Episode Summary
In this episode of The Expat Files, Johnny Mueller dives into the realities of expat life in Latin America, focusing on car theft, police practices, and cultural adaptation. He shares personal anecdotes and practical advice for expats navigating the region's unique challenges.
Johnny begins by introducing the show and discussing the common issue of car theft in Latin America, highlighting the contrast with the first world. He explains that expats often initially buy luxury cars but eventually trade them in for more modest vehicles due to the high risk of theft and other challenges. He also touches on the frequent roadblocks set up by police in Latin America, which he explains is partly a way to conserve fuel and keep part of the police force inactive.
He recounts his experience with owning a Toyota 4Runner in a region with challenging road conditions and frequent police roadblocks. He explains how the 4Runner's high ground clearance was initially seen as an advantage, but it led to frequent stops by police, often resulting in searches and potential theft of belongings. He highlights the risks of being pulled over, the likelihood of being searched thoroughly, and the dangers of being accused of carrying an unregistered gun. Johnny also discusses the broader issues of police corruption, the lack of legal enforcement, and the common practice of bribery, especially during times of financial strain. He warns expats about the importance of being cautious, avoiding arguments with police, and understanding the local legal landscape.
Johnny further discusses the challenges expats face with local police in certain regions, emphasizing that many officers have limited education and may not be fluent in English. He suggests that expats might benefit from pretending not to speak Spanish to avoid being asked for bribes. However, he also notes that some officers may become friendly and ask about expats' relatives in the U.S., which can lead to unexpected interactions. He shares anecdotes about being pulled over for minor reasons, such as needing gas or a fluorescent light fixture, and advises expats to avoid driving luxury cars due to the risk of being targeted for small-time extortions. He concludes by noting that most expats eventually trade down to more modest vehicles to avoid attention.
He then discusses the cultural and practical implications of owning luxury cars in Latin America, particularly for expats. He highlights that the 5% of wealthy Latins who own such cars often face higher risks of theft, robbery, and kidnapping due to their status. He also warns expats about the potential pitfalls of marrying into wealthy Latin families, as it can lead to a lifestyle filled with high maintenance and superficial wealth. Johnny advises expats to avoid relationships with upper-class Latin women, suggesting that middle-class Latin women are more reliable and low maintenance. He also touches on the issue of male infidelity in Latin cultures, noting that it is common even among poor men. Finally, he discusses the cost of car insurance in Latin America, explaining that while theft rates are high, insurance is cheaper due to lower wages for insurance workers.
Johnny concludes the episode by discussing a simple and effective method to prevent car theft by installing a toggle switch between the ignition and the car's solenoid. He explains how the switch works, its advantages, and how it can be installed with basic tools. He also mentions that he has used this method for 15 years without ever having his car stolen, though he has had his radio stolen a few times. He encourages listeners to contact him for more information or to request a kit.
Topics
Expats in Latin America, Car theft, Cultural adaptation, Police practices in Latin America, Toyota 4Runner ownership in challenging regions, Police roadblocks and searches, Corruption and bribery in law enforcement, Legal enforcement and expat safety, Cultural and legal differences for expats, Expats and local police interactions, Language barriers and communication, Bribery and extortions
Chapters
00:00:00 Opening 00:00:54 The Purpose of the Show 00:01:15 The Issue of Car Theft 00:01:37 The Cultural Context of Car Ownership 00:02:12 Recommendations for Expats 00:04:06 Police Practices in Latin America 00:05:41 The Toyota 4Runner Purchase and Its Purpose 00:06:27 The Downside of Owning a Toyota 4Runner 00:06:53 The Risk of Being Searched by Police 00:07:26 The Dangers of Being Towed to a Municipal Lot 00:07:55 The Lack of Confidence in Government Services 00:09:10 The Reality of Extortion and Bribery 00:09:42 The Reality of Bribery and Police Corruption 00:10:15 The Lack of Legal Enforcement in the Region 00:10:23 Language Barriers and Police Interactions 00:12:44 Experiences with Police and Cultural Dynamics 00:13:52 Vehicle Choices and Safety for Expats 00:15:02 Luxury Cars in Latin America 00:15:37 The Price of Driving a Luxury Car 00:16:10 The Vicious Circle of Wealth and Expats 00:16:53 Middle-Class Latin Women: Solid Gold 00:17:38 Infidelity in Latin Cultures 00:18:27 Car Insurance Costs in Latin America 00:19:57 Stolen Cars and Paperwork Fraud in Latin America 00:21:06 Real-World Car Theft Scenarios and Expats' Risks 00:24:14 Low-Cost Anti-Theft Solution for Expats 00:24:55 How the Toggle Switch Works in a Car's Ignition System 00:25:26 The Effectiveness of the Toggle Switch in Preventing Car Theft 00:27:04 Johnny Mueller's Experience with the Toggle Switch Over 15 Years
Transcript
Automatically transcribed from the original recording; names and wording may contain errors.
[00:01] South of the border, down Mexico way That's where I fell in love when the stars above came out to play And now as I wonder, my thoughts ever stray South of the border, down Mexico way Hi everybody, I'm Johnny Mueller And you're listening to The Expat Files Living in Latin America The one of a kind show that tells you what it's like to live, work, play and or retire in Latin America It's a fact that millions of Europeans and North Americans have already made that big move south of the border
[00:47] You might know someone who already has Maybe it's your dream to do it someday Well it's a big move and it's not to be taken lightly And that's just what this show is all about So let's get started Now here at The Expat Files On this show it's my duty to give you news of particular interest to expats For instance, let's talk about something that affects every expat down here That is car thieves And I'll give you some tips on how to protect your own car Now up in the first world you hardly have to worry about getting your car stolen When I lived up there, it never happened to me or any of my friends But down here it's so common, it should be on every expat's mind
[01:33] In fact, being from the first world, we have a particular problem with it And that's because we come from a society that, well, we just like to have nice cars, don't we? And when we move down here, almost all of us carry that notion with us And as far as expats, I've noticed there's a strange phenomena among us When we first move down here, if we have the means, it seems we buy a nice late model car because, well, we're used to that Now that's usually the case for expats that first come down Then, over the years, after certain realities of life hit a square in the face You find out that in certain ways it's best to go native And you pick and choose your ways And I always recommend that as far as buying a car, you should fly below the radar That's why the really smart expats, after a few years, always seem to trade down
[02:22] To something that you might even call a junker up in the first world So an expat who might have driven a late model beamer when he first got down here And after maybe a robbery, or an attempted robbery or two, or even a carjacking at gunpoint Things like that have a way of scaring you into driving something that you might have been embarrassed to drive up in the first world I'm saying that you might be driving a car that even a first world high school kid might give the thumbs down to Like, for example, a 10 year old Nissan Sentra with a faded dashboard and a few dents in it And then, when a friend comes down from the states to visit, which happened in my case a number of times Your buddies from the first world can't help but think something took a turn for the worse in your life That either you took a big financial hit somewhere, or you've just gone native
[03:10] Especially if when you once lived back in the first world You used to spend a lot of weekend time waxing and buffing and chamying that classic car you had in your garage And believe it or not, some guys do have classics and antique cars down here And they wax them and buff them and take the chamois to them on Sundays, just like in the first world But guess what? Cars like that almost never get out of the garage And frankly, after a few years, when your friends from the first world come down to visit They might be wondering if you're the same guy they used to know at all Since so many things about you and your lifestyle have changed So what about that switch? From driving luxury cars to near junkers How do you explain that apparent setback to your friends? Weren't you supposed to get a leg up in lifestyle when you went to Latin America?
[03:56] So what's up with that? Well, let me give you the first good reason why it's not a very good idea For an expat or anyone to drive a late model luxury car down here or SUV Well, first of all, all throughout Latin America, the police love to set up roadblocks In fact, every day in every city in Latin America There are multiple roadblocks set up in various points in the city Where there's a group of five or maybe even ten cops on the side of the road That will flag you down as you drive by And believe me, if you don't stop when they flag you down They'll come after you alright And not only will you end up spending the whole day in a police station somewhere But they'll probably trump up some additional charges on you The fact is, the police down here aren't into driving and traffic and pulling you over
[04:43] They're into setting up roadblocks and stopping you at random In fact, I've been told by high-ranking cops down here That the main reason they have so many roadblocks And so few high-speed chases Is because it's a way to keep at least half of the police force inactive In other words, not driving around all day and patrolling on the roads Because that would use up too much gasoline Which they never have enough of Anyway, they can't afford to have more than half the police cars Driving on the road and using gasoline at any given time So, having groups of 5 and 10 cops parked on the side of the road Setting up roadblocks and pulling over cars is their way of conserving gas Now of course in the first world, you almost never see a roadblock like that
[05:28] Except if they're after a dangerous criminal in the movies, right? Well, when you come down here, you get used to it And expats with nice cars get used to being pulled over Now, in my own case when I first came down here I bought one of those Toyota 4Runners You know what they look like, don't you? There's a lot of them up in the first world It's kind of a cross between a 4x4 SUV and a luxury station wagon And you know, I figured down here with all the ragged roads, potholes And dangerously tall speed bumps called Tumolos Which I'll explain in more detail later But a Tumolo is a kind of a massive, thick speed bump Made out of concrete or asphalt That's guaranteed to rip your oil pan out if you go over it too fast So you don't want to be driving a car that's too low to the ground
[06:15] Or sooner or later one of those Tumolos is going to do its damage Anyway, down here I figured a Toyota 4Runner would be just great Because it sits so high off the ground Well, it was great for those reasons But it turns out it was more trouble than it was worth Because every couple of days, I'd get pulled over by one of those police roadblocks And it seemed like the only time I wouldn't get pulled over Was when they were already busy searching some other fool's late model luxury car Usually a Beamer, a Mercedes, an SUV, or another idiot's 4Runner And when they do pull you over, at least one or two cops go through your car and search everything So don't leave any money, cameras, or iPods around Because if something like that goes missing And that's happened to me more than once
[07:01] Well, it's never wise to accuse a cop of being a thief Even when you catch him in the act And if you do, like one of my ex-pat friends once did when I was with him Well, it didn't take those cops long to come up with the idea that the guy's papers weren't in order Even though they were And that they were thinking it would be a very good idea to have his car towed to a municipal lot And as I mentioned in a past show You never want him to tow your car to a municipal lot Because that's the kiss of death Because by the time you get it out of there Which could take anywhere from a few days to a month There's a good chance that your car will be missing the battery, the radio, the alternator, the air conditioning compressor And maybe even the tires And that's the kind of service you get from a government owned, locked up, municipal parking lot
[07:51] Guarded by the police themselves or privately contracted guards Now that inspires confidence, doesn't it? To serve and protect, right? And you know, it's never wise to get in an argument with a cop Especially down here in Latin America Because you'll always be on the losing end Only down here you might just get a fine and lose whole chunks of your car Oh, and I should tell you that the first thing the cops do when they pull you over is ask you this question Borta armas? Now what that means is Are you packing heat? Are you carrying a gun? Because believe me, a lot of people down here carry guns And it is legal if you have a permit But since way more than half the people down here do not have their guns registered If you have a gun on you or in your car and the cops find it
[08:37] There's like a 50-50 chance that you won't have any paperwork for it And then the cop has two choices He can either book you and take you down to the police station And in that case, he'll automatically have your car hauled off to that dreaded municipal lot Or if he and his friends are a bit more corrupt than usual They'll take that gun and find you on the spot Let's say 100 US dollars And of course there won't be any paperwork involved No ticket written or any hard copy backup In case you might have to prove it later Because that's not the way it works It's simple extortion and you know it right when it's happening Because nowhere in the world do cops find you right on the spot They always write you a ticket and give you a copy, right? Well, down here, not always
[09:22] And I can vouch for that Because from personal experience I've been hit with official fines And unofficial fines if you know what I mean Now if it's around Christmas time When every government employee is short of cash The police sometimes will actually drive you to a cash machine That is if you're short of cash So you can withdraw the money and pay your bribe And I know some of you first-worlders up there are thinking that can't really happen This guy must be making this stuff up But I assure you I've seen it, it really happens Oh and another thing You first-world legal eagles up there Might be wondering about search and seizure laws down in the third world And the fact that the police just can't pull your car over And search you without a warrant or your permission And that's true, like I said
[10:07] Down here in Latin America They have all the same first-world laws that you're used to up there The difference is they either don't enforce them Or enforce them when they feel like it Which is another reason not to get into an argument with a cop down here Oh and another thing Even though 99% of the cops down here don't speak English Sometimes it's actually better for an expat to play dumb Even if you speak good Spanish Many times if you pretend you don't They give up in frustration and let you go And because most of those guys have a sixth grade education And that's true you know I've seen the help wanted ass down here for rookie policemen And a sixth grade education is a minimum requirement Doesn't that make you feel secure? Anyway because of that low level of education They haven't figured out yet how to ask for a bribe in English
[10:56] So if you play dumb and say no hablo español Sometimes they just let you go On the other hand I've had expats tell me that If you speak good Spanish and are awful friendly Many times one of those cops will warm right up to you And he'll start right in asking you questions about the United States Because it seems everyone down here, including the cops Has a relative or two living somewhere up in the states And because the street beat cops all come from the lower classes You can bet all their friends and family up north are illegals But he won't mention that And of course you shouldn't either Now the funny thing is because you're a gringo Sometimes a cop will start bonding with you I mean most of these guys in their whole life Have never talked to a real life gringo And because of that There's a chance he might start getting friendly with you
[11:43] By asking you about the very city his friends and relatives live in up in the United States Whether it's Chicago, Miami, Detroit, wherever And because he has no idea how really massive the United States is He's going to think in terms of his own scale of things For example if he's from El Salvador His scale of things relates to an area the size of New Jersey And if he's from Ecuador Well that's only as big as Nevada So unless he's from a very big Latin country Like Brazil, Mexico or Argentina Then you can bet that his idea of the scale of countries And geography in general is nothing like yours And because of that believe it or not nine times out of ten He's going to actually ask you if you know one of his relatives And then he'll name him off And you know the best thing to do at that point is just play along
[12:31] I mean let him believe if you're up in the states and you swing a dead cat You're likely to hit his cousin Juan or Jesus I mean if that'll get you back on the road again The point is sometimes you got to play it straight And sometimes you got to play games with these guys I mean for example I've been pulled over And they couldn't find anything wrong with my papers or my car or me And in the end all they really wanted was for me to buy him a couple of gallons of gas For their patrol car and that happens a lot believe me They weren't bad guys They just couldn't get home that night because they didn't have any gas And the thing is they often do have enough gas But they only get paid a few hundred dollars a month So a lot of times they'll just siphon some of that gas off And sell it to a closed mouth friend or relative And at least in my case it wasn't always gas that these cops were after
[13:18] Another time I got pulled over at a roadblock I happened to have a box in the back seat with a fluorescent light fixture in it And the cop that pulled me over kept fussing with it and poking at it And finally he said what are you going to do with this thing anyway And I just knew he wanted it And I was in a hurry and I didn't want to spend more time hanging around So I gave it to him and we parted friends Only I was minus one light fixture And that's how things happen down here Not all the time but enough times so that every expat has a story like that But I'm getting off the point here of why you should never drive A luxury or nicely appointed brand new car down here Because you're just asking to get pulled over a lot like I did Because the police know that if you have a nice new car you're a high earner And you're an easier mark for small time extortions like 10, 20, 30 or 50 bucks
[14:08] Now a guy who's driving a 10 year old Nissan with a couple of dings in it He's really got nothing at all to worry about That is unless he's got an obvious prison tattoo on his face Then he might get pulled over And that's just how it goes down here for expats After a few years most expats I know have traded down Instead of that luxury SUV they had at first Now they've got two cars in the garage One a beat up old 10 year old Nissan Sentra Or something like that for those odd necessary trips into iffy neighborhoods And they have a pretty decent late model car Maybe a 2 or 3 year old Honda or Mazda or Toyota Corolla Usually in very good condition and without a scratch But nothing really special and nothing that really draws attention to you
[14:57] So that begs the question who's driving all those late model BMWs Mercedes, Audis, Volvos and SUVs Remember in last week's show I told you You are what you own and you are what you drive Well the 5% of the Latins who have all the money down here They're driving that stuff And they wouldn't be caught dead in a 10 year old Nissan Sentra It's in that Latin macho blood that they just have to put on a show down here They just have to one up their friends and neighbors And because of that as you might expect They're the ones who get robbed all the time And they're the ones whose kids get kidnapped And they're the ones who are always getting pulled over at those police roadblocks So there's a nice big price to pay if you want to drive a luxury car down here And for an expat it's just not worth it
[15:44] Though I do know some expats that have bought into that luxury car business Because they married a Latina who's high maintenance And the fact is if an expat does marry a Latina from a wealthy family She's going to be high maintenance And she's going to want that SUV and that Volvo And those shopping trips to Miami And everything that she always got when she lived with Daddy and Mommy And believe me for expats to fall into that vicious circle It's not recommended But I know some who have And guess what? They have all the trappings and all the wealth But they're just not happy and it's obvious Because there's nothing as false and plastic as the Latin Jet Set, believe me I've been to a lot of their parties and interviewed plenty of them And I'm even friends with some of them
[16:30] But to me it's like having a drunken uncle When he shows up at your party sober everything's just fine But you know sooner or later something bad's going to happen And he's going to embarrass the hell out of you Now I'm not one to tell you who you can and can't fall in love with That's not my department at all But I do hope you expats will stay away from the girls from the upper classes Because one of the things you soon figure out when you're living down here as an expat Is that millions of girls from the middle classes are solid gold And I hope you first world ladies that are listening to this right now aren't going to kill me for this But those millions of solid gold middle class Latin girls that I'm talking about Are what we'd call very low maintenance as compared to up in the first world So don't kill the messenger, I'm just giving the facts here
[17:15] And because I've been getting a lot of emails about love and romance down here in Latin America I'll be doing a few shows on that topic in the near future so stay tuned But I don't want to talk exclusively about first world guys meeting up with Latin ladies here When it happens in reverse when first world ladies meet up with Latin guys I just want to warn you ladies that these guys are genetically unfaithful In fact I can hardly name a case where a Latin guy isn't actively cheating on his wife or girlfriend Even poor married guys making two or three hundred dollars a month They have lovers on the side It's kind of embedded in the male macho ethic down here In fact in many places down here it's a custom for Latin fathers To bring their young adolescent sons to a prostitute for their first experience
[18:02] I can't even count the number of times I've heard that story Anyway I'll be talking about that in a future show so stay tuned Now I want to talk a little bit about getting your car stolen down here Because that's a huge concern to almost everyone including expats And that's another big reason why an expat shouldn't be driving a late model car or an SUV And of course you can buy full coverage insurance down here like you can up in the first world And surprisingly full coverage insurance is even cheaper down here than it is in the first world Even though the rate of car theft is about five times as high as it is in the first world And it only makes sense that the car insurance is cheaper down here Because insurance company employees even the bigwigs are paid so much less than their counterparts in the first world
[18:48] When you consider that down here an insurance adjuster makes only about four to six hundred dollars a month Now that's the guy who comes down to the accident scene and checks out your car and writes up the claim Now up in the first world an insurance adjuster like that is making between three and four thousand dollars a month So all in all you can see why the rates can be so low down here But it really doesn't matter if you have full coverage or not Nobody wants to get their car stolen And anybody who's been through it can tell you just what a big hassle it really is But do you remember what I said a little while ago that most seasoned expats that have been down here a while have two cars That is an old junky model in the garage And a relatively new model maybe two or three years old in pretty good condition
[19:34] But nothing too luxurious like a Beamer or a Mercedes or a Lexus Well I have to tell you that two year old Honda Accord that you might be using As your good car it's still a very big target for theft Simply because there's so many of them around that if they can't sell them outright they use them for parts And because the officials down here are so corrupt especially at the borders That for just a few hundred bucks VIN numbers can be changed and new paper were created for any kind of stolen car And because throughout most of Latin America the countries are small and there's so many unmanned stretches of border Stolen cars are almost always shipped to a neighboring country And the free flow of stolen cars between countries goes on because they haven't yet got a computerized system to cross check numbers
[20:21] Or access to police records and files And if they do have some systems online they're just very incomplete So anyway if a car has brand new paperwork and it's legitimate That is it appears to have come from the right government sources Everybody assumes the cars on the up and up and nobody bothers to question it Why would they? And all of this poses big problems for expats If you have a late model Honda let's say If you leave it parked at night even on a well lit public road There's a good chance it might get stolen And most groups of car thieves down here have multiple sets of keys In fact more often than not the car thieves themselves have a guy inside Working at a car dealership who can provide keys to all makes and models Now I know this sounds like a bad Hollywood movie but it actually is the case down here
[21:11] And now I'm going to give you a very valuable expat tip And it's a cheap and easy way on how to prevent your car from getting stolen Now you can go to one of those car alarm places They're everywhere down here And if you have one of those typical alarms installed it might cost $100 or $200 You know what I'm talking about The typical button on the key chain that locks and opens your car with that annoying beep They've got those things all over the place down here But you know just like in the first world There's so many of those alarm button systems installed in such a high percentage of cars That when alarms do go off nobody really pays attention anymore It's just an irritation and you ignore it Or you could get a low jack system or a GPS tracker for a lot more money
[21:57] And of course that stuff really works But there is a high monthly fee and who wants to pay that Now I should advise you of some of the statistics down here It turns out that those luxury high-end SUVs Well the vast majority of those get stolen at gunpoint It turns out a car like that is quite difficult to steal off the street when no one's in it Because they have very sophisticated factory installed alarm systems And each ignition key has a chip in it matched to that car So thieves generally don't have a master key because one doesn't exist You need the exact key that the owner has to get that car started So therefore they get you at gunpoint When your car key is already in the ignition But for more common lower-end cars like Honda's and Ford's and Nissan's and Kia's
[22:45] Well the vast majority of those cars are stolen right off the street When no one's around and no one's in it And it doesn't matter if they have one of those car alarms or not Like I said, most of these guys are ex-car dealership employees Or alarm installers or ex-alarm installers themselves And if you know anything about those alarms yourself Or you have one installed in your car up in the first world You know that you got about 15 seconds once you open the door To hit a hidden button And if you don't hit that button in time Either your motor won't start Or if it's going it'll kill Now that's supposed to be a big sales point with these alarm systems right? Even if someone manages to get in your car and get the motor started If they don't hit that button on time The car is dead in the water
[23:31] Well that's the theory right? Well that sounds good and it's supposed to make you feel secure But I talked to an alarm installer down here And he told me something very interesting He said that installers have three favorite places where they put that button In other words, anybody who installs those alarms Locates that kill button over and over and over in the same place And since the car thieves out there are professionals They know exactly where those kill switches are always placed So it's a joke if you think that having that switch is your advantage Because it's not It just gives you a false sense of security That's all So now let me give you one of my favorite most valuable expat file tips It's a nearly foolproof anti-car theft system
[24:18] That's not going to cost you any more than five dollars Well you go to an electronics store And you buy a metal heavy duty single pole single throw toggle switch Rated for at least 10 amps Now that might cost you three or four bucks And while you're at that electronics store Buy yourself about 10 feet of number 18 stranded regular old wire In a regular hardware store they call it lamp cord And what you're going to do is you're going to make your very own ignition cutout switch Now follow this for a second When you turn the ignition key on your car Suddenly 12 volts is sent to the solenoid Which is mounted on top of your starter And your solenoid is going to activate It's going to engage your starter Your motor is going to turn over a few times
[25:04] And it'll start up Now what do you think would happen if you put a simple switch, a toggle switch Between the wire that goes from your ignition to your car's solenoid Well if the toggle switch was in the on position Your car would start just like normal But if the toggle switch was in the off position No amount of turning that ignition key Or fiddling with it would get your car to turn over Never And if you hid that toggle switch somewhere under your dashboard Or in a place that only you know about You'd be able to flip that switch to the off position Leave your car alone for any length of time And no thief who ever broke in would ever be able to start your car for lover money Unless he knew where that toggle switch was And of course he'd never know that Because how could he know such a thing even existed
[25:52] And you know a switch like this isn't only a great thing for downtown Latin America If you're living up in the first world Why spend all that money on alarm systems and low jacks and GPS's When this $5 little modification could do the trick for you Anyway this system is so simple A person with just a basic knowledge of cars could set it up himself Probably in about an hour or two And all you really need is a wire cutters and a drill And just a basic tool kit that almost every guy has at home And to make it really easy for you guys If you send me an email And the address is the expat files at gmail.com If you send me an email Asking for the car ignition cut out kit I'll send you a scan of exactly what I use How to connect it to your car
[26:38] And all the necessary instructions And believe me it's so simple and easy That even a mental midget could do it Maybe even George Bush Or not So again once you've got that toggle switch installed No one can steal your car Not if it's in the off position So once you get back in your car You flip that switch to the on position Turn your ignition key and you're off And that's it And I've been using that exact system for about 15 years now And I've never had a car stolen Though people have gotten in And swiped my radio a few times And I've noticed that my ignition switch Has been scratched and fiddled with Which means somebody was intending to steal my car But they never got it started So there you have it
[27:25] And if you don't have the tools Or you don't know positive from negative Almost any high school kid could probably do it for you You've been listening to The Expat Files Living in Latin America And don't forget you can e-mail me On anything at all about Latin America The Expat Files at gmail.com That's theexpatfiles at gmail.com See you next time, nos vemos