I've had my '05 SSM for less than a month, and someone cut the top. Previous owner had seat locks installed, and either the idiots were too stupid to find the stereo, or simply didn't want to steal anything. They left a few 6-8" cuts on the driver's side. So pissed this morning when I found it.

The hell of it is, I thought about getting an alarm when I first bought it. Granted, it ultimately may not have stopped them, but the blinking light (or siren, if I had a proximity sensor) may have. So, I priced car alarms today at a local shop with a good rep. Looks like between $350-$500 installed depending on model, not too shabby.

Insurance will cover it, and I have a $0 comprehensive deductible. Hopefully my rates don't go up; I wouldn't think they would for vandalism. I also got them to agree to let me install it if I so choose, with them cutting me a check for parts + labor they would normally pay for. I've got a couple guys at work that wrench on cars, and while neither of them has any experience putting together a convertible, but with Cyclon36's incredibly detailed guide looks like we could figure it out. No doubt an all day affair, though.

In the interim, I'm ordering some ballistic nylon, E-6000, and thread to do a stronger temporary fix than the duct tape I have right now.

 

happened to me not long ago. Had to fight the insurance a bit but I got enough.

 

Ugh that sucks. I am glad they didn't steal anything. People just suck.

 

Glad to hear the seat locks worked. Good luck with the repair and yes, get an alarm with proximity. Pager alarms are very nice for piece of mind.

 

i asked my insurance company (wawanesa) about premium increases for vandalism. they told me that my premium would go up for 3 years if i claimed it with them. hopefully it's different for you.

 

I asked the guy at the shop about proximities. He said personally he'd go for a single zone, i.e. only in the car. He said you can tune the dual zone down so the outer one isn't that sensitive, ideally so someone has to basically press up against the window to set it off. As the point is to keep someone from cutting the top from the outside, I think I'll go with that.

I have USAA. They've been awesome. My ex-wife racked up a $5000 repair bill on a Civic, and a year later totaled it in a separate accident. We've also had windshields repaired, and I had side glass replaced on a Prelude. No rates went up. Here's hoping. I asked them directly if they would raise rates, and they told me they couldn't answer the question, as it can lead to unfair/not in good faith business practices.

 

Love the title of this thread

 

Sucks but glad insurance is taking care of it!

 

Hardtop time.

 

Never! This is the first convertible I've had, and I'm in love with it. The feeling of sky above you is incredible.