Friday, August 24, 2012

My Corvette was Vandalized - update

Top cut in 2 places, plus some stuff was sprayed inside. Waiting for police to arrive. This was posted from my iPhone

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Imagine my surprise and heart failure this morning as I headed to work at 7am when I noticed that my top was slashed

vette1

I was so upset since I have had tops slashed before and it is a hassle with phoning in a police report, then the insurance company to get a claim number, then bringing it in for inspection, estimates then having it repaired. I had a slight problem with the police report as I thought that they were giving me a hard time and had I had to wait for a police cruiser to arrive to physically inspect the damage before I could bring it somewhere for an estimate

I posted the first photo directly from my iPhone, I finally figured out a simple way to do it

It seems that there are animal rights activists running around town breaking into cars and spraying them with Fire Extinguisher retardant because of the leather seats. The police mentioned this several times, thus the reason that they wanted to see it for themselves.

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I was also told not to try to clean it myself incase chemicals imbed themselves into the leather causing additional problems, so I drove it to my repair centre perched on a Garbage Bag

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Here is Tony, my service advisor photographing the damage.

I actually had big plans this weekend. There is a huge Corvette Rally at Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops, BC for which I had already pre-registered and paid my entry fee months ago. And also a Vintage M/C Event in Tacoma where I was back and forth on the fence about going. So now all my plans are quashed as I cannot drive the car without rainproof protection

Tony just called and mentioned that they will be cleaning my interior but the top is at least 10 days away, so the repair process is well underway . Duecks is an excellent service centre.

Now that everything is being done the best that can be, I have settle down a bit and wonder why I have been targetted. It's not like a normal person would be carrying a Fire Extinguisher full of foam, so this was not necessarily a chance encounter. I hope they aren't waiting to damage my replacement top, it's not even like I needed one in the first place as mine was like new



On my last post I had purchased some Vegan snacks, or so I thought, but Trobairitz chimed in that perhaps the decadent Butter Tarts with raisons were suspect. So it was another excuse to purchase another package just so I could read the label. I mean, it was the right thing to do. And also I have to eat these delightful morsels . . . can't let them go to waste, can we ?

buttertartlabel

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Update:

I didn't realize it at the time that our neighbour also suffered some damage from a slashed tire. I came home and spoke to another neighbour down the block that they also tried to break into his truck

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Neighbour's slashed tire

I was originally afraid that I was targetted and for some reason that these vandals would be back, but they were creating havoc as they ventured randomly down the street.

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so I am a bit relieved that I was not personally singled out



55 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear that Bob. I don't know what it is about Corvettes, but the only car I ever had that was vandalised was my '78. Some assholes can't stand anyone else having something nice I guess.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Canajun:

      you know, you try to take care of what you have and someone comes along and treats you with disrespect. Money is one thing, but it's the inconvenience of putting everything back to the way it was

      Delete
  2. sorry to hear of the vandalism Bob....

    dom

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    1. Dom:

      I was afraid they may have also damaged our other cars or pushed my bike over. Our neighbour next door also had his tire slashed. It's not something expected in our neighbourhood. Rapid transit is responsible for giving the vandals access to the city

      Delete
  3. A senseless act of envy and stupidity. Sorry to hear about that.

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    1. SonjaM:

      thank you. It's just a mess of paperwork, police reports and running around getting it fixed, and for what reason ? I mean why pick on me, we are all just trying to live a peaceful life

      Delete
  4. oh wow.....that really stinks that people can be such low lifes to do such a thing. Hope they find them and prosecute....:-(. Sorry to hear this, Bob.

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    1. Pat/ScooterChick:

      No evidence, no fingerprints, nothing. No security videocams either. Not likely to find the culprit(s) unless they confess. I am just lucky they didn't do more damage to our other vehicles

      Delete
  5. That's terrible and completely senseless...

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    1. Richard:

      this is the benefit of living somewhere COLD like you do. Thieves and vandals don't like cold weather. So sorry for your near freezing temperatures. It's getting cold down here too, tonight forecast lows of 10°c .

      Delete
  6. That is too bad. It's good that you have people taking care of the damage promptly.

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    1. Martha:

      I am anal about keeping things in good repair. I like to get things fixed immediately, if not sooner. At least I know my car will be safe for a couple of weeks locked up in a secure dealer's lot

      Delete
  7. Thats a bummer mate, things like that really piss me off!

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    1. Roger:

      all I can say is that it could have been worse. All of our other vehicles were also parked on the street, incl my Vstrom. I should check under the bike cover to make sure all is Okay under there

      Delete
  8. Thank you:

    You can imagine that my heart skipped a few beats this morning. I mean, look how much trouble it is to have all this fixed and the running around and arguing with adjusters and insurance people, but as it ends up, it is nearly painless except that parts may take up to two weeks to arrive. So the car is out of commission for a couple of weeks waiting . . .

    I worry also about what will happen when I get it back. Will this happen again. I have nowhere to leave it until I regain access to my carport in the rear of the house. It also concerns me that a person in our neighbourhood may be the culprit. No other cars on our block were touched, only mine.

    For those that know me, when things are broken I have to have them attended to as soon as possible. I cannot drive/ride, navigate a defective vehicle, as it's not in my nature. Without evidence they will never find these people. There are no videocams, no finger prints and presumably no witnesses'.

    thank you for your well wishes
    bob

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  9. I too am sorry about the vandalism. Living in Penticton I had the back window of a car smashed out. Luckily nothing was taken or sprayed in it, just someone being violent. It sounds like you are in good hands with the repairs. Makes you wonder if you should be building a locking garage in the back or side yard.

    You would be surprised how many things you think might be vegan but turn out to have milk powder or other things in them. We are very vigilant about reading labels. We know what brands are usually fine for us to buy, but if it is something we haven't had before we always read the label. Sounds like it was a good excuse for you to have a tasty treat though.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Trobairitz:

      I actually have a locking, alarmed garage in the rear but with no access to it until our construction is finished, so I have to park on the street, in front of our house. At least it will be safe for a couple of weeks in a secure area under cover. Yes, I am lucky that they did no further damage to anything else. It could have been worse, they could have damaged our other cars which were also parked on the street, or even did something to my bike . . .

      As for Vegan, I understand about the meat and having to "kill" something, but no one is harmed in the taking of milk, or the making of butter or ice cream. But eggs I can see is the killing of little chickadees. I am looking forward to my Vegan weekend. I will be prepared and have any meat fixes ahead of time, and I won't be ordering those "little extras". I have always loved ToFu.

      Delete
    2. If you have a cow in a pasture and you are milking it for your own consumption you are taking that milk away from their own baby calf. If you have ever looked at a large scale dairy you would be sickened. Most people do not want to know where their food really comes from. They take baby calves away from their mothers so that people can drink the milk and both are generally treated poorly. Don't get me started on the way chickens are treated to mass produce eggs. Oh and I have no desire to drink or eat products that have been made from animal secretions (ie breast milk). Udder pus and hormones - ugh no thanks.

      Just because we don't eat meat - and yes you can say meat - you don't have to call it 'little extras" You can even call it what it is - dead flesh. When we go out to a restaurant when you are here Bob, feel free to order the biggest nastiest bloodiest steak you can find. I really don't care what other people eat.

      I eat the way I eat because it is right for me and I personally don't think that any animals need to be harmed or killed so that I can live. Just because I eat one way doesn't mean I would presume to ask or require someone else to eat the same.

      (end rant)

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    3. Trobairitz:

      I didn't mean to upset you nor make you rant. I am trying to change my ways but little steps at a time. We already have cut our meat consumption a lot and I am thinking more about what we buy. I know I don't feel 100% after having a lot of meat and we do have lots of salads. I am sort of in the middle right now, "mostly Vegan" mode

      I'm not really a big steak eater, but I do like my eggs benedicts

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    4. You didn't upset me Bob. I just get frustrated sometimes and need to be more patient.

      Google is your friend when it comes to learning all things vegan if you have a question. It is what we used when we made the decision as we hadn't met or talked with a single vegan person until we met Chris and his wife.

      Delete
    5. Trobairitz:

      I just googled about milk production, and the hormones, and chemicals and bacteria in the milk, and the killing of the useless calves. It sort of makes me not want to support the milk industry. I just never knew about this . . .

      so thank you mentioning this. I have much more reading to do

      Delete
  10. Aww, crap! Sorry to see this post, Bob :-{



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    1. Fuzzy:

      thank you. Imagine how I felt when I went to work this morning. Just one more problem, a mess to clean up, not to mention unexpected, unplanned expenses that really didn't have to happen and for what reason, I don't know. No messages were left behind

      Delete
  11. Bob, sorry to hear about your car. I've been lucky to never have had a problem like that. I can just picture the slime that did the vandalism.

    On a happier note... you're welcome to drive down here and store it in my 30x40 heated garage, heck, I'll even start it up, and make sure the tire don't develop flat spots, and keep it full of ethanol free premium... All this for no charge. You can come back down to WI and drive it whenever you want. I'll give you the garage door code...

    just trying to be helpful!!!

    Sorry for the thoughtless acts of others.

    Erik.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Erik:

      Now why didn't I think of this ? Sounds like an excellent solution but really, I should pay you for babysitting my car for me. I don't want to take advantage of you for doing all of this work without some kind of re-imbursement. It would make me feel bad. I know I must be in your inner circle as not everyone would give me their garage code

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  12. Bob, I'm so sorry that you were targeted by vandals.

    We had a problem with our fence a few years ago. Teenage kids ripped two sections of the fence down during the winter, two winters in a row.

    The second time we repaired the fence I took a few four-inch square pieces of plywood, screwed as many drywall screws as I could into the plywood, then mounted the spiked plywood shares to the top, and inside face of the two posts that were targeted: problem solved.

    I have no similar ideas on protecting your vette, other than installing a security cam somewhere.

    All the best,

    David

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    Replies
    1. David:

      it's an old car now, it just looks newer to the untrained eye, those who can't tell what year it is. I have had it for a long time but some people just can't respect the property of others.

      I actually prebooked a Corvette event in Sun Peaks, paid my entry fee months ago and it's this weekend. Now without a car I can't go even if I wanted to so it has spoiled my weekend. You can't go to a Corvette event without a Corvette.

      anyway, it's just another one of life's hurdles

      Delete
  13. Wow, that is so sad that people have nothing better to do with their lives than to make other people's lives miserable. Very sad indeed. And at the end of the day after slashing your car top...people are STILL killing and eating animals and using them for fur. It was a total waste of their time and energy and a great inconvenience for you.

    By the way, what's wrong with raisins? Never heard that before, but then I don't know much about a Vegan lifestyle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pat/ScooterChick:

      I wasn't trying to be smart. I know nothing about the Vegan lifestyle and I needed to change my eating habits as I have a "sensitive" stomach, but it may be something more than that. I also have problems when I have cheese. I was just giving Trobairitz a "b...." time about my Vegan Butter Tarts and I think I hit a nerve

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    2. ohhh, ok. Well....like she said..to each his own....:-).

      Delete
  14. Geez, that sucks! I hope they'll get things back in shape soon. That's too bad about the plans you had. What is it with people anyway!!?

    We've had random vandalism and a couple of car break ins in the past. I know what a creepy, nasty feeling it is. Best thoughts and hugs to you and Mrs. Skoot

    ReplyDelete
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    1. BlueKat:

      I'm still thinking about it and being targeted, but I know now that is NOT the case, as will be explained in the forthcoming comment to Mr Conchscooter. Our area is not known to be in a bad area but I suppose vandals travel everywhere. They have spoiled my weekend, and it will be weeks before we get our car back, waiting for parts. And what did this accomplish ?

      Delete
  15. Sorry to hear about this Bob - senseless morons.

    N

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    1. Nikos:

      it's a great inconvenience for sure and for what reason I do not know, plus the feeling that they may be back

      Delete
  16. Man, That Sucks
    Hope it gets repaired soon

    Jimbo

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    Replies
    1. Jimbo/cpa3485:

      thank you. I am in better spirits now, after all it's only metal and plastic but I like to take care of things and it hurts when others do not value your possessions that you work so hard for.

      Delete
  17. You must have been targeted as your car is not easily seen. Park it away from home and forget the hassle. It's bound to happen again unless you change your patterns. There's no accounting for other peoples' misery. Violating your space makes the sick fucks happy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mr Conchscooter:

      I do have secured parking in a locked garage with an alarm in a yard with locked gates BUT, we are doing some construction and I don't have access until this is completed. In the meantime I have to park on the street. My other commuter car and my Vstrom are also parked on the street along with our WRX Subaru.

      When I got home yesterday, I found out that our neighbour next door had his tire slashed. He was parked just behind me on the same side of the street. And a few doors down another neighbour had something happen, so it appears that this was random and the vandals were just causing destruction as they moved along

      Delete
  18. I too am sorry to see this post about your Corvette! Hope it all works out for the best.

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    1. Pam:

      Vandals don't think. I did have a weekend planned with entry fees paid months ago for a Corvette event at Sun Peaks, near Kamloops, BC. It is the big, Annual, event of the year for our Corvette Club and we get Corvettes from as far away as California, Oregon and Washington states. You can't go without a Corvette and it's happening this weekend.

      http://www.bccorvetteclub.ca/Misc/thunderunderthesun_poster2012.pdf

      I have been an active member of the Corvette Club since 1994

      Delete
  19. Lori:

    At least that white stuff wasn't paint (I think). It will eventually be fixed, but in the meantime I won't have the car, and there are no parts available for at least 10 days. It has ruined my plans to go somewhere this weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Lori:

    ps: forgot to mentioned that the radio has a security code. Once power is disconnected it locks up, so useless for anyone else

    ReplyDelete
  21. :( I'm sorry bob. I've heard of leather vandals here too. maybe its time to get an exterior camera?... they are getting really cheap and simple to use. ugh so sorry :(

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    1. Ms M:

      I can feel your love from here. Thank you. Normally it wouldn't be a problem, it's just that I have no access to my secured parking until our construction is completed, so I have to park on the street for a bit longer

      Delete
  22. While getting your car vandalised is obviously a pain in the backside, the good news (for you) is your neighbour was targeted as well. That means it wasn't personal and combined with the fact that no-one got hurt, it is just one of life’s inconveniences. That doesn't make it any easier, and like you I would want to beat the crap out of the idiots that did this, but in 10 days time, everything will (almost) be back to normal. Far better they tore the roof than took a key to the side of the car.

    Sorry it spoilt your plans though.

    I am actually quite close to you at the moment, just down the coast in the San Juan Islands.

    Best wishes,

    Gary

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    Replies
    1. Gary:

      I was really upset at first, but time heals . . . sort of. I'm one of those who respects the property of others. we all work so hard in life to buy what we want and try our best to protect it. I mean why in this world do we have to protect, have alarms, hire security because of a minority

      You are close, actually it's the weekend and I could aim my bike in your direction if you had the time . . . I'm presuming Anacortes Ferry to Orcas Island

      It's just the long border lineup to clear




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    2. Hi Bob,

      I hate anybody compromising what I have worked hard for as well, but I try not to let it get to me when something goes wrong. It just creates stress that we don't need.

      We actually head back to Seattle tomorrow - I should have let you know I was here earlier. It would have been good to get together, but maybe next time. I think I am coming back to Washington in late November / early December, so shall we try then?

      Gary

      Delete
  23. Replies
    1. Deb:

      thank you. I'm just upset that during the Hot weather I didn't use the car, and now the the weather has cooled it is now the perfect time for a convertible and I won't get it back for possibly 3 weeks and by then it will be too cold

      Delete
  24. Senseless. I feel angry you had to go through this. No one deserves to have their world turned upside down like this...from feeling relatively secure to, to vulnerable. May your sense of safety return and return soon.
    ~k

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    1. Keith:

      I wouldn't be so ansi if it didn't happen right outside my door, I worry that they may come back. The good thing is that it was random and not directed at me personally

      Delete
  25. Sorry to hear about your Vet.

    It's not like spraying the leather will bring life back to the animal it came from. Some people would just replace it with new leather any way; there for, the vandal's acts can actually lead to more leather being used. Back-fire!

    Too bad people can't see that vandalism is not the answer.

    Hope you're back on the road with it real soon.

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    1. BB:

      thank you for your kind words. I keep wondering, why did they pick on me ? It's more about the inconvenience of having to have this repaired, plus out of pocket unplanned spending

      Delete
  26. That's horrible. And stupid. Both senseless vandalism AND animal activists. Please. Glad it's all fixed now and you are back to normal. Well, as normal as you can be. :-)

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    1. Kathy:

      Physically all is back to nearly normal, but mentally everyday when I walk outside I check the top, and luckily everything is still okay and I hope it stays that way. We are not in an area noted for trouble like this.

      thank you for your comments, and hope you had a nice trip to Italy. Can't wait for more photos of your travels

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