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Another semi-improbable recovery 2006 May 10 18:37

Posted by diamond in : Random , add a comment

Two plains clothes gardai called out around 10 and took a statement. A crime-scene unit also arrived and dusted the car for fingerprints, but found nothing. One of the detectives told me that the current trick is to remove your socks and place them over your hands while breaking in, as being found in possession of surgical gloves et al is more than a little suspicious.

Apparently mine wasn’t the only car that was broken into last night. I heard the detectives mention at least 2 or 3 other incidents in my area last night, at least one of which also involved a steering wheel being snapped off. The mind boggles, it really does.

I rang around a few of the more likely scrapyards to see if i could locate another steering column for a 91 toyota carina. Last month i rang 4 or 5 before i found one out in raheen. This time it was just 3, and it turned out to be the same scrapyard as last time too. Talking to the lady who runs it, she’s had a load of people in in the last month looking for the exact same item. The cars were around and plentiful for years, but she doesn’t ever remember selling one before. They just don’t break on their own, but there seems to be a spate of such incidents as my own happening.

I’m so very lucky i managed to find one at all. Most scrapyards don’t stock carina II parts any more (the cars are gone more than 15 years), and she reckoned she was the only one in the limerick area with any left. It turns out she has one more, and she jokingly told me she’d put my name on it for me.

The current anti-theft device i’ve been using is one of those steering-wheel clamps that prevent it from turning (specifically, a Hilka Elephant Lock). It’s served it’s purpose admirably; my car would have been stolen twice in the last month without it. Unfortunately, it’s also most likely the reason the persons unknown were able to snap off the steering wheel in both cases. Bit of a double-edged sword really.

So, under advice from the gardai and a helpful locksmith, i’ve invested in a intimidating portion of chain with an equally formidable looking lock (€70 for the lot. eek). The locksmith assures me that no bolt-cutter has a hope of getting through either. The idea is to chain the steering wheel to one of the anchor-points of the drivers seat. Here’s hoping it works anyway.

I’m hoping to fit the replacement steering column tomorrow, but it really depends on how much work i get done/have to do. The only tricky part should be the removal of the ignition. Re-fitting it the last time involved some help from my friends Brute Force and Ignorance.

Knock Knock. Again.

Posted by diamond in : Random , 4 comments

Almost exactly a month ago, my car was broken into, rolled to the end of the road, and had various things damaged including having the steering wheel snapped off. So, guess what happened last night? Anyone? No? Last night my car was broken into, rolled to the end of the road, and had the steering wheel snapped off. Again. I finding it really difficult to believe that this has actually happened. I keep hoping that i am in fact still dreaming.