2020 Honda Accord Touring 2.0T A (former) Honda owner in the Toronto area is expressing frustration with the automaker after it allegedly told him it knew where his stolen vehicle was but couldnt let him know since he hadnt paid for the companys optional tracking service.Layth Ablhd of Vaughan, Ontario has his 2019 Accord swiped from his driveway in the middle of the night, according to a Global News report.According to a neighbours security camera, it was taken around 5 a.m. Ablhd phoned the police, who contacted Honda Canada to see if the vehicle could be tracked. The representative said it could but not for free.Ablhd alleges the Honda rep on the other end of the phone said the companys tracking tech was showing him exactly where the car was during the call, but he could not disclose the location to Ablhd or the police officer, who had jumped on the call as well via speakerphone, because Ablhd was not subscribed to HondaLink, the companys emergency response system.The investigating officer asked to speak with the reps manager, who said the police would need to present a warrant if they wanted to know the location of the vehicle. Ablhd said he had not been informed of the optional service when he purchased his Accord, and that he would have bought it if hed known of it. Ablhd immediately signed up for the $148 subscription, and a few minutes later called the rep back, but they then said it was too late Honda was no longer getting a signal from the car.This customer did not have an active HondaLink subscription, which is required to locate the vehicle, clarified John Bordignon, a Honda Canada brand spokesperson. Without an active subscription, the police would have to present a warrant to activate the location services on the vehicle and no such warrant was provided.Contrary to what Ablhd and the officer were told on the phone, however, Bordignon says At no time was Honda or its HondaLink provider aware of the location of this vehicle.Honda Canada said it would reimburse Ablhd for the cost of the HondaLink
Origin: Honda owner says company withheld stolen car’s location over subscription fee
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Custom Dodge Challenger gets stolen, wrecked in police chase, still makes it to SEMA
A Dodge Challenger show car with 1,000 horsepower was stolen just before this years SEMA convention and crashed but still managed to make it to the show floor on time.The car was built by Quintin Brothers Auto and Performance in Vermont, who sent it to Las Vegas where the SEMA parts convention is held. The Challenger was reported stolen on October 30, when it was swiped from the overflow parking lot of the Main Street Station Casino.According to local news, Nevada Highway Patrol was at some point dispatched to the parking structure of the Rio Hotel and Casino, where they found the stolen vehicle. In an attempt to stop the thief from leaving, an officer parked in front of the car, but before he could leave his vehicle, the Challenger rammed into the side of his cruiser and proceeded to escape the parking complex.The vehicle was later abandoned at The Boulevard Mall and then given back to its owners to display at the show. We were in shock, we couldnt imagine that anything like this could ever happen, shop co-owner Cole Quintin said. It looks like they were living in the thing, but they only had it for about 11 hours.The front end was smashed in the hit-and-run police chase, making it look more like a drift missile than a straight-line star. Were sure that with 1,000 horsepower it would burn up the rear tires either way. Props to the builders on still showing the car, even though everyone wouldve completely understood if theyd decided not to. The 2020 Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak, unveiled at the 2019 SEMA Show, delivers sportsman racers a new, turnkey package loaded with suspension and chassis upgrades and is certified for NHRA and NMCA competition. Production is limited to 50 serialized units. Mopar Speaking of Challengers, Mopar itself had a little debut at SEMA heralding the return of the Drag Pak after a five-year hiatus. The fourth generation of the special edition makes more power than the previous version, according to Mopar, and the previous version made 1,200 horsepower and ran mid-7-second quarter-miles, so hold onto your socks for the official numbers.That massive output comes courtesy of a supercharged 5.8-litre V8 coupled to a manually shifted three-speed automatic transmission. Mopar will build 50 of the
Origin: Custom Dodge Challenger gets stolen, wrecked in police chase, still makes it to SEMA
Multiple classic cars stolen on Hot Rod Power Tour road trip
The Hot Rod Power Tour is an amazing event put on by Hot Rod Magazine that sees enthusiasts from all over the United States – and even Canada – take part in a seven-day road trip across America, stopping at race tracks and car shows along the way. For the participants, it can be an awesome week of cruising with hundreds of other like-minded modified classic car nuts. But unfortunately, on this year’s Tour, there have been an unlucky few who have had their trips ruined by car thieves. One of the victims, the owner of a modified 1984 Monte Carlo, couldn’t believe that it was actually happening: “I thought it was a joke. Like, I really thought it was a joke,” Garrett Reed told the Charlotte Observer. “I didn’t get to make any memories in my car. Reed has been working on his car for the past nine months, and says he’s put countless hours into it; he also said it’s worth over $50,000. The Monte Carlo was stolen outside of the hotel parking lot in University City where he was staying. Another victim also had his truck stolen from the lot of his hotel, the Drury Inn. Roger and Debbie Bentley drove in from Dayton, Tennessee for the tour in their 1994 Chevy Silverado. “I was going to keep it and use it every year for the Power Tour. It was that nice of a truck and that much of a joy to drive,” Roger Bentley said. “I’m holding out hope that they’ll find it. The vehicles are insured, but that doesn’t reimburse the owners for the blood, sweat and tears that went into these highly customized and personalized builds. A Facebook group has been started for those that have had their vehicle stolen from the Hot Rod Power
Origin: Multiple classic cars stolen on Hot Rod Power Tour road trip
Hertz customers arrested after their rentals incorrectly marked stolen
In this May 9, 2011 file photo, a Hertz rental car worker checks out cars at San Jose International Airport in San Jose, Calif.Paul Sakuma / AP Renting a car can be a pain in the neck in and of itself—you gotta bring it back with a full tank, those wipers could stand to be replaced, and where’s the headlight switch anyhow? The last thing anyone needs is to be arrested and stuffed into the back of a cop car because your rental was reported stolen by the very company from whom you rented the thing. That’s exactly what happened to several customers of Hertz, the Florida-based company whose name evokes a trip to the dentist. An ABC affiliate reports there have been upwards of thirty such cases of this in the States, situations which leave confused customers in a sticky spot and even, in some cases, detention. In one incident, a person ended up getting arrested and spending half a day behind bars before being told there was a “glitch in the system.” Some glitch. The report goes on to detail the story of a person in Pennsylvania who was arrested and charged before having a judge toss the case out on its ear. Another client in Indiana had a similar experience of being wrongly accused of stealing the vehicle she was renting from Hertz. For its part, the car rental giant issued statements about the issue, saying “filing a police report is a last resort” and “false reports of stolen vehicles are extremely rare.” Thing is, it’s not an entirely new issue. A report from 2018 describes the plight of other customers who found themselves on the business end of handcuffs after Hertz reported the rental car they were driving as stolen. One person apparently spent over a week behind bars. It’s enough to make a person feel fortunate they only got dinged for fuel charges during their last
Origin: Hertz customers arrested after their rentals incorrectly marked stolen
Couple loses $14,000 after buying stolen SUV covered by Manitoba Public Insurance
2015 Ford Explorer LimitedGraeme Fletcher When a Manitoba couple bought a used 2015 Ford Explorer for $14,500 from an independent seller last August, everything about the deal appeared legit. They had no idea the vehicle was one of thirteen taken from a Winnipeg used car dealership in an alleged inside job involving a former sales manager. The SUV looked and was running fine, and the paperwork was all there. Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) was happy to cover the vehicle for its new owners, which as you’d expect made them feel completely safe in their new purchase. But all was not as it seemed, and soon the police came for the vehicle, seizing it and telling the owners it had been stolen from a Winnipeg dealership. According to the CBC, the vehicle hadn’t been reported stolen by the dealership, Auto List of Canada, when its new owners went to have it insured at MPI, which is why it didn’t set off any alarms. Normally the company’s system prevents registration of stolen vehicles, but police weren’t notified of the Explorer’s theft until two days after it had already been sold. It all unraveled for the thieves when a call from Winnipeg police informing Auto List of a stolen vehicle prompted the dealer to do a count—turns out 13 vehicles had disappeared from the lots. From there it was simply a matter of following the paper trail. Two men, including a former Auto List sales manager, have been charged with multiple counts of possessing stolen vehicles, forging bills of sale and transfer of ownership documents, and defrauding the purchasers. The hot Explorer was returned to Auto List, leaving the couple that purchased it out the full $14,500. MPI says they can attempt to bring legal action against the person who sold the hot SUV.
Origin: Couple loses $14,000 after buying stolen SUV covered by Manitoba Public Insurance
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