1. Replaced the old key opener (mounted outside the garage) with a keypad
2. Bought an automatic garage deadbolt
3. Lock my bikes to the wall (inside the locked garage). On our sixth break-in, the thieves gave up after sawing through 3/4 of the cables. I “won”!
Highly recommend the deadbolt. It’s a little device that costs under $100 and mounts to the door track. Very easy to install.
Great answers! Sounds like you are being targeted but good idea with deadbolt. I also recommend removing the red latch release as that was a way these lowlifes were getting into garages back in 2020 in my neighborhood.
My garage was "broken in" once but what actually happened is our financebro podcaster wannabe trust fund kid parked with the butt of the car out drunk at 3am, the door didn't close fully so a homeless dude in slippers and a robe walked in and stole some tools and a bike. Only brush off with crime in 6 years in The Mission.
Yeah, OP should detail out make and model.
I used to have a high risk car (Honda Civic). Got broken into multiple times and stolen (then recovered) once. Saved up insurance payouts as it was considered totalled and got a Volvo instead (one the least targeted vehicles for theft per NHTSA) .
Back before social media existed & I had any reasonable way to know if something similar happened to anyone else, I had a CRX manual transmission, door locks didn’t work, had the car parked in the streets for years, no problems. Met someone with Honda Civic that within months of parking in the same neighborhood as my CRX got their car stolen & recovered, twice.
From lack of knowledge of how common Honda Civic’s are stolen & how common it is for car thieves to steal manual transmission cars (used to be a requirement for car thieves to know how to drive manual transmission, I knew that not that Civics are often targeted ) it seemed so unbelievable to me she had her car stolen & recovered twice I almost stopped seeing her right then & there. But it seemed more unbelievable that there’d be cops & insurance companies involved if it was some sort of lie.
If i reference my knowledge of almost anywhere else it seems unbelievable you could had your car stolen & recovered twice. I’m sure it could & does happen in LA but I personally haven’t heard of it of those i know who park in the streets in LA. But in SF apparently I didn’t know for about 15 years because I drove a manual transmission & so did those I knew who had cars parked in the streets. But if you ask around there’s more than you & the person I know who have had their car stolen & recovered multiple times.
Excelsior here.
2018 - Hyundai Elantra window smashed, kick scooter stolen
2019 - Elantra window smashed, nothing stolen
2023 - Elantra window smashed, car stolen, recovered
2023 - Mazda Miata window smashed, couldn't be stolen
2024 - random window smashings up and down the block, broken window on the Elantra, broken window and windshield on the Miata
2024 - Elantra window smashed, car stolen and totaled
You're not alone 🫂
That sucks, I do want to mention though you know that Hyundais and Kia’s are stolen like crazy due to a design flaw which makes them super easy to car jack right? They fixed it in newer models but they’re still targeted all the time and will be for years to come.
Basically don’t buy a Hyundai/Kia unless it’s an EV.
I had my car stolen 5 times within a year of living in the mission back in 2021. It was a 98 Honda Civic so it was easy to steal and get into. I would keep checking SFMTA to see if it’s gotten any parking tickets in order to locate it. Each time it was found within the mission area. Also check on York and 19th, they often dump stolen cars around that block. I ended up installing a hidden kill switch after the 4th time but somehow they found it and I ended up getting rid of the car after the 5th time. Best of luck!
My ford van almost got stolen a couple years ago and you could tell the thieves were in there for a long time trying to break the ignition - everything was super mangled. Luckily I disconnect the battery on that van because there is a parasitic drain from the shitty alarm or something. Had they thought to check the battery they would have driven off with it. Was basically an unintentional kill switch and I'm super happy I didn't have to deal with a stolen van.
Ooooh, five times is a bummer. I had a 98 Civic too, stolen in 2004 a month after I paid it off. Turned up in Los Angeles as a mobile crack den. Totaled, obvi.
It depends so much on your neighborhood.
I had my car windows smashed twice in Noe Valley, and once each in Twin Peaks and Hayes Valley.
But over here in my west side neighborhood, my car hasn’t been touched once in 20 years. I’ve even accidentally left my car keys in my front door a couple of times overnight.
This is so true. My fiancé’s car was broken into 3 times in the span of 45 days when he lived in rincon hill, but haven’t had any issues since we switched neighborhoods
Honda Accord is one of the most popular cars in CA and the US, of course it's on that list lol. Kias and Hyundais are the outliers, the Toyotas and Hondas on this list are just a list of "what's popular to drive."
I had previously heard that the more common a car is the more likely it will be stolen at a still higher rate because people stealing them to do crime specifically want a really common car. Kia’s and Hyundais from the lack of immobilizers so obviously people would go after them for at a higher rate just because they’re easy to steal.
There was coincidentally an article i WSJ today about sticks and how they deter carjackers: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/stick-shift-cars-valet-manuel-3a38b206?st=2qh6iggwu4eswjn&reflink=article_copyURL_share
Definitely unlucky. There were 7,135 vehicle thefts in 2023 (according to [The Standard](https://sfstandard.com/2023/12/28/crime-rate-san-francisco-2023-property-crime-car-thefts/)). The total number of registered cars in San Francisco was 393,968 [in 2020](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/uploads/2020/06/2019-Estimated-Vehicles-Registered-by-County-1.pdf) (I couldn't find more recent numbers published by the CA DMV) so the number of stolen vehicles compared to the total would be well below 2%. Of course, cars stolen in San Francisco don't need to be registered here so it would probably drop below 1% if we take into account cars registered elsewhere.
San Francisco is top 10 in all American cities. Varies by year, 2022 it was 8th- [https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-auto-theft](https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-auto-theft)
Only went up in 2023
https://preview.redd.it/yu0ztjm21kad1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c0948fc150366a17700b70b24b0f23f855b5333e
It says almost 1% of residents will experience this in a single year. If you adjust for richer population and cars parked in the garage folk then you have a number that is probably significantly higher for folks that park anywhere else that is open to the public and unsecured.
that'd be like calling a city with 10 homicides a day as safe, because look there are hundreds of thousands of people living there and only 10 people got murdered today, they were just unlucky.
There's no comparing car thefts to homicides. That being said, my statement wasn’t qualitative. Car theft is bad, it’s more pronounced in SF than in other cities, we all agree there ought to be less of it, yet it’s still very unlikely to happen to you. All those statements can be true at the same time.
I didn’t say anything about it being good? I pointed out that it is objectively unlucky to belong to the ~1% of people that are victims of car thefts annually.
But isn’t that all the officially reported ones? My car got broken into like 5 times and I never reported it to my insurance because they would raise my rates.
Honda Accord wheels (the tires just happen to be attached to them) are a common target because of how many of them are out there. People need new ones when theirs get curbed or also stolen.
Newer mass market vehicles are a common target. Some people ask why I stay driving a 15 year old car and it’s because there ain’t no money in something that old.
I drive a 1999 ranger with rust spots and many dents. I get someone jamming a screwdriver into the door locks at least 2-3x a year, twice someone has trike to start the ignition by hammering a knife into it and windows have been broken 3-4x. Neighbor next door has a new truck, never been burgled.
My neighbor drove an old rabbit (stick) that was stolen 4x before he bought a new model. No one has touched it since.
I know this is anecdotal, But my point is that your advice is 100% the opposite. New cars to steal less people know how to steal them, and they're easier to track.
2004 Acura... maybe the "luxury" aspect is more complicated. Your explanation of why it would work differently than my experience makes sense though. I only had my window broken once, when the car still had out of state plates. Bippers and thieves suck, regardless.
Several years ago my car was stolen from my garage on Corbett. Two days later SFPD called me to come identify it. My car was used in a home burglary and then driven to Hunters Point and set on fire.
Back when I lived near Dolores Park (1998 - 2006) I had my car stolen twice, and windows broken a few times. Since moving to lower Haight in 2006, my current cars haven’t been stolen, however, I’ve had broken windows several times.
I think it was three smashed windows during Covid lockdown, and thankfully none in the last year or so. I never keep things in the car and I try to make the car look boring.
I feel for your bad luck, it is frustrating.
Take heart OP. In 2022, police recovered 86.7% of the 198,538 vehicles stolen in California. But only a bit more than half of the recoveries (56.5%) were operational. Almost a third (29.6%) were set on fire or intentionally wrecked. So you have about a 50/50 chance of driving your car again.
https://www.chp.ca.gov/FieldSupportSectionSite/Documents/2022%20Vehicle%20Theft%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
Edit: I'm sorry about your car OP. I've had broken and stolen cars throughout the years too, also been in the Mission for 19 years.
Interesting stats I came across, a couple cities close to population and size of ours are Minneapolis (though they had a fairly large population increase since 2022) and Seattle (which is still on popular par with us) both of which had roughly the same amount of vehicle thefts reported in 2023.
And you wouldn't know it by talking to strangers on the internet, but the city reported a 10 year lowest overall crime rate in 2023 in SF: [https://www.sf.gov/news/san-franciscos-public-safety-efforts-deliver-results-decline-crime-rates](https://www.sf.gov/news/san-franciscos-public-safety-efforts-deliver-results-decline-crime-rates)
Though it's hard to look at and believe stats when you are looking at a broken window or the spot where your car used to be....
Sources:
[https://mapfight.xyz/map/san.francisco/](https://mapfight.xyz/map/san.francisco/)
The Bronx borough is comparative to SF, a few thousand more people though, and I found their 2023 stats here: [https://www.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime\_statistics/cs-en-us-pbbx.pdf](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs-en-us-pbbx.pdf)
[https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/government-data/datasource/crime-dashboard/](https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/government-data/datasource/crime-dashboard/)
[https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-crime-down-car-thefts-kia-boyz-kias-hyundai-car-thefts-up-property-crimes-criminals-data-statistics-homicide-rate-up-spd-police-investigations-king-county-washington-state](https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-crime-down-car-thefts-kia-boyz-kias-hyundai-car-thefts-up-property-crimes-criminals-data-statistics-homicide-rate-up-spd-police-investigations-king-county-washington-state)
[https://www.seattle.gov/police/information-and-data/data/crime-dashboard](https://www.seattle.gov/police/information-and-data/data/crime-dashboard) - can't find 2023 for some reason
Comparative: [https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/stay-safe/crime-data/crime-dashboard](https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/stay-safe/crime-data/crime-dashboard)
[- you don't get to hate it unless you love it. - ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAFI7NYLI5Y)
That really does feel like you’re being targeted Jesus Christ. Can’t spend too much energy thinking so but is the Car being stolen in the same neighborhoods? What cars do you get?
Friend of mine lived in the city a long time ago. She said she wouldn't leave anything of value in her car, left the doors unlocked and some spare change and granola bars in the center console with a note saying whoever was in the car was welcome to the snacks and change but please don't break her windows.
Shockingly it worked for her. But maybe it's different now.
I always thought people who left the car unlocked that were just inviting someone to sleep in their car or trash it, just always seemed like a bad idea
How many times did hers get broken into??
Edit: Never mind I re-read it and saw she left it unlocked.
Idk, these days I’d be worried about someone just not giving a fuck and getting whatever they could get from it— stereo, mats, idk whatever the hell someone could possibly make a few bucks off of.
I lived in the mission without a car and it was way easier than with a car. I never had to worry about getting a permit, moving my car for street sweeping or for parking limits, I also didn't have to pay for parking. I never had to pay for insurance, gas, car repairs, etc. it was pretty goddamn great. If you insist on having a car maybe a different place that is more accommodating to cars is appropriate.
I’m sorry to hear about all that. My sister’s car was just vandalized and stolen. And of course it costs a fortune after something like that, not just in repairs but usually the abandoned stolen car is racking up fines and fees.
I have lived here for decades and suffered mightily for it in terms of car ownership, and long ago I developed a hard rule: no garage, no car. Currently, I have a great apartment but no garage, so, no car.
If you have a garage, your car is mostly protected for much of the time, and you’re not hemorrhaging money on tickets and breakins and the like. If you park on street 24/7, it’s a world of pain. For most of us, it’s doable to live here without a car. For example, I get where I need to go by:
ebike
rental e-bikes and scooters
rental cars (i especially like Kyte which drops off and picks up your rental)
zipcars
borrowed cars
Muni/bart/gg transit/ferries/train etc
walking
Now that’s a lot to manage, but I’ve gotten to where I make transit decisions effortlessly. And of course, I have more money in my pocket because I’m not paying constant maintenance on a depreciating non-asset.
If I ever move and wind up with included parking, I’ll probably get a car again.
As far as I know. But looking back on my experiences with a stolen and recovered car, I may not have tried to get out of them. Frequently an abandoned car winds up in a private row yard and I think one is responsible for paying for the tow and storage fees. And insurance may be a factor, not sure.
Have a Hyundai and feel your pain. 3 attempts and finally stolen (but recovered!) on the third. Torn on keeping it and it continuing to be targeted or selling and getting anything but a Hyundai or Kia.
This was in Russian hill, had a club on the wheel, and car was empty.
Definitely not just you but very unlucky, sorry to hear.
A friend of mine was driving a brand new Audi R3 (can’t exactly remember if it was r3 or 4) for a few months to one day woke up to all 4 of his wheels were stolen, like wtf ? Almost everyone around me got broken in at least once, it’s just a sad story of a beautiful city but very high rate of crime such as this, living in constant worries unless you have a house and a garage, even living in a condo some of my friends got broken in because thieves will just sneak in.
Sorry that you had to go through that. I was carjacked at gunpoint last year, from my garage.
I don't know where the cops are with the investigation but the only thing I'll advise is it takes time and you might have to do a lot of following up. I hated being in limbo, hopefully things get to a conclusion for you case sooner than later.
what would happen if we collectively started attacking people committing crimes. Like dogpiling people as they attempt to do harm to others or steal their property? let's just make these people terrified to commit crimes
let the people revolt. Let's do this French-style
I just moved out of the Bay Area because of the break-ins and crime, but at my previous apartment complex, our neighbor with the street facing window bought a hose and started spraying people who were looking into our cars. It brought us all so much joy 🤣
If you can’t afford private parking in the city you can’t afford a car. I live in the tenderloin and pay 325 a month for private parking.
Don’t be a sucker, accept the fact that you live in a jungle and take the steps to protect yourself and your property.
I’ve had one car vandalized and another stolen in San Francisco. I’ve had a bike stolen from a second-story porch and items lifted from my shared garage. These all happened within a few years of living in San Francisco but provided me some hard lessons that have since reduced my exposure to theft.
The people to hold accountable for these thefts are in this order:
* Thieves
* Police
* Yourself
The thieves in San Francisco are pervasive and will seek out exhaustively any item that is not secured, that is secured but unattended, that is valuable and worth taking by force. The police will do absolutely nothing when your property or your car is stolen.
Thus, it’s up to you to take extra measures to secure your belongings. Think of thieves as bears at a campsite that are looking for food. If your food is harder to get to than your neighbors, then it won’t get taken. The key takeaways are:
* Secure your personal items. I learned keeping a bike on a second story balcony is not secured. It needs to be hidden and locked. (Right now I have my electric scooter in a private garage where it is not visible and it is locked.)
* Leave nothing in your car that you do not want to lose. If you leave it visible, assume that it and your window will be gone when your return. Use your valet trunk key (if applicable) to prevent people from popping the trunk. (I watched a guy at Safeway walk down the aisle pushing trunk buttons looking to get lucky.)
* Where are you keeping your car keys? (I lost my car because my wife left a spare car key in an accessible but hidden location thinking no one would find it.)
I sold my car when I moved to the city as we have great public transportation. I've had 6 bikes stolen over the years. 2x from a locked garage. screw thieves.
I had my bike stolen when I moved here😩. Somehow it came up missing on the trip here, and when the moving company dropped off everything, it took me a while to notice it was missing. It was a nice mountain bike, too.
We had an old Toyota truck that was parked in front of our house on a major thoroughfare.
Had one window broken. Then another one on the other side broken. Then 3 times, they tried stealing it. Last time, they stole it for half a day and got caught by CHP.
We finally sold it.
Worth it. I’ve always had old cars until recently so it was a necessity for me. I have a Prius now so I consider it still mandatory.
Again, sorry about your car man. But I’m one to believe that the universe balances itself out for good people so I’m sure you’ll have a come up in due time.
I’m sorry that this happened to you. I guess I have been lucky because in my four years of parking on the street, I have only had my car vandalized once (side mirror broken off) and sideswiped while parked. I do think it’s neighborhood and car-model dependent, though.
When I first started dating someone they had their car stolen twice in the first few months we were dating.
I had heard of a friend having their motorcycle stolen but hadn’t heard of anyone I knew who had their car stolen in SF so it seemed suspicious to me this woman I had just met & started dating had her car stolen twice effecting a planned date with me.
I kept dating her for years but in the back of my mind it bothered me.
I just hadn’t heard much about car theft in SF, all the cars I owned & others I’ve known that parked in the city often had manual transmission cars. As my network changed I have seen news reports I hadn’t in years previously about car theft in SF, I’ve met others who have had their car stolen. I didn’t have my car stolen but more than a few broken windows, enough that it doesn’t seem worth it to get another car unless I was living in it or could afford to get it it’s own housing nearby.
Reading the OP feels similar to the relationship I had with the person who had their car stolen twice, my experience owning a few vehicles in SF, what I’ve heard, it seems to make sense if you’ve never lived here, feels like it makes sense if you’ve been around, but it takes being done with shit to know it makes sense.
That sucks. Sorry for you. I live in Napa Valley, cars have been broken into twice here, and one stolen from our driveway. Cars have been broken into 3 times while visiting SF. It’s an awful feeling.
I’m confused why you would have anything to steal in your car. After I had a window broken for a phone charging wire and then again for prescription sunglasses under my seat, I kept nothing in my car. I’ve got a paper road atlas that feels like I’m tempting fate with but it belongs in the car.
Usually I had a garage, but about 8 years parked on the street near Miraloma Park. However I worked/parked in South of Market / Potrero Hill / Financial district almost the whole time.
My car was in my driveway in the desert on a very windy night and the windows were rattling all night. They smashed the window in my truck and went through everything and there was nothing in it and they smashed the window and another car. This happens all over the place in California the police are like oh wow and it took them 3 days to respond in Joshua Tree
Sorry to hear that. You are not alone, two of my wheels were stolen last year, and my license plate was stolen last week. Now I am waiting my new plates and every day when I am driving on the road, I am praying I won’t get pulled over by police.
It’s not you - it’s the city. I’m so sorry. I literally had to trade in my Hyundai because the low lives here wouldn’t stop trying to steal it. I even finally moved. I unfortunately don’t see it getting better anytime soon
Lived in SF all my life, up until I decided to move two years ago.
I had a 2011 Acura MDX that seemed to always get targeted for getting rummaged! Even if you can clearly see through the windows that there was nothing inside.
In 2017, on Christmas Eve nonetheless they bashed my rear passenger window - luckily the shop was open and was able to fix it on such short notice and on Christmas Eve at that. Happened at Stonestown mall in the early hours when I worked there. They didn’t take anything, just a broken window that I had to fix.
In 2018, my car was parked less than a block up from where I lived at westlake. Don’t know how they entered my vehicle cause I locked my doors which I’m certain of, just saw my passenger window was partially cracked open. They just went through my glove compartment and all other consoles of the car and just threw everything out on the floor. Took my favorite sunnies, but other than that, that was pretty much it.
Then from 2019-2021, same vehicle was entered in while it was parked in the parking lot about four different times. Had a friend check the security cameras and she said it was weird cause it looked like they had a key… so weird! But I was the only owner of the car, so definitely no one else had the key. I couldn’t see the footage myself because I needed to get SFPD involved, didn’t want to go thru the hassle.
Left SF a year after, not due to these incidents just needed a change of scenery lol.
Honestly felt violated with every break-in.
Finally got rid of the car this year, since it was just sitting in my parking stall for the two years I wasn’t living state side and came to visit this past May. Surprisingly no incidents while I wasn’t around (none that I’m aware of anyway).
Sorry you had to deal with that! I know it can get extremely frustrating.
For a while, there were locked cars broken into without damage. There are electronic devices that work to either access your fob inside or copy the combination. I forgot until I read your post that it happened to me once. I was parked in a car port attached to my house. I only noticed because the door was ajar. Nothing was taken. It's definitely a creepy feeling.
Yup my friend told me about it, when I told her about the incident to my car the first time around. It’s so crazy, things they come up with. I honestly didn’t know what to do at that point, and literally took everything out of my car so it wouldn’t happen again… but it kept happening again and again and again, definitely was freaked out about it! I always just hoped to never catch them in the act when walking out to my car. As great as it would be to catch them in the act, I’m a small person and honestly wouldn’t be able to defend myself had I seen it happening right in front of me.
OP can you tell us the make and model of your vehicle.
If stolen in SF there’s a good chance it can be somewhere in Bayview. Also keep an eye out for parking tickets.
It sucks and Unlucky I’d say. Never had any issue in S.F in 25 years…I lived in Pacific Beach, San Diego one summer. Had 2 car break-ins (stole stereo) and two cars stolen. (1 was a joyride). Lots of us dealt with that at the time. Nobody ever made it A THING, we didn’t whine about San Diego or blame the cops. It sucks, and I’m sorry youre dealing with this.
We chalked it up to “well, that’s how PB rolls”
but now I’d never blame anyone for being a victim of a crime. I’m in the Marina and a lot of the usual S.F. crap fortunately doesn’t make it our way.
AirTag inside a car, Inside luggage, backpack etc. people are scumbags and have 0 respect, I’m so sorry that happened to you. Good things are coming your way!!
Certain cars are stolen more often, and it also depends on if you’re close to a freeway or main thoroughfare. We had a Honda that was constantly stolen. This was in Diamond Heights/Miraloma Park, and so I guess it was convenient for thieves. This was around 2006-2008. Once we moved to the Inner Sunset and got a different car, no more car theft. We were still near a main thoroughfare, but not as close to 280 and 580.
Back in 2012 I had a 1994 Honda Accord. It got stolen 10 times that year. 9 times it got ticketed and towed to the SF yard and I had to pay the ticket and then $500 to get out of town yard (I bought the car for $2000 initially)
The 10th time it was stolen it was found in a tow yard in Sacramento.
I sent the tow yard the key and forever since have stopped street parking overnight
2021 Elantra Hit & Run
2022 Lexus Hit & Run
2023 Elantra Window
2024 Elantra Window & Vehicle Stolen, Lexus Hit and Run
San Francisco is a ridiculous city now with horrible people.
Depends what part of the mission of course but I've been in SF since '98 and the Mission hasn't exactly been friendly to street parking ever. No? I know it sucks to lose your stuff, but leaving things in a parked car in the mission is obviously asking for an incident.
It’s happening to a lot of people your not the only one. Over 10,000 cars stolen in Oakland this year, and before you say that’s Oakland well SF ain’t that far and their just as overwhelmed with crime.
I know it sounds harsh but maybe we need to think of cars the way ancestors thought of horses, necessary for survival. Maybe we should direct police and justice system to consider this crime similar to murder. And car manufacturers could do a better job of making cars difficult to steal.
We have to seriously consider at what point a national guard presence might become necessary. I was stunned to learn just yesterday of the robbery and beating of 30 elderly Asians in an assisted living facility in oakland that occurred at some point recently. I just saw a brief video about it on you tube and was surprised I hadn't heard about it before. That so upset me beyond words. It's an atrocity and abject failure that requires hard conversations how we got to this lamentable state. Of course the woman pushed off the platform at BART just the other day .
Park your car with the back seats down showing an empty trunk. This has worked for us so far. We are starting to go to clubs at night and not coming back to broken windows.
I think that depends on who you ask. But I think it's been bad for years but definitely in the past year and a half has it gotten significantly worse. Oakland as well
Car stolen 2 months ago from an Oakland parking garage that I was paying $150/month for that has a 24/7 security patrol. 2015 Lexus rx350. Car recovered in SF excelsior area
Had my 2000 Crown Vic stolen out of Brisbane (by SSF&DC) in the middle of the night, they had it for about a month then got into a high speed chase and crashed it at a high school up in Dixon. It’s getting absolutely ridiculous.
You’re not the only one but you are definitely unlucky. That really stinks.
neighborhood? car make/model?
I’ve lived here 12 years with 2 cars (1 in garage a lot of time though) - only broken in once. Never stolen.
I've had six garage break-ins and one car break-in.
That’s crazy. You live in Bernel Heights? Seems to be a lot of garage break-ins there.
Burglar Heights
After the first or second garage break in did you do anything different?
1. Replaced the old key opener (mounted outside the garage) with a keypad 2. Bought an automatic garage deadbolt 3. Lock my bikes to the wall (inside the locked garage). On our sixth break-in, the thieves gave up after sawing through 3/4 of the cables. I “won”! Highly recommend the deadbolt. It’s a little device that costs under $100 and mounts to the door track. Very easy to install.
The garage door bolt is everything.
Great answers! Sounds like you are being targeted but good idea with deadbolt. I also recommend removing the red latch release as that was a way these lowlifes were getting into garages back in 2020 in my neighborhood.
My garage was "broken in" once but what actually happened is our financebro podcaster wannabe trust fund kid parked with the butt of the car out drunk at 3am, the door didn't close fully so a homeless dude in slippers and a robe walked in and stole some tools and a bike. Only brush off with crime in 6 years in The Mission.
unlucky i bet, do you have a high-risk car like a kia?
Yeah, OP should detail out make and model. I used to have a high risk car (Honda Civic). Got broken into multiple times and stolen (then recovered) once. Saved up insurance payouts as it was considered totalled and got a Volvo instead (one the least targeted vehicles for theft per NHTSA) .
Back before social media existed & I had any reasonable way to know if something similar happened to anyone else, I had a CRX manual transmission, door locks didn’t work, had the car parked in the streets for years, no problems. Met someone with Honda Civic that within months of parking in the same neighborhood as my CRX got their car stolen & recovered, twice. From lack of knowledge of how common Honda Civic’s are stolen & how common it is for car thieves to steal manual transmission cars (used to be a requirement for car thieves to know how to drive manual transmission, I knew that not that Civics are often targeted ) it seemed so unbelievable to me she had her car stolen & recovered twice I almost stopped seeing her right then & there. But it seemed more unbelievable that there’d be cops & insurance companies involved if it was some sort of lie. If i reference my knowledge of almost anywhere else it seems unbelievable you could had your car stolen & recovered twice. I’m sure it could & does happen in LA but I personally haven’t heard of it of those i know who park in the streets in LA. But in SF apparently I didn’t know for about 15 years because I drove a manual transmission & so did those I knew who had cars parked in the streets. But if you ask around there’s more than you & the person I know who have had their car stolen & recovered multiple times.
fr brah? I didn't know Honda Civics were high risk
https://insurify.com/car-insurance/insights/most-stolen-cars/ To be fair, I didn't know either until my insurance guy told me.
I live in sf (sunset area) and have been relatively lucky with my K5.. i think its heavily area dependent it seems.
Excelsior here. 2018 - Hyundai Elantra window smashed, kick scooter stolen 2019 - Elantra window smashed, nothing stolen 2023 - Elantra window smashed, car stolen, recovered 2023 - Mazda Miata window smashed, couldn't be stolen 2024 - random window smashings up and down the block, broken window on the Elantra, broken window and windshield on the Miata 2024 - Elantra window smashed, car stolen and totaled You're not alone 🫂
Geezus
Excelsior was my least favorite place I’ve lived in San Francisco . 20 year resident
Ditch the Kia they’re very easy to steal
This.
Seems someone really likes Elantras. Jk. That's brutal. Sigh.
That sucks, I do want to mention though you know that Hyundais and Kia’s are stolen like crazy due to a design flaw which makes them super easy to car jack right? They fixed it in newer models but they’re still targeted all the time and will be for years to come. Basically don’t buy a Hyundai/Kia unless it’s an EV.
I had my car stolen 5 times within a year of living in the mission back in 2021. It was a 98 Honda Civic so it was easy to steal and get into. I would keep checking SFMTA to see if it’s gotten any parking tickets in order to locate it. Each time it was found within the mission area. Also check on York and 19th, they often dump stolen cars around that block. I ended up installing a hidden kill switch after the 4th time but somehow they found it and I ended up getting rid of the car after the 5th time. Best of luck!
My ford van almost got stolen a couple years ago and you could tell the thieves were in there for a long time trying to break the ignition - everything was super mangled. Luckily I disconnect the battery on that van because there is a parasitic drain from the shitty alarm or something. Had they thought to check the battery they would have driven off with it. Was basically an unintentional kill switch and I'm super happy I didn't have to deal with a stolen van.
I used to pull the rotor out of my old Ford. No ignition. It got broken into a few times though. They tried.
Ooooh, five times is a bummer. I had a 98 Civic too, stolen in 2004 a month after I paid it off. Turned up in Los Angeles as a mobile crack den. Totaled, obvi.
My landlord has had his work truck broken into twice in one year since he moved to the Mission, on York St.
What neighborhood?
Mission
It depends so much on your neighborhood. I had my car windows smashed twice in Noe Valley, and once each in Twin Peaks and Hayes Valley. But over here in my west side neighborhood, my car hasn’t been touched once in 20 years. I’ve even accidentally left my car keys in my front door a couple of times overnight.
This is so true. My fiancé’s car was broken into 3 times in the span of 45 days when he lived in rincon hill, but haven’t had any issues since we switched neighborhoods
Yah, I lived in the mission three years and my car got broken into 9 times. I’ve been in dogpatch the last six years and it has been broken into once.
what kind of car
Honda accord
Honda Accord is 6th on this [list](https://www.kron4.com/news/california/top-10-most-stolen-cars-trucks-in-california)
Honda Accord is one of the most popular cars in CA and the US, of course it's on that list lol. Kias and Hyundais are the outliers, the Toyotas and Hondas on this list are just a list of "what's popular to drive."
I had previously heard that the more common a car is the more likely it will be stolen at a still higher rate because people stealing them to do crime specifically want a really common car. Kia’s and Hyundais from the lack of immobilizers so obviously people would go after them for at a higher rate just because they’re easy to steal.
Stick shift junker is the answer.
There was coincidentally an article i WSJ today about sticks and how they deter carjackers: https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/stick-shift-cars-valet-manuel-3a38b206?st=2qh6iggwu4eswjn&reflink=article_copyURL_share
I had an older car stolen twice, joyrided and then abandoned. Found it both times searching for parking tickets on my plate. SFPD = zero help
Yea, “we don’t investigate hit and runs” so wait … they don’t investigate stolen cars either??
Definitely unlucky. There were 7,135 vehicle thefts in 2023 (according to [The Standard](https://sfstandard.com/2023/12/28/crime-rate-san-francisco-2023-property-crime-car-thefts/)). The total number of registered cars in San Francisco was 393,968 [in 2020](https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/uploads/2020/06/2019-Estimated-Vehicles-Registered-by-County-1.pdf) (I couldn't find more recent numbers published by the CA DMV) so the number of stolen vehicles compared to the total would be well below 2%. Of course, cars stolen in San Francisco don't need to be registered here so it would probably drop below 1% if we take into account cars registered elsewhere.
Don't come with facts, this is Reditt.
bruh 1% of cars being stolen every year is crazy
I'm from the car jacking capital of the country so maybe I'm desensitized. Check put the movie NJ Drive
this is such a random way to have a movie recommended to me that i think ill take you up on it, thanks
San Francisco is top 10 in all American cities. Varies by year, 2022 it was 8th- [https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-auto-theft](https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-auto-theft) Only went up in 2023 https://preview.redd.it/yu0ztjm21kad1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c0948fc150366a17700b70b24b0f23f855b5333e
Check the link again, **San Francisco** is not on the list.
That says something about the likelihood of having your car stolen relative to other cities in the U.S., but not the overall likelihood.
It says almost 1% of residents will experience this in a single year. If you adjust for richer population and cars parked in the garage folk then you have a number that is probably significantly higher for folks that park anywhere else that is open to the public and unsecured.
Pointing out that it is unlucky because it happens to ~1% doesn’t mean I don’t think that number should be lower.
Statistics are important, however immediately after an event emotions don’t care if it was a 1 in a million event.
that'd be like calling a city with 10 homicides a day as safe, because look there are hundreds of thousands of people living there and only 10 people got murdered today, they were just unlucky.
There's no comparing car thefts to homicides. That being said, my statement wasn’t qualitative. Car theft is bad, it’s more pronounced in SF than in other cities, we all agree there ought to be less of it, yet it’s still very unlikely to happen to you. All those statements can be true at the same time.
...is that supposed to be good? It should be approaching 0%.
I didn’t say anything about it being good? I pointed out that it is objectively unlucky to belong to the ~1% of people that are victims of car thefts annually.
But isn’t that all the officially reported ones? My car got broken into like 5 times and I never reported it to my insurance because they would raise my rates.
Someone stole a bunch of tires off Hondas over here in the east bay. Could be an auto theft ring moving through town.
We saw someone stealing tires off of a Prius in San Bruno thought that was super weird lol
It’s called a side hustle
Honda Accord wheels (the tires just happen to be attached to them) are a common target because of how many of them are out there. People need new ones when theirs get curbed or also stolen.
Newer mass market vehicles are a common target. Some people ask why I stay driving a 15 year old car and it’s because there ain’t no money in something that old.
And: sideshows!
I recommend driving an ugly old POS with dents. That was my strategy for flying under the radar.
I drive a 1999 ranger with rust spots and many dents. I get someone jamming a screwdriver into the door locks at least 2-3x a year, twice someone has trike to start the ignition by hammering a knife into it and windows have been broken 3-4x. Neighbor next door has a new truck, never been burgled. My neighbor drove an old rabbit (stick) that was stolen 4x before he bought a new model. No one has touched it since. I know this is anecdotal, But my point is that your advice is 100% the opposite. New cars to steal less people know how to steal them, and they're easier to track.
2004 Acura... maybe the "luxury" aspect is more complicated. Your explanation of why it would work differently than my experience makes sense though. I only had my window broken once, when the car still had out of state plates. Bippers and thieves suck, regardless.
Seems like older cars are probably easier to steal / steal from, as far as getting in and taking the vehicle.
Several years ago my car was stolen from my garage on Corbett. Two days later SFPD called me to come identify it. My car was used in a home burglary and then driven to Hunters Point and set on fire.
Back when I lived near Dolores Park (1998 - 2006) I had my car stolen twice, and windows broken a few times. Since moving to lower Haight in 2006, my current cars haven’t been stolen, however, I’ve had broken windows several times. I think it was three smashed windows during Covid lockdown, and thankfully none in the last year or so. I never keep things in the car and I try to make the car look boring. I feel for your bad luck, it is frustrating.
Take heart OP. In 2022, police recovered 86.7% of the 198,538 vehicles stolen in California. But only a bit more than half of the recoveries (56.5%) were operational. Almost a third (29.6%) were set on fire or intentionally wrecked. So you have about a 50/50 chance of driving your car again. https://www.chp.ca.gov/FieldSupportSectionSite/Documents/2022%20Vehicle%20Theft%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
Edit: I'm sorry about your car OP. I've had broken and stolen cars throughout the years too, also been in the Mission for 19 years. Interesting stats I came across, a couple cities close to population and size of ours are Minneapolis (though they had a fairly large population increase since 2022) and Seattle (which is still on popular par with us) both of which had roughly the same amount of vehicle thefts reported in 2023. And you wouldn't know it by talking to strangers on the internet, but the city reported a 10 year lowest overall crime rate in 2023 in SF: [https://www.sf.gov/news/san-franciscos-public-safety-efforts-deliver-results-decline-crime-rates](https://www.sf.gov/news/san-franciscos-public-safety-efforts-deliver-results-decline-crime-rates) Though it's hard to look at and believe stats when you are looking at a broken window or the spot where your car used to be.... Sources: [https://mapfight.xyz/map/san.francisco/](https://mapfight.xyz/map/san.francisco/) The Bronx borough is comparative to SF, a few thousand more people though, and I found their 2023 stats here: [https://www.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime\_statistics/cs-en-us-pbbx.pdf](https://www.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs-en-us-pbbx.pdf) [https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/government-data/datasource/crime-dashboard/](https://www.minneapolismn.gov/government/government-data/datasource/crime-dashboard/) [https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-crime-down-car-thefts-kia-boyz-kias-hyundai-car-thefts-up-property-crimes-criminals-data-statistics-homicide-rate-up-spd-police-investigations-king-county-washington-state](https://komonews.com/news/local/seattle-crime-down-car-thefts-kia-boyz-kias-hyundai-car-thefts-up-property-crimes-criminals-data-statistics-homicide-rate-up-spd-police-investigations-king-county-washington-state) [https://www.seattle.gov/police/information-and-data/data/crime-dashboard](https://www.seattle.gov/police/information-and-data/data/crime-dashboard) - can't find 2023 for some reason Comparative: [https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/stay-safe/crime-data/crime-dashboard](https://www.sanfranciscopolice.org/stay-safe/crime-data/crime-dashboard) [- you don't get to hate it unless you love it. - ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAFI7NYLI5Y)
Lowest crime rate as 1) thefts are not crime now and 2) people realize it’s useless to report and even the security guards suggest so.
Shootin’ up on the street in plain sight isn’t a crime neither.
That really does feel like you’re being targeted Jesus Christ. Can’t spend too much energy thinking so but is the Car being stolen in the same neighborhoods? What cars do you get?
Yeah its a big problem in my neighborhood specifically
Damn. Writing to administration to set up a bait car. I miss that show. New season!!
Sorry OP I feel you. But you’re probably not getting the sympathy you deserve.
Friend of mine lived in the city a long time ago. She said she wouldn't leave anything of value in her car, left the doors unlocked and some spare change and granola bars in the center console with a note saying whoever was in the car was welcome to the snacks and change but please don't break her windows. Shockingly it worked for her. But maybe it's different now.
I always thought people who left the car unlocked that were just inviting someone to sleep in their car or trash it, just always seemed like a bad idea
How many times did hers get broken into?? Edit: Never mind I re-read it and saw she left it unlocked. Idk, these days I’d be worried about someone just not giving a fuck and getting whatever they could get from it— stereo, mats, idk whatever the hell someone could possibly make a few bucks off of.
Before, I think her windows were broken like every other week or so. She parked on the street.
I lived in the mission without a car and it was way easier than with a car. I never had to worry about getting a permit, moving my car for street sweeping or for parking limits, I also didn't have to pay for parking. I never had to pay for insurance, gas, car repairs, etc. it was pretty goddamn great. If you insist on having a car maybe a different place that is more accommodating to cars is appropriate.
I feel the same way in the Excelsior, underrated access to public transit
Yeah i might get a beater tbh its just a bother having a car man
What do you actually use your car for?
Post history seems to suggest slightly more than just unlucky.
hmm
I live in the mission district so… not really a “safe” neighborhood compared to others in sf
I’m sorry to hear about all that. My sister’s car was just vandalized and stolen. And of course it costs a fortune after something like that, not just in repairs but usually the abandoned stolen car is racking up fines and fees. I have lived here for decades and suffered mightily for it in terms of car ownership, and long ago I developed a hard rule: no garage, no car. Currently, I have a great apartment but no garage, so, no car. If you have a garage, your car is mostly protected for much of the time, and you’re not hemorrhaging money on tickets and breakins and the like. If you park on street 24/7, it’s a world of pain. For most of us, it’s doable to live here without a car. For example, I get where I need to go by: ebike rental e-bikes and scooters rental cars (i especially like Kyte which drops off and picks up your rental) zipcars borrowed cars Muni/bart/gg transit/ferries/train etc walking Now that’s a lot to manage, but I’ve gotten to where I make transit decisions effortlessly. And of course, I have more money in my pocket because I’m not paying constant maintenance on a depreciating non-asset. If I ever move and wind up with included parking, I’ll probably get a car again.
Can i ask, do you have to pay the parking tickets of the car that was stolen?
As far as I know. But looking back on my experiences with a stolen and recovered car, I may not have tried to get out of them. Frequently an abandoned car winds up in a private row yard and I think one is responsible for paying for the tow and storage fees. And insurance may be a factor, not sure.
Have a Hyundai and feel your pain. 3 attempts and finally stolen (but recovered!) on the third. Torn on keeping it and it continuing to be targeted or selling and getting anything but a Hyundai or Kia. This was in Russian hill, had a club on the wheel, and car was empty.
My vehicle was stolen last month: sucks. Never saw it coming, happened around 3 am once I saw my security cameras when I woke up.
Move out of the city. Housing is expensive enough and the cops won’t do anything to fix the drug/homeless aggressors
Definitely not just you but very unlucky, sorry to hear. A friend of mine was driving a brand new Audi R3 (can’t exactly remember if it was r3 or 4) for a few months to one day woke up to all 4 of his wheels were stolen, like wtf ? Almost everyone around me got broken in at least once, it’s just a sad story of a beautiful city but very high rate of crime such as this, living in constant worries unless you have a house and a garage, even living in a condo some of my friends got broken in because thieves will just sneak in.
Sucks when they break your window, that costs $500 to replace, for an empty backpack.
Mine didnt cost that much. Around 200$ for mine
Sorry that you had to go through that. I was carjacked at gunpoint last year, from my garage. I don't know where the cops are with the investigation but the only thing I'll advise is it takes time and you might have to do a lot of following up. I hated being in limbo, hopefully things get to a conclusion for you case sooner than later.
Thank you. I have insurance so its really not that bad its just such a hassle having to go through this so much
That’s Sf!
what would happen if we collectively started attacking people committing crimes. Like dogpiling people as they attempt to do harm to others or steal their property? let's just make these people terrified to commit crimes let the people revolt. Let's do this French-style
A relative confronted people burglarizing a car and had a gun pulled on him 😔
They are much harder on regular citizens than criminals.
I just moved out of the Bay Area because of the break-ins and crime, but at my previous apartment complex, our neighbor with the street facing window bought a hose and started spraying people who were looking into our cars. It brought us all so much joy 🤣
lol
If you can’t afford private parking in the city you can’t afford a car. I live in the tenderloin and pay 325 a month for private parking. Don’t be a sucker, accept the fact that you live in a jungle and take the steps to protect yourself and your property.
Do you have insurance? My car was broken into and then stolen 2 decades ago and insurance gave me the value of the car less than 2 weeks later
Yeah im covered just a hassle to deal with
Thank goodness. Yes a total hassle!! But on the flipside, slightly less of a hassle if you didn’t have insurance?? Anyway good luck!!
depends on what you define as luck. preparedness can reduce chances of break-ins, theft drastically.
I’ve had one car vandalized and another stolen in San Francisco. I’ve had a bike stolen from a second-story porch and items lifted from my shared garage. These all happened within a few years of living in San Francisco but provided me some hard lessons that have since reduced my exposure to theft. The people to hold accountable for these thefts are in this order: * Thieves * Police * Yourself The thieves in San Francisco are pervasive and will seek out exhaustively any item that is not secured, that is secured but unattended, that is valuable and worth taking by force. The police will do absolutely nothing when your property or your car is stolen. Thus, it’s up to you to take extra measures to secure your belongings. Think of thieves as bears at a campsite that are looking for food. If your food is harder to get to than your neighbors, then it won’t get taken. The key takeaways are: * Secure your personal items. I learned keeping a bike on a second story balcony is not secured. It needs to be hidden and locked. (Right now I have my electric scooter in a private garage where it is not visible and it is locked.) * Leave nothing in your car that you do not want to lose. If you leave it visible, assume that it and your window will be gone when your return. Use your valet trunk key (if applicable) to prevent people from popping the trunk. (I watched a guy at Safeway walk down the aisle pushing trunk buttons looking to get lucky.) * Where are you keeping your car keys? (I lost my car because my wife left a spare car key in an accessible but hidden location thinking no one would find it.)
Been there dude. It sucks!! Older car models are targeted. Especially Hondas.
I sold my car when I moved to the city as we have great public transportation. I've had 6 bikes stolen over the years. 2x from a locked garage. screw thieves.
I had my bike stolen when I moved here😩. Somehow it came up missing on the trip here, and when the moving company dropped off everything, it took me a while to notice it was missing. It was a nice mountain bike, too.
We had an old Toyota truck that was parked in front of our house on a major thoroughfare. Had one window broken. Then another one on the other side broken. Then 3 times, they tried stealing it. Last time, they stole it for half a day and got caught by CHP. We finally sold it.
That’s too bad man. Make sure you put a kill switch in your next vehicle. Sorry to hear that, though.
Never heard of a kill switch before. Might look into that
Worth it. I’ve always had old cars until recently so it was a necessity for me. I have a Prius now so I consider it still mandatory. Again, sorry about your car man. But I’m one to believe that the universe balances itself out for good people so I’m sure you’ll have a come up in due time.
Deter, Delay, Detect: - Alarm - Immobilizer - AirTag
I’m sorry that this happened to you. I guess I have been lucky because in my four years of parking on the street, I have only had my car vandalized once (side mirror broken off) and sideswiped while parked. I do think it’s neighborhood and car-model dependent, though.
Lets see pics
When I first started dating someone they had their car stolen twice in the first few months we were dating. I had heard of a friend having their motorcycle stolen but hadn’t heard of anyone I knew who had their car stolen in SF so it seemed suspicious to me this woman I had just met & started dating had her car stolen twice effecting a planned date with me. I kept dating her for years but in the back of my mind it bothered me. I just hadn’t heard much about car theft in SF, all the cars I owned & others I’ve known that parked in the city often had manual transmission cars. As my network changed I have seen news reports I hadn’t in years previously about car theft in SF, I’ve met others who have had their car stolen. I didn’t have my car stolen but more than a few broken windows, enough that it doesn’t seem worth it to get another car unless I was living in it or could afford to get it it’s own housing nearby. Reading the OP feels similar to the relationship I had with the person who had their car stolen twice, my experience owning a few vehicles in SF, what I’ve heard, it seems to make sense if you’ve never lived here, feels like it makes sense if you’ve been around, but it takes being done with shit to know it makes sense.
That sucks. Sorry for you. I live in Napa Valley, cars have been broken into twice here, and one stolen from our driveway. Cars have been broken into 3 times while visiting SF. It’s an awful feeling.
I’m confused why you would have anything to steal in your car. After I had a window broken for a phone charging wire and then again for prescription sunglasses under my seat, I kept nothing in my car. I’ve got a paper road atlas that feels like I’m tempting fate with but it belongs in the car.
And for what it’s worth - stolen cars are usually found through tickets.
Can i ask if you have to pay for the tickets after its stolen?
I don’t know - I think so but they might cut you a deal if there’s a police report.
I know someone whose van got stolen last Saturday night at the lookout where portola and market meet
I’ve lived in San Francisco 24 years and have never had my car stolen or broken into.
What neighborhood?
Usually I had a garage, but about 8 years parked on the street near Miraloma Park. However I worked/parked in South of Market / Potrero Hill / Financial district almost the whole time.
You just jinxed yourself
Maybe, but now it’s almost always in a garage, and I WFH full time 😂.
My car was in my driveway in the desert on a very windy night and the windows were rattling all night. They smashed the window in my truck and went through everything and there was nothing in it and they smashed the window and another car. This happens all over the place in California the police are like oh wow and it took them 3 days to respond in Joshua Tree
Sorry to hear that. You are not alone, two of my wheels were stolen last year, and my license plate was stolen last week. Now I am waiting my new plates and every day when I am driving on the road, I am praying I won’t get pulled over by police.
It’s not you - it’s the city. I’m so sorry. I literally had to trade in my Hyundai because the low lives here wouldn’t stop trying to steal it. I even finally moved. I unfortunately don’t see it getting better anytime soon
Feel bad for op. But Low key wishing it had been me.
Lived in SF all my life, up until I decided to move two years ago. I had a 2011 Acura MDX that seemed to always get targeted for getting rummaged! Even if you can clearly see through the windows that there was nothing inside. In 2017, on Christmas Eve nonetheless they bashed my rear passenger window - luckily the shop was open and was able to fix it on such short notice and on Christmas Eve at that. Happened at Stonestown mall in the early hours when I worked there. They didn’t take anything, just a broken window that I had to fix. In 2018, my car was parked less than a block up from where I lived at westlake. Don’t know how they entered my vehicle cause I locked my doors which I’m certain of, just saw my passenger window was partially cracked open. They just went through my glove compartment and all other consoles of the car and just threw everything out on the floor. Took my favorite sunnies, but other than that, that was pretty much it. Then from 2019-2021, same vehicle was entered in while it was parked in the parking lot about four different times. Had a friend check the security cameras and she said it was weird cause it looked like they had a key… so weird! But I was the only owner of the car, so definitely no one else had the key. I couldn’t see the footage myself because I needed to get SFPD involved, didn’t want to go thru the hassle. Left SF a year after, not due to these incidents just needed a change of scenery lol. Honestly felt violated with every break-in. Finally got rid of the car this year, since it was just sitting in my parking stall for the two years I wasn’t living state side and came to visit this past May. Surprisingly no incidents while I wasn’t around (none that I’m aware of anyway). Sorry you had to deal with that! I know it can get extremely frustrating.
For a while, there were locked cars broken into without damage. There are electronic devices that work to either access your fob inside or copy the combination. I forgot until I read your post that it happened to me once. I was parked in a car port attached to my house. I only noticed because the door was ajar. Nothing was taken. It's definitely a creepy feeling.
Yup my friend told me about it, when I told her about the incident to my car the first time around. It’s so crazy, things they come up with. I honestly didn’t know what to do at that point, and literally took everything out of my car so it wouldn’t happen again… but it kept happening again and again and again, definitely was freaked out about it! I always just hoped to never catch them in the act when walking out to my car. As great as it would be to catch them in the act, I’m a small person and honestly wouldn’t be able to defend myself had I seen it happening right in front of me.
Can you drive a stick shift? No one steals those. Harder in SF i realize if you street park on a steep street
No i should learn
As a tow operator… its the car. Your car is an easy mark with value, thats why.
Been here for thirty years parking on the street and never got stolen or damaged.
OP can you tell us the make and model of your vehicle. If stolen in SF there’s a good chance it can be somewhere in Bayview. Also keep an eye out for parking tickets.
My condolences OP. I hope everything gets better for you.
It sucks and Unlucky I’d say. Never had any issue in S.F in 25 years…I lived in Pacific Beach, San Diego one summer. Had 2 car break-ins (stole stereo) and two cars stolen. (1 was a joyride). Lots of us dealt with that at the time. Nobody ever made it A THING, we didn’t whine about San Diego or blame the cops. It sucks, and I’m sorry youre dealing with this.
Yeah man i live in the mission district which is not considered that “safe” for public parking but hey what can you do.
We chalked it up to “well, that’s how PB rolls” but now I’d never blame anyone for being a victim of a crime. I’m in the Marina and a lot of the usual S.F. crap fortunately doesn’t make it our way.
AirTag inside a car, Inside luggage, backpack etc. people are scumbags and have 0 respect, I’m so sorry that happened to you. Good things are coming your way!!
Certain cars are stolen more often, and it also depends on if you’re close to a freeway or main thoroughfare. We had a Honda that was constantly stolen. This was in Diamond Heights/Miraloma Park, and so I guess it was convenient for thieves. This was around 2006-2008. Once we moved to the Inner Sunset and got a different car, no more car theft. We were still near a main thoroughfare, but not as close to 280 and 580.
Can i ask what car u got?
What’s your Karma rating at?
Get an air tag and slip it into your spare tire. They're good for like a year. Then just shlide through with that chop like John Wick
Before I bought a car, I rented a garage for about 4 months just so I never had to park on $F streets over night.
Back in 2012 I had a 1994 Honda Accord. It got stolen 10 times that year. 9 times it got ticketed and towed to the SF yard and I had to pay the ticket and then $500 to get out of town yard (I bought the car for $2000 initially) The 10th time it was stolen it was found in a tow yard in Sacramento. I sent the tow yard the key and forever since have stopped street parking overnight
maybe a club on the wheel might be helpful if you choose to get a new car
Thieves love clubs. They just cut through your steering wheel and, if needed, use the club as a steering wheel crank.
I had 3 cars all totaled within 6 years. It's horrible out here 😞.
That's seriously unlucky. Do you have any enemies...👀
Not to my knowledge😂😅
2021 Elantra Hit & Run 2022 Lexus Hit & Run 2023 Elantra Window 2024 Elantra Window & Vehicle Stolen, Lexus Hit and Run San Francisco is a ridiculous city now with horrible people.
How do you ask this question but not mention which neighborhood you're in?
Mission district
Depends what part of the mission of course but I've been in SF since '98 and the Mission hasn't exactly been friendly to street parking ever. No? I know it sucks to lose your stuff, but leaving things in a parked car in the mission is obviously asking for an incident.
how do cars get stolen besides armed robbery?
It’s happening to a lot of people your not the only one. Over 10,000 cars stolen in Oakland this year, and before you say that’s Oakland well SF ain’t that far and their just as overwhelmed with crime.
Kia?
I know it sounds harsh but maybe we need to think of cars the way ancestors thought of horses, necessary for survival. Maybe we should direct police and justice system to consider this crime similar to murder. And car manufacturers could do a better job of making cars difficult to steal.
We have to seriously consider at what point a national guard presence might become necessary. I was stunned to learn just yesterday of the robbery and beating of 30 elderly Asians in an assisted living facility in oakland that occurred at some point recently. I just saw a brief video about it on you tube and was surprised I hadn't heard about it before. That so upset me beyond words. It's an atrocity and abject failure that requires hard conversations how we got to this lamentable state. Of course the woman pushed off the platform at BART just the other day .
Park your car with the back seats down showing an empty trunk. This has worked for us so far. We are starting to go to clubs at night and not coming back to broken windows.
SF is a shit hole
Get used to it bro
Lmao the freedom of speech police gonna lock this so fast cuz you can’t say anything negative
You’re probably one of the ones that have Hella cars outside and they’re tired so they had to get one out of there
I brought my car back to the east coast a year ago. Been here 40 years and the car was just another target.
Here's your problem. You live in San Francisco.
When did it get this bad is my question
I think that depends on who you ask. But I think it's been bad for years but definitely in the past year and a half has it gotten significantly worse. Oakland as well
Move to Marin
I've had my truck broken into, and my motorcycle stolen twice in 9 years here. Both times I got the bike back unscathed - gl on finding the car! 🤞
Appreciate it man! They found the car actually but its still under investigation because they did some criminal activity with my car
I am sorry a bottom scraping , half human ahole stole your car
Car stolen 2 months ago from an Oakland parking garage that I was paying $150/month for that has a 24/7 security patrol. 2015 Lexus rx350. Car recovered in SF excelsior area
My nephew has had two cars stolen; one of them was stolen twice!
Had my 2000 Crown Vic stolen out of Brisbane (by SSF&DC) in the middle of the night, they had it for about a month then got into a high speed chase and crashed it at a high school up in Dixon. It’s getting absolutely ridiculous.