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My Roadster - Looks like someone tried to jack it :(

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bonnie

I play a nice person on twitter.
Feb 6, 2011
16,429
9,943
Columbia River Gorge
I noticed after my recent weekend in SF that the whole steering column assembly was loose & assumed that it was a combination of aging plastic and overtightened assembly screws at some point. What I didn't notice is that a piece of plastic was missing on the left side. I just saw the crack on the right side. This morning I was wiping everything down and the whole top piece popped off in my hand, and I thought, 'well, lovely - something else to take care of.'

I stopped at the Rocklin Service Center today to ask The Best Service Crew in the World (headed by Randy Filippi!) to order new parts for me ... he took one look and said 'uh uh, Bonnie, someone tried to jack your car'. And he's right. I hadn't really looked closely, just had assumed it was age ... but there is pried plastic and such. It's not just age. Someone (henceforth referred to in my mind as 'Some ***hole') tried to figure out how to steal the car and was either interrupted or couldn't figure out the next step.

Was it locked the whole time? Maybe not while in one particular parking garage (not the one connected with the Hilton.) I don't know for sure, because I couldn't park it. It WAS in valet mode. I would have known if glove box or trunk were opened or if it was driven. Speed was limited. I could have tracked it with an app if it came to that. IF that was when it happened. I don't know. But dammit. Leave my Roadster alone! And who knows how long it will take to get the parts for this. I told him that cadaver parts :) were fine, too. There have to be some around, right? Any bets on how many weeks this will take? Anyone have any extra?

Left side of steering column:
photo 1 (1).JPG



Right side of steering column:
photo 2 (1).JPG
 
On the bright side, they didn't get it. It would have been much worse to come back to the valet and find out that they can't find your car.

There might be security cameras where it valet parked and you may wish to find out if there are, and if so, if they show anything.
 
I really didn't want to valet park it - hate doing that. But 1) I had an all-day meeting and was supplied validated parking for this particular garage, 2) the attendant pointed around at all the high-end cars he parked there, and 3) I was stupid to let him do it. I doubt there was any security camera - and if there was, it was last Thursday. Unlikely they have anything still. Most of that stuff just loops.

Usually a valet will let me self park it and then (if required for their insurance purposes) hand them the key. Not in this case. It was parked away from the main entrance on another level (which I know because it took him a while to retrieve it).

Again, I don't know that is what happened. But walking through the past week, I can't think of any other opportunity. We checked the soft top, it hasn't been messed with. It's garaged when home. My garage is closed when home. And a lot of you know from having been here for the bbq that I'm not exactly on the beaten path. Strangers don't wander by here. (They're afraid of ankle bites from raccoons or Rolo.)

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That sucks! Baby turtles are rare and should be left alone.

Glad it is safe and not a lot of damage done by whoever did that.

I know! Don't mess with Baby Turtle!
 
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I'm surprised, as I'm sure you all are, that the Alpine was untouched.

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Would it have been any safer if you had self parked it in that particular garage? I guess maybe the valet didn't lock your car so someone thought they'd take a crack at it.

If I had self-parked, it would have been in a more visible spot. And I would know it had been locked.
 
Glad the damage appears to only be some trim pieces on the steering column and not anything worse.
As smorgasbord has already suggested, your local (?) Lotus Service Center might be the best resource to locate the correct replacement parts.

Self-parking and locking might take a minute or two more, but you then KNOW that your car is locked up from some casual attempt at calamity.
IMO, if they were pros and really wanted it: it would be long gone.
 
you would think that with the Valet bring cars in and out of the parking spots would deter a thief??!

Any possibility it could have happened somewhere else?

It's a possibility, sure ... but Randy and I walked through each day in the last week and just couldn't come up with a time/place other than that one.

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Self-parking and locking might take a minute or two more, but you then KNOW that your car is locked up from some casual attempt at calamity.
IMO, if they were pros and really wanted it: it would be long gone.

Ahh, right. Thanks. Kind of the point I was making earlier. But never hurts to remind me again. :) For those of you unfamiliar with downtown SF, it's not always just a minute or two to self-park. We'll leave it at that. I should have found another garage. No argument. This was the one recommended to me. It may not be the one where it happened. I have not had a problem like this before, mainly because I do not valet my car. Anyway, it happened. We'll find the part. I'll get the Lotus info to Randy, but I think he's already got it on order.
 
I'm surprised, as I'm sure you all are, that the Alpine was untouched.

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If I had self-parked, it would have been in a more visible spot. And I would know it had been locked.

Maybe the thief reads TMC and knows how much people hate the Alpine:). Glad it wasn't taken though. They probably would have caused a lot if damage trying to remove it.