Someone broke windows out of my Trailblazer ... and house!

[Steve]

We got a RUDE awakeing this morning. My wife and I were in bed and about 2:30 AM when the window in my kitchen exploded. I got up, looked at the scene pretty quickly, grabbed a phone and my 9mm pistol and locked us down in the bedroom while we waited for the police to come.

Turns out, the rear window in my 2002 Trailblazer was broken out for a smash-and-grab, not sure what they got yet. They also broke my kitchen window, right next to the garage/driveway. Glass is all over the kitchen floor.

The police think that they were kids out causing vandalism, there were three or four of these same break-ins within a 1 mile radius of our house apparently.

I'll keep everyone updated, we're expecting rain today and it's just about 4 am, have to get two windows fixed and take a day off work.

[Steve]

I was going to spend some money to upgrade the server, but I guess we have to put that project on hold for now.

[84fiero123]

Sorry to hear about your windows. It probably was just kids. We just had a rash of acid bombs recently here.

Couple of kids set off a couple of acid bombs in a local Wal Mart, a few weeks ago.

Now just 2 nights ago they set off 2 acid bombs in a couple of mail boxes. Blew them all to shreds.

They caught the kids that set off the ones in the Wal Mart, still looking for the others.

Hopefully your was just kids too.

Glad to hear it was just damage and no one got hurt.

[Steve]

Yeah, the cop that came here was on his radio and they got reports from a couple other houses getting similar type windows broken out in houses within about a 20 minute timeline. That seems to him to suggest some kids out looking to cause damage. They don't appear to have taken anything. I left my leather work briefcase in the cavalier and there was a bunch of stuff in the TrailBlazer, like my wife's cell phone.

[TrailLeadr]

Wow Steve, sorry to hear about the vandalism. It sucks when something like that happens. It's even worse when your vehicle or house is robbed. It gives you a feeling of a lack of security. Makes you a little paranoid for the next few months. Been there, wasn't fun. As long as everyone is ok. Things can be replaced, people can't. With any luck they'll get the little Sh*ts who did it, and have them pay restitution. At least you could recoup your losses.

[Steve]

It looks like it's going to cost us about $450 or so, plus costs for missing a day's work, having a black plastic ugly thing over the window for a week before it can be replaced, cost of plywood, etc. Maybe $500 overall, I guess. The rear window in this thing is mega expensive, like $1250 installed. At this point, I'm better off getting it fixed and paying the deductible for it than doing it myself.

Our problem is that we're the first house that you come to off a busy street and we have a park across from us. This window was fairly open to all of that, we plan to put some short shrubs in front of it and maybe another tree or two on that side of the street to hide the house more.

In the long run, no one was hurt. Looks like some kids were out to be reckless and cause damage and we were just an easy house to hit.

[TrailLeadr]

Well don't give up hope. Kids who do things like that aren't notoriously smart. If you're lucky they'll not realize that they should stop while they're ahead of the game. Hopefully they'll do it again somewhere else, and get caught.

[Steve]

Well, I was young and foolish once. Now, I'm in my mid-30s and foolish.

[Steve]

Ok, my wife's all freaked out. I installed a motion-sensor dual light above the garage this morning. It's got a dusk-to-dawn setting where it will give a little bit of light all the time, then turn on high if the motion sensor is tripped. I drilled through the wall and rigged the power temporarily with a cut-off extension cord that I plugged in next to the garage door opener plug that's on the top of the celing. I'll hard wire that in later.

Next, I'm about to open the fence up on the side of my house so I can put my utility trailer next to the garage, that will allow me to put the Trailblazer and the Cavalier in the garage at night. The Suburban is not at the house anymore, it's been "loaned" or "gifted" out to a family member more needy, so we're down to just 2 vehicles that we need to keep under wraps.

[retired2001]

There is no "good" time for this kind of stuff to happen, but maybe the "kids" will be back in school before long. Just a thought, but have you thought about a "camera" to go along with the security light? Even a "dummy" camera might make the vandals think twice. Good luck & Happy New Year!

[84fiero123]

I have been having neighbor problems for the last 9 months.

I have 3 video cameras around the barn, they are smaller than a quarter, one is even in a bird house.

Pointed right at the end of their driveway.

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/1777/birdcam2bz6.th.png (http://img139.imageshack.us/my.php?image=birdcam2bz6.png)

They bought the house right next to our Barn, and when I say right next to our barn I mean within 50’.

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/3388/nextdoor29ho.th.png (http://img164.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nextdoor29ho.png)


They complain about all the noises the animals make in the barn at night.

Have poisoned one dog, and repeatedly called every town official trying to complain. We are in the right, he just thinks because he thinks a farm should be seen and not heard it should be quiet at night.

He even stood out at the end of his driveway one night a few weeks ago beeping his horn trying to get me to come out and fight him.

Even threatened to kill me and burn the barn down.

If you have a day to kill read the thread I started on my Fiero forum. So far it’s 15 pages long.

http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum6/HTML/042654.html

[TrailLeadr]

In response to your neighbors, I would run a 50 mile hot fence for cows along the a joining property lines, and continue it again another 10 feet in. Run it 4 wire instead of three. Top line hot, second line ground, third line hot, bottom line ground. So you have a hot wire fence at the property line, and then another 10 feet into your property. I'm sure that they sneak onto your property, and they're not going to expect a second fence 10 feet in. The 50 mile cow box will give em something new to think about. Of course you could always put barbed wire sprials within the 10 foot span of the two hot fences. So your property line will look like a prison. It'll get the job done...
Oh, and use the 14ga wire that's hard to see, not the friendly orange fabric wire mesh. :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

[84fiero123]

Already ran electric fence on property line.

Only I used .025 mig wire, just about invisible.

Can't wait to see what they do tonight, being New Years Eve and they never need an excuse to drink.

[Steve]

Well, no matter where you live ... the city, the suburbans or the country ... there are going to be folks (like 10%) that don't care about anything but themselves, have no respect for other people's property, never want to try to work out a compromise, etc.

I am VERY interested in hooking up a camera system. My preference is for a wireless system that I can hook into my computer and store an image every 1/2 second or so on my web server. Then, if anything happens, I have a copy of it on the web. I'm not sure what's the best, anyone have any suggestions I'm wide open.

[Steve]

http://celestial-city.org/stevebluhm/gallery/albums/album32/HPIM1867.jpg
Here's the window broken out on the Trailblazer. I'll put some more up on the Photo Gallery.

[Steve]

http://www.gmtruckclub.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_HPIM1867.jpg

http://www.gmtruckclub.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/normal_HPIM1867.jpg
http://www.gmtruckclub.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/HPIM1871.jpg

[unplugged]

Seems like this sort of thing is going around during the Holiday break. Here is an article from today's paper. Daily Press (http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/20061230/vandals-damage-20-vehicles)
Vandals damage 20 vehicles Windows shattered with a baseball bat, officials said
Katherine Rosenberg December 30, 2006

APPLE VALLEY — Around 6 a.m. Pastor Justin Hilliard woke up to the sound of knocking on his door. A deputy from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Apple Valley station was there with bad news: His car windshield had been busted out overnight. Hilliard’s and about 20 others.

Around 3 a.m. Friday at least two people, suspected to be teenagers, caused between $20,000 and $30,000 in damage to several vehicles by shattering car windows with a baseball bat in the area of Highway 18 and Rancherias Road to Tao Road, officials said.

One home had video surveillance that showed a passenger get out of the vehicle and smash at least three windows on the car, and that footage was taped around 3:30 a.m. Roper said.

[84fiero123]

Lighting makes a big difference in the camera. Try to find one with a 0 lux, (no light needed).

Radio Shack sells some that will turn on a VCR when something moves but I’m not sure about the computer. Check out their web site. They have a million of them.

That little camera in the bird house is smaller than a quarter, color, sound, wireless but no good in the dark. The wire you see coming off the back is just for the power supply, and you can even just use a 9 volt battery instead of plugging it in.

Good luck finding a camera that meets your needs.

[84fiero123]

My camera is just like this one.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2140584&cp=&origkw=Video+surve illance&kw=video+surveillance&parentPage=search

Only I bought Mine at Wal Mart for 80 bucks.

[Steve]

PC with capture card

Yeah it should just hook up to the PC and I can record day or night.

[TrailLeadr]

If you find a good deal on some cameras, and you don't mind a little tinkering with one if them, there are a lot of DIY's on the web on converting them to UV. It's very easy, and straight forward. All you would need is to by some UV LEDs about 5 per camera, and set them up as a flood light. You'd be surprised how well they work compared to a traditional LED. This way you could keep two cameras one for daytime, and the UV for night in the areas you want to monitor the most.

Here's a link for someone who's done just that, but he took his a little over the top. http://computerguru365.blogspot.com/2006/07/diy-infrared-security-camera.html

This link is for converting web cams to IR/UV
http://www.hoagieshouse.com/IR/
I'm sure you can get a cheap logitech webcam that you could use for security.

[Steve]

I have a lot of chores for the rest of my New Years Day off. Putting up a camera isn't one of them. :-( I think I'll try to get that done in the next week or so. My wife would sleep better.

The cops said that if I had even a description of the vehicle that would help them a lot, let alone a photo of the folks doing it.

[tonietal]

:( Sorry about your Trailblazer. That happend a few years back to our neighborhood. It was a driveby with slingshots. Because they couldn't find evidence of really anything that would have hit the car window and shatter them like that. They shot out vehicle windows for fun and no one was caught. They only struck that one year. I'm with you. . .I'd just pay the deductable have the window replaced. ~Toni

[Steve]

yeah, I guess there was the same thing 1 block to the north and over about 2-3 blocks to the west. One house, a house window and a car window. Then about 1 mile to the north the same thing.

[curtolson]

I have been robbed. It's a terrible feeling.
we moved from New York because of that type of crap. Then we moved from Tampa punks intensify with population density and growth.
Now in a small town in Tennesse. Like most I try and reduce risk, but punks are everywhere. I am very glad to here you have a 9MM. The most recognized sound for an intruder is the racking of a shotgun.
That is what my lawyer told me. But I prefer the M-82A1 Barrett 50 Cal. with incendiary rounds for the little bastards.
He said a jury won't understand.
Too many lawyers too little common sense. I am mad for you.
Have a detective dust for prints and press every charge known to man.
Stay in touch with the police. They get caught they always do.
I had my thief captured and convicted. The wheels of justice grind slow.

[Steve]

Well, let me stand on my soap box for a minute. I know several police officers, they told me the same thing. There are several thing that theives hate. Lights, dogs, obstacles, etc. However, the #1 thing that theives are scared of is an armed citizen.

Now, we've had relative law and order in our society for a long time, if the concept of law and justice and ethics goes away, we'll revert to be like one of these societies that can't be stable for more than 6 months.

[Steve]

I was thinking of starting up a neighborhood watch program for my area. Anyone have any experience with one of these?

[84fiero123]

They work good as long as you have neighbors that are home at all different hours.

Friends on my Fiero forum had a brake in that live on a cul-de-sac.

They broke in and robed 10 houses on the street. Everyone worked and no one was home.

If you have some Nosey Little Old Ladies nearby you are golden. NLOL can be a great thing to have if you want to start a neighborhood watch.

Make friends with them, offer rides to the store, bring them gifts.

[Steve]

Well, my wife is home most days, although she goes out periodically. Our whole neighborhood is about 5-6 years old, so not sure if there are any NLOLs around, but we've gotten to know some of the folks. One of my neighbors works very early in the AM (like leaves at 4 am) and gets home in the early afternoon ... etc, so there might be a good spectrum of time coverage.

[Steve]

To update, we got the window fixed. The bill was $1150! Insurance paid, I had to cough up the $250 deductible.

[Davandy]

That’s expensive, I hope they catch them and let them pay for it. :x

[Steve]

I was SHOCKED to find out how expensive the rear window in the Trailblazer is. The glass guy said it's becuase it's a lift-up window, heater element, privacy shade and all of the stuff to hook it up comes pre-assembled from the factory, so they just take the old one off and put the new one on.

[Steve]

At first, I actually told a lady at the glass place that I thought she was smoking crack.

[TrailLeadr]

At first, I actually told a lady at the glass place that I thought she was smoking crack. I bet that gave her the warm and fuzzies.

[Steve]

:-) Well, I said it in a NICE way. I thought it was going to be like $250 at the most.

[Steve]

For the most part, things are back to normal at our house. We still have to get our "new" window, which is in but I want to be home when the serviceman comes here.

[Steve]

The window that was fixed in January is having problems. The window strut bracket has come unglued, so there is only one strut holding it on. I would put it back on myself, but I'm not sure I have anything that is good for glass.

Anyhow, it was installed by Safelite, so I'm sure they'll come fit it for free. Otherwise, you'll ALL hear about it! :lol:

[TrailLeadr]

Keep us posted!

[Cableguy]

The window that was fixed in January is having problems. The window strut bracket has come unglued, so there is only one strut holding it on. I would put it back on myself, but I'm not sure I have anything that is good for glass.

Anyhow, it was installed by Safelite, so I'm sure they'll come fit it for free. Otherwise, you'll ALL hear about it! :lol:

I'm not sure where your talkin' about I'll have to look at mine in the morning. You've got my curiousity going through...

[Steve]

I'm not sure where your talkin' about I'll have to look at mine in the morning. You've got my curiousity going through...

It's a warranty issue mostly likely. In the trailblazer you have the full lift back and also the glass-up options to get access to the rear cargo area. Well, the glass-lift has two struts that keep it up when you open the glass. The right strut has come off from the glass, they come pre-glued from the factory and this one came off.

[TrailLeadr]

I'm surprised that they don't have the eyelet drilled through the glass, just to ensure that kind of thing doesn't happen.

[Cableguy]

It's a warranty issue mostly likely. In the trailblazer you have the full lift back and also the glass-up options to get access to the rear cargo area. Well, the glass-lift has two struts that keep it up when you open the glass. The right strut has come off from the glass, they come pre-glued from the factory and this one came off.

Oh ok, my back window I have to really slam it so I avoid using it. Makes me nervous having to slam it so hard. I'm not sure what kind of adhesive is used there.

[TrailLeadr]

Oh ok, my back window I have to really slam it so I avoid using it. Makes me nervous having to slam it so hard. I'm not sure what kind of adhesive is used there.
I've never really felt comfortable closing tailgate windows like that. I'm always worried that they might break. Big money!!