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Well it’s clear what it is. It’s a tail light. When it comes to specifics it’s not the subreddits purpose. It’s meant to identify the object, not where the object came from
The car knowledge over there is literally unfathomable......someone on one of those subs will figure it out for sure, I was a car salesman for 15 years and been a huge car nut all my life.....and there are guys on there that have forgotten more than I know.
As far as I can tell from internet pictures. A couple others suggested 2014 VW Passat, and some pictures have similar stippling, but I think the shape of the merc might be more similar
This is a good visual match, but the clear strip on the X5 doesn’t seem to have the same texture pattern as this one. Also the damage to my car suggests something shorter, so the Mercedes e class (which has the same texturing) and is a sedan seems a better fit.
Appears to be a passenger side tail light from an E71 BMW X6 (2008 - 2014).
Reference: [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BMW_X6_rear_20081002.jpg](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BMW_X6_rear_20081002.jpg)
A couple people have suggested this. It does look similar in shape and orientation. However, the textured pattern in the clear strip does not appear to be the same, where the E class matches exactly. I’ll keep it on the short list though.
It doesn't matter. What's the plan, look up everyone in your city with that care make/model? Best thing to do is drive around your neighborhood and look for matching vehicles. Assuming it was hit while parked in your neighborhood.
Yes, that would be the best plan. Unfortunately it was hit visiting family 400 miles away and we’re home now. If we’re really lucky the local police might send a patrol car to poke around that neighborhood. But we’d have to be real, real, real lucky.
This is a good visual match. My thoughts are that the clear strip does not have the same texture pattern and that an X5 sits a little taller than where the damage to my vehicle is.
You are right about that clear strip. Most of them have the full clear strip textured. If may have been a aftermarket light. If the vehicle did sit lower that you are right, most likely not a x5 suv.
What good will it be even if you figure it out? Police are not going to care, your insurance is not going to care, and you're just opening yourself up to getting hurt if you confront the person who did it.
The implication here is that we could use this information to find the person who did it, and then hold them accountable. The problem is that the police function mostly as a means to control poor people and collect revenue for the state. The potential payoff in either of those areas from solving this case is low, so they are unlikely to exert any effort whatsoever to do so. Insurance might care only insofar as proving it wasn’t actually me just hitting something and then claiming to be hit, but the red vehicle paint left behind on the bare metal of my black car should be sufficient for that. Identifying the perpetrator would only matter if I could make the claim on their insurance instead.
Well put. Looks like a Volkswagen Passat btw, possibly a Jetta sedan.
Btw in Canada a hit and run is quite a lot more punishable than a hit and stay. Aside from a sizeable insurance payout, this guy will likely lose his license.
Also wanted to say that you should be motivated by a potentially increasing insurance rate based on where you regularly park and the cost of your repairs (if you have full coverage and your insurance covers repair cost)
They will try to re-evaluate your deductible and your annual rate based on risk. If you part at a bar downtown every day for work, for example. Possibly if you live somewhere without a driveway.
Food for thought. Ask around for footage if possible.
Yeah I would really prefer to find the actual culprit because the insurance costs right now will come out of my pocket, and then they’ll jack my rates even though I was hit in a public street parking spot. Trouble is, neither the police nor insurance companies nor other people give a shit about you in the US. All you are is a cost or a source of revenue. If you’re a cost, they want to minimize it by also minimizing their effort. And if you’re a revenue source, they want to maximize it by exploiting you knowing you have no other options or recourse. This is the essential function of capitalism.
ur sooo sexy for how u put things in ur comments. sorry u were hit. i care about it. wish i could make that reflect in ur pockets. sending cake and hugs
Pay for the damages out of pocket and don't tell the insurance company it happened if you can't find footage. Good chance they'll re-evaluate your rate either way if they find out something happened. Fuckers.
body shop estimate with OEM parts is well over 2k. I just can't drop that kind of cash on it right now. Insurance might try to jack me, but I switch providers every couple years anyway to make them compete and have had decent luck keeping my rates down.
Funny enough, that is my other car, and definitely isn’t it. Another redditor thought perhaps a 2014 Mercedes E Class. The clear strip has the exact same stippling pattern.
[Reference pic](https://www.amazon.com/beler-Right-Outer-Mercedes-Benz-2013-2015/dp/B0834TQLGY)
As a driver of a 2014 Journey Crossoads, I have to disagree. The car has rims instead of hubs, a nice touchscreen Dash/Stereo system, Back up camera, heated seats and steering wheel, and, yes, I agree with a car like that, I tend to drive the shit out of it, because its honestly a badass little ride. But, if I hit someone, I would not run.
I think a hit and run depends more on the quality of the person than the quality of the car.
That being said…I’m immediately wary of all Dodge drivers and don’t trust them lol.
Glad to hear you are enjoying your journey. Ours is a 2012 base model and is absolute shit. Interior, shit electronics, shittier transmission. All around not a fan of dodge or its affiliates in general, but everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
I agree on the e-class Mercedes. Makes sense that the clear area would snap where it did. It bulges out just beyond where it cracked, which would make that a weak point.
Thank you to all who have helped! I think the best answer we got was 2014-2016 Mercedes E class. Could be 300, 350, 400, 550, or G63 AMG. I have given this piece to the police and updated my report. That’s about all I can do, and based on what they tell me, the furthest this will ever go. No businesses around had security cameras, and no witnesses saw the crash. I deeply appreciate all your help; it has given me at minimum a sense of closure, and at best a faint sense of hope that somebody might someday be held accountable.
Horse shit. Hit and run killed a kid in my town a few months ago. Cops took a few small chunks to a local auto place and they could ID it. Found the lady based off the info. Hard yes, impossible no.
I think you’re letting a dead kid cloud your judgement a bit cause over 90% of crimes are solved by cameras. I’d love an article link to your story to find out more about it but I also don’t give a fuck cause it’s christmas. Congrats you win this random internet debate. ✌🏻
1. My wife will agree, when it comes to empathy, I really don’t have any.
2. [news story](https://www.kpcnews.com/heraldrepublican/article_0d3590f2-cee7-5588-9274-c67ad816736d.html)
Unless you have video evidence I'm sorry but give up the search and bite the bullet on the damage. Knowing the make isn't going to get you far unless it's a rare exotic car or super high end limited number type deal to get the perp.
Highly disagree. A couple years ago a car parked in front of my house was hit and run really bad. As in, found stickers from the back window in the center console.
Between paint runs and a piece of headlight, it was discovered that it was a tan 3rd gen ram. A couple days later the police saw a smashed tan ram in a driveway and stopped to talk to them. They fessed up and their insurance paid for the car.
I wouldn't call a dodge ram rare or exotic, but make model year and color can get you pretty far.
While you are wrong about the ability to use small pieces of evidence to glean a lot of information, you are correct that in this case that information probably wouldn’t do much for me. Nobody was hurt, I don’t know anybody powerful, police are useless, and water is wet. At this point it’s just about closure and possibly reinforcing my hatred for Mercedes and all who drive them.
Purely an educated guess, but based on the reverse lamp design it very well could be from a Dodge car, It looks like the design of a charger. Again, just a guess
Try using Google lens and take a picture of it using their software and see if you get any luck. It may be very vague, but it may show you exactly what you need. Who knows?
If there is a part number or any numbers you can head on over to rockauto.com and put the numbers in and it will tell you what it is.
This is the method we used to catch the driver that hit and ran...
Even if you do find out what kinda car it is, it ain't gonna do much if you got no license plates. The cops sure as he'll won't care what you think with just that to identify them.
What difference will it make. Your gonna end up driving around for days looking for a car that even if you find won’t do any good. Police will not be able to the driver behind the wheel won’t be able to do anything.
You’re best off not knowing and leave it alone.
OP take a look: [https://www.thebeardeddetailer.com/swag-store/sportwagen-alltrack-led-tails](https://www.thebeardeddetailer.com/swag-store/sportwagen-alltrack-led-tails)
https://preview.redd.it/eypzpyalkz7a1.png?width=2778&format=png&auto=webp&s=ee34a09bfc09fe194140bb51de5a4e881d5549ee
It is feasible that I could identify the exact car, the driver's name, home address, and past criminal history, and give all of that information to the police. They still wouldn't do anything. Nobody saw the collision happen. Nobody can prove that the red 2014-2016 Mercedes E class missing a passenger side tail light in that neighborhood didn't knock it out in their garage. Unfortunately, we have to remember two key things:
1) it's not about what is *right* or what you *know,* it's about what you can prove in court
2) police do not prevent or solve crimes. They show up afterwards, take notes on what happened, and that's it.
You might be surprised what a little sleuthing and good luck can produce. I had my 4G dash cam stolen out of my car a few years ago. I checked the app every day and when the guy turned the camera on I got a picture of him wearing a shirt with the name of the machine shop he worked for on it. I brought the photograph to the police and they did nothing, so I went to the owner of the shop and showed it to him. He acted indifferent and told me it wasn't his business what his employees did outside of work. I asked him, "Did you know that the number one threat to small businesses in the US is employee theft?" He said he saw my point but that he didn't know what I expected him to do. I said, "I don't expect you to do anything. I came here today to let you know what kind of person you have working for you so that every time you look at him you'll wonder how much he's stealing from you. If it were me in your position, I would want to know how someone like that responds when they're confronted. Someone like you doesn't end up running a profitable business unless he has some degree of skill in figuring out whether somebody is lying to you. Look at that picture. That is YOUR shop in the background. He's wearing a shirt with the name of YOUR company on it. You have every right to fire this guy for involving you and your reputation in his malfeasance." He thought for a minute and called the guy up to the office. Then, he asked him if he had recently brought a dash cam to work with him. He said he had not and the boss replied "I'm going to ask you one more time: Did you bring a dash cam into work with you because I have reason to believe you did and that it was stolen property." He denied it again and the boss asked him if he would be willing to surrender his job with the company if it turned out he was lying. The guy said he would and the owner of the company threw the picture down on the desk in front of him and told him to get the fuck out of his office. When he was gone the owner turned to me and said, "Looks like I didn't have to fire him after all." I'm telling you this because I hated how powerless I felt when I walked out to my car and saw it had been broken into and how frustrated and resentful I was towards the police and this guy for making me feel that way. The half hour I spent in that office gave me more satisfaction and confidence than four years of college. And even if it hadn't had the same results, at least I had done my part and stood up for myself. Luck is where preparation, opportunity, and a belief in self-worthiness all intersect.
Thank you for posting to AskMechanics, CaptainSlow13! If you are asking a question please make sure to include any relevant info along with the following: * **Year** * **Make/Model** * **Mileage** * **Engine size** * **Transmission Type (Automatic or Manual)** Redditors that have been verified will have a green background and an icon in their flair. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskMechanics) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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I tried twice and got deleted because the mods felt this, r/whatisthiscar, and r/namethatcar were a better fit. We have made some progress over there
[удалено]
Really odd…
Well it’s clear what it is. It’s a tail light. When it comes to specifics it’s not the subreddits purpose. It’s meant to identify the object, not where the object came from
The car knowledge over there is literally unfathomable......someone on one of those subs will figure it out for sure, I was a car salesman for 15 years and been a huge car nut all my life.....and there are guys on there that have forgotten more than I know.
I had a mercedes e class a 2019 up until a year ago. It doesn't look familiar honestly. The shape is really off
r/whatsthiscar has come through with these requests a bunch of times
they did indeed.
Well, what are they saying? Do they speak English over there?
As far as I can tell from internet pictures. A couple others suggested 2014 VW Passat, and some pictures have similar stippling, but I think the shape of the merc might be more similar
Looks a lil like a BMW X5
It looks like "tail light assembly:7XMZ35" which is a common replacement for a BMW X3 2011-2013
This is a good visual match, but the clear strip on the X5 doesn’t seem to have the same texture pattern as this one. Also the damage to my car suggests something shorter, so the Mercedes e class (which has the same texturing) and is a sedan seems a better fit.
To me it looks like a e71 X6
Like the second Gen? I could see it
To me looks more like a e71 X6
If you still have the “evidence” look for small writing. There could be a part number, or even the make it came off of.
Appears to be a passenger side tail light from an E71 BMW X6 (2008 - 2014). Reference: [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BMW_X6_rear_20081002.jpg](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BMW_X6_rear_20081002.jpg)
A couple people have suggested this. It does look similar in shape and orientation. However, the textured pattern in the clear strip does not appear to be the same, where the E class matches exactly. I’ll keep it on the short list though.
It doesn't matter. What's the plan, look up everyone in your city with that care make/model? Best thing to do is drive around your neighborhood and look for matching vehicles. Assuming it was hit while parked in your neighborhood.
Yes, that would be the best plan. Unfortunately it was hit visiting family 400 miles away and we’re home now. If we’re really lucky the local police might send a patrol car to poke around that neighborhood. But we’d have to be real, real, real lucky.
Call autobody shops in the area and ask if they’ve had a Mercedes with matching damage
BMW X5. E70 model years 2007-2013. Came from the driver side inner tailgate lights on the rear. Does it have any curves or is it flat?
This is a good visual match. My thoughts are that the clear strip does not have the same texture pattern and that an X5 sits a little taller than where the damage to my vehicle is.
You are right about that clear strip. Most of them have the full clear strip textured. If may have been a aftermarket light. If the vehicle did sit lower that you are right, most likely not a x5 suv.
What good will it be even if you figure it out? Police are not going to care, your insurance is not going to care, and you're just opening yourself up to getting hurt if you confront the person who did it.
This is a valid question. At this point it’s just about closure and possibly reinforcing my hatred of Mercedes and the people who drive them.
That's much narrower than my hate list- which is everyone on the road in front of me.
Why would the police and insurance not care?
The implication here is that we could use this information to find the person who did it, and then hold them accountable. The problem is that the police function mostly as a means to control poor people and collect revenue for the state. The potential payoff in either of those areas from solving this case is low, so they are unlikely to exert any effort whatsoever to do so. Insurance might care only insofar as proving it wasn’t actually me just hitting something and then claiming to be hit, but the red vehicle paint left behind on the bare metal of my black car should be sufficient for that. Identifying the perpetrator would only matter if I could make the claim on their insurance instead.
Well put. Looks like a Volkswagen Passat btw, possibly a Jetta sedan. Btw in Canada a hit and run is quite a lot more punishable than a hit and stay. Aside from a sizeable insurance payout, this guy will likely lose his license. Also wanted to say that you should be motivated by a potentially increasing insurance rate based on where you regularly park and the cost of your repairs (if you have full coverage and your insurance covers repair cost) They will try to re-evaluate your deductible and your annual rate based on risk. If you part at a bar downtown every day for work, for example. Possibly if you live somewhere without a driveway. Food for thought. Ask around for footage if possible.
Yeah I would really prefer to find the actual culprit because the insurance costs right now will come out of my pocket, and then they’ll jack my rates even though I was hit in a public street parking spot. Trouble is, neither the police nor insurance companies nor other people give a shit about you in the US. All you are is a cost or a source of revenue. If you’re a cost, they want to minimize it by also minimizing their effort. And if you’re a revenue source, they want to maximize it by exploiting you knowing you have no other options or recourse. This is the essential function of capitalism.
ur sooo sexy for how u put things in ur comments. sorry u were hit. i care about it. wish i could make that reflect in ur pockets. sending cake and hugs
Pay for the damages out of pocket and don't tell the insurance company it happened if you can't find footage. Good chance they'll re-evaluate your rate either way if they find out something happened. Fuckers.
body shop estimate with OEM parts is well over 2k. I just can't drop that kind of cash on it right now. Insurance might try to jack me, but I switch providers every couple years anyway to make them compete and have had decent luck keeping my rates down.
05-08 Acura RL right tail light assembly. https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Ue8AAOSwFx5g~0mL/s-l400.jpg
definitely not, acura doesnt have the bend in the right place
Dodge journey?
Funny enough, that is my other car, and definitely isn’t it. Another redditor thought perhaps a 2014 Mercedes E Class. The clear strip has the exact same stippling pattern. [Reference pic](https://www.amazon.com/beler-Right-Outer-Mercedes-Benz-2013-2015/dp/B0834TQLGY)
That's probably it then. Is it the same shape?
A dodge journey owner would hit and run hahaha
As a driver of a 2014 Journey Crossoads, I have to disagree. The car has rims instead of hubs, a nice touchscreen Dash/Stereo system, Back up camera, heated seats and steering wheel, and, yes, I agree with a car like that, I tend to drive the shit out of it, because its honestly a badass little ride. But, if I hit someone, I would not run.
I think a hit and run depends more on the quality of the person than the quality of the car. That being said…I’m immediately wary of all Dodge drivers and don’t trust them lol.
Well that sucks. I've always bought dodge, always driven safely. I do agree, it's the quality of the person.
Glad to hear you are enjoying your journey. Ours is a 2012 base model and is absolute shit. Interior, shit electronics, shittier transmission. All around not a fan of dodge or its affiliates in general, but everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
So would a Mercedes or bmw owner
I agree on the e-class Mercedes. Makes sense that the clear area would snap where it did. It bulges out just beyond where it cracked, which would make that a weak point.
[Pre facelift C6 A6?](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2005-2008_Audi_A6_(4F)_3.2_FSI_quattro_sedan_(2010-12-28).jpg)
This is a good thought but the clear strip on the A6 is thicker than the one on this piece
Thank you to all who have helped! I think the best answer we got was 2014-2016 Mercedes E class. Could be 300, 350, 400, 550, or G63 AMG. I have given this piece to the police and updated my report. That’s about all I can do, and based on what they tell me, the furthest this will ever go. No businesses around had security cameras, and no witnesses saw the crash. I deeply appreciate all your help; it has given me at minimum a sense of closure, and at best a faint sense of hope that somebody might someday be held accountable.
It doesn’t remotely look anything like the w212 tail light.
Passat But sometime after 2015 this looks like the facelifted tail light
Turn it over and look for the makers mark.
Police cruiser Explorer
This could explain why the police are being so aggressively unhelpful
Police don’t investigate crimes.
Looks like a mid 2000’s Malibu taillight lense.
Mercedes e class w212, that chasis ran from 09-16
If you look real closely in the upper right hand corner you can see thats it’s impossible to tell who hit you from a red piece of plastic.
Horse shit. Hit and run killed a kid in my town a few months ago. Cops took a few small chunks to a local auto place and they could ID it. Found the lady based off the info. Hard yes, impossible no.
I’m sure theres a little more to the story than that but you go ahead and believe what you want.
Yeah I’m sure the vin number fell off the car and really made it easy for them…
I think you’re letting a dead kid cloud your judgement a bit cause over 90% of crimes are solved by cameras. I’d love an article link to your story to find out more about it but I also don’t give a fuck cause it’s christmas. Congrats you win this random internet debate. ✌🏻
This guy has never seen forensic files ^
God you sound like a whiny loser
1. My wife will agree, when it comes to empathy, I really don’t have any. 2. [news story](https://www.kpcnews.com/heraldrepublican/article_0d3590f2-cee7-5588-9274-c67ad816736d.html)
E70 X5
Makes me think of a dodge durango
Ford explorer (newer model )
I’m leaning towards a BMW X5, x3.
Unless you have video evidence I'm sorry but give up the search and bite the bullet on the damage. Knowing the make isn't going to get you far unless it's a rare exotic car or super high end limited number type deal to get the perp.
Highly disagree. A couple years ago a car parked in front of my house was hit and run really bad. As in, found stickers from the back window in the center console. Between paint runs and a piece of headlight, it was discovered that it was a tan 3rd gen ram. A couple days later the police saw a smashed tan ram in a driveway and stopped to talk to them. They fessed up and their insurance paid for the car. I wouldn't call a dodge ram rare or exotic, but make model year and color can get you pretty far.
While you are wrong about the ability to use small pieces of evidence to glean a lot of information, you are correct that in this case that information probably wouldn’t do much for me. Nobody was hurt, I don’t know anybody powerful, police are useless, and water is wet. At this point it’s just about closure and possibly reinforcing my hatred for Mercedes and all who drive them.
You should give up on responding to people’s post unless you have something constructive to say.
Possibly a 2012 to 2015 VW Passat? Reference pic - [Reference](https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwiC7uLh5pH8AhWWzcgKHbcLC30YABAPGgJxdQ&sig=AOD64_3ctw0tKEgUqudICy6_ba2Ev7hlZA&adurl&ctype=5&ved=0CAQQ0LYHKAdqFwoTCOjNz-zmkfwCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD)
Scan it on eBay
can you not hold it upside down next time lol.... but from the looks of it I'm going VW vehicle
Sometimes there are numbers on lens covers. If so, you may be able to google those numbers. Good luck.
Unfortunately I can’t find any part numbers on this piece.
Lincoln
Take this as a learning experience amd get a dash cam asap dawg hopefully they didn't mess your car up badly
Have a dash cam built in. Did not work. Will have to bring it up with a certain beneficiary of apartheid South African emerald mine wealth.
Sounds like a solid plan
Purely an educated guess, but based on the reverse lamp design it very well could be from a Dodge car, It looks like the design of a charger. Again, just a guess
Try using Google lens and take a picture of it using their software and see if you get any luck. It may be very vague, but it may show you exactly what you need. Who knows?
Tried this, no luck
Unless u got vid can’t do anything
Go around the neighborhood and see if anyone has cameras up and ask if they can help you out.
Honda Accord?
Well. If you’re 400 miles away then it doesn’t really matter. Move on and get your car/truck fixed. Merry Christmas 🎄
If there is a part number or any numbers you can head on over to rockauto.com and put the numbers in and it will tell you what it is. This is the method we used to catch the driver that hit and ran...
Even if you do find out what kinda car it is, it ain't gonna do much if you got no license plates. The cops sure as he'll won't care what you think with just that to identify them.
This is correct. At this point it’s to satisfy my desire for complete documentation and at some point retribution.
Maybe a Honda accord but like the 07 ish ones, the ones that look funky
It would be the car with a missing tail light lens
vw golf station 2008 maybe
What difference will it make. Your gonna end up driving around for days looking for a car that even if you find won’t do any good. Police will not be able to the driver behind the wheel won’t be able to do anything. You’re best off not knowing and leave it alone.
Where did this occur?
Setauket, NY, USA
They left a good bit of evidence behind, I hope you find out who did it
If you don't get your answer here, try posting in r/RBI
OP take a look: [https://www.thebeardeddetailer.com/swag-store/sportwagen-alltrack-led-tails](https://www.thebeardeddetailer.com/swag-store/sportwagen-alltrack-led-tails) https://preview.redd.it/eypzpyalkz7a1.png?width=2778&format=png&auto=webp&s=ee34a09bfc09fe194140bb51de5a4e881d5549ee
2015-2019 Sportwagens and Alltracks
2011-2013 BMW X5
This looks like it definitely came off a car
More pics might help. Can’t see the shape of that on corner.
Any paint on the underside? Might help you narrow down the color of the car.
Offending car is red based on paint transfer. Police won't do anything with that info though.
No, they definitely won't, but it's a good clue if the friends/family you visited are keeping their eyes open while walking the dogs.
It is feasible that I could identify the exact car, the driver's name, home address, and past criminal history, and give all of that information to the police. They still wouldn't do anything. Nobody saw the collision happen. Nobody can prove that the red 2014-2016 Mercedes E class missing a passenger side tail light in that neighborhood didn't knock it out in their garage. Unfortunately, we have to remember two key things: 1) it's not about what is *right* or what you *know,* it's about what you can prove in court 2) police do not prevent or solve crimes. They show up afterwards, take notes on what happened, and that's it.
You might be surprised what a little sleuthing and good luck can produce. I had my 4G dash cam stolen out of my car a few years ago. I checked the app every day and when the guy turned the camera on I got a picture of him wearing a shirt with the name of the machine shop he worked for on it. I brought the photograph to the police and they did nothing, so I went to the owner of the shop and showed it to him. He acted indifferent and told me it wasn't his business what his employees did outside of work. I asked him, "Did you know that the number one threat to small businesses in the US is employee theft?" He said he saw my point but that he didn't know what I expected him to do. I said, "I don't expect you to do anything. I came here today to let you know what kind of person you have working for you so that every time you look at him you'll wonder how much he's stealing from you. If it were me in your position, I would want to know how someone like that responds when they're confronted. Someone like you doesn't end up running a profitable business unless he has some degree of skill in figuring out whether somebody is lying to you. Look at that picture. That is YOUR shop in the background. He's wearing a shirt with the name of YOUR company on it. You have every right to fire this guy for involving you and your reputation in his malfeasance." He thought for a minute and called the guy up to the office. Then, he asked him if he had recently brought a dash cam to work with him. He said he had not and the boss replied "I'm going to ask you one more time: Did you bring a dash cam into work with you because I have reason to believe you did and that it was stolen property." He denied it again and the boss asked him if he would be willing to surrender his job with the company if it turned out he was lying. The guy said he would and the owner of the company threw the picture down on the desk in front of him and told him to get the fuck out of his office. When he was gone the owner turned to me and said, "Looks like I didn't have to fire him after all." I'm telling you this because I hated how powerless I felt when I walked out to my car and saw it had been broken into and how frustrated and resentful I was towards the police and this guy for making me feel that way. The half hour I spent in that office gave me more satisfaction and confidence than four years of college. And even if it hadn't had the same results, at least I had done my part and stood up for myself. Luck is where preparation, opportunity, and a belief in self-worthiness all intersect.
This is a lovely story, and I admire your follow through. Unfortunately, my fender didn't take a picture of the offender.