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Kirt Kingzett is a real estate broker who is also an actor. If you are lucky enough to have HD cable and watch INHD, he is the co-host of a show called Beer Nutz where they travel the country drinking beer for you. Now that he's back, his car got stolen.
1. Getting your car stolen is obviously not fun. Tell us your not-fun story.
A day at the Bitch Beach. So I wake up head to the street, where I know I left my car, because I had to get my wallet out of it to go to dinner with a friend the night before. To my surprise, there is another car parked in the place where my vehicle was - what the!?! My first thoughts are, "ok now I can't get to where I am going", then, "what did I leave in the car? Tools, sports gear, a cashiers check!?!!?"
Ok, first things first, call the police. "Hello North Hollywood Police Department, Yes I think my car has been stolen... what's the plate #? I'm not sure but I have the VIN."
"Ok what is it? Well we don't have it in impound." Next is Van Nuys... same thing.
Now I head over to Van Nuys police department. I walked over the Van Nuys Blvd. to catch the bus, that I don't think I have ever traveled on since living in LA for 15 years. To my surprise, it didn't take long to catch a bus. It was very clean, not crowded and $1.25 for a ride to the police station. Not bad at all. I have used public transportation in every other city, but not LA.
I get to the Van Nuys police station: the officer was professional and courteous as he told me to look around the block for my car, as some thieves park the car a block or 2 away for a day or so to see if there is a LoJack device installed in the vehicle. I said yes, I did walk up and down the block as I sometimes forget where I park my car. The officer said he would call if they found my vehicle or if someone found it. He said sometimes the thieves take it for a joy ride, or for parts and leave it in a parking lot, or on a street.
2. Any tips for future GTA victims?
Tips are to keep your car empty of things you don't absolutely need in it. Your auto insurance won't pay for anything left in it, and your home owners insurance usually has a deductible: mine is $1000.00. It's tough to come up with that many items to meet the deductible.
Get LoJack if you like your car. I make my car mine, by tinting the windows, new tires and keeping it clean, but I didn't get a recovery system so now I have to just wait to see if the jackass that took my car doesn't really mess it up. It's just a pain in the rump looking for another car! I hate looking for a car.
3. What's your next car going to be?
Well I have been looking at BMW's and I know that's quite a chance, but there's an opportunity where a friend of mine is selling his 2003 325i BMW. I still have to think about that one, but it is a sweet ride. I think having a car stolen really makes me think that I don't want to get anything to new or too fancy. Well I guess the '97 Honda Accord they took wasn't top of the line.
4. Any updates on the status of your car? Has it been found yet?
No update on the car as of yet, but the officer did say that 50% of cars are typically found and returned, sometimes but not always in the same shape. The good thing about the Van Nuys police department is that they will call you if and when your car is recovered, so I won't have to pay for 3 weeks of impounds if they have it. And I heard some stations don't call, they let the car sit. So I am optimistic, he also said it can take up to a month to recover the vehicle. So for that time I have a rental, which my insurance covers up to $20 a day. You really can't get that much of a car for that!
5. Since you are a "Beer Nut," name some of the best places to get a beer after your car is stolen
Well the nice thing about living where I do is that there are a couple of good bars within walking distance. The Green Frog has some really good beers on tap!
Picture taken on Ventura Cyn. Ave where Kingzett's car was stolen.
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just wanted to ask what people thought of using "the club." i'm also wondering if the cops recommend it or not.
i've had one ever since i've had my honda accord, which is ten years now. i use it religiously, and it's a real comfort blanket for me when i walk away from my car. my car has never been stolen, so i guess that's saying something?
Joe,
LAPD does recommend you use it. However, they do warn you it is not foolproof by any means. A pro can get by it in less than a minute.
That said, the more you harden the target, that is, create obstacles for the thief to get through, the more likely they will move on to another car that doesn't have a club.
Most GTA seems to be joy riding (I've heard 98% of stolen cars are in LA) and the club is good for those types of criminals. But the sad fact is, if a pro wants your car, they'll get your car.
oh yes, i never believed it was foolproof by any means; i always know that if someone is absolutely determined to steal my car, they can and will. nothing we can do to stop that. i use the club basically to make the common thief move on to the next car.
a good tip with the club is to lock it on the backside of the steering wheel, so the lock is facing the spedometer. this makes it harder for someone to pick the lock, if that was their plan.
I second the LoJack thing. My last car was stolen twice (!) in West LA, and I recovered it both times within hours... and with very little damage. If I liked my current car, I'd have LoJack installed in it, too. Besides recovering your car, it also gives auto insurance discounts in many cases, so it actually pays for itself.
how much does lojack cost anyway? their website aint givin up the quotes. thanks.
Joe, it cost me $1000 (i think) when I bought my car. I say that knowing that I may have been totally ripped off. I never researched the price beforehand, oh well.
When I bought my car, it was $600 (a couple of years ago). It may have been discounted, since I opted to buy it when I purchased the car. I've heard higher quotes given to people who bought LoJack separately.