Stolen 2011 Airstream 25' International Serentity edition.

[Toronto_Guy]

I haven't posted for ages, and unfortunately my reason for doing so now is very bad news.

I just noticed that my 2011 25' International Serenity Edition was stolen from my storage lot.

The theft was from Toronto, Ontario. The trailer had an Ontario plate #E1677X (assuming the thief hasn't removed it or swapped it) and the VIN is:
1STJFYJ29BJ524926.

If anyone sees any posting for a similar trailer for sale, please PM me, or email me at Ross.stewart@me.com.

Thank god for insurance, but we had a lot of personal keepsakes in the trailer that can't be replaced.

Any help that anyone could offer would be very much appreciated!

Ross

[masseyfarm]

Ouch!

Dave

[JFScheck]

So sorry, will keep eyes open when I head up from DC area to Cape Cod in the next week!

[Phoenix]

Sorry to hear about the theft of your Airstream. Any details on how they removed it from the storage lot, and/or advice on locks, alarms, etc. that were defeated in the process?

Also, any distinguishing exterior markings that one could use to identify it on the road?

[Toronto_Guy]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

Sorry to hear about the theft of your Airstream. Any details on how they removed it from the storage lot, and/or advice on locks, alarms, etc. that were defeated in the process?

Also, any distinguishing exterior markings that one could use to identify it on the road?

I noticed the theft just after midnight. I just got back from the Police station to file a report. Due to the value of the trailer, it's handled by a major crimes unit so at least more resources will be devoted to finding it.

I will go by the storage lot tomorrow and have the manager pull the video.

I pass the storage facility every night on the way home from work. I always glance over to the AS to quickly check up on it. Tonight I didn't see it, and I thought that I must be imagining things. I got off the highway, and went back to look. I stood there foolish disbelief for a few minutes in the spot where I parked it.

I didn't have a hitch lock. The storage facility is gated, with key card access.

The only advice I can offer at this time to anyone else is that the police said the best thing to do was install a GPS tracker, but NOT put the "warning tracked by gps" sticker that manufacturers provide on the AS. That just causes thiefs to go looking for it.

The police officer told me that hitch locks, etc are ineffective to stop a determined thief.

Other advice I got was to not keep the original bill of sale, etc, in the trailer as this can make it easier for a thief to sell the trailer.

I will update as I know more.

[soldiermedic]

Sorry to hear.

[Mifair]

I'm sorry to hear. I live in the Newmarket area. What part of Toronto was the AS stored. Please keep us updated on your progress. Will definitely keep an out.

[Road Ruler]

We are in Niagara. Will stay aware.

[Melody Ranch]

You know you have all our sympathy.

[Mike Leary]

Interesting (not) that so many Air Streams that were boosted are close to major shipping ports. :::Think phoney paperwork, a container ready to go, and out of the country the little dear goes::::

[Toronto_Guy]

Thanks to everyone for their kind words!

I had it stored near the junction of hwy 427 and the QEW in Toronto.

Just a short update. There were two Airstreams parked at the Storage Lot. They actually tried to steal the other one first. However, it had a hensley hitch. They apparently had an angle grinder and attempted to remove the hitch.

I'm just posting anything that I think may be helpful to other people. If you were debating paying the extra for a hensley hitch, the fact that it confuses thiefs may be another reason to get one.

[DanB]

I take my theft prevention one additional step. I park my older, mostly uneeded 4wd tow vehicle directly on top of the ball!

They are gonna have to work to get mine.

[EricktheSOB]

Hope you get it back asap. There is a trailer theft problem here (mostly utility) due to the proximityh of three other states and the reservations. (when things disappear onto the rez, you may never see them again-ask the durango police about a pickuptruck with a murder weapon in it...truck and evidence missing forever, though the bad guys got convicted)

Ive noticed people remove the tires in addition to hitch locks... Every state DOT sign trailer, and most of the utility trailers on lots have one or all tires removed and put on blocks.

Sounds like it was a "stolen to order" situation though, with the other unit attempted first. Mr. Leary may be right on the money.

Some people are such turds...

[Mike Leary]

There was a fresh AS stolen up here off the dealer lot in Covington. I don't recall if it was ever recovered. Our babies are worth a lot of money outside the country.

[blmitch5]

Sorry to hear about the theft. It might not be fool proof but I use a Mega hitch. At least it will slow them down. I hope they find them!!

[Phoenix]

The Mega Hitch lock looks pretty sturdy, but I would like to see how long takes to finally defeat it. The person in the video below didn't look like they tried as hard to break it off as they did with the other locks.

Coupler Hitch Lock Tests.mov - YouTube

Every lock can be defeated. How effective they are is mostly a function of how determined the thief has to be to get it off, and how long it takes. If the Mega Hitch lock takes 15-20 minutes, compared to 0-5 for the others, that may be long enough to deter most thieves; especially if the necessary tools are not commonly available, they are too large or heavy to be easily transportable, or if their use makes a lot of noise.

For a fair comparison, Mega Hitch should have continued attacking their hitch with the same determination used on their competitors' locks, until their device failed, too. However, I understand that this is a marketing video; so they probably don't want to show this.

The lock we have on our Bambi was in the video, and it took five minutes to defeat. Blmitch5, from installing and handling the Mega Hitch lock on your Airstream, do you think it would better survive the attacks used on the other locks; or would it ultimately succumb to sawing, hammering and prying?

Assuming it would eventually fail, would it take longer to defeat? And, while unscientific, could you make a rough guess at the time until failure? For example, "probably as good as the best of the other locks"; "twice as long"; "maybe an hour or more"; "it'd take a cutting torch"; or, "no way this thing is ever coming off".

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Note: Sorry if I hijacked this thread. Please, move this post to a new topic, if necessary.

[Naper]

We are north of Bolton. Will keep an eye out.
The last 2 times we crossed the border into the US and on our return into Canada the border guards checked our trailers VIN and documents.

[blmitch5]

The lock we have on our Bambi was in the video, and it took five minutes to defeat. Blmitch5, from installing and handling the Mega Hitch lock on your Airstream, do you think it would better survive the attacks used on the other locks; or would it ultimately succumb to sawing, hammering and prying?

Assuming it would eventually fail, would it take longer to defeat? And, while unscientific, could you make a rough guess at the time until failure? For example, "probably as good as the best of the other locks"; "twice as long"; "maybe an hour or more"; "it'd take a cutting torch"; or, "no way this thing is ever coming off".

I think it's going to be tough to get off. The best part is it moves around so it makes it harder to get off. If I had $100 to blow I'd like to take a sledge hammer to it to see how hard it would be to bust it off. It's just a way to slow them down but if someone really wants my AS I'm sure they will get it. I just hope it would frustrate the thief enough to make them move on to the one next to mine.

[Jim Flower]

Where does one buy a GPS tracker?

[tphan]

well, here's one place: GPS Tracking Device | Real-Time Personal & Car GPS Trackers