Hate seeing this with any vehicle but with the 4R even more so...

https://youtu.be/7yVqXqNMrOI?si=46yTOGIAJHnDEp8z

 

The news report told you how to avoid this. "The cars were parked in open lots, parking garages or apt complexes". This is why I park my vehicle in my garage 100% of the time when I'm ready to park it for the night.

During the day when I'm work is a different story, I have to park it out in the open. But thieves (usually, not always) strike at night. Because cowards don't come out in the daylight.

 

Wheel locks. I know they're not undefeatable, but seconds count in theft. Pretty easy to run around with a 19mm lug wrench, not so much with a wheel lock kit.

 

Another sign of the times. Get a job and work hard like a real American should

 

Soft on crime....results in....more crime?

 

Do a silk screen of the picture onto 4 tire covers and hope for the best!?!?

 

Anything you can do to make it harder for a thief is good.

 

I've coated all my tires & rims in asbestos. If you touch them, you will die slowly.

 

At least they were thoughtful enough to leave it on blocks.

 

It's sad living in America right now. Soft on crime. Poor leadership. No accountability. Entitlement issues. Just seems everyone is good at finger-pointing these days with zero solutions or actions. My 4runner was involved in a hit and run while parked on campus at University of Colorado at Denver on March 4th this year. Witnesses everywhere, someone left a note, I called the police to file a report and to this day, I have yet to hear a single thing from the police, campus/university. Cameras are everywhere and still nothing. The person who hit my 4runner was pulling into spot next to me and obviously misjudged their angle pulling (and just a shit driver) and hit my front bumper and tire. Luckily just an eyesore and nothing mechanical, but still annoyed as f*ck.

Anyone in Denver wanna help me texture spray my front and rear bumpers?!? It's something I am seriously considering doing once I finish the semester.

 

Glad this doesn't happen where I live.

 

Oh yeah? where might that be?

 

Northern Michigan near the tip of the mitt. I could leave it out in the driveway year around if I wanted as well as leaving my house unlocked. My job takes me to Military ships overseas so I'm fortunate to be able to live anywhere I want.

 

Yep you’re up in Gods country Rob no doubt. Closer to Detroit down here south of the bridge it’s a whole other ball game.

 

I commute in a small older Toyota that gets twice the mpg of my 4runner, complete with steel wheels and all. It's not worth any thief's time.

 

I had a co-worker who did that. He drove a rusted 1998 Corolla. It had mis-matched body panel (with dents in them)and steel wheels, no hub caps. He carried basic insurance on it and never locked it. The car didn't even have power windows.

 

A segment of people do that to fly under the radar.

Where I work a lot of people drive really nice cars to work but rent and have a loan on their cars. I have no car loans and my house is paid for, but I would prefer others to think I'm struggling or barely making ends meet so they leave me alone. As far as they are concerned I probably have debts and child support payments, LOL.

Come to the Bay Area and it is nuts how many 20 year old toyotas are running around driven by people who you don't assume anything but go home to 2 million dollar houses(my house is nowhere near that of course)

 

I grew up in the 70's in Farmington and my mom lives in Saginaw. I've lived so far from all of that, there's no way I could live near a city anymore. I honestly feel fortunate to be able to live where I do and still make a good living.

 

Thx OP
Damn man now I'ma be paranoid,
That would really set me back.
Anyone got a link for the best product to lock wheels?

 

I recommend this:





It'll pull double duty!

1) It'll keep thieves from stealing your wheels.
2) The ticketing police can't boot your truck if it's already booted.

 

Nice
Lol
My first two, and only two cars before my '16 4R had manual windows, manual locks, no AC, and the first one (Dodge SX2.0) had no trunk release
Hence why I'm thrilled with the level of tech on my 4R

 

The last of the Toyotas with manual windows and locks will run long after most other cars made around that time are junked.

The most well off guy I know drives an old Toyota pick up, the one before the Tacoma name was used, with manual everything. Guy just hikes and does outdoors stuff all day.

 

An old friend ran his construction company from the kitchen table and the front seat of his 2nd Gen Hilux. It was little, even by 70s standards, but he loved that truck.

 

In all seriousness I remember years ago going to a popular bar/nightclub area in a suburb of Detroit.

A guy owned a Mustang that looked just like the Eleanor Mustang from Gone in 60 seconds. The car was impeccable and had the hood popped. The owner had hired two people to guard the car while he had dinner and drinks with his wife. The guards were personable and knowledgeable about the car and allowed people to look but not touch it obviously.

Can you imagine the cash to own the car let alone pay a few guards to watch it.

Owning the POS Corolla sounds more appealing even if I had the money. Who needs or wants that kind of hassle or worry.

 

Yes...lug locks. I would have thought thieve go after the aftermarket wheels like SCS, but I guess they normally have lug locks on them already.

Wow...I guess you need lug locks on OEM wheels too...at least in SD county.

 

You will need 4 of these then. :0

 

not everyone has a garage. Or not everyone has enough place in their garage if they do.

the blame and the real issue here is the thieves, not the people that park in an apartment complex or open lots

 

No one says you must satisfy x or y or z requirement in order to own a 4Runner. As long as you have the cash or can arrange financing, you can buy whatever you desire.

At the same time, 4runners have gained a reputation for being a high quality, high resale value vehicle over the last two decades and buyers who buy them sometimes live in the same place as millions of people who live pay check to pay check in apartment complexes, parking in the same parking lots, and the 4Runner will, for better or worse, stand out among cars that have less resale value, reputation for quality/reliability, and residual worth. Their parts command a higher price on the secondary and grey markets.

It is up to the buyer to decide if owning a 4Runner is the right thing for the buyer's self, despite the relative risk factors for theft, vandalism, collisions, whatever. Thieves are by and large creatures of opportunity, if your present a easy target in a location that many pairs of eyes pass by every day, you increase your risk of being the victim of property crime. It's not the owner's fault for having it, but thieves won't care if you saved a long time to buy a vehicle, for them it's just a quick buck to make off of.

 

Amature, I use fentanyl

 

These are the standard Toyota ones. Anything to slow down the deter the criminal mind. I had them on my FJ (stock wheels) during my NYC time. Now in MA burbs but maybe $30 isn't so bad for a little extra piece of mind even with the stock off road wheels. (which I really love)