I've had mine broken into twice - once in the Hollywood hills the day after I
bought it (shattered the wing window and stole an empty toolbox) and once at a
fishing access spot - a bunch of stuff was stolen including my fire department
turnouts when I was a volunteer.

I am very paranoid about it!

I've thought about putting a flashing red light on the dash but I often leave it
in the shade with my dog for shorter periods of time.

Andree

________________________________
From: Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Sent: Tue, May 3, 2011 5:13:15 AM
Subject: Re: break-ins was Re: Alarm choices: was Today somebody got into
my van

---- Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU> wrote:
> I'm curious about the need for alarms.  I mean, how many of us have ever
> actually had our vanagons broken into, in how many years of traveling in
> them?

I have never had my Vanagon broken into, in two years of owning it and traveling
around the U.S.  Further, in 50 years of driving and owning cars, I've never had
a vehicle broken into.  On the other hand, my older brother has had a half dozen
or so break-ins of various vehicles, including mostly vans but sedans as well.
He and I both have at times carried and locked in our vehicles our traveling
kits of various make-up.  FWIW, I lived for many years in the Rio Grande Valley
of Texas, a location that has been cited as having the highest frequency of
vehicular theft and vehicular burglary in the U.S.

So far as a given system of protection having "worked" as evidenced by the
vehicle not having been broken  into while the system was in place, that falls
into the same category as the old joke about elephants painting a part of their
anatomy red to hide in apple trees working.  I've never seen an elephant hiding
in an apple tree, so it must work.

mcneely