[flymuck]

Hi folks, it's been a while since I've posted on this site, but now I really have a story to tell. My little blue 2001 Insight was stolen on Friday, Dec. 1, from VALET PARKING (yep, I kid you not!). I was dining at Don Antonio's on Pico in LA; when I came back out an hour later, it was taking forever for the valet to bring me my car, finally the third time I went up to them about it, they said it was stolen (keys and everything)! Police report was filed, insurance companies were notified, etc.

One week later exactly, LAPD calls me and tells me they've located the car and moved it to an impound lot. I went to get the car and have it towed to a dealership for full inspection. The thieves took my after-market radio & speakers, hubcaps, spare tire & jack, everything from the glove box and console, cargo net, sunglasses, rear-view mirror, even the little convex sticky mirror on the driver's side mirror, freaking EVERYTHING -- swapped out my 1-year old tires, possibly swapped the rims too (are yours kind pink/faded red?).

The battery pack was down to nothing -- zero, nada, zilch. The dealership said it would come back, but this has me worried. Plus, they told me the ABS and SRS lights were on, and they didn't know why.

Will my baby ever be the same again?

 

[Guillermo]

Sorry to hear about what they did to your car.
This is the first time I have ever heard that an Insight was stolen.

 

[Alexander Hales]

That’s terrible.

Is the insurance company going to pay for the damages?

 

[flymuck]

Thanks for the responses. I hadn't ever heard of an Insight being stolen either, and it seems it might've even been targeted, judging from what they stole and how they stole it (the theory is that the valets left the keys on or in the car because it was parked tandem, blocking another valeted car -- of course, they'll never admit it). I'm sure it wasn't the only tandem-parked car that night -- it was very busy at the restaurant.

I'm still fighting to get everything I lost -- my insurance is good (AAA), but they said "personal items" are not covered by my auto insurance (only by home/rental, which is BS, IMHO). I want the valet company's insurance to make up for the rest, but so far, people are ignoring me. I have to get a lawyer to write a letter or something, once I find out how much I'll be shorted. (BTW, "personal" items includes the stereo and speakers, believe it or not, which weren't stock!!)

-fly

 

[Alexander Hales]

That BS... my stereo was stolen from my last car and the insurance company paid for it. I guess each insurance provider has there own rules.

I think hiring a lawyer to write a letter is defiantly the way to go. The “contracts” valets use to remove themselves from liability is considered to be exculpatory; which means that a court will not enforce them. A relative of mine is a traffic judge here in LA and he told me this months ago. Ironically, he used valet contracts as an example of an exculpatory clause. Apparently it’s legal to have “exculpatory clauses” in some states, but not here in California.

Hope that helps

 

[flymuck]

That does help, thanks theorfander. My boss has a lawyer friend who can write an imposing letter for me... I guess I need to wait and see what they are offering to pay for, first.

Someone else at work pointed out yesterday that the insurance should be paying the dealership to make sure the car is "Honda Certified" -- you know, that old chestnut. It makes sense, in some respects -- at least it would make me more comfortable driving the car again, knowing that presumably they looked at all important aspects of it. Plus, there's always resale value...

Haven't heard why the ABS and SRS lights were on yet, but I'll keep you all apprised...

-fly

 

[merigayle]

Wow. I always thought my Insight was safe from stealing. BUT i guess if the keys were there, it would be a pretty deal. Huh. That sucks. I am glad you got your car back, i hope you can get it back to its old form.

 

[nemystic]

flymuck,

It's truly distressing to hear about your misfortune :shock: and I offer my moral support in resolving this situation - to the extent possible. It's difficult to envision a "happy ending" in this case, but I'm hoping there's some way that will be realized for you.

While valet parking may be the norm in cities, especially LA, I'd suggest that allowing anyone else to drive our Insights (including spouses and children who don't understand or appreciate it's unique value) is something to be avoided whenever possible. This becomes more imperitive as the Insight can no longer easily be replaced.

'Hoping you find a positive resolution.

-Brian

 

[flymuck]

Estimate came back from the dealership... $10000!!!!! :?

$3500 labor, $6500 parts -- they threw in stuff like the dash wiring harness, which is weird, because when I looked at how the stereo was taken out, there was no damage -- the thieves had just unplugged it from the harness. Plus rims, tires, ABS sensors, SRS sensor, airbag (apparently they did rip off the passenger side airbag, or tried to, so now it's $800 to replace that)...

Anyway, I have a feeling the car is going to be declared totaled. This is both good and bad -- I'm not sure I'd want to drive this car after all that has been done to it (by the thieves and the dealership, frankly), but I will need to replace it with another Insight, which are getting harder and harder to come by, especially here in SoCal. Plus, the one I get will also be in an "unknown" condition.

Sucks, sucks, sucks.