I had my xD broken into this morning at about 2ish in front of my house =-( I am sooo ____ed off right now because they stole my box and amp! I know that they had to be some young punks from a lower section of our city, because I live in a new home in a really nice part of Rancho. Atleast they did it fast, they left my video iPOD and $200 sun glasses in my glove box, they probibly heard me get up with my Ruger P226 in my hand!!!!!! This sucks even more cause the day before that I had a piece of metal go into my rear tire... so now I have to replace that $240 tire and a rear passanger window (little window on the back passanger door)! By the way does anyone know the est. cost of that little window on an xD? Oh well life goes on and I have to get this all repaired before Saturday morning 11am, I have a photoshoot for Sprint Suspension and SPOCOM!

 

Ugh...that's horrible.

Doesn't your insurance cover vandalism? I figure they would pay for the value of the window.

 

Vandalism is covered under comprehensive, so depending on your deductible will say whether or not it is worth it to file a claim.

 

You know what guys the window at Toyota for that back passanger non-moving corner window only costs $46 and my buddy works there and got it for me at a total price of $30.15!!!!!!! That was awsome and I put in in myself, but that mission was a whole different story that involves; 2 beers, 1 flathead screwdriver and a lot at patience! LOL... it took some time but not as bad of an outcome as I thought that it was going to be and now it gives me an excuse to get my new system that I will be getting a partial sponsorship by Almani Systems thru Sterio1 in Rancho.

 

ah good to hear. all's well that ends well.

 

I think it really depends where you live. After 9/11, New York is always swamped by cops and SWAT teams so I rarely see a car with a steering wheel lock. Since Rudy Guliani was elected, he has been raising all kinds of taxes so all the crooks and low income classes have left NYC. Also, New Yorkers and the Police Department think that car alarms contribute to noise pollution as well as making the crime problems worse. That is why more and more new owners decline the car alarm package with their new rides at least in NYC. http://www.silentmajorityny.org/link...uto_theft.html

In another article, these cars are the most stolen so I wouldn't worry about the Scion xD for now: http://www.infoniac.com/offbeat-news...nted-cars.html

Besides, I work near the Brooklyn Navy Shipyards for 10 years and always see a BMW E36 parked alone, windows rolled down 4 inches down, no tint and the GPS system that is the size of two iPods in plain view so you see, vandalism depends on where you live. Worst comes to worst, I think thieves will target the BMW before my Scion. My friend even says that putting on the steering wheel lock will make my car more susceptible to theft.

 

Have only had my xD RS1 for a week and had a similar concern as I'm planning to install the in-dash nav system. Two months ago my Sonata driver's window was busted outside of my busy office building in the middle of the day and my nav system was stolen. I agree with tmrepp -- put everything not bolted down out of sight.

If it's a big worry, consider $0 deductible on your comprehensive. My Sonata's side glass and even my nav system was replaced by my insurance co.

 

Don't clean your car for a week. Leave some splotches of mud and dirt visible on the hood. Make it look like a 3-year old car in desperate need of a car-wash, and the new car look has long faded.

No one will bother your car. Problem solved.

 

You should make a mod kit for that... you'll be a millionaire in no time.

 

As far as theft/vandalism goes, here's a bit of advice. I own an insurance agency in Oregon, so while I can't speak for your individual policies, theft and vandalism are handled pretty much the same by all insurance companies.

Both of these forms of loss are covered by the comprehensive portion of your insurance. If you have "full coverage" you will have comp (this also applies if you have a loan on the vehicle, since the bank will require full coverage).

Now here's a couple little secrets about comprehensive that not many people know...

1) It's very cheap! Lowering your comp deductible usually only changes your premium by a couple dollars a month. For instance: I have a $100 comp deductible on my car and it cost me $3 more a month than a $500 deductible. This way, if someone keys my car or steals my stereo, it only cost $100 to fix it.

2) Comprehensive claims aren't generally surchargable claims. Now, I can't speak for other insurance companies out there, but generally most insurers won't increase your rates for filing a comprehensive claim. Just try not to file a whole bunch of them...

 

thanks for the tips.

I now have state farm and they surprisingly haven't raised my rates at all despite me being in two accidents 6 months apart. First accident wasn't my fault at all, but the second one was partially my fault. Can't believe they didn't want more money.

 

State Farm here too. I was amazed when they replaced my portable nav system after the theft. A girlfriend who works for Geico indicated they would not replace a portable unit. To my surprise my rate only dropped $5 per 6 months when I moved from a 235 hp Sonata to the xD. A recent article indicated many were surprised rates didn't drop (or even increased) as they moved to smaller vehicles.

 

It's small size could be the reason. It must have a higher chance of accumulating more damages in an accident and allowing more damage to the passengers??

I'm taking a shot in the dark since I don't know much about insurance.

 

Well you're moving from a slightly older car to a brand new one, so I would think that would be the reason for so little of a price change. Probably down the road it will get cheaper. Dunno. I don't know much about insurance lol. I should probably learn..

 

^^ You hit it right on the head.

Insurance company actuarial teams are an interesting bunch... those are the guys who actually figure out what gets what rate. I'm not an expert on that side of things, but from experience you're looking at a higher rate when you move to a newer vehicle mainly because they're worth more.

The xD is too new to have accident rates yet, so that probably isn't a factor yet, either favorable or not.