Hi, everybody. I'm new here, and while I've done my own car repairs before, I wouldn't call myself a mechanic by any standard, so please be nice.

After three years of living in Detroit, I finally suffered my first car break-in this weekend. I guess it was bound to happen sometime. The thief broke into the car using some kind of lever (I assume a screwdriver) to pry underneath the passenger door handle. He then ripped apart the steering column cover and broke the aluminum sleeve the ignition key cylinder slides into. I assume he got it started and the immobilizer kicked in, because the car was in gear when I discovered it.

I pieced things back together as well as I could. The aluminum sleeve was reduced to fragments in some spots, but I glued the big pieces back together and the key cylinder seems to be fairly stable. The key turns to all positions, but none of the accessories come on and the car does not start. The ignition switch was in the "On" position when the thief left the vehicle, so I assume the issue here is a dead battery. However, this car is my only vehicle and I can't afford to mess anything up, so before I jump-start it is there anything else I should be aware of that could be preventing the car from starting? Any tips you can give me would be much appreciated.

 

That sounds like a mess that I would let an insurance company sort out.