MBoom

My 2002 SC430 was stolen in Naperville, IL sometime during the night of July 14-15. I'd appreciate it if those of you who might be in a position to spot it would keep this info in your hip pocket and contact me if you learn of its whereabouts. Here's the info on the car:


-2002 SC430, Sapphire Blue with Ecru interior
-5-spoke Lexus wheels
-59,XXX miles at time of theft
-VIN: JTHFN48Y120034138
-Illinois Plates: 1697SS (Route 66 commemorative plates)

The car was literally in perfect condition. The only other distinctive features that likely would not be removed or concealed by the thiefs are:

-Front paint protection film (hood)
-Four paint-matched bumper plugs in license plate holes
-Carbon Fiber overlay on radio fascia

I know it's a long shot--the officer who took the theft report told me that most cars like this end up being shipped to eastern Europe or Central America--but if you see any sign of this car, please report it to your local authorities and/or call me at 630.881.0125. The car has been reported as stolen and any law enforcement agency should be able to identify it as such.

Thank you.

-Mike Boomgarden

habeeb89

iTrader: (3)

I'm in the Bolingbrook/Naperville area, I will keep a eye out.

intdiamond

iTrader: (2)

Dammm, that sucks.... I live dwntwn. Chicago and will absolutely keep my eyes peeled. How did they get away with your car?

MBoom

I'm not sure. It was parked on our street (a private street in our townhome development), something that I almost never do. They most likely either backed a tow truck up to it and grabbed it, or they placed rollers under the tires and rolled it out to a waiting truck on the street (that's the theory of the cop who took the report). It was locked and both sets of keys were in the house. There was no sign of broken glass and none of the neighbors I've talked to heard any alarms.

My understanding is that most thefts of cars like this are done by professionals, and the cars are destined for eastern Europe or Central/South America.

farkas

iTrader: (5)

Bummer!!!!

quirusm

Real sorry to hear that man - I panicked for a second cause I just got the sc430 I bought delivered - from Naperville IL, and it's an 02. Colors, mileage and vin arent anywhere close though - plus I doubt carmax sells stolen cars

good luck anyway.

John007

Have you tried calling lexus? They might be able to track your cars location. I think, because I know all mercedes that have a navigation system can be tracked. I might be wrong but can anyone verify this?

lyyca

iTrader: (23)

Sorry to hear that man Was your SC lojacked?

Pearlpower

iTrader: (2)

Very sorry to see, any pics?

Tensi

You're wrong. All MB's with nav can't be tracked. You are talking about tele-aid.

Lapraka

Auch Auch

lex2001

I recently had contact with MBoom. He informed me his stolen SC was involved in a high speed chase in Chicago and crashed. I don't know the details and he hasn't seen the car yet. He'll probably post in another week.

Little E

iTrader: (2)

How sad.

passnu2

iTrader: (33)

PM me if I can do anything to help out I am local to you....its been a few days now so I am sure the car is parted or gone unfortuatley but I am willing to help and for sure will keep my eyes open!

I suggest that you post in the Regional Chicago section so others in your area can help out also!

Mike

MBoom

Sorry for the delay in updating this info, but both my mother-in-law and my dad have been hospitalized over the past week. Sheesh! When it rains, it pours . . . Anyway, here's the update:

On July 21/22, I was flying to Italy for a week's vacation with my family. When I turned my cell phone on for the first time, I had a message from the Chicago Police Department, telling me that my car had been recovered.

I called the officer back and got the full story. He said he had been patrolling in an unmarked car on Chicago's west side, and spotted a 17-year-old driving an SC. Not a typical sight, he started following my car and called in the plates. The kid spotted the police, and fled. The high-speed chase ended with the kid crashing through a wrought-iron fence and into a church. As I understood it (please understand that I was still jet-lagged), the kid had two outstanding arrest warrants and was on probation at the time of the arrest.

I'm still not certain how he got into the car. He may have slim-jimmed it, but the right window was smashed in. That may have been how he gained entry, but it could also have happened in the crash. The car's pretty rough right now--the front end is pretty well destroyed, the roof has a very large dent in it, all the wheels have scrapes of some sort, and the whole car appears to be torqued. None of the body seams have the same gaps and the rear wheels are angled to the right about 15-20 degrees.

USAA's contract estimator put the cost of repairs at $9,700, but he missed a lot of damage, including extensive damage to the interior arising out of cuts to the leather from glass shards, and an apparent attempt to pry the nav screen out of the dash. The guy from the body shop where I had it towed guesses that there's probably around $5,000 in damage to the interior alone. The estimator also missed the busted out window, the pry marks on the passenger door panel, the misalignment/torqueing of the rear end, the rear suspension damage, the destruction of one of the frame rails, and much more.

What really caught my eye, apart from all the stuff that should have been clear to the estimator, was the fact that the kid inflicted a tremendous number of cuts, gouges, and scrapes on nearly every body panel. As lex2001, who posted above, could tell you, even with 60,000 miles on it my SC was virtually flawless. I'm one of those guys who, probably like many of you, obsesses over my cars. Every scratch is buffed out. Every tiny chip is filled and polished. More times than I can recall, people were astounded to learn that it wasn't a brand-new car, but, rather, six years old. I get this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think about how this #$*&^# screwed around with it. It was abused and banged around quite a bit in the week or so that he had it. God knows what kind of condition the engine and transmission are in (I know that the oil pan has been damaged and some sort of fluid is leaking down the front of the block; I can't tell much else).

At the moment, I'm in a state of limbo. USAA has mailed off a check in the amount of the original estimate, but the damage is clearly thousands beyond what has been estimated. The owner of the body shop has called the company that did the estimate and has asked them to come out, so he can go over all the damage with them and get a more accurate estimate. I don't know if the repair estimates will ultimately be so high that the car will be totaled, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case. I'm no expert, but if I had to guess, I'd estimate that the original estimate missed $10,000 to $15,000 worth of damage. It was sloppy beyond belief.

Until the estimate is done correctly, I'm very much up in the air. I have no reason to think USAA won't be reasonable, but the fact that their contract estimator mucked this up so badly has thrown a wrench into the process.

In all of this, the one positive thing I had to say is this: Kudos to the Chicago Police Department for great work. I never thought I'd see the car again, and it was recovered as a result of diligent and courageous conduct on the part of the officers involved. Though the chase ended badly, the car was recovered and the kid has been indicted. Thankfully, no police officers or innocent bystanders were hurt.

This is a major pain in the neck for me, and I'll likely take a hit of a few thousand bucks one way or the other, but ultimately it's just a car, albeit what was formerly a very nice car.