Crime victim (auto break-in) seeks advice (lost SSN, where to repair in SV)

September 20, 2009 4:03 PM

Victim of auto break-in in Silicon Valley seeks advice about a) compromise of my SSN (Social Security Number) and b) reputable, affordable and speedy window-glass replacement for an old Toyota.

A thief just stole my briefcase, getting no laptop (hah!) but only a bunch of paperwork for my classes (I'm a teacher).

a) Among that paperwork are timesheets with my SSN plainly labeled at the top. Should I be worried? What can/should I do about this besides checking my credit report ASAP (ie every four months?

b) 1991 Tercel; I have a trusted local mechanic but they don't do windows. Do I just bend over and submit to the dealer for a vehicle of this vintage, as any local shop will just be ordering the glass from them anyway? Or maybe you know a good place -- I'm in Sunnyvale. Thanks!

PS: Maybe I should just get the window myself, via car-part.com. I do have experience, but not on a Toyota - that was putting one-piece windows into an old VW beetle and I don't have any special Toyota tools.

posted by Rash to grab bag (6 answers total)

Safelite is reasonable and will come to you for the glass installation
posted by buggzzee23 at 4:35 PM on September 20, 2009

Taking doors apart isn't too horrible. I would consider ordering a few spare plastic clips that hold the inside bits to the metal door -- I always seem to destroy, or come across destroyed ones and pickup a tool to remove them (its a little putty knife looking thing I think).

Since replacing a window is 90% the same job as replacing a door speaker, you should be able to find ample walkthroughs online --

"There are (at least) two screws in the plastic door panels: a metal one in the latch assembly and a plastic one at the rear end of the door. There are also several plastic snaps around the bottom and sides.

I haven't done this part yet, but here's what my (very agreeable and helpful) dealer told me. Remove the window crank by pulling out the metal ring from the side (there's a special tool for this). Remove the rubbery armrest surface. The armrest doesn't come off easily, and you can break it if you pull the wrong way. Now, only the plastic snaps are holding the panel onto the door, so you can just pull it off. " here
posted by SirStan at 4:59 PM on September 20, 2009

+1 for Safelite. They replaced my front passenger window just yesterday -- in my driveway, took less than an hour and he even vacuumed up all the broken glass I hadn't cleaned up yet. As a datapoint, I paid $135 + tax for a window replacement on a 2001 Saturn L200 (after a $20 discount for mentioning that Progressive had sent me their way).
posted by katieinshoes at 5:34 PM on September 20, 2009

Place a fraud alert with one of the three credit reporting agencies. This makes it harder for anyone (including you) to open accounts in your name.

But don't really worry about it too much: The black market is flooded with SSNs, and anyone who wants them can have a million of them. So the particular chance of yours being abused is small.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 7:34 PM on September 20, 2009

I've always been under the impression that anyone who knows how to do anything nasty with your SSN would know how to get it anyway. The guy breaking in to your car was just looking for something of value and probably has no interest in reading through your documents. Your briefcase most likely ended up in a dumpster.

Seconding fraud alert if you are worried. Part of my job in retail is to open credit cards and anyone with fraud alert (shockingly few people have this) trying to open the card has to answer a series of questions from the credit card company. The annoyance of the process is enough to deter most legitimate people from opening credit cards!
posted by comatose at 9:31 PM on September 20, 2009

Thanks for the responses; and I'll be effecting the repair myself.
posted by Rash at 8:46 AM on September 21, 2009