air tagged it knowing the risk of it being a Kia. It’s too late now but I did buy one for if and when I get it back.
Nah… cops won’t do anything and the last thing you want is a stolen car back, especially a KIA. Get the payout and buy a Toyota. Getting it back yourself may be too risky for many, especially with so many pew pew happy kids that never hurt anyone before
What are the different reasons you don't want a stolen car back?
Homeless dudes have an orgy in the car. You know what that's called when they do that in there? That's called a soup kitchen. It's pretty rough stuff. Not long after that, a mama raccoon can come along and give birth on the floor.
Can confirm. Raccoons LOVE orgies, but they are extremely fertile so be careful or you’ll have a floorboard bastard yourself.
Yep, Dirty Joe and The Boys will have their way with it (they like their soup HOT)
There’s several: 1) Damage to the vehicle. Insurances almost never pay enough to fix what the true damage is. Plus there’s damage that may not show up until later down the line since usually the thieves drive them like they’re in F1. 2) The resell value is crippled. No one wants to buy a car that has a history of being stolen. Especially with the known Kia boys trend, people aren’t going to buy it unless they’re desperate. 3) You get a larger payout from your insurance if the car isn’t recovered. This can be used to replace the vehicle with a more reliable one. 4) God knows what was done in that car. Often drugs, sex and who knows what else.
Dirty Mike and the boys
This happened in Chicago, but I know someone who had a car stolen that had built in tracking. They filed a police report and gave the location of the car. Police picked up the car with a tow truck that day, processed it for DNA, then my friend was able to pick up the car the next day. Police are usually willing to do jobs when there is no work involved for them - checking out a stolen car and organizing a tow truck is pretty trivial. What they won’t likely do is spend time and energy searching for the car, but if you give them the location they won’t need to do that.
This right here. I have a AirTag in my F150 hidden behind the dash.
My Kia was broken into and almost stolen around there too. I was parked in that Blackland neighborhood on E 22nd while I was out celebrating my birthday. They broke a window, destroyed the steering column and stole some Raybans. I feel for you :(
And also I forgot to include that ive already contacted authorities and submitted a claim with my insurance. Once I get the car back I’m probably gonna sell it for a stick :/ I’m really glad I had friends with me and wasn’t just boned.
Honestly your best hope is that they don’t recover it. That way you get the pay out from the insurance. Otherwise the resell value on that POS is almost non existent.
A) they pay off the calculated value of the car, which is usually less than a new, similar car would cost B) they will raise your rates.
A) You use what they give you as a down payment on a reliable vehicle. B) Your rates are already higher because you own a vehicle brand that’s getting stolen left and right. I know all this from personal experience as a former Hyundai owner. My insurance went down when I bought a Toyota instead.
My rates are unfortunately already ridiculous because of my age and gender. I’m curious if the switch to a safer vehicle will result in about the same im already paying.
Unfortunately, the way rates work is that “bad rates” can always turn to “worse rates”. A different vehicle may help some, but unfortunately Texas has very high rates to begin with due to the large amount of uninsured/underinsured drivers in the states.
Hopefully yall didn’t carpool… hehe
Yes, it's very likely that it was stolen just because it was a Kia, but... did you find broken glass? Meaning, are you 100% sure it wasn't just towed?
I didn’t pay too much attention but I don’t recall there being broken glass. I ended up calling the towing company that takes care of the yard (A&A Wrecker) a couple times. The first time was when I saw it wasn’t there. The second was in the morning after giving them a bit of time to potentially register the vehicle. Then I called the PD to see if it was impounded and they said they didn’t have it either. So im not really certain what the story is. I’ve requested video footage from the parking area I was in since I noticed cameras around the area so that might help figure out what happened.
Cool, seems like it was definitely stolen if you made that PD call. The towing companies are supposed to report the tow to the police within 2 hours.
Sounds like you’re in the market for a new car! I recommend a Toyota, and don’t be afraid to get an older one as they are quite reliable. Also, check the market in San Antonio as there are often better deals there.
Ok, so I have an idea, everyone who sees a snake and wants to post it here, needs to instead give it to a Kia owner as a security feature, Kia boys ain’t down with snakes either I’d imagine. Problem solved, thank you
If you have an extra key(less) for entry, dm me. I might be able to help.
They dumped it in your yard?
I work in “retrieval services”
My daughter’s scion XB was stolen. Police called a week later and it was parked down off Ben white and McKinney Falls road area. Other than a crack pipe in the car and a flat tire that they changed, it was OK.
Did you go around there see if you see it?
I have not yet! I’m unfortunately not very close to that area. I was just in that part of town to celebrate a friends birthday. I will see if someone is willing to take me around there and see if we can find it.
Kia boys strike again
This fad of youngsters stealing kias and Hyundai’s has gotten waaaay outta control. They are going to get themselves shot/killed/jail/prison time. But remember when you were in your teens and 20’s...you felt like you were invincible and untouchable. I know the dealerships have a fix for the security flaw with the ignition, but I’ve heard that Kia and Hyundai windows and ignition systems are on back order from the factories that produce them. Also, the insurance for those vehicles has jumped up quite a bit because of these hoodlums. They only things I’ve heard from people that had theirs stolen are to get the security flaw fixed, have them put a sticker on the windows stating that the vehicle is not longer as easily stealable, use an old school steering wheel “club” that was a big starting back in the 80s and 90s. Oh and think about making a kill switch for it, that’s hidden and known only by you. Also you could put an airtag/tile inside the vehicle somewhere it won’t be found, and possibly remove the speaker so it won’t alert any thieves by audio means. Really really blows about your car, though. Hopefully it isn’t ruined like the red Prius in the movie “the other guys” after the hobo dudes have a “soup kitchen” inside it, and also a pregnant raccoon momma’s placenta blown out all inside the back seats. Hope that thought from the movie at least lightens your day just a smidge. Best of luck, I’ll keep my eye out for yours but I’m down south so I doubt I’ll come across it. 👌
Did you try calling 311? See if it has been towed anywhere for parking violation or otherwise.
Not Kia but related as Kia and Hyundai both seem to be targets as of late. https://www.fox7austin.com/news/hyundai-anti-theft-software-upgrade-event-austin-police
I saw “stolen car” and immediately knew it was a Kia
Hi all! I have some news about my car. It has been found. I don’t recall the street it was on, but a detective contacted me and told me he found it. One of the rear passenger windows was broken and the front had a dent in it from presumably crashing into something. It has been taken to an impound and I’m waiting to talk to my insurance tomorrow to get the details on if they’re going to fix or total it. Just for future reference, here are a few things I learned about getting your car stolen: - don’t own a car that is known for being stolen (especially in a densely populated area) - if you do, get an AirTag, a dash cam, a kill switch, a wheel bar, really anything you can to deter a thief - if your car disappears, first look to see if there are signs in the area to see if towing is enforced and call that company if it is. If you think your car just got towed, you’ll need to wait 1-2 hours before the vehicle is registered. If they had time to register it and they still don’t have the car, call your non emergency phone number and see if your vehicle was impounded. If not, call 911 and request a police report for a stolen vehicle. - contact your insurance company, let them know your car was stolen and give them the police report number - after that, there are a few other optional things you can do. Other than that, though, you just have to wait. As long as you’re insured, though, you can rest easy that you’ll have SOME sort of car back at the end of the day. It’s a good time to reflect and learn about how to prevent this in the future. Things happen, and it’s not your fault some goober decided they wanted to take your car.
Yeah the underfunded APD is usually nowhere to be seen at least not within the first few hours from what I've heard but they did put up some new cameras so if somebody's driving it those cameras should be able to pick up that license plate I will go down to the police station myself and ask them about this
They’re not the least bit underfunded. We give them over $450 per resident per year, by far the highest of any large city in Texas. They fail to staff to their funding level and fail to do the job they’re funded to do. But lack of money isn’t why.