Police: Winter Car Thieves Strike When Owners Start Car to Warm It Up and Walk Away
Car thieves like to watch for unattended cars warming up, and strike.
http://fairfaxcity.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/police-winter-car-thieves-strike-when-owners-start-car-to-warm-it-up-and-walk-away_445867f9

As the cold and busy holiday season is upon us, Fairfax County police are urging residents to take precautions when warming up vehicles and leaving them unattended.

A total of 47 vehicles were stolen in Fairfax County between Dec. 1 and Jan. 6 last year, according to statistics provided by police. Altogether there were 808 vehicles stolen in 2012, compared to 877 in 2011.

Just last Wednesday, a woman in Alexandria started her car around 8 a.m. and went back inside her home while it warmed up. Car thieves saw the car, jumped in and took off in it.

Two juveniles and other suspects were later apprehended, the report stated, but not every car theft victim is so lucky.
Police detectives with the police department's Auto Theft Unit offer residents the following tips to keep in mind to avoid becoming victims of auto theft:

•Never leave your keys in your vehicle.
•Never leave your car running unattended.
•Never leave valuables visible in your vehicle.
•Consider installing anti-theft technologies and devices.
•Park in well-lit areas when possible.
•If your car is stolen, report it to police immediately.

Do you like to warm up your car by starting it for a few moments when getting in? What are your winter car tips?

I have the remote start feature. I perform the task from inside. Plus, the doors stay locked until I go back out and unlock them, put the key in the ignition and drive away. Additionally, the remote start feature will only run for 10 minutes and if you don't put the key in the ignition and into "run" position, it will shut back off.

I wonder how good those cars are that people keep unlocked and warm up in their parking lot or driveway?

Remote Start Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have the remote start feature. I perform the
> task from inside. Plus, the doors stay locked
> until I go back out and unlock them, put the key
> in the ignition and drive away. Additionally, the
> remote start feature will only run for 10 minutes
> and if you don't put the key in the ignition and
> into "run" position, it will shut back off.
>
> I wonder how good those cars are that people keep
> unlocked and warm up in their parking lot or
> driveway?

I have remote start too and I can't believe that people don't have it installed on their cars. The cheapest kit is something like $200 for one from Autozone I think and the car is totally secure. (Can't be driven without the key).

The longest you should let your car warm up on even the coldest of mornings is 2-3 minutes. In that amount of time, heat should start coming out of your vents (assuming that is the main reason you're starting your car ahead of time). After those 3 minutes, you should drive off as you would any other morning. Most cars these days can handle being driven a couple minutes after starting, even if it's 15 degrees out. Drive your car normally and let the fluids warm up (oil and transmission fluid) before you start driving fast (such as getting on the Tolld Road or 66). If you start your car when the engine is "cold" (hasn't been driven in 6-8 hours), and drive off, you're at risk of excessive engine and transmission wear.

Al Gore's Bitch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The longest you should let your car warm up on
> even the coldest of mornings is 2-3 minutes. In
> that amount of time, heat should start coming out
> of your vents (assuming that is the main reason
> you're starting your car ahead of time). After
> those 3 minutes, you should drive off as you would
> any other morning. Most cars these days can
> handle being driven a couple minutes after
> starting, even if it's 15 degrees out. Drive your
> car normally and let the fluids warm up (oil and
> transmission fluid) before you start driving fast
> (such as getting on the Tolld Road or 66). If you
> start your car when the engine is "cold" (hasn't
> been driven in 6-8 hours), and drive off, you're
> at risk of excessive engine and transmission wear.


On cold/freezing days I like to warm up my car for the full 15 minutes that my remote start keeps it running.

This way the internal moisture is gone and all the windows and mirrors have had a chance to defrost. Don't buy into the save a cup of gasoline and save the world crowd.

I always see folks driving their cars with frost all over the windows and mirrors in the morning. They can't see worth shit and swerve all over the road, but hey, they saved a baby harp seal's worth of oil.

Standard Oil Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> I always see folks driving their cars with frost
> all over the windows and mirrors in the morning.
> They can't see worth shit and swerve all over the
> road, but hey, they saved a baby harp seal's worth
> of oil.

Your observation is spot on. Their car is not very well prepped, yet the person is bound to have a cell phone or smart phone that has a 100% charge. Go figure.

>
> I wonder how good those cars are that people keep
> unlocked and warm up in their parking lot or
> driveway?


There are plenty of newer higher end cars without remote start. Any car with a manual transmission will likely not have remote start. Leave it in 1st gear once and forget... you would be fucked.

Start one car, then box it in with the other one.

Standard Oil Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Al Gore's Bitch Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The longest you should let your car warm up on
> > even the coldest of mornings is 2-3 minutes.
> In
> > that amount of time, heat should start coming
> out
> > of your vents (assuming that is the main reason
> > you're starting your car ahead of time). After
> > those 3 minutes, you should drive off as you
> would
> > any other morning. Most cars these days can
> > handle being driven a couple minutes after
> > starting, even if it's 15 degrees out. Drive
> your
> > car normally and let the fluids warm up (oil
> and
> > transmission fluid) before you start driving
> fast
> > (such as getting on the Tolld Road or 66). If
> you
> > start your car when the engine is "cold"
> (hasn't
> > been driven in 6-8 hours), and drive off,
> you're
> > at risk of excessive engine and transmission
> wear.
>
>
> On cold/freezing days I like to warm up my car for
> the full 15 minutes that my remote start keeps it
> running.
>
> This way the internal moisture is gone and all the
> windows and mirrors have had a chance to defrost.
> Don't buy into the save a cup of gasoline and save
> the world crowd.
>
> I always see folks driving their cars with frost
> all over the windows and mirrors in the morning.
> They can't see worth shit and swerve all over the
> road, but hey, they saved a baby harp seal's worth
> of oil.


I could give a shit less about saving gas or fuel, but there have been plenty of studies and experiments done, and you get diminishing returns after leaving you car running for more than five minutes. Just because your coolant gauge is up to halfway on your dashboard doesn't mean the rest of your car is prepared for high RPM driving. Your transmission fluid is still ice cold because the gears aren't moving through the fluid to warm it up.

Your defroster must suck balls if it takes 15 minutes to clear your windshield and rear window. It takes at most 20 seconds for my windshield to be cleared and another 2-3 before my side mirrors and rear window are clear.

Douchebag.

Keep your front door open while the car's warming up and be on the lookout for niggers, although it may be tough to see them early in the morning.

"Car thieves like to watch for unattended cars warming up, and strike"

er, not according to your own numbers:
"
A total of 47 vehicles were stolen in Fairfax County between Dec. 1 and Jan. 6 last year,... Altogether there were 808 vehicles stolen in 2012"

That was 5 weeks last year. That averages over 77 every 5 weeks all year long, meaning that if only 47 were stolen, well...

Math is hard for public "officials". They can't BS their way thru a bunch of BS "studies".

So the message is that it's easier to steal a car that's unlocked and running with the keys in the ignition, but (as Math > You points out) not necessarily more likely for your car to be stolen if you leave it that way.

Hard-hitting journalism, that.

2007 Mazda Sped Wrote:
---------------------
>
> I could give a shit less about saving gas or fuel,
> but there have been plenty of studies and
> experiments done, and you get diminishing returns
> after leaving you car running for more than five
> minutes. Just because your coolant gauge is up to
> halfway on your dashboard doesn't mean the rest of
> your car is prepared for high RPM driving. Your
> transmission fluid is still ice cold because the
> gears aren't moving through the fluid to warm it
> up.
>
> Your defroster must suck balls if it takes 15
> minutes to clear your windshield and rear window.
> It takes at most 20 seconds for my windshield to
> be cleared and another 2-3 before my side mirrors
> and rear window are clear.
>
> Douchebag.

Why do you care?

Paint your bald spot?

Larry, from the corner Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 2007 Mazda Sped Wrote:
> ---------------------
> >
> > I could give a shit less about saving gas or
> fuel,
> > but there have been plenty of studies and
> > experiments done, and you get diminishing
> returns
> > after leaving you car running for more than
> five
> > minutes. Just because your coolant gauge is up
> to
> > halfway on your dashboard doesn't mean the rest
> of
> > your car is prepared for high RPM driving.
> Your
> > transmission fluid is still ice cold because
> the
> > gears aren't moving through the fluid to warm
> it
> > up.
> >
> > Your defroster must suck balls if it takes 15
> > minutes to clear your windshield and rear
> window.
> > It takes at most 20 seconds for my windshield
> to
> > be cleared and another 2-3 before my side
> mirrors
> > and rear window are clear.
> >
> > Douchebag.
>
> Why do you care?
>
> Paint your bald spot?


I care because I am not like 95% of vehicle owners in this area, who treat their cars like shit and then complain when they have to spend any money on repairs that could have easily been taken care of by preventative maintenance... and God forbid people read the owner's manual that comes with their car.

And I'm 25, the only bald spot I have is on deez nutz.