Camry tire questions (tires stolen from Chicago park district lot!)

Some close friends had a strange experience in Chicago: Their Camry was parked in the official parking lot of Garfield Park Conservatory run by Chicago Park District. It is supposed to have security. Whatever happened, their two passenger-side tires were stolen from the parking lot, in daylight on a Sunday afternoon!

After a few anxious hours they were able to get an extra spare and somehow get home. They are a little shaken up, so I thought some advice from you guys will help them make good decisions.

***Chicago questions***

While the staff were nice and sympathetic...

  1. If the lot is supposed to have security, are security guys "in" on such incidents? How else can people steal tires from a Park District lot next to a major tourist attraction?

  1. Who do my friends contact for reimbursements/damages?

***Car questions***

  1. The car still has 2 tires close to 1/2 life. One spare is full size brand new. (The other spare they hustled is worthless). In this case what would be the best strategy? Buy 4 new tires? Just two?

The original tires are Goodyear Regatta 2. If they buy all four new, which is the best value all-season tire for Midwest?

  1. Rims/wheels were stolen along with the tires. Can they just buy 2 rims? Do those need to match the others? Or, they have to buy 4?

Thanks.

===

Reply to
Ajanta
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Maybe, or then again it could be they are lazy and just don't care.

Good luck with that.

Always ideal to get 4 new tires. However, if the two remaining are equally new, put those on the front and put the new tires and wheels on the rear. (better tires go on the rear to prevent oversteer) Given it's a FWD car, they will may be worn out before there is significant wear on the new ones on the rear. Then get two more new tires (same brand) put them on the rear, move the first 'new' set to the front.

Couldn't tell ya for a camry. Best to get the same brand and size as the remaining 2 if replacing only two.

The 2 need to be the same size as before. There are several ways you can get used rims. Steel or alloy? See your local salvage yard.

Buy some lock lugs.

Reply to
Brent P

I'm sure there are signs plastered everywhere saying "not resposible for anything lost or damage". The security guys are there to prevent people from using the lot and not paying or to prevent damage to their property, not yours.

Reply to
bungalow_steve

Similar to the rock haulers that have a sign on their trucks, "Not responsible for damage". They hope that the average person will see the sign and not sue.

This is a good question to ask an attorney - probably by phone, for free. Or maybe the insurance company, depending on deductible limits, etc.

Michael

Reply to
mrdarrett

Call the insurance company and take the car to a dealer

Reply to
rb

  1. Buy two wheels at the dealer or junk year. You didn't say how old the car was.
  2. Buy two new tires.
  3. Buy a set of wheel lug locks.
  4. Check with your auto insurance to see if any of this was covered as vandalism or theft. The city may provide some security but they aren't responsible for anything like this. Owner of the car assumes all risks.
Reply to
Gary

If they have 'comprehensive' coverage on their auto policy, it covers fire and theft...with possible deductibles. if the insurance company is paying, go first class and get the tires and wheels replaced with original parts.

Reply to
mack

I switched from Regatta 2's to the Assurance TripleTred and I LOVE them.

Reply to
clifto

: Some close friends had a strange experience in Chicago: Their Camry was : parked in the official parking lot of Garfield Park Conservatory run by : Chicago Park District. It is supposed to have security. Whatever : happened, their two passenger-side tires were stolen from the parking : lot, in daylight on a Sunday afternoon! : : After a few anxious hours they were able to get an extra spare and : somehow get home. They are a little shaken up, so I thought some advice : from you guys will help them make good decisions. : ...

: 1. The car still has 2 tires close to 1/2 life. One spare is full size : brand new. (The other spare they hustled is worthless). In this case : what would be the best strategy? Buy 4 new tires? Just two? : : The original tires are Goodyear Regatta 2. If they buy all four new, : which is the best value all-season tire for Midwest? : : 2. Rims/wheels were stolen along with the tires. Can they just buy 2 : rims? Do those need to match the others? Or, they have to buy 4?

Just an update...They decided to get 2 Toyota original wheels rather than 4 of something else. After some unsuccessful effort to locate used wheels, they decided to order from a dealer. The dealer recommended Yokohama Avid TRZ tires; after consulting reviews they bought those.

The dealer also advised them to replace one lug on each wheel by a special kind that needs a "key" to open. I don't know what kind of deterrence that would provide to thieves but it is a psychological satisfaction to my friends. (I suppose it is like locking your car or home. Thieves can break into locked cars and homes too, but it is still safer to lock doors than not.)

Reply to
Ajanta

There are tools that can remove these, but it's NOT as easy as not having them. And, sometimes, the tools don't work! The only time I ever had my wheels stolen , I decided to remove the locks because they were a pain! ooops...

KEEP THE KEY SOMEWHERE IT CAN'T BE FOUND, but somewhere YOU know where it is! It takes too long to remove the locks from the wheel, and unless the key is in the console, glovebox or trunk a thief isn't going to waste time looking. Don't hide it in an obvious place; I used to remove the ash tray and hide it there...unless they went after the radio...or you could velcro it and attach it to the bottom of the glove box..on the BACK of the glove box, that is. Be creative, and when you go for service, dig the key out BEFORE you go so they don't know where it is...some of these places the Techs have 'friends' and the nice wheels you bought may go missing a few days later. Sad, but there was a tire place in my area where this happened, and a stereo place about 20 miles from here where one of the techs was 'reclaiming' radios after a few weeks...I guess 'sanctioned' by the owner, cause the place is closed and they're both in jail...

Good Luck!

Reply to
Hachiroku

: KEEP THE KEY SOMEWHERE IT CAN'T BE FOUND, but somewhere YOU : know where it is!

It is not my car but I'll pass the good advice.

Reply to
Ajanta

I had a lock lug key wear out on me... cheap lock-lugs.... never again. Anyway to get the lock lugs off involved hammering an impact socket on the lug and using an impact wrench to get it off. They were not difficult to defeat, just took time, tools, power, and noise. All the things thieves wish to avoid.

Reply to
Brent P

Gee, I never had one wear out...I LOST one, once which is why I had them removed.

Did you have the old kind, that fit into the lug, or the newer type, that fit over the lug? The ones that fit over are better.

There is another type out there now that fits over the whole nut, much better than either of the two other systems, and they give you two keys. These are the best and can be had at AutoZone for $25. I think I'll get a set for my Scion before it's too late!

And as far as time, tools and noise...EXACTLY!!!!

Reply to
Hachiroku

Get a copy of PAN that works on Mac OSX...that'll fix it...

Reply to
Hachiroku

It fit into the lug, but it was just cheap. friggin key wouldn't grip anymore. I shouldn't have used them... but they were on hand... I didn't want to risk losing the wheels and didn't have time to go to the store. I bought some OEM quality ones and there has been no problem since.

Mcguard I think the one's I use now....

Reply to
Brent P

if you used a real newsreader......

Reply to
kenji

Well, f********er, it does seem that is YOU with the problem and not us with the most up-to-date version of OE. It was YOU who was bitching and whining.

Reply to
sharx35

oh, the h*mo card.

very original

Reply to
kenji

The characters show in OE...

Reply to
Hachiroku

Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear And it shows them pearly white Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe And he keeps it ? ah ? out of sight.

Ya know when that shark bites, with his teeth, babe Scarlet billows start to spread Fancy gloves, though, wears old MacHeath, babe So there?s nevah, nevah a trace of red.

Reply to
Hachiroku

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