[wetwolf]

our 2015 fully loaded PMC wagon was stolen from Seattle parking garage. Silver with 58k miles....it has been past the 7 day recovery period so Insurance is writing it off as total loss.

I cannot believe how hard it is to find a replacement right now. Lots of vans but very very few with the options we had. We are probably going to have to settle on one without the wheel and light group. Trying really hard to find one with the heated seats.

The whole process just sucks...

 

[Mudmanc4]

Would be interesting to know how it was stolen, what vulnerabilities these vehicles have.

Hang in there, it'll work out for you.

 

[Bruce in NOLA]

Mojo sent - I hate thieves

 

[Bromaster5]

Do you have out of state plates?

A good reminder to make sure to have adequate insurance coverage, with vehicle values higher these days and inventory low could really put someone at a loss to find a comparable vehicle after the fact. I also assume insurance companies are lagging behind the market price these days.

As always, the best insurance policy is prevention. I hate to say it, these vans are magnets for trouble in a city environment along with any nice vehicle, always has been this way and more so these days.

Terrible news to hear, keep us posted.

 

[Crabapple]

Sounds much like my van! Yes would be hard to replace! Any insight into how they stole it?

 

[wetwolf]

van was locked. both keys are in our possession and no broken glass. The police suspect drug runners, not car thieves, which usually abandon the vehicle after their deal. Unfortunately, they may have discovered how useful the van is and kept it.

In-state plates. They actually had to pay for parking when they left. Lots of cameras. So they were pretty brazen. However, police are busy so they just wait to see if shows up. It did not.

We have good comprehensive insurance with zero deductible.

We are getting about 6k more than we paid for it back in 2017. Even with that, I figure it is going to cost us another 2 to 3k for like model if we can find one.

Ours was silver too. But we had the factory aluminum wheels.

 

[Baxsie]

Dang. That sucks. Sorry.

 

[Crabapple]

How do they steal a vehicle like this? Without the key doesn't the steering lock up when you try to turn. Also alarm would go off when they break into it. I'm guessing hot wiring is easy? I'm pretty naive about how they do this!

 

[Baxsie]

Calling @CarKeys

 

[CarKeys]

It doesn't add up , city and full size Promasters share same security/ immobilizer system .

Laser cut high security key meaning you cannot impression a key from the ignition / door .
There's no hot wiring and driving away on these Promasters.
If alarm is active it's not getting stolen .
Locksmiths can not start Promasters when alarm is active.
Promasters have a good anti theft system along with Mercedes .
Ford and Nissan vans have cheap and non immobilizer systems ( optional ) and can be stolen with a screwdriver and hammer .
Not saying Promasters can't be stolen , but your gonna be a long time doing it with many hurdles and tons of experience needed.

 

[shreddagorge]

You mention 2015, and I learned upon buying my 2018 how tough their security system is, but that was also a pivotal year they 'hardened' it. (I actually met a FCA security architect at a conference once... after Jeep was in a high profile remote hacking the company started investing in security talent).

Along this topic, I had planned to post this but will just mention it here for now - watch out for AirTags and cheap GPS sensors! Two different members of the SF Bay Area watersports community have discovered their vans 'tagged' while they were out on the water recently (one a PM, one a Sprinter). In the old days we'd just lock the car and drop the key on top of one of the tires but everyone knows better now. Yes it's a tight-knit community and busy parking lots, but today's thieves are more brazen and clever, so what used to be an advantage is no longer relevant.

Back to the OP... that sucks. I wish you the best!

 

[travelvanvan]

Along this topic, I had planned to post this but will just mention it here for now - watch out for AirTags and cheap GPS sensors! Two different members of the SF Bay Area watersports community have discovered their vans 'tagged' while they were out on the water recently (one a PM, one a Sprinter). In the old days we'd just lock the car and drop the key on top of one of the tires but everyone knows better now. Yes it's a tight-knit community and busy parking lots, but today's thieves are more brazen and clever, so what used to be an advantage is no longer relevant.

I look forward to your extended post on this as I don't quite understand the vulnerability enhanced by AirTags and GPS sensors is (is it tracking the van? But the bad guys know where it is already when they tagged it) [but do talk about it in a different thread; I'm on a bit of a security focus at the moment]

 

[HarryN]

If you cannot find a PMC, the Chrysler Pacific is kind of similar, so it might be feasible to start with one of those and remove some seats, etc.

I understand the challenge of trying to find a replacement vehicle. I am driving an old explorer after my van was totaled in Sept 2021 by a pick up running a red light.

He had no insurance or license and nothing was done, so it is all on me and uninsured motorist coverage.

 

[wetwolf]

not sure how it happened, We have both keys in our possession right now. My guess, and purely a guess, is that these were professionals and not your joy riding teens. I mean it was in a secured paid parking garage and not on the street.

On a side note, I cannot believe two things: One is how some dealers are trying to totally rip people off. There is a dealer in Carson City NV that started their PMC at 32 dropped it to 30 and is now at 39k...WTF? I guess they wan that one on the lot for a while. The one in Portland that we were close to buying if we could have got the insurance funds quicker was priced 3500 over carguru estimated price and they had it at 27k. They told me there was barely any room to move that price. Two is how all the new ones in the US are white. I can find no other color.

 

[HarryN]

not sure how it happened, We have both keys in our possession right now. My guess, and purely a guess, is that these were professionals and not your joy riding teens. I mean it was in a secured paid parking garage and not on the street.

On a side note, I cannot believe two things: One is how some dealers are trying to totally rip people off. There is a dealer in Carson City NV that started their PMC at 32 dropped it to 30 and is now at 39k...WTF? I guess they wan that one on the lot for a while. The one in Portland that we were close to buying if we could have got the insurance funds quicker was priced 3500 over carguru estimated price and they had it at 27k. They told me there was barely any room to move that price. Two is how all the new ones in the US are white. I can find no other color.

Many times where there is car theft / break ins, someone else is also sort of an insider / part of the ring.

For instance, the parking lot attendant might turn a blind eye or get a cut.

Motel parking lots where there is theft (even with cameras) "somehow" the video for that time frame just disappears.

Perhaps someone at a dealer helped to make the key?

A pro can tune in on a specific vehicle make and figure out how to hack in, no matter the security level.

 

[CarKeys]

When the van is found , good chance that a insurance theft investigatior will read the data stored in the ECM to see if keys were added / erased from the system date of the theft .... years ago I worked with a insurance company to see if a working mechanical key was used to steal a vehicle or that the ignition had been forced .

 

[HarryN]

When the van is found , good chance that a insurance theft investigatior will read the data stored in the ECM to see if keys were added / erased from the system date of the theft .... years ago I worked with a insurance company to see if a working mechanical key was used to steal a vehicle or that the ignition had been forced .

Is this different than in the 90s? We had a car stolen from in front of our house and it was "recovered" with the front end submarined under another vehicle in a nearby town. It was towed to a yard and we found a few personal items in it.

The police told us that they don't do any kind of investigations on stolen cars "because there are too many" and state farm just wrote a check with a similar comment. Obviously vehicles in that era were pretty easy to steal - they just pulled the key cylinder from the steering column , replaced it with their own - and drove away. Apparently the same group had stolen 4 cars in series that night for joy rides but AFAIK were never caught.

 

[CarKeys]

@HarryN :

1986 Chevy Camaro was the first to have immobilizer system , it was a hard wired system Aka "Vats" . 2002 was the last year for vats

Ford in 1996 was the first manufacturer with wireless immobilizer transponder system as standard equipment on the mustang , it's the same system manufacturers use today.

 

[elkwoman]

Hoping you get your PMC back. This is a terrible time to try to find a replacement vehicle. I hope you made the insurance company pay a high dollar amount so that you can replace it! I had to fight with mine when my vehicle (not PM) was totaled last year. There were zero other comps in the US with similar year and mileage.

 

[wetwolf]

should have the money this week. It is ok but not great. Finding a replacement is really really hard right now. I have three sold on me in the last two weeks. Hopefully the one we are looking at another this weekend is still there. Hopefully, money is here so I can talk seriously. The key feature wife wants is heated seats which eliminates 95% of vans for sale....I want the satellite radio. I think I can by a used OEM radio with sat but have not figured out the antenna....

Already bought the roof rack at local yard. The wheels are next. Hitch is somewhat easy.