Well here's another sob story to add to the list, my empeg was stolen last night outside of a mexican restaurant here in Houston. I have a pelican gameboy advance case that I keep my empeg in and about 8/10 times I will carry the unit with me where ever I go. However, for some reason this time, as I was leaving the car I decided I didn't want to carry the empeg with me and i opened my trunk and put the empeg in there. Bad mistake. I guess i was being watched cuz when i came outside about 30 minutes later my window was smashed, the wiring to my car's battery had been cut (making the car inoperable), and Elizabeth was gone. Sigh. I'm such an idiot and I just feel like killing myself. This thanksgiving sucked =(

BTW before I hit ebay, is there any kind soul out there sitting on a stash of empegs that doesn't mind parting with one for a fair price? I'm not sure I can go without an empeg in my car for too long....

and I just feel like killing myself

the empeg is great and all, but dont do that!

I feel your pain. I never thought it would happen to me either. My first player left me just over a year ago under very similar circumstances (along with a woofer box & amp). I'm convinced that resturant lots are favorites of stereo thieves.
I always pull mine now.
Good luck finding a replacement. I wish I could afford to have a spare or two!

Sorry to hear. I'm curious about one thing they did:

> the wiring to my car's battery had been cut (making the car inoperable)

Was this to defeat an alarm system?

-brendan

I'm also curious about how they got in your trunk. I mean I know it's possible, but I didn't think it was nearly as common as the simple window-smashing, dash destruction method...

John

Smash window then use remote trunk release or fold down rear seat.

Thanks for the well wishes guys. I've been scanning ebay and i've already had an offer from one kind person on this board to help replace elizabeth. Hopefully by X-mas I can have my replacement, Kiera, installed in my car and running.

I do believe that the battery was cut to flip the alarm off. Not sure how other alarms work, but i had a pretty cheapo, standard one without any sort of backup source to power the alarm.

Maybe I haven't thought this through, but, surely, if you cut the battery, you can't open the remote release to get into the trunk?

if you cut the battery, you can't open the remote release to get into the trunk?

On some (older) cars, it's a mechanical linkage. Otherwise, you can often just flip the back seats forward. This is what happened when my Primera was broken into a couple of months ago.

Did you alarm have a glass-shatter sensor? I'd been hoping that feature of mine would save my car contents from a similar tactic, but if yours had one, perhaps I was a bit naive?

-brendan

Yeah my alarm will sound if the glass is shattered.

I imagine the thieves were able to get into my car, pop the hood and cut the battery relatively quick thereby negating any attention from the noise of my alarm.

Like other people have preached on this board, there really isn't a full proof method of protecting your empeg other than removing her from the car and carrying it with you. Unfortunately, I had to learn this lesson the hard way.

I have a 20 gig RioCar in great condition ( along with a home dock) I would consider selling.

Installed for about 9 months; always worked flawlessly.

Let me know if you're interested.

foolproof
as in something that not even a fool could get around

sorry to hear of your loss

hah thanks for the correction =P

I'm sure Elizabeth will render her self useless somehow in appreciation for the love you had given her.

I shudder at the thought of all the times I've left my empeg in my car (pulled out of the dash and "concealed"). Especially in restaurant lots. Because hey, I can't walk in there with my huge Pelican case.

After this post, no more leaving it in the car EVER for me. So, what's the solution? I'll ask that in a new thread.

I plan to just carry the Pelican case. Even if poeple think I'm carryng a bomb around (too many episodes of Alias I guess or other shows using Pelican cases for all sorts of spy-like stuff).

I have left it in my trunk in the past as well, but no matter how "safe" you think the location is, if someone decides it's your car's turn then it's best to be safe than sorry. They'll take it and try to figure out later what it is - if they don't know when they grab it.

My girlfriend understands so I don't think I'll hear any complaints from her. My car was boosted right from in front of my own house and hers moved onto the street to get mine out. I'm the over-engineering type, but I really hadn't done anything at that point to really safeguard the vehicles. Just betting that the neighbourhood was decent.

Just picked up a replacement car today and it will be parked in the garage starting tomorrow - need to take a few things out so it couldn't go in there tonight. Tonight the outside lights stay on and so do the rope lights I put up all around the porch for Christmas. Hope I can get to sleep ok. Part of the reason I came online was to see if I could get just that little bit more tired before hitting the sack.

Bruno

... wow. That is a sad story. Ok, my paranoia is now justified.

Incidentally, one thing the car thieves did NOT get was my empeg. That was safe in my bedroom. But of course I lost the harness and sled along with all my JL Audio gear... Will be wrapping things up with the insurance company this week, so everyone, cross a a pair of fingers for me for luck.

I went ahead and bought this new car before getting the settlement, so I'm obviously taking a chance.

Bruno

Did you alarm have a glass-shatter sensor?

My brother had a Toad alarm which had this feature, the alarm used to go off whenever he rattled his keys near the car. Very strange, if he disabled the sensor and rearmed it didn't happen.

The glass break sensors I've seen which aren't physically attached to the glass pane itself work by detecting high frequency noises. I guess the jangling keys produced a note at the right frequency for it to trigger.

That's exactly what I told him at the time. He's got a Clifford now which seems to work a lot better.

I really don't know what to say about yor loss. In the end, although these things are just bits of metal and plastic, they represent a kind of musical freedom that I have never (boefore now) enountered. On eof my mjor hobbies is dirving cars, the other is music - I wna t you to work out the res for yourself. The empeg to me, represents the ultimate fusinon of my passions, an dnoting, NOTING, cna take that away.

I am sad about your loss. I hope that it can be rectified. Sometime soon, I wil do somting about this, as for the firsti teim in my relatively short lige, I am beginning to understand what eh word "loss" means,

It's not mch fun.