So a wheel was stolen off my car this morning. One. Single. Wheel. I can't even describe the facial expression I must have had, it was somewhere between pure shock, total disgust, a tinge of amusement, and a whole lot "you've gotta be kidding me". And not even the common courtesy of a cinder block, though they were at least kind enough to leave my lug nuts. I guess there is some honor amongst thieves.
So here's what a brief breakdown of dealing with this looks like.
Step 1: Evaluate the situation Well, the wheel's gone, a lug nut from another tire is missing, and my front end is resting on a curb like a sleeping, three-limbed baby. Great.
Step 2: Call the po-lice. And answer a bunch of questions before you get to explain your situation. It's not like I pressed "3" for theft. Thankfully my state has the "castle" law, so I'll know whether to reach for my phone or gun should my apartment ever get broken into. Also, don't expect them to do anything. I didn't, but it's important for the next step...
Step 3: Call your insurance company. I was hesitant to do so, but I love my car, and the thought of the wheel assembly violently falling to the ground or the front end being damaged and effecting it in the long haul made me make the call. And luckily, a claim won't be filed if the damage is more than the deductible. Thankfully, I have enough in my emergency fund to cover that.
Step 4: Do the following things to prevent this from occurring to begin with.
Now, I realize that the victim of a crime can't blame themselves, but sometimes, a little bit of thinking can go a long way. Especially before disaster strikes.
Prepare #1: Lug locks, lug locks, lug locks. Sadly, I never thought of this, because if I had, I would have looked them up and realized the twenty or thirty bucks would have been worth it. I guess part of why I didn't do that is because I don't have chrome wheels or anything that notable. These are first things I'm putting on once I get my car back, and it will be money worth spent. Let's be honest, at some point most of us have spent that much on a plate of food at a nice restaurant. I probably ate more than $30 worth of McRibs when they came back.
Prepare #2:Spare for the spare. Sure, I saved myself three or four hundred dollars when buying my car (used), but my deductible is $500 and I also could have slowly saved up for a replacement. (I won't) Make no mistake (again), it's worth it to spare (there it is again!) the pain and aggravation. And that's not even getting into the sheer obviousness of emergency blowouts. This tip won't apply to most people, but if it does, fix it. Because I should have.
Prepare #3: When Han Solo had a bad feeling about something, he had a good reason. There were more cars in my parking lot than normal last night, and I should have just parked in a different lot. Something didn't feel right, and I ignored my gut and parked it there anyway. A thirty second walk could have saved me $500.
Well, that's about it for this. Look forward to a forthcoming post called "My Weekend Without My Car". I think it might actually be a good learning experience.
And who steals just one wheel! gah!
So here's what a brief breakdown of dealing with this looks like.
Step 1: Evaluate the situation Well, the wheel's gone, a lug nut from another tire is missing, and my front end is resting on a curb like a sleeping, three-limbed baby. Great.
Step 2: Call the po-lice. And answer a bunch of questions before you get to explain your situation. It's not like I pressed "3" for theft. Thankfully my state has the "castle" law, so I'll know whether to reach for my phone or gun should my apartment ever get broken into. Also, don't expect them to do anything. I didn't, but it's important for the next step...
Step 3: Call your insurance company. I was hesitant to do so, but I love my car, and the thought of the wheel assembly violently falling to the ground or the front end being damaged and effecting it in the long haul made me make the call. And luckily, a claim won't be filed if the damage is more than the deductible. Thankfully, I have enough in my emergency fund to cover that.
Step 4: Do the following things to prevent this from occurring to begin with.
Now, I realize that the victim of a crime can't blame themselves, but sometimes, a little bit of thinking can go a long way. Especially before disaster strikes.
Prepare #1: Lug locks, lug locks, lug locks. Sadly, I never thought of this, because if I had, I would have looked them up and realized the twenty or thirty bucks would have been worth it. I guess part of why I didn't do that is because I don't have chrome wheels or anything that notable. These are first things I'm putting on once I get my car back, and it will be money worth spent. Let's be honest, at some point most of us have spent that much on a plate of food at a nice restaurant. I probably ate more than $30 worth of McRibs when they came back.
Prepare #2:Spare for the spare. Sure, I saved myself three or four hundred dollars when buying my car (used), but my deductible is $500 and I also could have slowly saved up for a replacement. (I won't) Make no mistake (again), it's worth it to spare (there it is again!) the pain and aggravation. And that's not even getting into the sheer obviousness of emergency blowouts. This tip won't apply to most people, but if it does, fix it. Because I should have.
Prepare #3: When Han Solo had a bad feeling about something, he had a good reason. There were more cars in my parking lot than normal last night, and I should have just parked in a different lot. Something didn't feel right, and I ignored my gut and parked it there anyway. A thirty second walk could have saved me $500.
Well, that's about it for this. Look forward to a forthcoming post called "My Weekend Without My Car". I think it might actually be a good learning experience.
And who steals just one wheel! gah!
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