San Diego: My FiST was stolen while I was at the Padres Game 8/31..

[Joshyfresh6953]

AS the title says, my FiST was STOLEN right out of SD's Gaslamp district while I was at a baseball game Thursday 8/31. I parked it on Market street between Park & 13th, next to Quartyard. Im posting this on here just incase there happens to be a 2018 FiST Dark Grey with 66,000 miles being parted out or sold in the coming days/weeks from anywhere in San Diego, Orange County or Los Angeles... CA 8DKA517 License plate:The car has a tow hook installed onto the Front Crash beam, I cut out the plastic honeycomb to make it fit nicely and there is a 2" indent on the drivers side door, right in the middle of the door. The dent is covered with Epoxy. Car has vent shades and rally mud flaps, 20% tinted windows and Dirtybird Campout stickers on the windshield, FLOWMaster CBE and 3 race track stickers on the rear windshield; Adams Motorsports Park, Streets of Willow and Autoclub Speedway...

If anyone sees something that may be my car, please reach out to San Diego PD 619-531-2000 or give me a call 760-755- eight eight six four

Thanks guys,

Josh

 

[Joshyfresh6953]

for those who live in San Diego, Orange County or Los Angeles, Please be careful! Get some form of GPS security for your FiST!!! Mine was stolen on one of the main streets, well lit and lots of people....

 

[dhminer]

This is insane. Don’t hear of too many manual cars getting stolen.

 

[Capri to ST]

So sorry to hear this, that's got to be the worst feeling. Do the police have any leads, is there any surveillance footage in the area?

 

[Intuit]

definitely getting some sort of GPS security for my next vehicle

I was looking at this a couple of days ago for the motorcycle. Still easy to detect but might be harder to locate since it can truly blend in if "properly" installed.
Neat idea. AI translated. Good thing oil/lubrication pumps are mechanical. 😮 (petroleum vs oil vs gasoline vs fuel)
The box it doesn't check (I think) is an internal battery backup.
https://www.fjrowners.com/threads/security-lookn-for-gps-tracker.157882/

 

[Intuit]

https://www.fiestastforum.com/threads/new-car-need-help.31328/#post-501206

https://www.fiestastforum.com/threads/time-to-don-the-tin-foil.22933/post-389855

 

[pixelzombie]

I saw a news story last year where a Jeep was stolen from a driveway using just a laptop and a hacking program. It was vulnerable because it has keyless ignition. Since then, I uses a steering lock on my car when it's parked in public. Call me paranoid, but I'm not taking any chances.

 

[contemplative_shrimp]

Are our cars in the US at high risk? What research I did long ago seemed to only bring up UK thefts. Didn't bother looking too deep though.

 

[Dialcaliper]

Are our cars in the US at high risk? What research I did long ago seemed to only bring up UK thefts. Didn't bother looking too deep though.

It seems like the Fiesta ST in the UK is nearly top of the list of stolen cars. The main avenues of theft seem to be either intercepting the key fob signal (since our cars are of a vintage that is less secure), or cracking in and using an OBD “hack” plug that kills the alarm and writes a new “key” to the car. Thieves have gotten more sophisticated with cheap blackmarket electronics it seems.

US Fiestas appear to have the same vulnerabilities as UK models, so it is only a matter of time before it migrates be over here. The only thing limiting is probably that they aren’t as popular here, and cat theft is more the go-to, which our cars are not very accessible. That and manual transmission

I bought one of the “Dummy OBD” harnesses from the UK to hopefully protect against the latter (OBD hack), with the added benefit of being able to reroute the OBD port to the glovebox.

https://www.dummyobd.com/shop/ford-dummy-obd-port-relocation/

It seems more effective than the locks or removal of the OBD, because it looks exactly like the real one and even provides power like one. The relocation also means you could plug something like a gps tracker into the OBD without it being as obvious.

Note, USDM Fiesta’s need the version for the Ford Fusion, not the Fiesta version (UK fiestas have a different plug in a compartment)

I was also looking at this to prevent the key fob “amplifier” theft, but its kind of expensive

https://keylessprotector.com/

As far as I know, those two approaches are how they “drive” the car way, otherwise the car has to be towed away

 

[Joshyfresh6953]

So sorry to hear this, that's got to be the worst feeling. Do the police have any leads, is there any surveillance footage in the area?

I parked in front of an apartment building but didn't see any cameras on the street. I was gonna go down the following morning but realized that NO ONE or business is gonna give me access to any cameras or anything... I doubt SDPD is gonna put it on a HIGH priority.... while I was looking for my car, I came across another man whose 2013 Acura TLX was stolen. he too was at the Padres Game and parked on the street within a few blocks of the stadium...

Nothing Yet, Of course it was taken over a "holiday" weekend, we all know SDPD isn't gonna do shit. I spoke to 3 cops that night and they all basically said, "Ooh cars get stolen all the time down here, were sorry...."

Geico says I have to wait 2 weeks incase cops find it or it turns up somewhere. Obviously filed a police report that night and called insurance the next morning... fucking blows so much, I only had $2600 to pay off too

 

[Joshyfresh6953]

I saw a news story last year where a Jeep was stolen from a driveway using just a laptop and a hacking program. It was vulnerable because it has keyless ignition. Since then, I uses a steering lock on my car when it's parked in public. Call me paranoid, but I'm not taking any chances.

what like a "CLUB" steering wheel bar from the 1990's? Shit man in the Bronx, they would just use a hack saw and cut the steering wheel.... a visual deterrent sure tho...

 

[Joshyfresh6953]

Are our cars in the US at high risk? What research I did long ago seemed to only bring up UK thefts. Didn't bother looking too deep though.

I never even thought about having my car stolen.. the gaslamp part of downtown San Diego is Sooooo busy, well lit and populated, especially during a Padres game on a weekday, just before a "holiday" weekend... I ALWAYS park in a parking structure and the fucking one time I dont, my fucking car is stolen... im still sooooooo saddened and almost depressed by it, I can't stop thinking about how Geico is probably gonna royally fuck me when we go through the actual claims process after 14 days, which willl be 9/14/23.... Im gonna keep everyone posted on how this story unfolds... Ive NEVER had anything of this magnitude stolen from me... I was just thinking about how they NOW have my ADDRESS and am worried, are they going to ROB my house next?! We have 5 cameras but what are they really gonna do against people who are semi/professional thieves.....? Im not too sure... talk about unnecessary anxiety!

 

[Gone in 60]

That sucks! Sorry to hear about your theft! I had a Super Duty get stolen a few times. A very easy truck to steal. After the first time, I put a Club on the wheel. It was laying on the ground next to where the truck had been parked. Obviously not a deterrent to an experienced thief.

I have Air Tags in my cars and bikes. Hope I never need them.

Good luck!

 

[Capri to ST]

I parked in front of an apartment building but didn't see any cameras on the street. I was gonna go down the following morning but realized that NO ONE or business is gonna give me access to any cameras or anything... I doubt SDPD is gonna put it on a HIGH priority.... while I was looking for my car, I came across another man whose 2013 Acura TLX was stolen. he too was at the Padres Game and parked on the street within a few blocks of the stadium...

Nothing Yet, Of course it was taken over a "holiday" weekend, we all know SDPD isn't gonna do shit. I spoke to 3 cops that night and they all basically said, "Ooh cars get stolen all the time down here, were sorry...."

Geico says I have to wait 2 weeks incase cops find it or it turns up somewhere. Obviously filed a police report that night and called insurance the next morning... fucking blows so much, I only had $2600 to pay off too

Sorry man, I hope you get lucky and they find it. If not I hope the process goes better than you think it's going to.
I once knew the awful feeling of having my car stolen when I walked out of a mall and it wasn't there.The even more terrible thing was that my much-loved dog was in it. I used to take him on short errands when it was cool out and he would just snooze in the car and be there waiting for me when I got back. Right before I called the cops I walked around the lot, and it was parked in a different part where I never usually parked, I had just spaced out about it. I wish your situation had such a simple ending.

 

[WannabeST]

Sorry to hear about the car. I run a nexar dash cam which has GPS included in it. The device does make a noise on startup so I imagine any thief with a brain would quickly break it but even after you disconnect the power supply the device runs for a few minutes. (Enough to notify your phone that your car has moved essentially) The app is a little glitchy sometimes to download videos, but I usually pull the SD card and download by other means.
Hope you get lucky. Security isn't a fun thing to invest in, but definitely worth the money if the time comes.

 

[Clint Beastwood]

I was looking at this a couple of days ago for the motorcycle. Still easy to detect but might be harder to locate since it can truly blend in if "properly" installed.
Neat idea. AI translated. Good thing oil/lubrication pumps are mechanical. 😮 (petroleum vs oil vs gasoline vs fuel)
The box it doesn't check (I think) is an internal battery backup.
https://www.fjrowners.com/threads/security-lookn-for-gps-tracker.157882/
View attachment 57721

I'm not a bike thief, but I would guess that if you're stealing a bike, after you have it in your possession one of the first things you would do is to disconnect the battery. You'd probably want something with it's own battery backup.

 

[Intuit]

I'm not a bike thief, but I would guess that if you're stealing a bike, after you have it in your possession one of the first things you would do is to disconnect the battery. You'd probably want something with it's own battery backup.

Yip. It has a backup battery. Haven't seen any indication as to how long it lasts. A lot of the devices with battery backup are pretty pathetic in terms of how long it lasts. Also, Li-ion can be dangerous to charge/discharge at temperature extremes. Are the built in safeties present and up to the task....

BTW I wouldn't connect the kill switch function for it. Too much potential for it to create an issue... probably at the beginning of a left turn through an intersection... or when it's -5 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Devices like that just don't get put through the ringer in testing like any of the critical components that auto manufacturers elect to use in their vehicles. I also remember a case where an ex-employee for a company shutdown the entire fleet of vehicles for which the company was contracted to control. People who weren't late on their payments were suddenly finding their vehicles unable to start. 😮

 

[Dpro]

sorry to hear this have you checked the City Tow?
I know back in SF and here in Los Angeles park in one wrong place or have previous parking tickets and they straight up tow your car.

I would check with the official tow for the City of San Diego and check impound yards. Honestly our cars are not known enough to get stolen here for the most part. Plus being a manual it eliminates a lot of the amateur joy riding type thieves.

 

[Sam4]

Are our cars in the US at high risk? What research I did long ago seemed to only bring up UK thefts. Didn't bother looking too deep though.

Most of us drive like we stole it...so yeah, risk!

 

[jmrtsus]

Car theft has one goal, to sell the parts. I wouldn't think the Fiesta ST has a high call for parts. Sounds like it was stolen "on order" from a chop shop with a customer waiting. Had a car stolen many years ago and Allstate would not pay for custom audio nor performance parts as I did not "list" them and pay extra $. So I got just the cost of a buying a used car. Sorry to hear about it for you, but if they had a customer looking for an engine and transmission it is probably stripped out already. The remaining body after the doors, hood, fenders, bumpers and hatch is off will go to a crusher and sold for scrap. Fight them nicely and refuse their first offer, I always have and they upped the offer later. First offer will be a low ball. DON'T threaten to sue.....if you do the case goes to legal and hell will freeze over before it is settled and you will lose 33% to the lawyer. Be nice and you will be rewarded with a better offer. Get a rental if you have coverage, that cost is an incentive for them to settle in a timely manner. Try to have one company cover everything....house, cars, bikes. The more they have in income from you the more they will want to keep you happy.