gah. wheels stolen from my aunt's ford freestar

[turbo_nine]

This is probably not a TCL sleuth thread, unless you're familiar with Brattleboro Vermont and you know any of the local meth-heads or any enemies of mine.

Long story short, my very gracious aunt loaned me her '07 Freestar to take my motorcycle home (on mother's day, no less) after its clutch cable broke. Then I needed to move out of my place, kept the minivan a bit longer...

And this morning I get a call about it. Two wheels and tires stolen from it, along with their lug nuts but NOT the plastic wheel covers, both on the driver's side. So it sits, pathetically listing to the left and sitting on its brake rotors in the parking lot at work, filled with my old roommate's furniture.

Ford dealer wants $347 for each wheel. These things might have TPMS sensors, and I don't know a damn thing about those. Still the price is high. Local salvage yards are turning up dry and only generic replacements might be found and they don't fit the wheel covers.

Goal here is to somehow, MAGICALLY, get this put back together as it was before I borrowed it... tomorrow before I have to finish moving this weekend. Odds are poor, I think, but maybe some of the brain trust here can help me find a pair of good used 16x6 steel Freestar wheels and the appropriate lug nuts for attaching the plastic wheel covers while I have time tomorrow.

Tires should be no problem, but if a set of take-offs can be found that includes them that is all the better.


Bonus: driver's window on my 745i got smashed in and the passenger seat torn up too.

[turbo_nine]

bahahahahahahahaaha HA

Cool, someone read the thread even before I posted photos.



OK, photo summary:

Bike fits in the van! Sweet bike!




Help me find what's missing here...




Extra credit/TCL cred:

[bikerboy]

Go to the wreckers and get a set of alloys from a Windstar? Probably could get the whole set and tires for less than Ford wants for 2 steelies. Give your Aunt an upgrade at the same time.

[turbo_nine]

Go to the wreckers and get a set of alloys from a Windstar? Probably could get the whole set and tires for less than Ford wants for 2 steelies. Give your Aunt an upgrade at the same time.

There's the obstacle of finding wreckers nearby who are open tomorrow with a good set of wheels and tires and all the lug nuts in stock... and the TPMS crap?

Help me out, TCL. I basically never have dealt with any of this late-model stuff.

[Aonarch]

WTF Why? That sucks OP. GL!

[Señor Peligro]

I'd look up your bolt pattern info and scour craigslist for anything that'll fit.

[smd3]

...after its clutch cable broke...

clutch cable? Is this the only vehicle built after about 1990 that has a mechanical clutch linkage?

[Grey Mouser]

clutch cable? Is this the only vehicle built after about 1990 that has a mechanical clutch linkage?

He's talking about his bike.

[BRealistic]

2007
Ford
Freestar
5 lug 4.5 inch 114.3mm High Positive Offset

2007
Ford
Fusion
5 lug 4.5 inch 114.3mm High Positive Offset

2007
Ford
Mustang
5 lug 4.5 inch 114.3mm High Positive Offset

2007
Ford
Crown Victoria
5 lug 4.5 inch 114.3 High Positive Offset

http://www.discountedwheelwarehouse...._Reference.cfm

Surely you can find a set of wheels.
But the tire pressure sensors will be an issue.

[AndyG86]

There are a few auto salvage places in Rutland that had a lot of cars when I lived there. Yes I know Rutland is not all that close to Brat. but it is an option.

-Rosenbergs
-Brown's

[SVT2888]

^^^^ I'm surprised for changed the bolt pattern when going from Windstar to Freestar. The Windstar used 5x108 wheels. So, those are out of the question.


BTW wanna hear a worse story? My friend had her clapped out barely running 98 Nissan Sentra stolen this past weekend while she was working at a party, she does event photography and choreography. Anyways, she had left her purse in the car and they took all the cash out, which was a few hundred, and they also stole the stock steelies, battery and stereo. I'm thinking it was a crack-head who did it because those are all items you can get rid of easily for a small mount of cash. Later, she got a call telling her that they knew were her car was and to give them $100 to find out where it was.

I wish I could find the guy who stole her car and punch him in the throat. She is a struggling college student who is not only struggling to pay for school, but also has a crap ton of money she owes in medical bills because of the brain tumor she has.

[BRealistic]

^^^^ I'm surprised for changed the bolt pattern when going from Windstar to Freestar. The Windstar used 5x108 wheels. So, those are out of the question.

The Freestar and Windstar have almost no parts in common (surprisingly considering how mediocre the Freestar was when it first debuted.. it was easy to assume it was just a refreshed Windstar).

[initiation]

Huh. I spot an E60 in the background, where two wheels would be worth more than the entire Ford van. Still, these folks took your ****ty steel wheels, left the covers, and smashed your window on the way out. That is really something.

[rimtrim]

Unfortunately no other vehicle uses that exact wheel, it was unique to the Freestar. Hollander #3543, Ford P/N 3F2Z-1007-AA, 16x6", 4.5" bolt circle. I see several listed on eBay for a lot less than that ridiculous dealer price:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200764403806

-Andrew L

[badfish488]

www.car-part.com

[rimtrim]

As for the external threaded lugs to mount the wheel covers...I would check to see if the 2000-07 Taurus/Sable lugs for steel wheels are the same. All the Taurus and Sable wheel covers of that generation used the plastic lug cap mounting like the Freestar. 2003-08 Crown Vic/Grand Marquis with 16" full wheel covers are another possible interchange for the lug nuts (lugs from Crown Vic police/taxi with small center caps definitely won't work, they use a flanged lug to mount the cap rather than an external threaded lug).

-Andrew L

[i.want.a.dub]

if i had wheels/tires stolen from my car... insurance. Guess it depends on your deductible though.

[S0RRY]

wtf who would steal 2 steel wheels and leave the wheel covers? A local tire shop may be able to help with TPMS and you could probably find the appropriate steelies from one of the vehicles listed above. Good luck, I find this bizarre though.

[1956dub]

^^^^ I'm surprised for changed the bolt pattern when going from Windstar to Freestar. The Windstar used 5x108 wheels. So, those are out of the question.


BTW wanna hear a worse story? My friend had her clapped out barely running 98 Nissan Sentra stolen this past weekend while she was working at a party, she does event photography and choreography. Anyways, she had left her purse in the car and they took all the cash out, which was a few hundred, and they also stole the stock steelies, battery and stereo. I'm thinking it was a crack-head who did it because those are all items you can get rid of easily for a small mount of cash. Later, she got a call telling her that they knew were her car was and to give them $100 to find out where it was.

I wish I could find the guy who stole her car and punch him in the throat. She is a struggling college student who is not only struggling to pay for school, but also has a crap ton of money she owes in medical bills because of the brain tumor she has.

Say yeah, I got that $100 meet up with me and I'll give it to ya. Then destroy them with fire when meet up occurs.

Edit: Sorry OP, I'm of no help on wheels for ya, but GL.

[Cameron1152]

call les shweb or w/e its spelt.. they sell steal wheels at like 20 a piece.. but your still going to have to buy the tires which if you get a used one is around 40 a tire mounted/balanced.

[patrikman]

Find the needed offset and head to CL. That is a super common bolt pattern.


I would look for some BBS from an STi.

[turbo_nine]

So it turns out the deductible on my aunt's insurance is way cheaper than she remembered. Minivan goes to the Ford dealer ... now-ish.



Still no leads on glass for the E23. And they tore up the nice leather too.

[Air-over-water]

clutch cable? Is this the only vehicle built after about 1990 that has a mechanical clutch linkage?

VW had them through the 90's...

[daveschi]

tell your aunt the truth, have her call her Insurance company?

[DISI 2.3T]

Put on the spare and then you just have to get one...for now.

[484]

tell your aunt the truth, have her call her Insurance company?

Sounds like a great idea! Maybe her deductible is lower than she remembers and he can just ship the van off to the dealer for repairs on Insurance's dime.

[DUBLUV401]

dam that sucks... I was in Brattleboro last year, actually one year ago next weekend.... they had Hefferfest goin on lol... not to familair with the area one bit but that sucks dude.

[cheap sunglasses]

yeah, you can just DIAF.


So it turns out the deductible on my aunt's insurance is way cheaper than she remembered. Minivan goes to the Ford dealer ... now-ish.



Still no leads on glass for the E23. And they tore up the nice leather too.

I haven't had to set foot in a junkyard in about 5 years but I've never had problems finding parts for an E23 in the northeast. Give it time, you should be able to find something within a 50 mile radius, most likely even less.

[spitfirevr6]

someone definitely has it out for you, and they are close enough to you to know that you had the minivan.

i don't see how this can be a random act when they only targeted your cars, especially with much better targets in the same parking lot.

[DasBaldGuy]

someone definitely has it out for you, and they are close enough to you to know that you had the minivan.

i don't see how this can be a random act when they only targeted your cars, especially with much better targets in the same parking lot.

I was about to say "whoa, they stole wheels from a Freestar? WTF?" then I scrolled down to see WHEELCOVERS!!!! and said "Whoa, they stole STEELIES from a Freestar?"

then it all made sense...this wasn't a "theft" it was harrassment.

I'm sorry this happened to you and I hope you get it sorted out....but I don't want to live in a world where theives actually target steelies on anything, especially a Freestar.

[jettagli1991]

They probably just wanted the tires off them for their 1992 Buick LeSabre or something. I know guys used to steel the spares off the bottom of new trucks in the dealer lots to make a set of new tires. Same idiots who hack off cats and destroy half your car for a $100 head unit. They'll probably just toss or scrap the wheels. Sucks, because as Rimtrim stated, they're exclusive to the Freestar. Normal wheel covers won't fit them, and the Freestar caps won't fit a different Ford wheel, so you're kind of stuck buying that exact wheel or a matching set of something else and new wheel covers. Glad insurance is covering it.

[mac dre]

**** people

[BRealistic]

If the car was in your possession when this theft/vandalism happened, doesn't that mean it should be covered by your insurance?

[03GTI4Me]

If the car was in your possession when this theft/vandalism happened, doesn't that mean it should be covered by your insurance?

Insurance follows the vehicle, not the driver.

Remember that when you loan out your vehicles.

[Iroczgirl]

Insurance follows the vehicle, not the driver.

Remember that when you loan out your vehicles.

Yeah, I found that out the hard way.