7 Things to Do If Your Car is Broken Into

Theft from a car break-in is fairly common in certain areas. Whether it happens when you are at home or on a trip, it is never a pleasant experience to see that your trunk has been popped or a window has been broken from a "smash and grab." Even if your vehicle was not damaged, but you note that items were stolen from it, a car break-in is still painful. Once you realize that your car has been hit, you need to take a few simple steps.

Assess the amount of damage and loss that you have sustained.

Whether or not you make a police report, you will want to know what it is going to cost you to replace and repair your things and your car. A small amount of repair work on your car can still be costly. If glass has been broken, it will have to be purchased and installed. The stolen items may need to be replaced. Having an idea of the price tag associated with the break-in will give you enough information to know how to proceed.

Make a list of missing items.

Note the date and time of the break-in and start a list of items that you see are missing. Keep this list going for a couple of days because you may continue to remember things that were in your car that you did not notice were missing immediately after finding the break-in. It will take several days to get the paperwork out of the way for the insurance claim if there is one. So, during this time, continue to build your list.

You should call the police and make a report.

Even if you had no damage and the cost of the items that were stolen is minimal, you should still advise the local police of the car break-in. It is unlikely that they will recover your stolen items, but the police track patterns of criminal activity in given areas. Your break-in could be the piece that completes the puzzle and helps authorities catch the perpetrators of this crime. By making a report, your event will become extra information that may prevent future break-ins by this same person or group.

Check your car insurance policy for the deductible amounts that relate to this loss.

If you do not carry comprehensive insurance on your car, you are probably not covered for theft and break-in. For those who carry extremely high deductibles on their policies, even the body work may not reach the level for an insurance claim. Most theft loss deductibles are $500 or less. If you had some computer equipment or a cell phone stolen, you can reach this limit pretty fast.

File a claim if it makes sense.

If your loss is about the same dollar amount as your deductible, it may not make sense to file a claim. Normally, comprehensive losses do not raise your rates. However, if the break-in occurred in an area that is considered to be high-crime, it could cause your company to raise your rates because you regularly park your car in this type of neighborhood.

Take pictures of the damage to your car.

You may not need these. In some cases, having a picture can verify the break-in. One instance of this might happen if the police report were to be lost or improperly filed. Having pictures proves that what you are reporting is true.

Do not panic and do unnecessary things after the break-in.

While it might be a good idea to buy anti-theft equipment or alarms, these may not really help you any in the future. If your car is rarely parked in a bad area or will seldom be a target of thieves, you may not need these extra expenses. Most thieves have already figured out how to get around the crime deterrents on cars. Even alarms are of limited value because people will walk right past cars with alarms sounding and wonder why it is making all of that noise.