Well, Christmas has come early for me, my Fiero was recovered! What's more unbelievable, it was recovered up in part of my own neighborhood! It was up over the hill from where I live, probably a half mile away. It's was in an area of the neighborhood that I never go into. The person's house it was parked in front of called the police and complained about a car that's been parked in front of their house "for at least a month". It would be 2 weeks today. Anyway, the damage was minimal for a stolen car. The steering column was "popped" and the console with the stereo was broken opened up and the radio ripped out. The amplifier was stolen from behind the seat also. Aside from that, no body damage, no broken glass. The inteior light wasn't working, I suspect that a fuse popped when they cut the radio wires. I had the car towed for processing. A detective will call me in a few days if they find anything. I know it's unlikely, but if there's a chance, I want it. What's great is the stereo had a built in "security system" where a code has to be entered anytime the power is disconnected from it. I hope the bastards get caught and thrown in jail for auto theft, when all they got away with is a non functional stereo!
I am SOOO glad to have my car "back". I guess now begins the repair process. I have full coverage insurance on the car and the receipts for the stolen equipment, so I think those should be covered. What i'll need is a new steering column for stick shift car and whatever else for the radio console. Probably the brushed metal looking plastic piece...i suspect it was broken instead of carefully removed. Oh, I also kind of need a factory wiring harness for subwoofer stereo. I had the aftermarket equipment wired into the factory wiring harness. If anyone can help me with these parts, please let me know!!
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12:37 AM
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System Bot
fierobrian Member
Posts: 2976 From: aurora il 60505 Registered: Sep 2003
THANK GOD FOR THAT ONE.it is great to have one back before it got chopped ,time for some BIG GUY with a bat to stand guard oh wait i'm a securityguard i will be over in a hour just kidding
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12:51 AM
fiero_silva Member
Posts: 1493 From: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada Registered: Jun 2003
Glad you got your car back!! I'm sure you'll find whatever parts you need quickly. Wish I had some to offer, but it's all I can do to keep my Formula going, if you know what I mean.
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08:16 AM
Raydar Member
Posts: 40726 From: Carrollton GA. Out in the... country. Registered: Oct 1999
Congrats. I'm suprised your insurance hadn't paid out already, being two weeks and all. When my T/A was stolen, I had to wait three days (found it on the 3'rd day). Also, unless you have a carrier policy (extra) the insurance might not cover the stereo equipment. I found out the hard way when I got my T/A back.
Good luck. I'm sure it will be better than before when you're done.
Bob
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10:50 AM
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System Bot
FieroSE86 Member
Posts: 175 From: Fairfield, OH, USA Registered: Oct 2002
Was the head unit an aftermarket piece? Or was it one of the UP3s that we have been installing?
It was an aftermarket Kenwood unit. I just put it in about 6 months ago. I bought it so that I could hook up my iPod through an auxillary adapter. Thank god I never left my iPod in my car.
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12:22 PM
RACE Member
Posts: 4842 From: Des Moines IA Registered: Dec 2002
Obviously don't post the answer here, but yes or no will do...was it obvious how they got in, or is that a mystery? fierofetish Edit:seems a little bit like a moan about the People who reported it outside their house exaggerating....don't moan!!LOL!!!! Makes no difference, at least they reported it, which got your car back!!!
[This message has been edited by fierofetish (edited 12-23-2003).]
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07:10 PM
FieroSE86 Member
Posts: 175 From: Fairfield, OH, USA Registered: Oct 2002
Obviously don't post the answer here, but yes or no will do...was it obvious how they got in, or is that a mystery? fierofetish Edit:seems a little bit like a moan about the People who reported it outside their house exaggerating....don't moan!!LOL!!!! Makes no difference, at least they reported it, which got your car back!!!
No, it was not obvious how "they" got into the car. There was no broken glass. Everyone knows how easy it is to get into a Fiero w/o a key though. The claim of the "neighbors" saying "it's been there for over a month" makes me a little curious too. My own reasoning tells me it was kids that really only wanted the radio. They moved it to a spot that was easier to get home from after they ripped out the equipment. Don't want to get caught walking around with stolen stereo equipment. It's possible that it was just a rendezvous spot for "professionals" also. Professionals would have taken the valuable parts from the car also, not just the stereo. I'm just glad it's recovered and hope everything runs okay.
Of course I am pleased for you too..forgot to mention that!!! The reason I asked if entry was obvious,was because 1.Is it well known to the general public how "easy" it is to get into a Fiero, or just Fiero owners? Hard to judge, I guess, but if it only applies mainly to Fiero owners, both past and present, it would seem the thief was therefore either a past/current owner who knows about it.If it is generally known about by the Public, then I guess it could have been anybody. My 88 Fiero has a very strange anti-theft device built in, and I think it is original, because it has like a black key with Fiero written on it,just below where the electronic rear hood button would be.When I picked the car up in Germany, the previous owner neglected to tell me about it,and during the journey,when I stopped for refreshment and a sleep(impossible in a Fiero!!) I knocked it out of its socket, and it took me 30 heartstopping minutes to find why it wouldn't restart after my nap!!I was 400 miles from home in the middle of France, and really thought I was in deep $h!t!! Luckily a process of elimination led me to realise this funny looking Key on the floor was in fact an isolator, and ten minutes to find where it went!!Is this standard on 88 2m4 Fieros, or not? Seems to me to be a perfect way to safeguard our Fieros if it was on the market fierofetish
If they busted the ignition lock they have to have a little skill. It could be someone that drives around and brakes into cars for a living. This kind of person knows the fiero is an easy job. If they spot a nice deck and other stereo stuff in your car they see EZ $$$.
I don't really worry about my Fiero getting stolen. I just worry about someone breaking into it and taking my deck, sub, and amp down to the pawn shop.
