Pain in the glass

eg239 · 06-25-2004, 03:29 AM

Well folks, I have a really interesting story that I'll cut short so I can just get this pressing question answered...

Tonight a friend of mine locked my keys in the car. I called the police and they said they no longer responded to lock-out calls. We (three young women) were in a dark back lot in a rather sketchy part of town, and since none of us had AAA, I decided it would be prudent to smash in the window and retrive the keys that way.

So folks, here's the question. How can I be sure I've removed all the glass from the carpet and uphulstery (can't spell)? This normally wouldn't be a concern, but I have to transport two young children all weekend and they'll be confined to the back seat, and I really don't feel like taking any trips to the hospital.

Also, does anyone know if I can file a claim on my insurance for this without a police report?

**efusco** · 06-25-2004, 08:30 AM

Broke the window?! The yellow pages of almost any town in the US have multiple listings for Pop-a-lock type services who would have been a lot cheaper and simpler than busting out, replacing, and cleaning up the glass.

You can certainly file a claim, but the cost is probably less than your deductible, and it is your own fault. Also, it will reflect badly on your insurance record and may cause and increase in rates that, over time, will cost a lot more than the window.

Finally, just vacuum out the car well, check in the seat cracks and under the seat and don't worry too much about cuts, most of that stuff is safety glass and it's hard to get cut on.

**TonyPSchaefer** · 06-25-2004, 12:25 PM

eg239, I know your pain.
I too have been in a similar situation. The sacrifice of the window and the pain in having it fixed seems minor compared to the thoughts running through the minds of people stranded in questionable sections of town on a dark night.

After I locked myself out once (ok, twice (dammit three times!)) I started fastening a spare key to a difficult to reach part of the undercarriage. In theory, I would slide under the car if/when I needed it; the placement was intentionally difficult to reach and certainly impossible to casually see. I used wire because I'm leary of magnets coming unfastened and it's relatively easy to untwist the wire ends.

My Buick Regal won't lock the doors with the key in the ignition, but that won't stop me from putting the keys in my coat jacket, deciding that it's not all that cold out and throwing the coat in the back seat.

This time, I'm getting SS/SE and I can't even accidently lock the fob in. I have come to rely on technology that is smarter than I am. :?

**tag** · 06-25-2004, 02:32 PM

Quote:

You can certainly file a claim, but the cost is probably less than your deductible, and it is your own fault. Also, it will reflect badly on your insurance record and may cause and increase in rates that, over time, will cost a lot more than the window.

Yes, sorry that happened to you but I recommend heeding Evan's advice!

After all, assuming you're going to be forthright, you'll be telling your insurance folks a few things that are sure to give them pause, to wit:

1) You went to a "sketchy part of town" and parked your car in a "dark back lot".

2) You locked your keys in your car (or allowed them to be locked in).

3) You decided to smash the glass to gain entry rather than explore some other, probably much less expensive, options (e.g. calling a lock-out service, calling a cab or otherwise getting a ride home to get an extra set of keys, etc.).

4) You're now willing to file a claim for a type of incident they know many of their customers would just pay for out of their own pockets.

Not good no matter how you slice it.

**TonyPSchaefer** · 06-25-2004, 02:49 PM

oh yeah, I forgot to address that point.

I wouldn't tell the insurance company about this whole mess. For all the reasons mentioned above and a few more that I'm sure just haven't been mentioned yet. Doing so would only make the unfortunate situation worse.

I know that you have probably been taught, like I was, that you should always contact the insurance agency whenever there's a problem or something needs fixed or whatever. However, there are times - like this one - in which it would be best if you just left them out of it.

Tag and Efusco spell it out pretty well. For an unrelated incident several years ago, I called my insurance to report a minor incursion. The individual I spoke with actually advised me to hang up the phone and we should forget we ever spoke about it. No explination. It wasn't until later that I actually figured out that it really was for the best.

richard schumacher · 06-25-2004, 02:51 PM

Sheesh.

Assuming that this is *not* a troll: Use this incident as an incentive to take that nice plastic credit card sized emergency key that Toyota sent you to the nearest dealer, and have them cut it to match your door key. Then put it in your wallet and forget about the insurance scam.

jamarimutt · 06-25-2004, 04:04 PM

It is difficult to lock yourself out in a Prius, but it is possible. It was not an option to call Toyota road assistance and have them open the door?

**tag** · 06-25-2004, 04:10 PM

Quote:

It is difficult to lock yourself out in a Prius, but it is possible. It was not an option to call Toyota road assistance and have them open the door?

According to her sig, eg239 doesn't have a Prius......yet.

htmlspinnr · 06-25-2004, 04:12 PM

This was probably on a non-Toyota car.

eg239 · 06-25-2004, 05:01 PM

Yes, definitely not a Toyota. I would never have smashed the window in if I had more than $3.50 in my wallet at the time, or if my friends were playing this a little more cool (instead of running around the lot screaming "OMIGAWD I LOCKED YOUR KEYS IN YOUR CAR!!!"). I realized this morning as I was still picking shards of glass out of my hand that this really wasn't the best way to go about things, but, oh well. Live and learn.

Although I have zero-deductible glass replacement written into my policy, I've decided against calling on the insurance. Upon further assessment, fixing the window would be just a minor repair as compared to the numerous other problems with the car that threaten my well-being on a regular basis.

With any luck this will motivate me to get going on the whole Prius thing.

Thanks for the advice. I promise I'll never break another window. Really.

06-25-2004, 03:29 AM	#1
eg239 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Manchester, NH Posts: 73 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Pain in the glass Well folks, I have a really interesting story that I'll cut short so I can just get this pressing question answered... Tonight a friend of mine locked my keys in the car. I called the police and they said they no longer responded to lock-out calls. We (three young women) were in a dark back lot in a rather sketchy part of town, and since none of us had AAA, I decided it would be prudent to smash in the window and retrive the keys that way. So folks, here's the question. How can I be sure I've removed all the glass from the carpet and uphulstery (can't spell)? This normally wouldn't be a concern, but I have to transport two young children all weekend and they'll be confined to the back seat, and I really don't feel like taking any trips to the hospital. Also, does anyone know if I can file a claim on my insurance for this without a police report? __________________ Cancelled Prius order, bought a 20-year-old Saab instead. Kicking myself in the butt ever since.

06-25-2004, 08:30 AM	#2
efusco Troll Slayer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nixa, MO Posts: 14,228 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 1 Time in 1 Post TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 24	Broke the window?! The yellow pages of almost any town in the US have multiple listings for Pop-a-lock type services who would have been a lot cheaper and simpler than busting out, replacing, and cleaning up the glass. You can certainly file a claim, but the cost is probably less than your deductible, and it is your own fault. Also, it will reflect badly on your insurance record and may cause and increase in rates that, over time, will cost a lot more than the window. Finally, just vacuum out the car well, check in the seat cracks and under the seat and don't worry too much about cuts, most of that stuff is safety glass and it's hard to get cut on. __________________ Evan E. Fusco, MD Seaside 04BC9/OEM EVb/NAV & auto-BT/XM Radio, CAN-View, Shark Fin, BT Stiff. Plate, Skid Plate & Strut Support

06-25-2004, 12:25 PM	#3
TonyPSchaefer Ruler of Omicron Persei 8 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Far-North Chicagoland Posts: 8,415 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 4 Times in 2 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 16	eg239, I know your pain. I too have been in a similar situation. The sacrifice of the window and the pain in having it fixed seems minor compared to the thoughts running through the minds of people stranded in questionable sections of town on a dark night. After I locked myself out once (ok, twice (dammit three times!)) I started fastening a spare key to a difficult to reach part of the undercarriage. In theory, I would slide under the car if/when I needed it; the placement was intentionally difficult to reach and certainly impossible to casually see. I used wire because I'm leary of magnets coming unfastened and it's relatively easy to untwist the wire ends. My Buick Regal won't lock the doors with the key in the ignition, but that won't stop me from putting the keys in my coat jacket, deciding that it's not all that cold out and throwing the coat in the back seat. This time, I'm getting SS/SE and I can't even accidently lock the fob in. I have come to rely on technology that is smarter than I am. :? __________________ Proud father of Priapus: the '04 Tideland BC9 with an OEM EV button and sense of self-righteousness >>Current Mileage<< Spreading information and passing gas in the Greater Chicagoland area

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06-25-2004, 02:49 PM	#5
TonyPSchaefer Ruler of Omicron Persei 8 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Far-North Chicagoland Posts: 8,415 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 4 Times in 2 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 16	oh yeah, I forgot to address that point. I wouldn't tell the insurance company about this whole mess. For all the reasons mentioned above and a few more that I'm sure just haven't been mentioned yet. Doing so would only make the unfortunate situation worse. I know that you have probably been taught, like I was, that you should always contact the insurance agency whenever there's a problem or something needs fixed or whatever. However, there are times - like this one - in which it would be best if you just left them out of it. Tag and Efusco spell it out pretty well. For an unrelated incident several years ago, I called my insurance to report a minor incursion. The individual I spoke with actually advised me to hang up the phone and we should forget we ever spoke about it. No explination. It wasn't until later that I actually figured out that it really was for the best.

06-25-2004, 02:51 PM	#6
richard schumacher nacreous lacquer Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4,126 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Sheesh. Assuming that this is not a troll: Use this incident as an incentive to take that nice plastic credit card sized emergency key that Toyota sent you to the nearest dealer, and have them cut it to match your door key. Then put it in your wallet and forget about the insurance scam.

06-25-2004, 04:04 PM	#7
jamarimutt Join Date: May 2004 Posts: 972 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	It is difficult to lock yourself out in a Prius, but it is possible. It was not an option to call Toyota road assistance and have them open the door?

06-25-2004, 04:12 PM	#9
htmlspinnr Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Surprise, AZ (Phoenix) Posts: 1,304 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: Pioneer #3 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 1	This was probably on a non-Toyota car.

06-25-2004, 05:01 PM	#10
eg239 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Manchester, NH Posts: 73 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Yes, definitely not a Toyota. I would never have smashed the window in if I had more than $3.50 in my wallet at the time, or if my friends were playing this a little more cool (instead of running around the lot screaming "OMIGAWD I LOCKED YOUR KEYS IN YOUR CAR!!!"). I realized this morning as I was still picking shards of glass out of my hand that this really wasn't the best way to go about things, but, oh well. Live and learn. Although I have zero-deductible glass replacement written into my policy, I've decided against calling on the insurance. Upon further assessment, fixing the window would be just a minor repair as compared to the numerous other problems with the car that threaten my well-being on a regular basis. With any luck this will motivate me to get going on the whole Prius thing. Thanks for the advice. I promise I'll never break another window. Really.