Last night the City of Austin tweeted the following alert about auto thieves in Austin. Here’s a snippet of the full report:
The Austin Police Department Auto Theft Interdiction Project is urging owners of large Chevy, Ford and Dodge pickup trucks to be aware that auto thieves are targeting these vehicles. Between January 1, 2012 and February 7, 2012 the City of Austin has had 61 large trucks stolen compared to 25 the previous year during the same time period.
[…]
Thieves are targeting vehicles in mall, shopping center, movie theatre, restaurant, and other large parking lots throughout the City of Austin.
I’m not 100% sure what they mean by “large”, but my guess is full-sized and above (e.g. F-150 and above, not Ranger), not just say really large trucks like a F-350 Super Duty.
They’re not hitting homes, they’re hitting public places. In a public place, how can a bystander know if that truck really belongs to that person?
Stay alert. Don’t leave anything in your car you don’t mind being taken. Pretty much leave the truck containing only the truck and its relevant parts (e.g. spare tire, jack, etc.).
Stuff From Hsoi 
When I was younger I would add in-line switches with an ignition or starter wire. I would hide the switch behind the dash in my trucks and under the seat of my motorcycles. In the event that someone took a screwdriver to the ignition the vehicle would not start. More than a few times I thought I had a dead battery before remembering the switch!
there’s a thought…. hrm.
You better put that new truck in the garage. Good thing I have a Toyota truck 🙂
Someone replied on Facebook wondering if, because they have a Toyota truck, if they should be relieved or insulted. 🙂
Maybe they are too nice maybe like the Porsche…JK.
Naaah…
They’re probably just afraid they’ll be caught when it’s recalled… : – P
Zing!
Yeah who wants a truck that dependable 😮
Apparently those thieves. 😉
Keep dreaming, bud.
One of my VPs lost his Suburban from the parking garage at the Domain in that time frame. They are doing it, and they are going for the older models that are easier to steal.
His 10 year old Suburban was parked right next to a 3 day old Porsche Panamera. They took the one that was easy to steal.
Wow, no fun. 😦
But it also shows they are targetting what they can steal so they can use for transport… it’s not about the car itself, it’s not for selling, it’s not for parts, it’s for smuggling.