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After seeing this poll:

viewtopic.php?t=25344&sid=db4e2c8ea1030 ... 5e3afb6f27

I was quite surprised by the number of people who have actually had horns stolen from cars!

Perhaps we can learn something from each other.

If you have had your horn stolen from your vehicle....where was your horn located, within the car?

Very interesting indeed!

My horn was taken from the backseat!

bloke wrote:My Escort wagon has one of those "pull covers" in the back area, and I use it.

In pre-Rudy New York, such a pull cover was just an invitation for a broken window so they could see what you are hiding. Always better to make it obvious there is nothing there. I don't know how many people I know got their trunk locks pulled when nothing was in the trunk.

MartyNeilan wrote:got their trunk locks pulled when nothing was in the trunk.

Leave your trunks open then?

We've had some people break into our vehicles to. ne night my dad heard something. In the morning the contentsof my dads work car (papers and copier parts) we're strewn up and down the road. the tool box on my truck was wide open and a few tools were missing (luckly only a few wrenches). so my dad had the city put up a big halogen light in our back yard to shine on the cars. Nothing else has happened. Also, bewhere of dark places. My dad's ben mugged at a fully lit gas station. hate to think what kind of people live in the dark

the elephant wrote: I had no one to jump me.

Awww, Wade...
I've seen your picture and that can't be completely true

I don't know why anyone would be suprised by having a horn stolen from a car, hidden or not. Everytime I hear about a horn that has been stolen, it is usually taken from a car.

Two true stories both students attended the same university:

Student A leaves his tuba in the backseat of his car. Someone smashes the rear window and pulls the horn out through the window...in broad daylight. Goodbye tuba.

Student B goes to a local restaurant to eat dinner (again in broad daylight) and parks his car in the parking lot. His euphonium is in the backseat of along with his bag of music. He locks the doors before he goes inside but leaves the sunroof slightly ajar. The thief rips open the sunroof, reaches in, unlocks the door and takes the euphonium and the music. His auto insurance covers the loss and he gets a new horn. Six months later he leaves his new horn and his new music bag full of new music in the trunk of his car as it is parked at his apartment building. Sometime during the night, thieves break into his trunk and steal his spare tire, jack and jumper cables. Oh yes, they also take the above mentioned new euphonium and music bag full of music. This time the insurance company say "Son, you're SOL."

Rule number 1: make sure your valuable instrument is well insured and that is is covered in case of theft from any location.

Rule number 2: avoid leaving your instrument in your car at all costs. If it is unavoidable, then conceal it as much as possible. If it does get stolen, refer to rule number 1.

I agree with these rules. I try to never leave my instruments (string, brass whatever) in the car either because the temperature chages can reak havoc with tuneing (mainly with cellos ) but i also don't want my instruments or my van to be hurt/stolen. But if i do have to i try to cover it up. And if I can't (eg flight case) then I park close to the widows on the front of the building and watch my van closely. The windows are dark enough you'd have to look dirrectly into them to see anything in side (privicy glass is a wonderful invention.). so if anyone is peering in my van i can run out and check it out.

William Parlier wrote: Hehe, I've decided I want to buy a crapy horn, and lay it in the back seat, then put my nice horn in the trunk, then Wham! They think they got it good! But the real money's well hidden(Considering most people who are dumb enough to steal stuff, will think they have a lot, and not look through the whole car.

Considering how much it will cost to replace a broken windows or more, this is probably not a very good idea.

I'm not, so far, one of the unlucky. Probably because I don't think I've ever had to leave a tuba in the car....and with my smaller instruments, such as the horn or the violin, I take them with me. My horn has sat under many a restaurant table while we stoked up.

Where I used to live, which sounds like it is somewhat similar to where Wade used to live, every time I left my truck unlocked at night there was someone in it. I found earrings in it once, and once the tint on the window was badly scratched. Registration stolen once (common here so close to Mexico.) So I adopted the philosophy of locking it up tight, but taking everything out of the glove box and leaving it open so that it could be seen there was no registration inside.

The neighborhood I'm in now also recently started having problems with break-ins. I'm very visible on all sides and haven't been hit, but I installed motion lights on all sides of the house, put in an alarm system, and have signs on all the doors saying "Smile! You're on Camera!" I just upgraded my locks to non-bumpable ones ("security" locks) and am installing an outside siren on my alarm system. I have stickers and signs all over the place that there is an alarm system.

Oh, and I have a garage. Best thing for avoiding having people mess with your cars is a garage. And since it is a 50 year old house, that originally had a carport, there is no "man door" between the garage and the house; so even if they do get in the garage it won't help them get in the house. They'd have to bash their way through a very solid wall of burnt adobe bricks.

MA

bump

tofu wrote:...but here in Chicago folks have been shot dead by robbers for only have $10 or $20 bucks on them which is why I always carry at least $50 on me.

You carry $50 so they won't get angry that you don't have more and shoot you?

I guess Chicago is on my "Do Not Visit" list from now on...

People always wonder why I drive a saloon/sedan carrying tubas around alot, but it is precisely because I can leave them in the boot/trunk completely out of sight of potential thieves if I leave my tuba in the car.

Last June/July I travelled for a week around Europe with my Melton Eb concealed in the cavernous boot/trunk of my Mercedes, including parked overnight with no problems.