My Rx400h: Stolen!

[HyBruce]

So two nights ago my 2006 Lexus 400h was stolen out of my driveway. No broken glass. And I know I left it locked and alarmed. I'm heartbroken. I loved that car and it only had 25K miles on it and never gave me any problems. Replacing it won't be a pleasure.

I've searched the forums for other people whose 400h's were stolen and I don't see any postings, just wondering if this has happened to anyone else? And does anyone have any ideas on how "high tech thieves" (as the police called them) would go about overcoming the security features and get the car without causing much commotion? The police said they "had no idea", which is troubling, you'd at least think they'd know HOW it's done even if they can't stop people from doing it!

My driveway is very secluded and on a steep hill, so there's no way a flatbed was used.

Any thoughts? And I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else on this board!

HyBruce no more....

[SKperformance]

Don't need a flat bed, the car has tons of clearance.

A normal tow truck with 2 dollies for the rear wheels to roll it on and it is gone in 2 minutes flat as the tow arm is already up when they back it up.

[HyBruce]

Don't need a flat bed, the car has tons of clearance.

A normal tow truck with 2 dollies for the rear wheels to roll it on and it is gone in 2 minutes flat as the tow arm is already up when they back it up.

The catch with that is my driveway is VERY steep and curved, it would hard to get any kind of tow truck up it. And where it was parked it was tucked front end first into a corner so there's no way to get anything in front of it. Hmmmm....

[SKperformance]

That's why they have dollies , they can roll it away before hooking it up.

Unless you have something like my car which has an electronic tow height sensor and air field disturbance sensors it is an easy target.

[NeoN]

so sorry to hear that, move to rural NJ... much safer

[HyBruce]

electronic tow height sensor and air field disturbance sensors

Wow those sound cool and very James Bond!

So you really think they could jack up my 400h on a dolly and roll it down a very steep, narrow driveway on dollies to then hook it up to a tow truck without making much noise? I know it's hard to imagine without a picture, but trust me that would be quite a feat.

I was thinking they had some way to clone the key and jam the alarm or something?

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

electronic tow height sensor and air field disturbance sensors

Wow those sound cool and very James Bond!

So you really think they could jack up my 400h on a dolly and roll it down a very steep, narrow driveway on dollies to then hook it up to a tow truck without making much noise? I

snip . . . .

Short answer: YES

Longer answer: The 2 MOST effective crook stoppers. Lowjack & parts I.D.

A driver & passenger window decal that indicates you've I.D.'d your parts will often send pro's on their way. No one wants to steal nickel metal hydride batteries, HSD, MFD's, cat converters, etc. knowing the car's VIN is etched into everything ... because the bad guys have a much harder time unloading said parts when they're traceable.

Lowjack can be beat too, but more times than not, it'll give the cops time to triangulate where your car is headed, and often, cops will wait to see where the car goes ... even if it's just a drop off spot (left, to see if the car is lowjacked) ... the cops may wait & wait & wait ... than continue the followup once it's moved to a chop shop.

But move to Joy-Zee? Safe? Ahhh, not according to crime stats: :P

http://www.morganquitno.com/safecity12.htm

Oh ~ I'm sure there are SOME nice areas.

and ... Not that L.A. is a paragon of safe havens ... in fact up by dodger stadium is one of the all time worst areas for stolen cars.

Woo hoo!

Our so cal city is 4th safest!

http://www.morganquitno.com/cit06pop.htm#25

Very sorry to hear about your loss. It's hard to believe it'd get stolen, as usually it's the real popular cars that are the common targets. Keep us posted on your replacement.

[Gryphon]

That's really bad, Bruce. Sorry for the loss. One has to wonder what the market is for a hot RX400h and/or parts for same. I certainly would not expect it to be a likely car to be stolen.

Tom

[Gee-Es 300]

Sorry to hear of the loss. Sad to say, but if they want it, they'll get it.

[SKperformance]

Your car was stolen by pros and the money for a rare and valuable hybrid is that it is now in a container where low jack does not work probably going to Africa.

Could you have prevented it , sure dogs, guards , garage.

All can be bypassed if they want , the common theme is to break into your home and take the keys and leave. No problems as they are at the front door waiting.

I have an aftermarket alarm so i added the sensors so i could sleep at night as my car is outside .

The old mercury tilt switches were not accurate so this re calibrates on arming for inclines.

The field sensor listens to the air movements to set off the alarm if glass breaks of and arm moves inside the car by using 2 microphones.

[NeoN]

Your car was stolen by pros and the money for a rare and valuable hybrid is that it is now in a container where low jack does not work probably going to Africa.

Could you have prevented it , sure dogs, guards , garage.

All can be bypassed if they want , the common theme is to break into your home and take the keys and leave. No problems as they are at the front door waiting.

I have an aftermarket alarm so i added the sensors so i could sleep at night as my car is outside .

The old mercury tilt switches were not accurate so this re calibrates on arming for inclines.

The field sensor listens to the air movements to set off the alarm if glass breaks of and arm moves inside the car by using 2 microphones.

jesus all that just for canada? why would you not invest in a garage and some guard dog/security system? hell you can always have a camera that has motion sensors so you can see if someone is snooping around in your driveway at night.

[SKperformance]

I have my 2 other cars in the garage.

I like the extra alarm security as it is easy to do . Besides you can't steal my wheels or tow it away since the frame sits on the ground when parked with air ride.

BTW my area is safe .

[HyBruce]

Just an update.... my neighbor down the street has a security camera which caught a suspect walking up the street towards my house, then driving away in my car 20 minutes later. Since the cameras just caught this on the periphery you couldn't see any face or good details, but it was interesting to note that my car was thieved by one man and a backpack!

[SKperformance]

Go show the picture around your dealer especially the parts counter.

[Gryphon]

Just an update.... my neighbor down the street has a security camera which caught a suspect walking up the street towards my house, then driving away in my car 20 minutes later. Since the cameras just caught this on the periphery you couldn't see any face or good details, but it was interesting to note that my car was thieved by one man and a backpack!

That sure begs the question as to how he defeated the Lexus security system(s) so easily.

Tom

[katzjamr]

did you leave your car with a valet, where he might have found a spare key inside your car, or kept the valet key?

[HyBruce]

Not used a valet anytime recently....

[Robert Young]

I trick that I've used from the exotic car circles simple adds one additional layer to whatever factory systems provide. I simply attach one contact of a small push on - push off type micro-switch to the wire from the distributor or crank sensor to the ignition system, and then ground the other switch contact. It is easy to hide the micro-switch under an upholstered panel. Simply push the panel in the appropriate spot when leaving the car and the majority of the bad guys will never be able to start your car, they know what the factory does and can't afford to play with something that is different. While this wouldn't help something towed directly to a chop shop, it is easy and can't hurt.

[Gryphon]

Hey Bruce. Any luck recovering your RX?

There is a post running around the Net that claims that thieves are able to pick up remote control codes with electronic equipment while sitting nearby. I wonder if this is a possible way that your car was stolen?

Just a thought.

Tom

[HyBruce]

Yes!! My car was recovered!!

Sorry I forgot to post this before, but three weeks after my 400h was stolen it was found in a bad part of L.A. Dirty, with 300 miles on it, but no damage at all! Yea! Police suggest it was just used for a joyride or to commit a crime.

Embarrassingly enough I think I had left a valet key in my glove box and that's how it was taken. It's possible that the door was unlocked too so I may be a complete dope. I recall going to get something out of my car earlier in the day, and perhaps didn't lock it afterwards. Usually it auto locks after thirty seconds, but when you open one of the back doors I found out that it doesn't auto lock again. I was also surprised to learn that the 400h doesn't really have an alarm! It has that auto lock feature, and a blinking red light on the dash, but all this time I thought it had an alarm when in fact it really doesn't. I guess there are other theft protection measures, like the rf chip in the key, but no alarm.

Needless to say I won't be leaving the valet key in the car anymore, and will keep Lexie locked in my garage. Thanks for all of the responses to my posting. Although I beat myself up for my carelessness, the bottom line is someone still came onto my property and took what's mine. I hope this doesn't happen to any of you!!

[NeoN]

electronic tow height sensor and air field disturbance sensors

Wow those sound cool and very James Bond!

So you really think they could jack up my 400h on a dolly and roll it down a very steep, narrow driveway on dollies to then hook it up to a tow truck without making much noise? I

snip . . . .

Short answer: YES

Longer answer: The 2 MOST effective crook stoppers. Lowjack & parts I.D.

A driver & passenger window decal that indicates you've I.D.'d your parts will often send pro's on their way. No one wants to steal nickel metal hydride batteries, HSD, MFD's, cat converters, etc. knowing the car's VIN is etched into everything ... because the bad guys have a much harder time unloading said parts when they're traceable.

Lowjack can be beat too, but more times than not, it'll give the cops time to triangulate where your car is headed, and often, cops will wait to see where the car goes ... even if it's just a drop off spot (left, to see if the car is lowjacked) ... the cops may wait & wait & wait ... than continue the followup once it's moved to a chop shop.

But move to Joy-Zee? Safe? Ahhh, not according to crime stats: :P

http://www.morganquitno.com/safecity12.htm

Oh ~ I'm sure there are SOME nice areas.

and ... Not that L.A. is a paragon of safe havens ... in fact up by dodger stadium is one of the all time worst areas for stolen cars.

Woo hoo!

Our so cal city is 4th safest!

http://www.morganquitno.com/cit06pop.htm#25

Very sorry to hear about your loss. It's hard to believe it'd get stolen, as usually it's the real popular cars that are the common targets. Keep us posted on your replacement.

hey no making fun of jersey and we dont talk like that by the way. camden = philly. nobody i know lives down there its like an hour and a half away, mostly avoided by everyone except kids looking to buy drugs. so yea i'd invest in a bigger garage so you don't have to worry next time. did you recover your car yet? sorry to hear again.

[Gryphon]

Excellent news, Bruce. I'd say you came out smelling like a rose. Don't beat yourself up too much. Everyone makes mistakes; most just don't talk about them.

Backing my RX into my garage with the lift gate up was not my finest day.

Tom

[Blayd]

congrats. My dad just got his truck back. He did it by puting a gps in our suburban and leaving it in the same spot the truck was stolen from with a camera on it.

[Gryphon]

congrats. My dad just got his truck back. He did it by puting a gps in our suburban and leaving it in the same spot the truck was stolen from with a camera on it.

They drove your stolen truck back to the scene of the crime?

Stupid criminals.

Tom

[SW03ES]

Great! I'm glad it was recovered.

Are you sure the RX doesn't have an alarm? My ES has an alarm, as did/do both of my dad's LS's, as does our Prius...