madorb

Oh man, my brand new 06' Silver TL was stolen last night! I parked it in my apartment complex around 10:30 and this morning at 9:15 it was GONE! I've called the cops and insurance etc. I've never had anything of this magnitude stolen before, and I'm incredibly pissed at the apartment complex, it's very small and claims to have "security" officers driving around at night, but my alarm was armed and they broke the window and hotwired the car... how was this not noticed!!!!!

Ugh!

CL Platano

Holy crap ..where was this?

madorb

At the place my company puts me up in during the week (I'm in consulting) in Rancho Cordova, CA... if any of you sacramento locals see a stock 06' silver alabaster TL with a broken passenger window and blue Marin Acura plates (hadn't even gotten the real ones on yet!!)... well... I don't know what you should do, maybe call the cops? argh.

bklynpanman

how do you know what window was broken? and how do you know how they stole it?? hmm

jc05tl

Ouch!!!! that sucks man. but i thought that Acura has the Anti-Theft, to were they cant start the engine without a key!!

CL Platano

I think the broken glass next to where the car would of been would let him know the window was broken.

madorb

I know they broke the window because there is glass all over, and i know they stole it... because it isn't here anymore!! what kind of question is that?

madorb

I misread the comment about HOW they stole it... I assume it was hotwired or somesuch thing because the only two keys are both with me.

ed99

Dam crooks beat the Immobilizer eh. I heard from Acura that it is not easy to beat our Immobilizer and pretty much would have to tow our TL to steal it. But I guess not. The dude must be a pro or something. Sorry to hear what happened. Hope everything works out.

Black_05_TL_6SP

There is a antitheft system on the car. Problem is, with the right tools, that can be bypassed. From what I have heard there is also a universal Key that will start any Honda/Acura. Even so, with a programming tool, you can set a new key in a very short time.

I am really sorry for your loss and hope that you are taken care of by the insurance company. They more then likely won't find the car, sorry, as it is either chopped or in Mexico by this point. The normal joyrider would not be able to steal this car. This also happened to someone in the Atlanta area out of a secure garage. The TL is quickly becoming a highly stolen car. Not good when it comes to insurance rates.

Again, sorry for the loss and wish you the best of luck with this.

Jason

CL Platano

There was a guy a little while ago who had his TL stolen and they found it the next town over. It's worse when you don't even have your plates yet and it gets stolen.

madorb

Have any of you guys had any experience in this stuff... what happens if they don't find it? I'm leasing the car and have only made 1 payment so far! It has 3200 miles on it... if they don't find it, am I going to be reimbursed for anythign close to the actual purchase price?? It is a lease, and I have gap, but i put about $3000 into it up front that i really don't want to lose.

montyburnz

3200 miles is a lot to have on there without plates yet. At that rate you woulda way gone over the 12k or 15k lease terms.

Raheel

Its not like they will know how many miles the TL Had, I am sure you can fight with your Insurance or Acura Lease Insurance or whoever and get them to reimburse you whatever money you feel is reasonable, I would personally want the $3000 you put down and the payment you paid for leasing for a month

madorb

On what grounds can i demand they pay me the money back? I mean, i WANT it, but I don't know what argument I have as to why i should get it back. And yes, at the current rate i WOULD go over the 15,000 miles, but i'm in consulting, currently staffed on a project I have to drive too, but soon that is going to change and i will only be driving on the weekends, which will MORE than make up for the up front miles.

Mike_TX

Read your GAP coverage terms. Many of them simply pay the difference between the fair market value (what the car is worth on the open market), which the insurance company pays, and the amount owed to the leasing/financing institution.

If that's the case, you will in all likelihood lose your downpayment, as GAP will only make up the difference in depreciation.

Many people don't realize it, but GAP is as much to protect the leasing company or finance company as it is to protect you!

Thorin78

Hey have you filed a claim w/ the police yet?

If they find it and return it to you, your insurance will cover whatever was damaged and/or stolen minus your deductible.

Since there are no plates on it, I hope you have the VIN number handy.

sftroy

I'm surprised that they broke the window as our TL's alarm is quite easily defeated (do a search on this site for many of us who have had multiple breakins). Acura hasn't done anything about that as far as I can tell - and now the immobilizer is being defeated. Nice security system. Everyone complain to ACS about this . . . .

I highly suggest an after market alarm. I haven't had any breakins since I bought mine....

madorb

I'm going to take the problem up with my company as well... This is the 2nd time I've had a problem at this apartment complex. A couple of months ago my old car was broken into. For a small complex that claims to hvae security this is totally unacceptable, especially considering I'm required to stay here during the week for work. If they want me to keep staying here... they're gonna have to provide me with a rental!

A_UFO

And where is the Valet key or third key? Did you leave it in the glove box with the manuals?

subinf

That sucks...rancho cordova has a ton of salvage yards...not saying its in pieces. hope everything works out for you

rrickh1

This is why they say to never put any money down on a lease.

But on a better note, hope all goes well!

Ol Blue Eyes

I know a guy, if they find out who did it.



and to up there...................glass is in the parking space where he parked it, and wouldn't you know the car isn't there anymore.

SodaLuvr

Well, I'm in the Greenhaven/Pocket area...so if I see a car matching that description with a strange driver in the seat...perhaps I'll give you or the cops a buzz!

sammieboy

Maybe Get Lojack Or Micro Trak And Track That Car Down Next Time!

MR1

Sorry to hear you got ripped off. I used to stay at the Marriott Courtyard off Hwy 50 and Zinfindal all the time, no problems.

You didn't answer, have you filed an insurance claim? They can answer most if not all your questions and probably provide a loaner for 30 days or so.

Reading your insurance policy will also give you lots of answers. Let us know how it works out.

madorb

I called my insurance company to file a claim, but I had to leave a message and they will call me back within 24 hours... Unfortunately I don't have my policy here, but I can't wait to talk to them tomorrow and figure all this out. No matter what, I now know to NEVER put any money down on a lease!!

Maddizm

iTrader: (5)

After reading this i did some research online ... and i found LA TImes article that was comparing stealing cars nowadays to computer hacking. anyway, they apparently just replace the ECU in the hood with one that already has a transponder bypassed and the car starts right up. Scary... oh and sorry dude.. i just bought a 06 tl TOO.. from the same place Marin Acura, and I can't even begin to imagine what I would do.

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

In order to start a newer model Acura, you need two things.

1. The physical key with the right cut.

2. Correct trasponder codes for the immobilizer system.

Sure, with the right programming tool, you can program a new key. But you need the key with the right cut; otherwise it won't turn the ignition system.

The original poster said he has "both keys" with him. That leads me to believe that the valet key could have been left in the glove box. The thief could've simply broken the window to get in, searched for a key in the glove box and found it. In which case, it's as easy as stealing candy from a baby.

If the valet key weren't in the car, then somebody went about this methodically. In order to cut a new key, you either must have an original key to copy, or get the information from an Acura database which is only possible with the right resources.

Also, even if you had a key cut, you must download the immobilizer transponder codes from the ECU of the car using the right equipment.

If they already had a key, they wouldn't have broken the window. If they didn't have a key, they must have been really smart and bypassed the entire immobilizer system (remember, you need the right key, and the right codes to start it). But if they were that smart, then why break the window?

I think what happened here is that they broke in and found the valet key in the glove box. But that's just a guess, because he said he still had "both keys" with him.

davenlei

From what I recall with my friend, your responsibility regarding the lease is that you still make the payments until the insurance declares it a loss and pays the leasing company. Just because the car is gone, it does not mean you payments stop. Unfortunately, it will probably take a month until your insurance declares it unrecoverable so you will probably have to make another payment. Your down payment is probably gone. that is why you either make no down on a lease or negotiate it down to a small amount. Sorry to hear about the theft but at least you have GAP and won't be left holding the bag on depreciation.

Whodi

i had my 05 stolen. what davenlei said is exactly whats going to happen.

Hybrid

Let's say you had put so much money down on a lease that your monthly payments were ZERO. Then your car got stolen. From what some people are saying here, the insurance company would owe you NOTHING. That's obviously not the case. They have to "fix" the situation similar to what would happen in an accident. The insurance company would have to get you back into an equivalent car (a TL of the same year and miles) at zero payment, or pay you enough that you would be able to do the same yourself. So it doesn't matter from the insurance reimbursement aspect whether you put money down or not.

It may very well be that you'll "lose" your down payment. That's because cars depreciate more in the early part of a lease or ownership contract. However, if you had NOT put that money down, you would be required to pay the insurance company that same amount, or more or less. What I'm saying is that, financially, it comes out the same whether there's a down payment or not, if the car is totalled.

madorb

Hybrid... if I had bought the car that'd be true, but as I leased it the insurance company just pays off the leasing company for the amount of the lease still owed, and GAP coverage makes up any difference, the money I put down be damned. Had I put 0 dollars down... i'd have 0 dollars to lose instead of the thousands.

Black_05_TL_6SP

Not True. As with any key cylinder, it can be pulled, there is a tool to pull it and it takes less then 5 seconds, with the chip programed and a flat blad screw driver, the car will start. Being a car stereo installer, I also install remote start systems. So I know how easy it is to do this. You do need the transponder code, that is it!! Key is not needed. All a key does is unlock the steering column, that to can be broken.

Valet key is a thought but doubt it.

Hybrid

Not correct. Read my post again. It applies to leasing. Some (very few) people, when they lease, put "down" 100% of the payments, so they can drive the car "for free" for 2 or 3 years, without the hassle of payments. (Obviously, it's not free, and I'm not saying it's smart, just that it happens). You and others seem to be saying that this person shouldn't even bother buying insurance, right? Because the insurance company will do nothing for him. Not true. The insurance company has to put you in the same financial position (essentially) as you were in before the car was totalled or stolen or damaged. And they aren't just going to pay off the dealer or Acura that "owns" the car. (If they did that, the dealer or Acura would then owe you money or a car).

You won't "get your desposit back", exactly, but it has to be considered in the whole financial equation. The down payment in a lease essentially prepays some portion of the monthly lease payments. As a result, in effect the insurance company owes you that unused portion of your lease. For a simplified case, ignoring interest on money, let's say you put down $2400 and leased for 24 months. The lease is $400 per month, and would have been $500 if you didn't put anything down. You essentially prepaid $100 of the payment per month. Now if the car was stolen after 4 months, Acura has $2000 in "unused" prepayments from you. The insurance company owes you that $2000, or essentially owes you 4 months of use of a TL (based on the full $500 lease payment).

Look at it another way. If Acura (or whoever you're making lease payment to) got to keep whatever your down payment was, and in addition got paid off for the car from your insurance company, they'd be making money on the deal (your down payment). Sounds illegal, right? So, let's say your insurance company reimburses Acura for the value of the car MINUS your down payment. Acura came out even that way. But the insurance company came out ahead, by the amount of your down payment. Also not right - they owe you the down payment.

(Again, the amount you get won't equal your down payment because there are factors involved like high depreciation in the early part of the lease (but you have gap insurance to take car of you there!), interest on money, the part of the down payment that you have "used up", etc.)

madorb

Does anyone have any idea of the sort of depreciation I'll be hit for if they do not find my car? I've never really had to deal with insurance before so I'm not sure what to expect. Looking for used TL's it looks like 05s with 12k miles are selling for around 30k, and at places like carmax use 06 asking prices are around 32 (I paid 32500 for mine). Can anyone offer any hints or advice about what to expect from insurance?

Hybrid

Didn't you say you had gap insurance? That's what it's for - you don't have to worry about depreciation. Even if it had depreciated to half its original value, you aren't out any extra money.

Stevie B

damn, I feel for ya, I have never had that happen, but I have had my car stripped twice in NYC, that is almost as bad, you just don't want to get it repaired and hope it know that it is going to happen again.

A SiQ TL

Including a couple of Acura/Honda ones.

Good luck with insurance,etc. Hopefully everything will work out.

I'll keep an eye out , but like another poster said, it's probably already gone.

MR1

Stuff happens...like someone said it will probably take 30+ days for insurance to settle. What about them providing you a rental? You have done the right thing like having insurance. They have been paid to take care of the problem and will.

Just worry about your job and stay on top of insurance and police developments. I would think there is very little depreciation on a 2006 and would fight with insurance that tried to deduct mare than $1000-$1500.