From Pigeon Point, Gem shares the story:
Having a Kia in Seattle is fun! Mine and my wife’s car was attempted to be stolen last night — driver’s-side backseat window was broken, and the ignition was messed with. We have a brake lock – between that and the system update, they weren’t able to do it. I figured I would give you the heads-up in case anyone else got hit by an attempt or smash.
The brake lock was recommended to us also a long time ago. Looks like worked in your case.
They’re more than likely young, small and agile (sp) and can slip in thru the window…unlike me! 😉
So if they break the window, you just reach in and unlock the door. Not sure why you would crawl through a broken window.
No, they are not crawling through broken glass. They reach in to unlock the door from the inside via the smashed window. In my case they just rummaged through my car and took nothing. Left me with a broken window and the cost to replace that window. Then my window never operated correctly because of the shattered glass. Really nice of them to give me such a life lesson in how people suck.
The problem with Hyundai or Kia is that even with the update or some other anti theft device, people are probably still going to try and steal the car. Even if it didn’t get stolen, there’s damage to pay for.
WSB. Based on what you’re hearing and what you hear from SPD any indication the crooks breaking into and stealing Hyundai’s and Kia’s (and other makes/models) here in WS are the same people doing this multiple times or are a lot of different thieves.
That’s concerning WSB. As for me, I drive an older KIA that is not within the year range where an update is required, but now with all of the increased temptation for easy targets, Kias in particular, I am installing a kill switch on my car. In fact it is in the shop at this very moment and I will be picking it back up on Friday. Yes, it won’t stop the attempt, but I will sleep easy knowing my car isn’t being used in a crime somewhere. I suggest everyone, if not for yourself then for your community, seek out a kill switch if your vehicle is notorious for being easy to steal. Stolen cars are no longer a mere nuisance and insurance claim for the owner, as they are now being used as weapons, battering rams, getaway cars, and for quick yet violent street crime. Cars stolen for a joyride are no longer just abandoned; now they are run off cliffs into greenspaces, burned, parked as barriers. Please go get a kill switch. It’s no guarantee, but it’s relatively affordable as these things go and my mechanic seemed unfazed by the request. Really not a big deal at all.
This. And if you haven’t the time or budget for a kill switch go online and lookup a critical relay you can pull for when you need the peace of mind.
Speaking of running off cliffs into greenspace’s if you are headed NB on 509 if you look to the West you can see 2 cars that have been ran off the cliff somewhere off of 5th Ave So. (???) they’ve been there for a good 2 months or more. Should I report them to the Police even though I am not sure on the exact location of them?
Same thing happened to me in September – back window broken, steering column torn open, yet didn’t manage to drive away with my Kia. $1200 later and I have multiple security measures in place.
I don’t know why our AG’s haven’t gone after Kia and Hyundai for the extreme havoc their negligence has caused. They should at least provide an air tag of some sort to track vehicles if stolen, if owners haven’t already installed one.
Sorry, comment time is over.
| 15 COMMENTS