Rental car BREAK INS

I was told and have also read the when you rent a car in Hawaii, that alot of them get broken into or have things stolen, because some of the theives have duplicate keys or some way to get in... Has anyone heard of this or have you experienced this... makes me think twice about renting a car?????? thank you for you advice...

:confused:

I was told and have also read the when you rent a car in Hawaii, that alot of them get broken into or have things stolen, because some of the theives have duplicate keys or some way to get in... Has anyone heard of this or have you experienced this... makes me think twice about renting a car?????? thank you for you advice...

:confused:

It's no different in Hawaii than anywhere else in the world. :)

Those who leave valuable items in plain sight or put valuables in their trunk when parking somewhere are advertising to crooks to steal my valuables. By not doing such things, I've never had my car or a rental car broken into anywhere in Hawaii...or elsewhere in the world.

Once at an off the beaten path location a couple left their camera bag & passports in plain sight while walking to a blowhole on the north shore of Maui. The parking lot was adjacent to the roadway but out of sight when at the blowhole & when they returned the shattered glass of their car window was on the ground & they were very panicked French tourists who shouted Oh mon dieu!!! :eek:

Couldn't have said it better myself. Excellent post.

I realize this can happen anywhere, but I see many on this forum advising people to rent a car to keep your luggage in on debarkation day. This does make it difficult to follow that advice and enjoy the island with any degree of comfort.

Perhaps any advice on where is safest to park or particular situations to avoid would be helpful. Obviously, the first tip would be not to leave anything in plain sight in your vehicle. Anything else?

I realize this can happen anywhere, but I see many on this forum advising people to rent a car to keep your luggage in on debarkation day. This does make it difficult to follow that advice and enjoy the island with any degree of comfort.

 

Perhaps any advice on where is safest to park or particular situations to avoid would be helpful. Obviously, the first tip would be not to leave anything in plain sight in your vehicle. Anything else?

If you rent a car after the cruise and have enough luggage you have to leave bags visible in the car, you are inviting thieves to break in if you leave your car unattended. But that is not unique to Hawaii. There are dishonest people in every state in the union.

If you rent a car after the cruise and have enough luggage you have to leave bags visible in the car, you are inviting thieves to break in if you leave your car unattended. But that is not unique to Hawaii. There are dishonest people in every state in the union.

Absolutely & I've read that some hotels will store luggage after checkout although that's another way for opportunistic thieves to steal items.

Absolutely & I've read that some hotels will store luggage after checkout although that's another way for opportunistic thieves to steal items.

I've had hotels hold our luggage not just in the U.S. but in Europe as well without incident. In this day and age of social media and online reviews, most hotel management keep the luggage secure from opportunistic thieves as they do not want that tag associated with their hotel.

I was told and have also read the when you rent a car in Hawaii, that alot of them get broken into or have things stolen, because some of the theives have duplicate keys or some way to get in... Has anyone heard of this or have you experienced this... makes me think twice about renting a car?????? thank you for you advice...

:confused:

As others have posted rental in Hawaii like other places you need to be careful. I think one unique thing about Hawaii more than other places, new modern models are more than likely to be tourist than your local big city. Think about who goes to Pearl Harbor, parks at the local beach. You'll see the locals ( its clear they are locals by their tan and their cars ), the tourists are pretty easy to spot by their lack of tan and their car too.

I have never stayed at a hotel where they didn't offer complimentary luggage check and safe for your passport. Of course it requires to make a trip back to the hotel but well worth not finding your luggage and valuables gone.

Professional or evey amateur thief doesn't need your keys to break in and steal something in less than a minute...

Now after all that, rent a car, there is no better way to tour Hawaii than by your own schedule.

As others have posted rental in Hawaii like other places you need to be careful. I think one unique thing about Hawaii more than other places, new modern models are more than likely to be tourist than your local big city.

At this time (at least on Maui), it is a pretty safe bet that new (usually brightly colored) Ford Mustang convertibles belong to visitors.

Rent a car, but be smart. Don't leave valuables in plain sight and don't let people see you putting things like purses, cameras, etc.... in the trunk. Have fun! Hawaii is amazing and so easy and inexpensive to tour on your own. :)

I also heard when you get off the ship and have time before flight home, the cruise port will hold your luggage. For a price for each bag of course. That is what we are doing.

Although car break ins happen everywhere, I do think it is much more prevalent in Hawaii. You will see warning signs posted everywhere you go. Rental cars are easy to spot, and thieves know that the trunk is very likely to be full of luggage and purses. When we have luggage with us, we never park in deserted lots or roadside pull offs unless we will be next to the car. If you look around you will often see that the ground is littered with broken glass. They even had signs posted at the very busy lots at Dole Pineapple factory, where we did take our chances, as we were on our way to hotel on the Northshore.

And hotels in Hawaii will hold your luggage safely, both before check in if you arrive early, and after check out if you have late flights or something.

We are going on a cruise to Hawaii, we have no choice but to take our luggage with us in the rental car, our flight is a late flight, we will be in Honolulu and going to Pearl Harbor. Does anyone know if you can store your luggage at the airport.

Thanks

Joann

We are going on a cruise to Hawaii, we have no choice but to take our luggage with us in the rental car, our flight is a late flight, we will be in Honolulu and going to Pearl Harbor. Does anyone know if you can store your luggage at the airport.

 

Thanks

Joann

The Honolulu airport website states they do not have luggage storage at the airport but there are private companies in the area who offer luggage storage.

"Due to enhanced airport security requirements, baggage storage and locker facilities at Honolulu International Airport are not available".

http://hawaii.gov/hnl/customer-service/locker-storage-facilities

We are going on a cruise to Hawaii, we have no choice but to take our luggage with us in the rental car, our flight is a late flight, we will be in Honolulu and going to Pearl Harbor. Does anyone know if you can store your luggage at the airport.

 

Thanks

Joann

This company is ON SITE at the airport. Per their website they are the only one onsite. Aloha Airport Delivery and Storage. They will meet you anywhere at the airport including adjacent car rental sites for bag pickup. Rates are $20 for first bag and $5 each additional. For return of the bags, they will meet you back anywhere on property within minutes of your call.

808-638-1816

We are going on a cruise to Hawaii, we have no choice but to take our luggage with us in the rental car, our flight is a late flight, we will be in Honolulu and going to Pearl Harbor. Does anyone know if you can store your luggage at the airport.

 

Thanks

Joann

Joann, If you have a car with a trunk and can store your luggage there it should be OK ... don't open the trunk when you arrive at PH (or other places) so that no one else sees that you have a trunk full of stuff (take out of the trunk what you'll need ahead of time). You can check small bags at PH if you have some valuables that you don't want to leave in the car.

We've travelled in Hawaii quite a bit over the past 8 years - up to a month at a time. We've never had a break in - we don't leave anything of value sitting within view in the car, but at times we've had to leave stuff in the trunk.

p.s. here's the info on bag storage at PH.

This company is ON SITE at the airport. Per their website they are the only one onsite. Aloha Airport Delivery and Storage. They will meet you anywhere at the airport including adjacent car rental sites for bag pickup. Rates are $20 for first bag and $5 each additional. For return of the bags, they will meet you back anywhere on property within minutes of your call.

 

808-638-1816

Not only will they pick up your bags at the airport, they'll also pick them up at the ship. We did that a couple of weeks ago because our flight left after 10 PM...Aloha grabbed our bags and kept all day, then delivered them to airport when we were ready.

I apologize if I offend anyone who is paranoid about renting or driving a car in the Hawaiian Islands. We have been visiting Hawaii for over 30 years and have NEVER had anything taken from a car. It doesn't mean that others haven't had things stolen, but I imagine that the percentage of breakins is very small. We have had convertibles, minivans, and other hard top rentals. Do we leave cameras, computers, and luggage on the seat so that someone may be tempted? NO. Do we put things in the trunk before leaving the hotel/home rental that we might want later? YES. Why? So that IF anyone is watching they do not see us put valuables in the trunk. Same thing you might do at home. I do not know many people who go to the grocery store and leave an Ipad or laptop on the seat. Hawaii is so safe. As others have said...take the same precuations you would take at home or in any other tourist area. Have a great time!!!!! JMO Cherie

I apologize if I offend anyone who is paranoid about renting or driving a car in the Hawaiian Islands. We have been visiting Hawaii for over 30 years and have NEVER had anything taken from a car. It doesn't mean that others haven't had things stolen, but I imagine that the percentage of breakins is very small. We have had convertibles, minivans, and other hard top rentals. Do we leave cameras, computers, and luggage on the seat so that someone may be tempted? NO. Do we put things in the trunk before leaving the hotel/home rental that we might want later? YES. Why? So that IF anyone is watching they do not see us put valuables in the trunk. Same thing you might do at home. I do not know many people who go to the grocery store and leave an Ipad or laptop on the seat. Hawaii is so safe. As others have said...take the same precuations you would take at home or in any other tourist area. Have a great time!!!!! JMO Cherie

Paranoid, no. But neither am I going to stick my head in the sand. Sometimes valuables in the trunk can't be avoided, like on our trip between Honolulu and our Northshore hotel, but otherwise I will do my best to avoid this.

Lest some people think we are over reacting, I googled 'car break incidence for Hawaii' and came up with this info from the Trip Advisor Oahu Forum. It is from 2012, so a little dated, but I doubt much has changed.

For 2012, more than 10,000 cars were broken into in Honolulu alone according to the HPD. Many were parked near popular tourist spots like Waimea Bay which is a hot spot. Interestingly, Dodge Chargers and Mustang convertibles accounted for about 1/2 of all break ins, because according to rental car companies, these are the most popular rentals. We drove both when we were in Hawaii. The Charger is apparently very easy to break into, so much so that one only needs to insert the tip of a screw driver into to door lock and it pops open.

We might think differently about what type of car we rent on our next visit.

In 2012, a State Rep was introducing a bill that would require warnings to tourists in Car Rental Contracts and even to post warnings inside the cars, as well as require rental companies to report thefts and break ins by make and model to police. I wish I could remember for sure, but I am pretty sure that warning was in our contract in 2014. Not sure about inside the car, but I know it was high on my radar that trip, so definately saw the warnings somewhere.

I always felt very safe in Hawaii, but it would be a shame to make yourself any more vulnerable to that element of the population that will take full advantage of tourists if given the opportunity than is absolutely necessary. Just be aware of the problem, and don't leave valuables in the car/trunk unless unavoidable, and be aware of where you are parking.

I actually also Googled break in reports for the Hawaiian Islands prior to my posting last night. I, unfortunately, could not find any recent reports and/or percentages of rental car to private car break-ins. I did see the 2012 article you refer to in the Honolulu Civil Beat, http://www.civilbeat.com/2012/10/17328. I also read several other articles and a Trip Advisor thread dated January 17, 2014. The Dodge Charger appears to have had one of the highest theft rates in the country in 2012. I do not know what the rates are now but would definitely avoid renting that vehicle ANYWHERE if nothing has changed.

There is also an interesting article at http://www.hawaii-aloha.com/blog/2012/10/14 - Don't Be The Next Victim of Rental Car Theft.

I don't think that I, and others who have posted on this thread, have asked individuals to "stick their head in the sand" but consider safety in Hawaii the same as you would in most other places in the U.S. Stating that HPD reports 10,000 vehicle break-ins in 2012 does not give the percentage of rental cars throughout the islands. I did read in one of the reports that the rental car break-in of Chargers at the Ala Moana was at times 50% of the break ins.

So...I hope that everyone considering renting a car in the Hawaiian islands will not become paranoid, do their research, take the same precautions they would at home, and do as most on this thread have recommended...rent a car and see the beauty of Hawaii at your own speed. Cherie

There are indications, and we have noticed, more of a police/security guard presence at many tourist areas in the islands

I actually also Googled break in reports for the Hawaiian Islands prior to my posting last night. I, unfortunately, could not find any recent reports and/or percentages of rental car to private car break-ins. I did see the 2012 article you refer to in the Honolulu Civil Beat, http://www.civilbeat.com/2012/10/17328. I also read several other articles and a Trip Advisor thread dated January 17, 2014. The Dodge Charger appears to have had one of the highest theft rates in the country in 2012. I do not know what the rates are now but would definitely avoid renting that vehicle ANYWHERE if nothing has changed.

 

There is also an interesting article at http://www.hawaii-aloha.com/blog/2012/10/14 - Don't Be The Next Victim of Rental Car Theft.

 

I don't think that I, and others who have posted on this thread, have asked individuals to "stick their head in the sand" but consider safety in Hawaii the same as you would in most other places in the U.S. Stating that HPD reports 10,000 vehicle break-ins in 2012 does not give the percentage of rental cars throughout the islands. I did read in one of the reports that the rental car break-in of Chargers at the Ala Moana was at times 50% of the break ins.

 

So...I hope that everyone considering renting a car in the Hawaiian islands will not become paranoid, do their research, take the same precautions they would at home, and do as most on this thread have recommended...rent a car and see the beauty of Hawaii at your own speed. Cherie

 

There are indications, and we have noticed, more of a police/security guarsd presence at many tourist areas in the islands

You say that you have not asked others to "stick their heads in the sand", yet you refer to those of us who have pointed out some justified concerns as "paranoid". One is only paranoid if the concern is not justified.

As far as taking the same safety precautions I would at home, good advice in general, but Hawaii is a bit of a different animal. Oahu, for instance, covers a fairly small geographic area that has a very high number of tourists concentrated in certain areas year round. And while the report of the 10,000 car break ins annually in Honolulu did not break it down between tourist and local resident vehicles, I would guess, and I could be wrong, that the vast majority are rental cars driven by tourists and parked in tourist areas that the locals do not frequent on a daily basis.

From what I have read, and from comments by some local people, Hawaii seems to have a cottage industry run by those who see the very large number of tourists in rental cars stuffed with luggage, purses and electronic equipment as ripe for the picking. They simply cruise the various hot spots and pick off the easy targets which are probably easily identifiable to them as being rental cars. Their odds of cashing in are very high. I would venture a guess that 98% of the cars in the lot of Dole Pineapple Factory and many other tourist attractions are tourists in rental cars. The locals are at work or at home.

No need for anyone to panic. Just be aware and protect yourself and your stuff as best you can. I will not be renting a Charger or Mustang convertable again;).

punkincc--how about we agree to disagree? I think you are spreading paranoia and you think I am sticking my head in the sand. I do not have statistics that discount your "guess" that the vast majority of the 10,000 2012 car break ins on Oahu were rental cars. I have read the Honolulu Police Department Annual Report Statistics for 2013 which indicates that, at least for the year 2013, the number of thefts from motor vehicles was 6,474, which does dispute your assertion that nothing much has changed since 2012.

As you say "one is only paranoid if the concern is not justified." Suggesting that the majority of thefts from cars in Hawaii are from rental cars seems absurd unless you can substantiate that assertion. You may have already done this, but the HPD website is a great source of information. Common sense applies to us wherever we live and travel. JMO Cherie

Let's keep things in perspective. In the last 25 years, we've spent at least 4-6 weeks each year in Hawaii. We park in public areas, always keep packages and luggage out of site in the trunk, and have never had a break in. On the other hand, our daughter's car (an old VW bug) was broken into while parked in front of our house in a very nice residential area. "Stuff" happens - just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Never leave valuables in your car, no matter where you are.

You're much more likely to have a problem with nasty bugs (cockroaches love the tropics!) in your car than you are to have a human break-in. People leave food in their cars, then leave the windows cracked for a little air, and guess what finds its way in? After the first few occurrences (total freak-out when we got into the car after dark and saw all the 'scurrying ', we learned to make our first stop the local Long's Drugstore to pick up roach traps that we put under the front seat and in the trunk The first time it happened, we took the car back to the rental agency the next morning and demanded a replacement, only to find that the replacement was also 'occupied'.

I really don't understand the mentality which says that, "my car has never been broken into in Hawaii, therefore the problem does not exist". There is just too much evidence to the contrary. One stastic I saw from the HPD indicated that the rate is 1/85 people. Now, that gives you pretty good odds that you will be one of the other 84, but if I told you that you had a 1 in 85 chance of winning the lotto, you would think you had a ezcellent chance.

I would invite anyone who cares to find more info to simply Google "statistics on rental car breaks ins Hawaii. You will find more articles than I guarantee you will have time and energy to read, and they all support the same conclusion, at least the ones I had time to skim. An interesting one was in the Virtual Tourist Newsletter under Oahu Warnings and Dangers where many locals commented on the problem. There is a photo of a sign posted at the parking lot of the Manoa Falls Trail which reads: WARNING: High Theft Area. It Is Suggested Trail Users Park in the Lower Neighborhood. If anyone finds an article which says that this is NOT a big problem in Hawaii, let me know.

I'm not a nervous Nellie, and I would not hesitate to go to Hawaii or to rent a car there. I'll be there in March for the third time. But I will be very aware of the tips to avoid being a stastic. Just having an awareness of the problem and then taking some simple precautions goes a long way.

I really don't understand the mentality which says that, "my car has never been broken into in Hawaii, therefore the problem does not exist". There is just too much evidence to the contrary. One stastic I saw from the HPD indicated that the rate is 1/85 people. Now, that gives you pretty good odds that you will be one of the other 84, but if I told you that you had a 1 in 85 chance of winning the lotto, you would think you had a ezcellent chance.

 

I would invite anyone who cares to find more info to simply Google "statistics on rental car breaks ins Hawaii. You will find more articles than I guarantee you will have time and energy to read, and they all support the same conclusion, at least the ones I had time to skim. An interesting one was in the Virtual Tourist Newsletter under Oahu Warnings and Dangers where many locals commented on the problem. There is a photo of a sign posted at the parking lot of the Manoa Falls Trail which reads: WARNING: High Theft Area. It Is Suggested Trail Users Park in the Lower Neighborhood. If anyone finds an article which says that this is NOT a big problem in Hawaii, let me know.

 

I'm not a nervous Nellie, and I would not hesitate to go to Hawaii or to rent a car there. I'll be there in March for the third time. But I will be very aware of the tips to avoid being a stastic. Just having an awareness of the problem and then taking some simple precautions goes a long way.

+1

I am sure these people wouldn't carry car insurance or house if they didn't need to as their house was never burned down, damaged in some wild accident nor their car, LOL.

BTW most cars these days have trunk release from inside. If I was a thief, 30" less in the car, 5" or less to pop the trunk and then off with what ever your fancy.

Seems stupid to assure people that your car is safe when as others noted the reason theft is so common is because it is so easy!