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Pain in the glass

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by eg239, Jun 25, 2004.

  1. eg239

    eg239 New Member

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    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. :roll:

    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?
     
    #1 eg239, Jun 25, 2004
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    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.
     
    #2 efusco, Jun 25, 2004
  3. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    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. :?
     
    #3 TonyPSchaefer, Jun 25, 2004
  4. tag

    tag Senior Member

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    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.
     
    #4 tag, Jun 25, 2004
  5. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    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.
     
    #5 TonyPSchaefer, Jun 25, 2004
  6. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    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.
     
    #6 richard schumacher, Jun 25, 2004
  7. jamarimutt

    jamarimutt New Member

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    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?
     
    #7 jamarimutt, Jun 25, 2004
  8. tag

    tag Senior Member

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    According to her sig, eg239 doesn't have a Prius......yet.
     
    #8 tag, Jun 25, 2004
  9. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    This was probably on a non-Toyota car.
     
    #9 HTMLSpinnr, Jun 25, 2004
  10. eg239

    eg239 New Member

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    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.
     
    #10 eg239, Jun 25, 2004
  11. Sun__Tzu

    Sun__Tzu New Member

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    My roommate has his back window smash in by, we guessed, a homeless guy looking for some place to sleep on a rainy Berkeley night.

    We parked the car close to the buliding and used a corded vacuum cleaner and a pair of rubber gloves (dishwashing gloves) for maybe half an hour. I think we used flashlights too to try and find little grains of glass (move your head and the flashlight around, and look for the refracted light).

    After it looks like you've gotten it all, start running your bare hand over the seat, gently at first, since you probably didn't get it all (I know we didn't). Check and double check the cracks in the seat, as well as any places there are stitchings/folds, crevices, etc., as the glass will tend to get pretty deep down in there. Also check the seat belt buckles.

    I remember finding a tiny piece of glass in the back seat a month or two after it happened, but for the most part, I think we got it all when we cleaned the car (4 of us taking turns). Good luck : )
     
    #11 Sun__Tzu, Jun 25, 2004
  12. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Get a big roll of wide tape--packing tape will work. Pull out a 12-18" length and start sticking it on the seat/carpet/whatever. It will pick up all the dirt/glass etc. It's what we use on patients in the ER who come in covered with glass. If you try to brush it off it will cut us, the patient, or fly in someone's eye.
     
    #12 efusco, Jun 25, 2004
  13. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    also check the seat belt retractors. if there is any stickeyness to the action of pulling out or retracting the seat belt take it a glass shop as most have experience removing saftyglass cubits from autos.
     
    #13 Frank Hudon, Jul 18, 2004
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