Possible Break-in attempt?

E

EEEliminator

Member
I was backing out this morning and saw a piece of weather stripping sticking up on the rear passenger door fixed window. Thought it was odd so I took a look when I got to work, it looks like the piece ripped up some how. Looking closer I see a bunch of scratch marks on the rubber where it tore. I looked at all the other windows on the car and the rubber in very good shape, no where near tearing. I pushed, pulled, and poked them, none of them seemed to be in a a state where they are deteriorating.

I'm wondering if someone thought they could tear this and get better access to "slim jim" the lock? I don't see how else this could have occurred. I think they saw that there wasn't any better access and left it or got scared off.

Another possibility is one of my kids 2, 4, and 6 years old could have some how got a finger in there and ripped it up. I think that is unlikely though.

Anyone know where I can get this online, are there any dealers that have the exploded view catalogs online anymore?





I don't see any scratch marks inside:


Other side for reference:

 
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On my 03 4runner the molding started to dry rot like that and had to be replaced on some of the windows. Is it possible that the wind blowing the molding around caused the scratches?
 
03_4x4Runner said:
On my 03 4runner the molding started to dry rot like that and had to be replaced on some of the windows. Is it possible that the wind blowing the molding around caused the scratches?
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I suppose its possible the wind could have caused the scratches. I really only drive to work and back on side streets under 40 mph though. Its a 2011 so its only 4 years old, you think the rubber would rot that soon?
 
EEEliminator said:
I suppose its possible the wind could have caused the scratches. I really only drive to work and back on side streets under 40 mph though. Its a 2011 so its only 4 years old, you think the rubber would rot that soon?
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I think someone tried to get a coat hanger in there to unlock the door. Thats just me though:thumb3:
 
Looks like vandalism to me. I had a 2004 SR5 from new to trade-in last year (10 years). None of my molding rotted or ripped like that. I live where they dump tons of salt at the slightest site of snow flakes and summers are humid hot.
 
RedSled said:
I think someone tried to get a coat hanger in there to unlock the door. Thats just me though:thumb3:
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Agreed! There is no way the force of wind from you driving was able to cause that. I'd keep any valuables out of sight for sometime.
 
I've replaced all four doors and the lift gate moldings on my '10. The sun really does decay them pretty fast.

They are called Belt Moldings. You can find a pictorial parts source here , But this source has the best shipping rates that I've found (you have to have the part number).

It's a two minute job to replace; pry under the old then just pull it out, the new one slips right in with a fist tap or two.
 
Someone intentionally did that. Most likely trying to break in buy jamming something down there towards the lock...

No way driving in the wind did that. C'mon haha.
 
smokeatrr said:
Birds and squirrels do stuff like this all the time. It may not have a person.
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Boyds4Runner said:
Looks like vandalism to me. I had a 2004 SR5 from new to trade-in last year (10 years). None of my molding rotted or ripped like that. I live where they dump tons of salt at the slightest site of snow flakes and summers are humid hot.
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I agree, looks like maybe some kids were walking by and messing around. I do not think this is someone trying to steal it, I hope not. I have heard that the security systems on the runners are not that great. Is this true?
 
I second the bird theory. Many birds are actively hostile to their own reflection (And some fall in love with it). Then can get agitated and peck and tear in frustration at window sills.
 
Deep_palancar said:
I've replaced all four doors and the lift gate moldings on my '10. The sun really does decay them pretty fast.

They are called Belt Moldings. You can find a pictorial parts source here , But this source has the best shipping rates that I've found (you have to have the part number).

It's a two minute job to replace; pry under the old then just pull it out, the new one slips right in with a fist tap or two.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the source!

And thanks everyone for the ideas. Funny thing is I completely cleaned the car out last month, even the center console is empty. I don't see many squirrels around where I'm living now so I'm going to have to rule that one out. A bird is an interesting theory, again this time of year there aren't too many birds around like there are in the spring/summer. It is an interesting possibility though and would explain the odd scratch marks.

I'm leaning towards vandalism, given the condition of the other belt moldings.

As far as factory alarms go, are any of them really that good? I don't really want to deal with an aftermarket alarm, I've had them in the past and I really like the simplicity of the integrated key. I'm a minimalist when it comes to keys, I hate walking around like a school janitor with a huge ring of keys. I did that for years and I'm over it, I have key pad lock for the house so the only key I carry is for the vehicle I'm driving. I'm going to replace the molding and just keep an eye on the car while keeping anything from being stored in the car. Hopefully it was just an isolated incident.
 
Forget traditional security systems - when was the last time you investigated a car alarm going off?

If anything, invest in LoJack (for vehicle theft) and insurance for anything inside the vehicle. Keep firearms with you or out of your parked vehicle (for obvious theft reasons) and sleep soundly knowing you're covered.

Just my .02.
 
el_kab0ng said:
Forget traditional security systems - when was the last time you investigated a car alarm going off?

If anything, invest in LoJack (for vehicle theft) and insurance for anything inside the vehicle. Keep firearms with you or out of your parked vehicle (for obvious theft reasons) and sleep soundly knowing you're covered.

Just my .02.
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I agree, 4Runner is fully insured as area all of my vehicles. Car alarms are more of a nuisance than anything, although I don't hear them going off all the time like I did 10 years ago. I suppose if you had one with a paging system it might be worth it, but I don't think its worth the hassle at this point. I'm guessing they're not as popular as they once were? I used to set them off all the time driving around in my '56 Chevy :zoom:

I would like to get a home surveillance camera set up, I live a fairly low crime area but it would be nice to roll back through some footage and see if it happened at home.
 
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