Truck was stolen while on family trip

If you were still there and going to shop for a new vehicle I'd recommend Classic in Galveston. They have several car brands. They don't add anything to them ever unless the customer asks for it during the buy process, so no $400 nitrogen and $800 paint sealants. Jeff Pennington is excellent to work with. Best car buying experience I've had in almost 40 years and over 30 (way too many) cars. Good luck sorting the insurance etc. That is definitely no fun. Oh, and eating at The Original Mexican Cafe. Excellent meals.
 
I suspect hotels have "bird dogs" that call theft rings for a fee when they see a prime unit.
I think the way these vehicles are stolen is by having the key cloned by walking near your hotel room door late at night or either just by fishing out signals in a hotel with some device or by a tip from the front desk / lookout.

I know it's possible with Nissans as I've read about stories where people have cars stolen out of their driveways, with security footage showing the vehicle being unlocked and started as if with a key fob and then driven away without the key, possibly to be stripped or reprogrammed / hacked in Mexico.

They say they will pay out in seven days, and once they do I basically have to return the rental they are funding. But I recall a mention that they could still find the truck after the payout and that I may have to deal with that. Apparently the payout doesn’t mean I get to wash my hands of it?
7 Days is actually pretty quick, I know some companies that wait 30 days. Once you get the check and sign the letter of guarantee / doc you are free and clear. If a tow yard / police find the vehicle 20 days later, it's the insurance companies problem. They will just auction it off. I've dealt with many cars recovered years after they were found, straight to auction.

My guess is that truck left the United States pretty quickly and will not be found again.
I know for sure that there are license plate cameras around the border that are commercially accessible. Enterprise rent a car uses them to black list people who have rented cars that have left the country. Only works if the criminal was dumb enough to leave the plates on though.

@xspeedy

  • Those items and personal belongings you had in the vehicle can still be covered. Many companies have limits around $200 for items that were not attached to the vehicle you can claim for. Receipts will be needed, the more evidence the better.
  • Any upgrades or repairs completed will also be also be helpful such as a brake job or bed liner etc.
  • Like @walterjay mentioned, find a lot of comps (comparable vehicles) that are more expensive than the insurance company valuation. Remember the insurance companies pay their valuation providers to give them "competitive" values on the low end. So even if you are happy with the value you can probably get a few $k more. Then negotiate hard with your next dealer for a replacement.

 
I see a lot of "theft recovery" vehicles for sale. Some are floods that have been repaired and some are actual vehicles that have been previous thefts. State Farm is a great insurance company and they always have treated me great for the last 40 years. Too bad about your loss however you should get a fair return from the insurance company. Good luck on your next purchase.
 
I see a lot of "theft recovery" vehicles for sale. Some are floods that have been repaired and some are actual vehicles that have been previous thefts. State Farm is a great insurance company and they always have treated me great for the last 40 years. Too bad about your loss however you should get a fair return from the insurance company. Good luck on your next purchase.
It was 15 years ago and a lot can change in that time but my mother totaled her old 1990 Camry and I was expecting State Farm to low ball her. Was waiting to see the initial offer before I went out and got comps to fight them, but their first offer was a lot more than I was expecting.
 
Most likely across the border. This stuff is rampant along the southern border areas. Az has the highest auto and motorcycle theft in the country. I was on a rented Harley in Az when I found that out. I got the extra insurance but would still have to pay $1500 if it was stolen. I parked it by the front door of whatever hotel I was staying at. The night staff was good about that.


It’s rampant everywhere. Up here in my county we average 81 vehicles stolen every day. That was the report from about a month ago.

A lot are chopped up, some go overseas. Many are stolen by kids as a hobby. They drive them crazy, crash them, leave them and steal another one. Some are used in crimes.
 
I suspect hotels have "bird dogs" that call theft rings for a fee when they see a prime unit.
You know, the guy working the shift when we checked in was a bit odd. And when my wife talked to him and told him he was here when the truck was stolen, he kind of smirked and said he wasn’t there and didn‘t know anything about it. Wouldn’t be surprised if he was notifying the ring about prime targets. At the Hertz, someone heard our story and mentioned multiple thefts from the airport parking garage that involved someone on the inside - who was later arrested.
 
As always with insurance, don't just accept the payment. Make sure you are made whole, which includes sales tax, tag, dealer fees, title fees and rental car expenses.

Insurance companies are MASTERS at short payments and schemes that stiff the policy holder. My insurance "Allstate" offered a $3900 check "take it now" and the deal is done, for the damages to my truck. The bill was $14,000+.
 
Thank you all for the replies. I started researching, and apparently the RAM 1500 is a really easy target. There are many videos and articles discussing this. There are two methods:

1) Simple relay to the fob using something easily obtainable online

2) Use a coat hanger or hook through the grille to pull the wires that feed the horn, break in through a rear window which may or may not trigger the alarm (but without a horn now). Then plug in a tablet or OBD tool into the OBD port which somehow allows a dummy fob to work (don’t know the exact details). I suspect this is what was done with my truck.
 
If this is a hotel chain a email to their customer service would be a good idea. If others have had vehicles stolen from that same hotel then they might start checking into it.

I don’t know if they still ask but did you have to write down your make and model and a drivers license #? That is how that particular clerk could find out about the truck and a quick text to his cohort got the ball started.

I hope this all works out for you in the end.
 
That's too bad. I have Apple Airtags on 3 of my car's keychains, I'm thinking I'll order 3 more and hide them inside of each.
 
It's amazing how auto makers cannot seem to make a theft resistant vehicle. Their attempts with MORE electronics has made it easier. The convenience push entry, push to start, emitters, have made these vehicles ultra simple to steal. It's sad. But when you think about it there's a nefarious self-interest conflict to make vehicles appear to be more harden but actually easy to steal.
 
Descent hotel in a descent part of town? Just curious.
Yeah, it was generic suburbia Texas. An area with a bunch of your middle of the road hotels and strip malls with restaurants and whatnot.
 
Sorry for your loss, but shoot, that's astounding that it's that easy to steal them. Maybe we have to resort to low-tech things like The Club or a good old battery disconnect.
 
Sorry about your truck, nothing worse, and out of town too. You were very smart to take everything of value out of the truck.

The X5 is an excellent SUV.

Good luck!
 
This popped up in my YouTube feed.


Yeah, the relay method seems to be VERY popular, you just need for the vehicle to think the key is in it for it to start and be drivable, it doesn't matter once it's running and it detects the key no longer being "there", it's still fully operational.
 
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