Hi

I am a new memeber but wanted to get this out . I had my roof rack stolen in salem. the police said it was the second one this week. I live in salem up in gallows hill area. the rack is secured to the roof with locks. It had two bike carriers and a kayak holder on it. They took the whole thing. No damage to the car. I replaced it yesterday for a cost of 750. I did not replace everything. I have this thule system for 20 years and never heard of someone taking the whole system of the car.

I just wanted to give people a heads up.

thanks

Jim Jellison

Aaarrrrgh! What a bummer.

I suppose you replaced said system with one with locks. Just be sure to lube them before each winter so salty air doesn't freeze 'em up.

Otherwise if your buggy uses factory longitudinal rails then maybe a bike cable securing the new system to a rail will add deterence.

I use one once in awhile to "belt" an unused second kayak to the roof...even though I suppose one could eventually slide the yak through with time.

Happier paddling....

Hi

I am a new memeber but wanted to get this out . I had my roof rack stolen in salem. the police said it was the second one this week. I live in salem up in gallows hill area. the rack is secured to the roof with locks. It had two bike carriers and a kayak holder on it. They took the whole thing. No damage to the car. I replaced it yesterday for a cost of 750. I did not replace everything. I have this thule system for 20 years and never heard of someone taking the whole system of the car.

I just wanted to give people a heads up.

thanks

Jim Jellison

That's a drag...thanks for the warning that this could become a trend. i don't know if you've looked into it at all but homeowners, or renters insurance may cover the racks as personal property...minus whatever deductable you have.

Jim,

It's a complete shame that we all need to be concerned about theft, but I can't say I'm surprised. I've always advised my customers to buy locks (I saw your system was "locked"). This one of the few cases where I heard of someone taking the system w/o a bike, boat, skis etc. Blows. As Sal mentioned, check your insurance policy. It couldn't hurt to give a shout to the local PlayItAgain and watch Craigslist. You've already replaced the rack but it'd be damn satisfying to catch the thief. I'd like to say that the racks I sell offer better security but I think we all know that nothing is truly theft proof. It just depends on how committed the thief is.

I wonder if making your system "special" is an idea -- perhaps painting some of the components another colour to make it less desirable to thieves? It might work? (<And> your car would then not resemble everyone else's!)

Tough lesson to learn, hey? Shame... ;^(

I plan to swap out the thumb nuts on my Thule J racks with lock nuts. A semi-determined thief would still be able to remove these without difficulty, but it will certainly take longer - and he'd need tools. (I also saw some more serious, tamper-proof nuts, while researching online that would provide more security.)

Hopefully the lock-nuts will be enough to keep them away...

Bummer on your rack!

I plan to swap out the thumb nuts on my Thule J racks with lock nuts. A semi-determined thief would still be able to remove these without difficulty, but it will certainly take longer - and he'd need tools. (I also saw some more serious, tamper-proof nuts, while researching online that would provide more security.)

Hopefully the lock-nuts will be enough to keep them away...

Bummer on your rack!

Looks like at least one thief has been caught.

http://www.eagletribune.com/local/x1926600429/The-new-crime-trend-stealing-bicycle-racks

Looks like at least one thief has been caught.

http://www.eagletribune.com/local/x1926600429/The-new-crime-trend-stealing-bicycle-racks

I'm glad they caught one of them. I'm kind of surprised that the police were actually able to put in the time to stake out a car. That's kind of cool. I guess it's time to get some locks for my rack.

I'm glad they caught one of them. I'm kind of surprised that the police were actually able to put in the time to stake out a car. That's kind of cool. I guess it's time to get some locks for my rack.

Ah, the joys of small town living. I can guarantee you the Boston or Cambridge or Lowell police wouldn't have been staking out any stolen roof racks!

pru

Thanks for the heads up. what next?