r/Eugene • u/ThatHurry3442 • Nov 10 '24
How do you protect your cars from break in’s? Moving
Im moving to a more urban area of Eugene and im nervous about my car. I try to do what I can, I never keep valuables in my car, and my windows are tinted (which I heard deters thiefs.) I’m too broke to replace a broken window, let alone keep anything valuable in my car. I’m just wondering what else I can do to make my car less of a target? What steps do you guys take?
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u/educationaldirt285 Nov 10 '24
You can keep your car unlocked and if someone wants to rifle through it at least you don’t have to pay for a new window. I understand some people might not feel comfortable doing that though.
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u/ROGUE_KID Nov 10 '24
I would be afraid of someone leaving drugs/needles in my car without me knowing and getting poked.
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Nov 10 '24
Come to find a homeless man sleeping in your backseat
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u/educationaldirt285 Nov 10 '24
Both very valid concerns haha, I keep my car locked for these reasons too. Just sharing an idea I’ve heard from others worried about smashed windows.
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u/RockinTacos Nov 10 '24
They took apart my dashboard and stole the spark plugs. Unlocked is not worth it either
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u/etherbunnies The mum of /r/eugene...also a dude. Nov 10 '24
The people who are going to break a window are not the sorts to try the door first.
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u/MoeityToity Nov 11 '24
If you want someone to shit in your car and turn your lights on so your battery is dead, suuuure.
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u/The_Eternal_Valley Nov 11 '24
I know someone who did that and a homeless guy spent the night putting cigs out in his passenger seat. One of those 'your mileage may vary' kind of things
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u/xgalaxy Nov 10 '24
Park next to a Tesla. All the cameras on those things tend to keep people away from them.
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u/Key_Bank_3904 Nov 10 '24
Save what extra money you have in the event your window does get smashed out. I’m not trying to be negative, just realistic.
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u/ThatHurry3442 Nov 10 '24
Yeah it’s a good idea, it might keep me motivated to continue putting money in my savings too.
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Nov 10 '24
I leave my car unlocked at home Nothing in it to steal and I haven’t had any problems.
When I first moved out of Eugene locked my doors with nothing in it. Bright lit parking spot in front of my apartment.
Window smashed for now reason.
YMMV
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u/ThatHurry3442 Nov 10 '24
Oh god you’re better than me, I have too much anxiety to keep mine unlocked.
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u/Additional-Ad-761 Nov 10 '24
Depending on where you live, that's the only thing you can do. Sometimes, they will just break in to see if there's anything out of sight.
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u/illusions_geneva Nov 10 '24
My friends do this in Portland. I mean, someone might still open it up and look through your stuff; however, you don't have the smashed window to deal with. Nothing else you can do, really.
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u/loligo_pealeii Nov 10 '24
I saw a person doing this so he could get access to the trunk unlatch, with the assumption that things might be in there. Yes I called the police. No, they did not show up.
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u/thejudenbear Nov 10 '24
Keep nothing in it, and if its a older car or some sort of kia or hyundai definitely get a steering wheel club
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u/ChrisInBliss Nov 10 '24
You can get a steering wheel lock. It can help just make your car look even less appealing. (Thats what my neighbor does.) Personally I just park in my garage... so I dont really have this issue.
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u/_Taylor___ Nov 10 '24
The blinky LED of a car alarm is a good deterrent. You can buy just an LED with a little module that blinks and only takes 3 wires to install. Same deterrent benefit, but no actual alarm.
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u/stinkyfootjr Nov 10 '24
I don’t even leave my registration in the car anymore. My neighbors car was broken into and it was taken, I figure if I’m pulled over I have my insurance card in my wallet and I’ll eat a ticket instead of dealing with the dmv to replace it.
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u/treehugger503 Nov 10 '24
Keep nothing in your car. Not even chapstick. Not even trash. Keep it super clean and empty. If you have the option to keep a porch light on near where you park, that helps too. I keep my apartment porch light on and that helps, I think.
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u/Greenstick_Fracture Nov 11 '24
Yep. Something else - I don't know about the tinted windows? (sorry?) The only time I had a break in (they stole a pulaski, smashed my window and stole my (forgotten) purse. Left the pulaski. Not a fair trade. People in the trailer park one street over found my purse and the contents strewn all over their back yard MONTHS later. Guess they didn't go out in the winter.
AnYwAY ... if they can see in and see nothing but an empty car they are less likely to bother. They want a quick grab.
P.S I lived in the burbs and had a bright light in the corner of the driveway. Sigh. Thieves gonna thieve.
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u/afurrypeach Nov 10 '24
Befriend a homeless man near where you live and give him change and such so he watches out for your vehicle
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u/RockinTacos Nov 10 '24
Dont even leave a phone cord in it. Someone broke into my neighbors for a phone charger. Park under a light. I like to park in busy areas, more eyes on it then.
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u/sofluffy22 Nov 11 '24
I addition to leaving it empty- ALWAYS (I lost count of the amount of times people post that their car was broken into the only time they had ever left xx in it). I park in a well-lit area and/or I am kind of always scoping out which businesses or lots have cameras, because at the least they might be a deterrent. But even the “safer” areas are sometimes hit, tweakers gon tweak. (I don’t live downtown, but when I go downtown)
This might sound lame, but I’d get a big trash bag that you know you could cover a broken window with, and tape if necessary. Just by having it, it might remove a bit of stress in the unfortunate event it does happen. And then you can at least protect your interior from additional damage while you arrange for a repair, because the only thing worse than a big expense is missing additional work because of said expense.
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u/Paper-street-garage Nov 10 '24
Use a club and make sure your alarm has a blinking light in windows
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u/YetiSquish Nov 10 '24
Park in my garage
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u/ThatHurry3442 Nov 10 '24
You got room for one more?
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u/YetiSquish Nov 10 '24
Sure!
I feel for those without that option. The only other thing you can do is make sure nothing of potential value is in view.
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Nov 10 '24
Loud car alarm, motion lights. I had a better alarm installed than came with my car, too. Much louder and more sensitive. Other than that, it’s luck of the draw unfortunately.
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u/Level-Tax-4019 Nov 10 '24
I have thankfully not had to deal with this. I don't live in a great part of town either, but I am at the end of a dead end street. Park under a light, keep nothing in you car, be aware of your surroundings.
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u/squishysquidink Nov 11 '24
Park in a well lit area. Leave nothing in your car. Not even something that looks enticing.
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u/notime4morons Nov 11 '24
Some "alternative" solutions: Live in your car, get a big dog and leave it in your car( weather permitting, of course), park your car next to a police station and walk everywhere you need to go...
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u/KrissyBookBee3 Nov 10 '24
Car alarm /security stickers on every window?? Just pondering any extra thing that would give someone pause. Not sure - we’ve had unlocked cars gone through but not locked ones. So hard to say!
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u/Rune_nic Nov 11 '24
I feel like parking garages are a major culprit here. We live in downtown Eugene, and have never had an issue whatsoever with any car in our small parkinglot that is right next to 2 major roads, so clearly visible at all times.
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u/Correct_Royal_2562 Nov 11 '24
As somebody whose car was broken into while working my overnight job?
You really can't. Seems like even if you genuinely have nothing, some piece of shit's going to break in for shits and giggles.
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Nov 11 '24
I won’t say what others have said already but maybe check with your car insurance/ company’s like AAA and see if there is any glass coverage? I’m not sure if it matters what window gets broken but maybe a just in case option?
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u/Certain_Republic_994 Nov 11 '24
Besides leaving nothing in your car, try this: Leave your windows half way down so that there isn’t enough room to crawl through. Then lock your doors and set the alarm. A lot of cars will set off the alarm if you reach in and unlock the door and then open it. Will hopefully prevent a window from being broken.
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u/DysfunctMyco Nov 11 '24
“Your on camera sticker” and a dash cam or better yet cell game camera.
Whats more fucked up is having stuff stolen that has a AirTag. Call the cops with the address where the stolen items are and they do absolutely nothing.
That’s the real problem. Theft is going to happen no matter what but, when it isn’t investigated we have a broken system. Even if they were arrested the odds are they will just be booked and released immediately. Or do some jail time and they blame “drug addiction” like they’re suffering from some disease. When in reality odds of recovery are less than 1%
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u/minimalistboomer Nov 11 '24
I leave nothing of any value in it & don’t lock it at night. Why? So I don’t have to replace windows. Has it been rifled through? Once, years ago. Nothing taken (as nothing was in it).
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u/CryptographerCute826 Nov 13 '24
Tinted windows have helped me. I highly recommend Trifer Auto Glass And Tint on 7th ave.
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u/seaofthievesnutzz Nov 10 '24
Don't live in the designated crime area of eugene is your best bet.
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u/ThatHurry3442 Nov 10 '24
Stupid comment
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u/seaofthievesnutzz Nov 11 '24
Why is that stupid? If you don't park your car where car break ins happen often then you aren't as likely going to have your car broken into. Where is the flaw in my reasoning?
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u/ThatHurry3442 Nov 11 '24
Because that’s not the answer to my question. I can’t afford to get a new car window so how could I possibly afford to move to a nicer and safer part of town? You just want to be a smartass. I was looking for real answers
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u/seaofthievesnutzz Nov 11 '24
I mean its a goal to work towards. Also I pay 600 bucks a month for a studio in the southeast hills, utilities included. Opportunities to live in a nicer place exist if you look for them. People leave their bikes on their front porches unlocked, its really wild. West eugene is less crime ridden than downtown/campus/the whit. Santa Clara can also be a reasonably cheap and safer place to live. It certainly isn't always the case that more expensive=less crime.
Putting a little tarp over your back window like it was previously broken into might be an ok solution if you are hellbent on living in the designated crime area. If I was looking to steal from people then people who have already been robbed wouldn't be my choice.
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u/BabyYoduhh Nov 11 '24
If you keep stuff in your car then there is nothing you can do.
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Nov 11 '24
[deleted]
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u/BabyYoduhh Nov 11 '24
Well maybe don’t worry about it then and live your life. How do you keep people from breaking into your house, or stealing from you specifically? How do you deter the world from unexpected stuff? Literally just don’t lock your doors then. I’m curious why you as a broke person has a car nice enough that you think it’s specifically a target over anyone else’s? Or maybe since you can afford a car you perceive as nice enough to be a target you save some money or get full coverage insurance to cover the cost of the windows if something happens. I’m fucking stupid, and it took me 1% of my brain to think how I could deter my windows getting broken or solve it by being responsible and saving some money for emergency situations. Have you heard of Google?
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u/Cat-o-piller Nov 11 '24
Lol don't have a car to brake in to.thats what I did when I lived in Eugene. Works great 😃👍 but seriously. If you live and work in Eugene you don't really need a car. I lived there 5 years without a car and at no point did I ever feel like I couldn't get around. Plus you save lots of money 💰
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u/Lionel_Pritchard Nov 11 '24
Move out of Eugene.
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u/ThatHurry3442 Nov 11 '24
That’s not what Im asking now is it?
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u/Lionel_Pritchard Nov 11 '24
Good point. You could brake out one of the back windows. That way, potential Thieves will think your car has already been hit.
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u/Away_Intention_8433 Nov 10 '24
Keep nothing in your car so that nothing is taken. That’s all you can do.