Stolen!

 

Last week my Garmin Nuvi was stolen....right from my own driveway! (and I live in a pretty good neighborhood).

Cops say it is probably in somebody's car already. Dang; I really liked that, and it had lots of POI's in there.
I did not use the "lock" feature where you have to put a code in to allow it to be useful.

I have had it since Christmas, and have always been very good about taking it down and putting it in the glovebox between the front seats. But at home, I typically leave it in place.

How do you secure your GPS from being stolen?

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Take it with Me

I never leave it in the car.

--
Tampa, FL - Garmin nüvi 660 (Software Ver 4.90), 2021.20 CN NA NT maps | Magellan Meridian Gold

How to prevent theft

1. Don't use the windshield mount (leaves telltale marks on windshield)
2. Hidden in my center compartment when leaving the car

My MO for the past two gps devices (magellan rm700 and nuvi 680)

Not one problem.

--
“It’s their world. We’re just living in it.”

i bet you wont leave it in

i bet you wont leave it in your car again will ya?

did they break your window? or did you leave your car unlocked?

--
DriveSmart 50, DriveSmart 60, nuvi 2595, nuvi 3760,

To avoid having your GPS stolen

Never leave your GPS in your car unless it is in your locked garage. It is too much enticement and temptation for any "honest" thief to see it in there and leave it alone!

I stress locked garage because the local police department states they could reduce crime in our city by 40% if homeowners would just close their garage doors. Theft from an open garage door is a crime of "opportunity" much the same as leaving the GPS either on the dashboard in sight or visible in the car.

Prevent Theft

grtlake wrote:

I did not use the "lock" feature where you have to put a code in to allow it to be useful.

(SNIP)

How do you secure your GPS from being stolen?

I have the lock set AND I always remove it from the car. I am not sure about your model but the 7x5 series is very easy to remove from its mount. Much easier than my C550. I use the lock for that rare occasion where it might fall out of my possession. In that case I want it to be useless.

--
I support the right to keep and arm bears.

GPS Theft

I used to carpool to work by walking 1/2 mile to the driver's house. In winter, it would still be dark. An SUV down the street from his house seemed to have the dome light on all the time. Nope! Upon closer inspection, they left the GPS unit plugged in and lit! I was surprised it lasted a month. $150K+ homes.

Even if the software/unit is locked, the thief is not going to determine that during a smash and grab. You will be left with a GPS and window to replace. Like others replying above, keep it out of sight, along with any evidence of its existence. Power cords, circle mark on the windshield. Sorry for your loss.

Stolen

1. Just bring it inside with the power cord.
2. Wipe off the circle on your windshield caused by the rubber cup.

Enjoy your GPS for years.

BTW, where would crooks go but good neighborhoods to steal???

Move

I at least take it from the dashboard to someplace less conspicuous like under the seat. For quick trips, though, I leave it on the dash.

the lock discussion rehashed yet again

grtlake wrote:

..... I did not use the "lock" feature where you have to put a code in to allow it to be useful....

Which do you think would have prevented it being stolen, using Garmin Lock or removing the GPS from the car when you get out? Many people will advocate using Garmin Lock, but the way I do it I don't have to fool with that tiny error-prone numeric touch-pad every time that I start the unit, and I still have my GPS.

Prudence

I always remove the unit and the suction cup stand to deter temptation.

--
RKF (Brookeville, MD) Garmin Nuvi 660, 360 & Street Pilot

don't be foolish

shadesofgrey wrote:

I at least take it from the dashboard to someplace less conspicuous like under the seat. For quick trips, though, I leave it on the dash.

Quick trips make for quick gains for thief's.

--
Using Android Based GPS.The above post and my sig reflects my own opinions, expressed for the purpose of informing or inspiring, not commanding. Naturally, you are free to reject or embrace whatever you read.

ALWAYS do these things .....

Never leave it in the car overnight.

Never leave it in sight in the car during the day.

Take the mount down from the windshield when you are not in the car.

Stolen

Sorry to hear your unit was taken.
I usually take my Coded Gps unit along with me or place it in the trunk so it gives me
some peace of mind.

Hmmmmmm....

I don't mean to be impolite but it doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out how to keep it from being stolen. Take it out of the car or hide it in the car and remove all tell tale signs that you have one. Using the Garmin lock makes the unit inoperable which the thief would probably just throw it away.

--
Bobby....Garmin 2450LM

Really like your avatar

Conflubmw,
This is off topic, but I really like your avatar and know his pedigree.

Here is a short clip showing your avatar in action. Brings back some memories for a kid who grew up in the 50s!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEafjfq5qU4

With all the cautions...

...not to mention reams of horror stories from people that had their GPS's "pinched" from beneath their very noses, how on earth could it happen...wow, I'll bet you do things differently next time huh?

By the way, check your homeowners policy, it might well be covered, since it was not attached to your car.

How do you secure your GPS from being stolen?[/quote]

--
"Backward, turn backward, oh time in your flight, make me a child again, just for tonight."

i never leave it in the car

i never leave it in the car and I use the bean bag mount instead of the winshield mount so no marks on the windshield

I usually bring it into the

I usually bring it into the house, but only @ Night, during the day, it stays on my dash. Maybe I should start removing it each time I leav the car.

Sorry

That is too bad to have it stolen. I always slip mine in its case and into my pocket...never leave it in the car. Ever.

lock it

locking the unit takes the value away. if everyone locked their unit theft would stop

I NEVER leave my gps in the

I NEVER leave my gps in the car..(Nor do I leave the valentine one either)...

Its a matter of not giving the low-lifes the 'temptation'..

--
Nuvi 350 Born Oct 07 - Nuvi 660 Unit #2 (re)Born Sept 08 - Nuvi 360(Gift to 'the chick' yet maintained by myself) Born July 08

Remove it each time.....

I take my unit out each time I get out of the car. Even if it's only a few minutes. I never will give a crook a chance to take advantage of me.

--
bob TomTom 730T App:9.465 Map: North_America_2GB v900.4602 Win XP Pro(SP3) TT Home 2.9.2.2837

Locked

Be sure to LOCK the car if you leave the GPS in it. Then at least your insurance will cover both the window and the GPS....

jmkthird wrote:

...not to mention reams of horror stories from people that had their GPS's "pinched" from beneath their very noses, how on earth could it happen...wow, I'll bet you do things differently next time huh?

By the way, check your homeowners policy, it might well be covered, since it was not attached to your car.

How do you secure your GPS from being stolen?

--
Always on the Road Knowing where I've Been

I have my Garmin lock on.

I have my Garmin lock on. It only takes a couple of seconds to unlock.

I always Leave my GPS in The Car Overnight

Motorcycle Mama wrote:

Never leave it in the car overnight.

Never leave it in sight in the car during the day.

Take the mount down from the windshield when you are not in the car.

I always leave my GPS in the car overnight. I have for 5 years.

I never leave it in plain sight.

I have never had one stolen.

The problem is not leaving it in the car, it is leaving it in plain sight.

Remove the GPS from the Car

Generally I remove the GPS from the car. When I am out on calls, I remove it from plain site while going on appointments.

I never leave mine in the

I never leave mine in the car, and I have the lock enabled. My wife leaves hers in the car but in the centre console, without the lock enabled. So far we've managed to hang on to both of them.

I think the key, as has been mentioned, is not to leave it in plain sight. However if someone does break into the car for any reason then something left in the centre console is going to be gone. I use the lock so if I do lose it at least the scum is going to have to work to get any use from it.

Sorry to hear about that.

Sorry to hear about that. Sucks having to worry about someone stealing your GPS out of your car like that

mine got stolen too.

mine got stolen too. passenger window smash and grab. now my gps is my cellphone and does not leave me or stay in the car ever. $300 for the gps + sd cards etc and $1000 for the smashed window, jimmied door locks and smashed steering column.

--
GPS Models : 60CSX w/2GB Kingston (stolen), 32GB Samsung INNOV8 with Garmin Mobile XT(8GB), NUVI 760 w/16GB PSF16GSDHC6 (DIED in 30 days), V (died), Nokia N8 with Garmin Mobile XT(48GB), Blackberry Torch with Google Maps.

As others have pointed out

As others have pointed out it is not enough to just put the unit away, make sure you put away the power cord and wipe off the circle marks on the windshield.

GPSr may not be for everyone

Agree if you live in high crime rate area (aka dangerous zone?), or have the habit of leaving GPSr and other valuable properties inside the vehicle which is not parked inside a locked garage, the GPSr is not for you unless you always take it out of vehicle before you leave.
In that situation, a cellphone maybe a suitable alternative I would think.

nice to see the 40% reduction

Vegasbound wrote:

Never leave your GPS in your car unless it is in your locked garage. It is too much enticement and temptation for any "honest" thief to see it in there and leave it alone!

I stress locked garage because the local police department states they could reduce crime in our city by 40% if homeowners would just close their garage doors. Theft from an open garage door is a crime of "opportunity" much the same as leaving the GPS either on the dashboard in sight or visible in the car.

Can you elaborate where the 40% reduction of crime comes from? This must be a very low crime rate city.
Is this at Tempe or Las Vegas?

Simple

abin wrote:
Vegasbound wrote:

Never leave your GPS in your car unless it is in your locked garage. It is too much enticement and temptation for any "honest" thief to see it in there and leave it alone!

I stress locked garage because the local police department states they could reduce crime in our city by 40% if homeowners would just close their garage doors. Theft from an open garage door is a crime of "opportunity" much the same as leaving the GPS either on the dashboard in sight or visible in the car.

Can you elaborate where the 40% reduction of crime comes from? This must be a very low crime rate city.
Is this at Tempe or Las Vegas?

Many crimes are "opportunity" crimes. If you have an open door, it invites someone to observe what they normally wouldn't see, walk/run and remove the object and leave in 30 seconds or less. If you make your "place" more difficult, then the criminal moves on.

I know that this will not get rid of all crime, but my neighborhood has done a good job of catching the bad guy. We work with and know the beat officers. Don't be an easy target.

Daniel

--
Garmin StreetPilot c580 & Nuvi 760 - Member 32160 - Traveling in Kansas

OOOoo.... >:|

I NEVER leave my TOMTOM in the car... not even when I get gas.

I have seen enough nastiness in the world that I have a hard time trusting ANYONE... never mind strangers. If I am not using it, then my TOMTOM is in its case and in my pocket... or charging in my bedroom, near my cell phone... and if someone is in my bedroom uninvited, I have bigger problems than a GPS disappearing! smile

I have had two cell phones stolen at work, so now that is ALWAYS in the same pocket as my GPS!

Stolen out of the mail

I had a eTrek Vista stolen right out of the package before it was delivered. It was sent USPS so that is a federal crime. The unit was replaced by the dealer so it must have been a postal worker somewhere in the system. I did get the box with the serial number so I reported it to Garmin. If the unit ever need repair then they can hold it but I doubt that it will ever be traced. Yes crap happens.

BTW the eTrek I got in return has never been a great unit anyway. Looses sat lock very easily and takes for ever to lock on. Hope the thief has had the same problems.

Bob

--
Robert Woodcock

Stolen out of the mail

I had a eTrek Vista stolen right out of the package before it was delivered. It was sent USPS so that is a federal crime. The unit was replaced by the dealer so it must have been a postal worker somewhere in the system. I did get the box with the serial number so I reported it to Garmin. If the unit ever need repair then they can hold it but I doubt that it will ever be traced. Yes crap happens.

BTW the eTrek I got in return has never been a great unit anyway. Looses sat lock very easily and takes for ever to lock on. Hope the thief has had the same problems.

Bob

--
Robert Woodcock

Never leave it in car

I bring it in at night and during the day never leave it or the holder in plain view.

I'll Bet...

RWoodcock wrote:

Hope the thief has had the same problems.

Bob

He probably pawned it for the money.

--
Tampa, FL - Garmin nüvi 660 (Software Ver 4.90), 2021.20 CN NA NT maps | Magellan Meridian Gold

Bean bag mount

is a good option. It comes apart easily and stores in the glove box. No tell tale ring on the windshield.

I remember the police in our neighborhood were giving out cloths to clean the rings from your windshield due to the increased amount of break-ins.

Probably best to take it with you, although I don't.

Garmin Lock

Netizen2000 wrote:

I have my Garmin lock on. It only takes a couple of seconds to unlock.

Sometimes it takes me a bit longer on the 765T with it "screen stutter" problem and firmware 3.90. The C550 never had that problem. Hopefully a future firmware will fix the problem.

As I mentioned above, I do not view Garmin Lock as a deterrent to theft. I look at it is a way to make the theft worthless by leaving the thief with a brick. Yes some pawnshop might buy it without checking it over but a smart fence would at least check it over to see what they are getting before turning over any cash. What is a bricked device going to be worth? I see locked GPS's on eBay quite often and they do sell but usually for about $20 or so.

--
I support the right to keep and arm bears.

Won't leave it again.....

nansoutey wrote:

i bet you wont leave it in your car again will ya?

did they break your window? or did you leave your car unlocked?

I've never ever had anything taken from me before. When that happens for the first time you really feel violated.
This was a stormy friday night. I was getting home late from work and didnt want to cook, so stopped to get a pizza.

Hands full, raining cats and dogs I got out of the car and pushed the door closed with my foot. Did not lock it. Garage has temporarily been turned into a shop while I refinish a wooden boat in there, so I'm parking outside.

Watched tv till 11pm in a room right next to the driveway. Had to leave at 730am and it was gone...cord, mount and unit. Cops said there were lots of thefts that night.

Never again will I leave anything in the car, or leave it unlocked.

Don't leave in the car

I never leave it in my car but I leave the bean mount and the cord out of sight.

--
Val - Nuvi 785t and Streetpilot C340

In the car, out of the mount

I always take it off the mount and simply place it the little storage space below the center console. You can even see it from outside through the windows if you look carefully. Of course, the car being an old Honda that always needs a wash and could use some touch-up paint probably helps to deter would-be thieves. I think an old beater is good for avoiding that sort of attention.

Stolen

Use a bean bag mount so it leves no tell tail marks that you have a gps. Keep it with you or put it in the trunk. If i'm out of the van, so is my gps.

ohwogo nuvi 750

gps

Man sorry to hear, you should always take it out the car when not using it.

I agree, but am not hopeful.

Aardvark wrote:

Sometimes it takes me a bit longer on the 765T with it "screen stutter" problem and firmware 3.90. The C550 never had that problem. Hopefully a future firmware will fix the problem.

As I mentioned above, I do not view Garmin Lock as a deterrent to theft. I look at it is a way to make the theft worthless by leaving the thief with a brick. Yes some pawnshop might buy it without checking it over but a smart fence would at least check it over to see what they are getting before turning over any cash. What is a bricked device going to be worth? I see locked GPS's on eBay quite often and they do sell but usually for about $20 or so.

I too lock my Garmin, even though I never leave it in the car, in the hopes that if it were ever stolen, it would be largely useless.

As to your comment about the screen stutter & 3.90, don't get me wrong, I love my Garmin (which says a lot considering the problems I've had), but I believe I might just drop over dead if Garmin fixed... well, anything. Unfortunately, I fear they've moved on to new projects, with new bugs that will be ignored until they move on to new projects....

--
Not lost anymore. Well, not as it pertains to driving anyway. -Garmin Nuvi 765t, 56 unt Mac user.

I leave my Garmin out of

I leave my Garmin out of sight on it's bean bag mount under the seat.
I always stow it away before reaching any destination even my home so that nobody can see me removing it from the dash. It's always plugged into an out-of-sight outlet under the center console. So far no problems for the past two plus years. Knock on wood.

Be Careful When You Get Gas

Nightcrawler wrote:

I NEVER leave my TOMTOM in the car... not even when I get gas.

Many women leave their pocketbooks on the front passenger seat when they are driving and leave them there when they get gas. Thieves know this and look out for it. They watch a woman exit the car and go for the gas nozzle and walk up on the passenger side and grab the bag.

Unfortunately, you should lock the doors and take the keys when you get gas.

I Agree -

Gary A wrote:

I never leave it in the car.

That's my philosophy, "Never leave it in the car, never have it stolen out of the car".

Sorry you lost your GPSr.

Its too bad there isn't a

Its too bad there isn't a way to track it, after all it is a gps. Or if its connected to garmins site they would be able to disable it during an update. I guess it would cost garmin a lot of money to provide this service, but it sure would be nice and worth paying for. Same goes for ipods!

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