To: bovik@ROBIN.WARP.CS.CMU.EDU
Subject: Beware of alloy wheel thieves
Return-Receipt-To: davide@b.gp.cs.cmu.edu
REM: I believe in coyotes, and time as an abstract...
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Reply-To: David.Eckhardt@B.GP.CS.CMU.EDU
Date: Tue, 08 Jun 93 17:42:54 -0400
From: David_Eckhardt@ROBIN.WARP.CS.CMU.EDU

If your car has alloy wheels, you may be in for a rude surprise.

Monday morning somebody stole all four wheels from a friend's car,
which was parked directly across the street from her house (in Park
Place, adjacent to Regent Square).  Used wheels and new tires ended up
costing around $600.

We learned two lessons from this:

1. Comprehensive insurance may be worthwhile even on a middle-aged
   car.  I own a 9-year-old Toyota station wagon, and comprehensive
   costs me about 10% of my bill.  I'd make back many years of that if
   somebody broke a few of my windows.

2. For around $20 any reasonable auto parts store (Beacon, Whitlock)
   will sell you a set of 4 locking lug nuts (1 for each wheel).  That
   seems like pretty good "time insurance" -- even if your car insurance
   covers the monetary costs, you'll still lose a day or two of your
   time.

We're not really sure why they took only the wheels.  Could it have
been because the steering wheel was locked with a Club?  Or was it
some sense of politeness?

Happy motoring...

Dave