Why take the owners manual and leave the gadgets?
March 14, 2011 9:13 AM Subscribe
Why would someone take the owners manual out of my car while other gadgets behind?
Looked at my car this morning and found that it had been rifled through and the owners manual stolen. Kindle that was also in the glove compartment was left on the center armrest, and my radar detector was safe and sound too.
So why on earth would a thief take the manual and leave the gadgets behind?
Looked at my car this morning and found that it had been rifled through and the owners manual stolen. Kindle that was also in the glove compartment was left on the center armrest, and my radar detector was safe and sound too.
So why on earth would a thief take the manual and leave the gadgets behind?
Did you keep your registration, insurance, title, radio codes, or any other important documents in with the manual?
posted by schmod at 9:16 AM on March 14, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by schmod at 9:16 AM on March 14, 2011 [2 favorites]
Is it possible it's someone you know/sort of know who's trying to scare you? "You know that I can get into your car!"
Or could it have been someone just snooping and were careless or were interrupted part way and they only grabbed the manual?
Or they got interrupted mid-thieving and only grabbed the manual.
posted by Salamandrous at 9:27 AM on March 14, 2011
Or could it have been someone just snooping and were careless or were interrupted part way and they only grabbed the manual?
Or they got interrupted mid-thieving and only grabbed the manual.
posted by Salamandrous at 9:27 AM on March 14, 2011
When my heap of a car was stolen and abandoned in a parking lot a few years ago, they also stole the manual. The police said they were probably meth heads, and evidently meth heads obey their own special logic.
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 9:42 AM on March 14, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 9:42 AM on March 14, 2011 [2 favorites]
Same exact thing happened to me a while back. Also stolen was a CD case with about a dozen CDs. But all were copies - CDs I own that I copy for the car.
GPS was left behind.
I chalked it up to stupid kids or meth heads.
posted by thatguyjeff at 9:56 AM on March 14, 2011
GPS was left behind.
I chalked it up to stupid kids or meth heads.
posted by thatguyjeff at 9:56 AM on March 14, 2011
I'm guessing they were probably looking for your title/registration for some reason... and grabbed the owners manual thinking it would be in there.
posted by KogeLiz at 9:57 AM on March 14, 2011
posted by KogeLiz at 9:57 AM on March 14, 2011
This is actually pretty common. The prevailing theory seems to be a treasure hunt of some sort.
posted by sanka at 9:57 AM on March 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by sanka at 9:57 AM on March 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
I've also been told that it's easier to sell a car if it comes with the owner's manual.
Sure, a person can go online and order an owner's manual, pay the bill, wait for it to be shipped, and then put it into the glove box and claim it's original.
Or the less-scrupulous car seller can just break the window of the same car elsewhere and swipe it out of the glove box. Which, from their perspective, is both cheaper and faster.
posted by ErikaB at 10:15 AM on March 14, 2011
Sure, a person can go online and order an owner's manual, pay the bill, wait for it to be shipped, and then put it into the glove box and claim it's original.
Or the less-scrupulous car seller can just break the window of the same car elsewhere and swipe it out of the glove box. Which, from their perspective, is both cheaper and faster.
posted by ErikaB at 10:15 AM on March 14, 2011
Response by poster: Registration docs weren't touched although they were on the passenger seat, insurance info left as well. If the car was a little more common I could buy the 'stole the manual to put in another' but there aren't that many of these around so seems a bit unlikely (and my street is in an out of the way area on a (admittedly very long) cul de sac.
I guess treasure hunt seems the most likely as I'm pretty close to a college...
posted by zeoslap at 10:37 AM on March 14, 2011
I guess treasure hunt seems the most likely as I'm pretty close to a college...
posted by zeoslap at 10:37 AM on March 14, 2011
Response by poster: Also while the radio code is in the manual the radio itself is integrated into the dash.
posted by zeoslap at 10:39 AM on March 14, 2011
posted by zeoslap at 10:39 AM on March 14, 2011
Just as the default answer to cat-questions is "cats are weird", stealing your owner's manual but nothing else comes under "criminals are dumb".
I work on a local newspaper chain's weekly police report, and I gotta admit, it's often hilarious. One of my favorites was a series of five houses in a row broken into: houses 1 thru 4 were broken into but nothing taken; but house 5? The only thing stolen was..... a broken blender?!?
posted by easily confused at 2:26 PM on March 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
I work on a local newspaper chain's weekly police report, and I gotta admit, it's often hilarious. One of my favorites was a series of five houses in a row broken into: houses 1 thru 4 were broken into but nothing taken; but house 5? The only thing stolen was..... a broken blender?!?
posted by easily confused at 2:26 PM on March 14, 2011 [1 favorite]
This doesn't really solve anything, but last year my car was broken into in NYC and they stole my satellite radio, sunglasses, a flashlight, and the manual - which unfortunately had my registration in it. Several weeks later, I went to my mailbox to find a large envelope marked "postage due." Inside it was my manual and the registration which was slightly torn and then taped back together with scotch tape. It's one of the mysteries of the universe.
posted by The Dutchman at 6:15 PM on March 14, 2011 [3 favorites]
posted by The Dutchman at 6:15 PM on March 14, 2011 [3 favorites]
Toilet paper ?
posted by banshee at 10:01 AM on March 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by banshee at 10:01 AM on March 15, 2011 [1 favorite]
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posted by peachfuzz at 9:15 AM on March 14, 2011 [1 favorite]