So this happened to me after one week of ownership.

[Willwork4truck]

People who are stealing car rims for a living probably dont have wages to garnish. They probably dont own a home to put a lien against either. I know its frustrating but its the world we live in. My mom's vehicle got plowed into in a parking lot from some dude cutting through the lot to get to another road (luckily she was inside the store). Dude didnt have insurance. Guess who's insurance paid for it and then increased the rates?

Exactly. Can't get restitution when they are broke or in debt/criminals. You'll not do any good chasing them for $, it's the world we live in.
China probably doesn't have too much of a problem with that but then we are too "nice" to deal with crime like they do. (Bang, you no longer have the "need" to steal.)

I have to admit that I was surprised by the information in the charts below. States that I thought would have a higher % of uninsured (like Ca, Az and Tx) aren't up there while NJ is the lowest (?). Always good to learn something!
Charts from the Insurance Institute: https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-uninsured-motorists

Auto​

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IN THIS FACTS + STATISTICS​

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage reimburses policyholders in an accident involving an uninsured, underinsured or hit-and-run driver. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have mandatory requirements for uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. More than half of the states have passed laws and begun to develop and implement online auto insurance verification systems to identify uninsured motorists.
In 2019, 12.6 percent of motorists, or about one in eight drivers, were uninsured, according to a 2021 study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC). The percentage was at a nine-year high of 13.1 percent in 2017 but fell to 12.6 percent in 2018 and 2019. Mississippi had the highest percentage of uninsured motorists in 2019, 29.4 percent, followed by Michigan (25.5 percent), Tennessee (23.7 percent), New Mexico (21.8 percent) and Washington (21.7 percent). New Jersey had the lowest, 3.1 percent, followed by Massachusetts (3.5 percent), New York (4.1 percent), Maine (4.9 percent) and Wyoming (5.8 percent). The IRC measures the number of uninsured motorists based on insurance claims, using a ratio of insurance claims made by people who were injured by uninsured drivers relative to the claims made by people who were injured by insured drivers. Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia had uninsured motorist rates in 2019 greater than the countrywide rate (12.6 percent) while 29 states had rates below the countrywide rate.

Estimated Percentage Of Uninsured Motorists, 1992-2019 (1)​

Year Percent Year Percent Year Percent 1992 15.6% 2002 14.5% 2011 12.3% 1993 16.0 2003 14.9 2012 12.6 1994 15.1 2004 14.6 2013 12.7 1995 14.2 2005 14.6 2014 13.0 1996 13.8 2006 14.3 2015 11.3 1997 13.2 2007 13.8 2016 12.2 1998 13.0 2008 14.3 2017 13.1 1999 12.8 2009 13.8 2018 12.6 2000 13.4 2010 12.3 2019 12.6 2001 14.2

(1) Percentage of uninsured drivers, as measured by the ratio of uninsured motorists (UM) claims to bodily injury (BI) claim frequencies.
Source: Insurance Research Council.
View Archived Tables

Top 10 Highest And Lowest States By Estimated Percentage Of Uninsured Motorists, 2019 (1)​

Highest Lowest Rank State Percent uninsured Rank State Percent uninsured 1 Mississippi 29.4% 1 New Jersey 3.1% 2 Michigan 25.5 2 Massachusetts 3.5 3 Tennessee 23.7 3 New York 4.1 4 New Mexico 21.8 4 Maine 4.9 5 Washington 21.7 5 Wyoming 5.8 6 Florida 20.4 6 Pennsylvania 6.0 7 Alabama 19.5 7 New Hampshire 6.1 8 Arkansas 19.3 8 Connecticut 6.3 9 District of Columbia 19.1 9 Utah 6.5 10 California 16.6 10 South Dakota 7.4

(1) Percentage of uninsured drivers, as measured by the ratio of uninsured motorists (UM) claims to bodily injury (BI) claim frequencies.
Source: Insurance Research Council.
View Archived Tables

Estimated Percentage Of Uninsured Motorists By State, 2019 (1)​

Lowest Uninsured Rank (2) State Uninsured Rank (2) Alabama 19.5% 7 Montana 8.5% 38 Alaska 16.1 14 Nebraska 9.3 34 Arizona 11.8 24 Nevada 10.4 32 Arkansas 19.3 8 New Hampshire 6.1 45 California 16.6 10 New Jersey 3.1 51 Colorado 16.3 13 New Mexico 21.8 4 Connecticut 6.3 44 New York 4.1 49 Delaware 8.5 38 North Carolina 7.4 41 D.C. 19.1 9 North Dakota 13.0 21 Florida (3) 20.4 6 Ohio 13.0 21 Georgia 12.4 23 Oklahoma 13.4 18 Hawaii 9.3 34 Oregon 10.7 30 Idaho 13.2 20 Pennsylvania 6.0 46 Illinois 11.8 24 Rhode Island 16.5 11 Indiana 15.8 15 South Carolina 10.9 28 Iowa 11.3 27 South Dakota 7.4 41 Kansas 10.9 28 Tennessee 23.7 3 Kentucky 13.9 17 Texas 8.3 40 Louisiana 11.7 26 Utah 6.5 43 Maine 4.9 48 Vermont 8.8 37 Maryland 14.1 16 Virginia 10.5 31 Massachusetts 3.5 50 Washington 21.7 5 Michigan 25.5 2 West Virginia 9.2 36 Minnesota 9.9 33 Wisconsin 13.3 19 Mississippi 29.4 1 Wyoming 5.8 47 Missouri 16.4 12

(1) Percentage of uninsured drivers, as measured by the ratio of uninsured motorists (UM) claims to bodily injury (BI) claims frequencies.
(2) Rank calculated from unrounded data.
(3) In Florida, compulsory auto laws apply to personal injury protection (PIP) and physical damage, but not to third party bodily injury coverage.
Source: Insurance Research Council.

 

[TRIBUTE100]

Thanks for you post fastlanez, I just ordered some Mopar Ram Wheel Locks on Amazon $45.01 plus tax.
It goes to show you it doesn't matter how old a post is, because us new comers can benefit by it.

 

[RamGuy32]

sorry, but that's insane. You PAY every month for insurance, and then you tell him not to use it? there is a deductible on a Comp claim, but no points, no faults, no surcharges. A full set of tires and wheels is crazy money too. Don't forget, you need 16 lug nuts, 4 TPMS sensors, on top of 4 wheels & tires. I've written a few of these claims in my day and they range from $2000 for average cars, to $4-$5K for trucks and sports cars. Taking him to court instead costs you a days pay, and guarantees you nothing in return.

Oh I think we'd all end up going the insurance route, but the problem is that unless you (or the insurance company) do something like he suggested, it just falls away without any real deterrent to the perpetrators. Having a judgment means that any tax returns or other money he would get could be seized. If he's stealing wheels, he's probably got 6 kids from six different women and claims the "earned income credit" each year to get thousands more and that's if he's even legitimately filing taxes. Hitting them back and making them remember is the key as the insurance companies will just pay for a small claim like this. The DA will probably never file in this climate as they'll sob story it away as "he needed the money for diapers and formula."

Now all that said, the real reason you don't want to go the court route is that court records are public documents and then the perp would find out where you live and what you look like and then the real "fun" would start so yeah, the insurance route is the best!

 

[Willwork4truck]

Oh I think we'd all end up going the insurance route, but the problem is that unless you (or the insurance company) do something like he suggested, it just falls away without any real deterrent to the perpetrators. Having a judgment means that any tax returns or other money he would get could be seized. If he's stealing wheels, he's probably got 6 kids from six different women and claims the "earned income credit" each year to get thousands more and that's if he's even legitimately filing taxes. Hitting them back and making them remember is the key as the insurance companies will just pay for a small claim like this. The DA will probably never file in this climate as they'll sob story it away as "he needed the money for diapers and formula."

Now all that said, the real reason you don't want to go the court route is that court records are public documents and then the perp would find out where you live and what you look like and then the real "fun" would start so yeah, the insurance route is the best!

Couldn't agree more! The only thing China does better is... "no 2nd chances when caught swiping wheels from party officials RAMs"

 

[User_3336]

How did the police end up catching the thief?

 

[User_3336]

Oh I think we'd all end up going the insurance route, but the problem is that unless you (or the insurance company) do something like he suggested, it just falls away without any real deterrent to the perpetrators. Having a judgment means that any tax returns or other money he would get could be seized. If he's stealing wheels, he's probably got 6 kids from six different women and claims the "earned income credit" each year to get thousands more and that's if he's even legitimately filing taxes. Hitting them back and making them remember is the key as the insurance companies will just pay for a small claim like this. The DA will probably never file in this climate as they'll sob story it away as "he needed the money for diapers and formula."

Now all that said, the real reason you don't want to go the court route is that court records are public documents and then the perp would find out where you live and what you look like and then the real "fun" would start so yeah, the insurance route is the best!

Don't forget the EBT card. LOL

 

[Willwork4truck]

Don't forget the EBT card. LOL

Ha, "this thread is now getting political". We are being mean wanting to keep what we worked hard for instead of just giving everything to everyone who "enters/visits" the country or is too lazy to work.

Wait! How could I be so heartless? Taking rims off is a type of work, right? You need the proper tools, be good with time organization, have dependable (probably "borrowed" transportation, pay competitive wages to your help (lookouts, drivers), a fully vertical business system (workers, middlemen chop shops or pawn places, transport to the docks/shipping containers, overseas contacts, sales & marketing...

You also need your legal team (pro-bono whiny legal aid) to help you "navigate" the system. It's a complex business model and there's no "official" degree program to train you, it's all OJT or there are "short courses" in those out-of-the-way places with all that razor wire on top of the fencing.

 

[BowDown]

Oh I think we'd all end up going the insurance route, but the problem is that unless you (or the insurance company) do something like he suggested, it just falls away without any real deterrent to the perpetrators. Having a judgment means that any tax returns or other money he would get could be seized. If he's stealing wheels, he's probably got 6 kids from six different women and claims the "earned income credit" each year to get thousands more and that's if he's even legitimately filing taxes. Hitting them back and making them remember is the key as the insurance companies will just pay for a small claim like this. The DA will probably never file in this climate as they'll sob story it away as "he needed the money for diapers and formula."

Now all that said, the real reason you don't want to go the court route is that court records are public documents and then the perp would find out where you live and what you look like and then the real "fun" would start so yeah, the insurance route is the best!

The thief was caught and while what you say may very well be true, one thing that seems to be forgotten is that the thief WILL pay you back through restitution.
In Texas and I'm sure other states, once you're convicted, the state can and usually does award the victim restitution that can exceed the cost of replacing the item(s) stolen, wheels in this case.
Regardless of his situation, if the thief does not pay the restitution, the state revokes the person parole or probation and they go back to jail for the remainder of their sentence so there is a deterrent aside from just going to jail. The issue is that the people doing this are gambling on whether or not they get caught, no different than a speeding ticket for us; there's a deterrent for speeding yet we still all do it

 

[Andymax]

My dealer tried blinding me with a wheel upgrade using a different package on my order slip. I was like no way. Small rims equal small tires equal small cost

An overlooked point for sure! I ALWAYS prefer smaller rims for this exact reason. I average 52,500 miles/year, and cannot afford tires that only last 20-30K miles, common on 20 and 22 inch wheels. (yeah, I know there are exceptions to this rule, but usually increases price)

 

[ImageX]

Sounds like a good idea aside from the time it takes to get a hearing, lawyer fees, and the time for you to get reimbursed. Basically time and lawyers. Lawyer(s) will be needed pre, during, and post and will suck the life out of any reward. And these days with fill-in the blank matters, it's gonna be an uphill battle.

The less time dealing with lawyers and criminals the better off you are. The only caveat is if you have a friend or family member in a law firm you trust and is willing to take the case without gouging you. But even then, you need to decide if your quality of life if not your very life is worth being a criminal antagonist. The insurance company can do that.

It would be a civil trial... not criminal. Haven’t ya ever watched Judge Judy? There are no lawyers involved.

 

[JJRamTX]

My dealer threw in the wheel locks and the spare tire cable lock for free when I bought my truck. They should all do this just to make an appearance that they care about you and your purchase. Only costs them $30-$40 at cost