Gps? I had them break in because they thought there was some quarters in the cup holder but they were just 50 cents worth of fender washers which they took anyway.

 

Mine got hit Tuesday night. No damage to the car with the exception of the glass and the interior. Stole my brand new Pioneer 7" DVD, GPS, Banks IQ, Escort 9500ix, 2nd row headrest's with 9" DVD players and about 15 of my kids DVD's...

Luckily I didn't catch them or I would be posting this from jail...

Fortunately I've got the best insurance company on the planet. Everything is covered including all the aftermarket gear. I'm mostly worried about the wiring behind the dash. I suspect I'll be uncovering "stuff that doesn't work right" for the next couple of months.

My insurance company has a lifetime guarantee on all work performed by their "preferred" service centers, even the stereo shop so I'm not worried about it just hate the waste of time... Anyway, the X is down for a week or more...

If I lived in Texas it would have been legal for me to shoot them...

 

Yeah I used to live in TX and I loved that law... I had a friend who tried to shoot a NOLA he caught breaking in to his chevy's toolbox and when the cops came the cop told him he should have hit him. lol

I can see certain situations where murdering someone would be necessary or at least rationalized but I think all thieves should be shot. Its not like they are stealing food.

Someone broke into my truck and stole my satellite radio, but then they took a binder out of my console that had my favorite 24 dvd's in it. When you think that most dvd's are around $20, thats almost $500 right there, let alone the time to find them. Really ticked me off. They got my girlfriend's car too and stole all her chargers for her ipod, cellphone, and gps... like those are gonna be worth anything. They stole her skullcandy ear bud headphones, too. Who wants to use someone else's ear buds????

Stupid thieves... I hate them. The only thing I feel good about is that the police caught them a month later in our development and it was their third or fourth offense so they did end up in jail.

 

Cant defend property in VA. Crazy.

 

Long Live Texas!

 

Tell me about it! Except for the limited emissions tests it sure does seem like paradise compared to the commonwealth.

 

Yeah but texas has its weird laws too. I live in WV. I can openly carry my firearm here anywhere I want (except the usual- schools, state property, courts, etc). In texas if you read the law, you actually have to have a concealed weapons permit to carry at all. Open carry is illegal. There aren't even any exceptions for transporting a weapon in your car. If you carry it openly you are violating the law. If you lock it in you trunk, you are violating the law. there is case law where a guy had his gun in a case in the cargo well in his firebird, and they pulled him over and said well, you coulda crawled back and got it so you are in violation of the law and he was convicted. thats pretty *** backwards, in my opinion. And yes, Houston, where I lived, they have smog. I started driving a diesel (91 F250 extended longbed) when I lived there so I didn't have to pay $50 a year for smog and worry if it would pass. And the crime is a lot higher there than other places I've lived. and then its so damned hot all the time...

 

Yes, but it's also ridiculously easy to get a concealed weapons permit in Texas and they have reciprocity with half the other states that also issue.

Unfortunately, any high density urban city with a high poverty rate is going to have "higher" crime. But Houston didn't even make the top 20 and just barely squeaked into the top 30 at 29th based on the most current data from 2010 for cities with populations over 250k.

Smog checks for diesel vehicles has already been implemented in California and will be arriving in a state near you soon...

 

When I moved out of Oregon they weren't trowing anyone in jail unless it was a violent crime. One guy got caught stealing cars over 50 times and another guy got caught stealing mail 26 times but they finally arrested him when he used pepper spray on the owner of some mail. Even burglary was off the list. I witnessed 3 or 4 break-ins of a skate board shop across the street because I lived downtown then but wonder if my 911 calls were even worth calling.

 

Nope, not correct.
It's true you cannot carry a gun out in the open in your car in Texas but now it only has to be "out of sight". Putting it in your glove box is acceptable and legal in Texas (and it can be loaded...not sure that's smart but it doesn't violate any law).
Several years ago, Texas (which does not have a state income tax, btw) passed the so-called Castle Doctrine law which basically says you can shoot any burglar or home invader without having to prove in court that you tried to escape your own house. In other words, you're allowed to stand your ground (some call it the "Go ahead, make my day" law). I'm not a lawyer but I think it may also have a provision that says you also don't have to prove you were being attacked...kinda, in other words, okay to shoot first and ask questions later [but I, for one, would always believe a violent attack had started or was, at least, about to happen ]. In Texas, the Castle Doctrine is also extended to RVs/Motor Homes/Campers/etc. (anywhere you might "live"...if only, for a day) - doesn't have to be on "your land" - anywhere you happened to be parked is covered by the law.
The Texas state legislature passed a law to clarify the vehicle carrying provision either last year or the year before. So you can actually carry a weapon (loaded or not...your choice) in your vehicle (as long as it's out of sight) and you don't have to have a Concealed Carry License to do this. But as one poster has already said, getting a CCL in Texas isn't a difficult thing to do. And at last count, I think its reciprocal with 26 other states.

Now about someone breaking into your truck in Texas. I'm pretty sure the law doesn't allow you to intentionally shoot and kill someone for what amounts to be property damage (again, if it's not an RV as mentioned above). However, if I found someone breaking into my truck, I'm pretty sure I'd be in fear for my life and would have to say self preservation (self defense) "kicked in" - especially with that blackjack (or what I thought was a blackjack...I can't help it if turned out to be a small screwdriver!), he had in hand - as long as you make sure the guy is dead and can't be arguing back (in court). Now if it happens after dark, all bets are off. I read where someone used a Texas law from the 1800s (which I think is still on the books) that, in effect extends what we now know as the Castle Doctrine to even outside your immediate house if the property damage is happening after dark (so you may be able to protect your truck if someone breaks its glass after dark and you are fortunate enough to catch them!). I know, I'd be "reforming" their bad habits {permanently}.
The only problem with all this is, the cops keep your pistol for so long after the shooting....so use one of your cheaper guns that you won't miss that much.
[You're welcome to Google about Texas Gun laws or Wikipedia about 'Castle Doctrine' all you want to verify what I've said]

 

I am so getting an alarm when I get my Ex. I can just see it, finally find a cherry Ex, mod it like I want it, wax/polish it up and then come out the next morning and some piece of crap has busted a window and torn it up inside to get at $100 worth of removable equipment to buy drugs.

As for castle laws, everyone should look them up in their state. I know in NJ, if someone is in my house I had better kill them if I shoot them so they can't sue and it had better be in the front. If someone is in your house but you shoot them in the back you go to jail because "they were trying to leave" even if they have a $10,000 of your stuff while trying to "leave". I'm all for the sanctity of human life, but IMHO, that goes out the window when my little girl is sleeping in the next room over from some robber rifling through my stuff.

I did hear a really funny story on the radio the other day, apparently (not sure where in the country) there was a 90 year old WWII vet who woke up to noise in his backyard. I guess he liked to sleep naked because when he confronted the thief breaking into his shed he was fully nude but he was also packing. He had already called 911 and then held the robber at gunpoint in only his birthday suit until the cops showed up. Now that is priceless.

 

Texas you can shoot to defend property after dark. Unless they have changed it. And about carrying in your car, that is an update to the law after I left... I left in 2007.

i went to law school there.

 

There's been a significant shift in the "acceptability" of guns and their use for sport and self-defense in our society. As a result, state gun laws are changing more rapidly than anytime previously in history. Most of them for the "better".

 

I think it's a little more involved than that. I fear having to use my Caltek .380 because of all the legal ramifications. I also fear having a friend or family coming in when I am sleeping. One time I was sleeping in a big house by myself and a drunk kid walked in the front door thinking it was the persons house that used to live there and he went to sleep on the floor before I discovered he was there, luckily he didn't stumble into my bedroom.

 

Back to the original post...my mother in law works for a major insurance company...let me make sure I understood the OP:
New owner buys the rig with an aftermarket HU.
Rig gets broken into and the HU is stolen.
Insurance only covers OEM since it wasn't declared.
Insurance repairs the truck with the wrong OEM unit.

If all of this is correct, she stated every state has an insurance commissioner or state regulatory office. A letter to that office with the policy number, vehicle info (preferably something indicating what OEM stereo was supposed to be installed) and insured info will result in a fraud investigation being kicked off by the state insurance regulators office, and that the owner should soon after expect a very apologetic call from the insurance adjuster so that the company's license to do business in that state won't be revoked. It's that serious of an issue - not replacing the OEM parts to spec...just as big of a violation as if they put the wrong brakes on the rig.

She said her insurance company would be making a call to their policy holder the same day they got the letter from the state office and they would be begging the insured to let them make it right to quickly close the case.

Your mileage may vary, but is is from a claims adjustment supervisor at a major insurer. If I were you, I'd stick it to them. They raise rates at any opportunity, I'd make them fix your rig 100% - and make them do it yesterday...get what you pay for!