[little laker]

We're all told by the police and insurance companies to lock our belongings in our cars trunk.

Which is fine in my case, since I must have my ignition key in the ignition, and the switch either turned to On or Acc.
Plus my back seat doesn't fold forward, so my car's trunk is tough to get into.

However I got a phone call from another board member (mntbearhug) last night.
It looks like someone watched her doing the right thing and locking her school laptop computer into her trunk while she was going to a movie.

So they broke through a window, popped the trunk with the interior switch. And stole her computer.

It would appear that her cars interior trunk latch still pops the trunk without the key

Good thing that she didn't bring her camera, or we'd all suffer from it

Anyways it got me thinking. We should probably be more careful.

If you have one of those interior trunk switches that will allow anyone to open your trunk without a key you might want to either disable it or change it to something a little more secure.
Or at least lock your glove box, if it's inside

Most sedans with a folding back seat can be locked in the closed position as well, so please use this feature.

Plus if you can take the time to hide your valuables before you get to your destination.
So no one can watch you storing them away.

I'd really hate to see anyone else loose something valuable

[mtnbearhug]

Thanks Stu for posting this... and Thanks for lending your shoulder and taking my mind off the incident of last night.

After talking last night about the switch I checked my moms car and it doesn't have the feature that Stu mentions either. I did talk with an auto body shop though and there is a way of disconnecting the inside latch, thus only being able to use a key to open the trunk.

The sad part about the whole thing is, my computer is only thing they took. Before going to movie I put my laptop (I came straight from work) in my trunk and walked into the theatre with my son to only come out to find my window busted and the my trunk open. Nothing else was taken... I had cd's, my radio, my phone, and alot of camping stuff in my trunk.. they took nothing except my computer.. sigh....

Anyway... this is a crazy world we live in these days and nothing seems to be safe anymore. I know I wont be going shopping or parking in a public area for awhile, nor will I be keeping anything in my car.

Thanks again Stu for posting this and making people aware that this can happen.

Kim

[k100d]

sorry to hear about your loss Kim
i don't think having the release inside the car is the problem, just gotta be careful that when you need to put expensive stuff in the trunk, do it before you leave and not after you arrive.

[little laker]

Thanks Stu for posting this... and Thanks for lending your shoulder and taking my mind off the incident of last night.

Kim

Any time Kim, and I'm sorry that I didn't recognize your voice right away.

[Eaglerapids]

Oh Kim that sucks:-(. Did you have it passworded?
Friggin' losers grrrrrrrrrrr.
What goes around comes around, their life sucks already if that's the crap they do, here's hoping it gets worse.

Sorry to hear about this Kim. I hope you had stuff backed up.
Gary

[falconeye]

Is your car trunk secure?

Well, I carry the body of my dead wife in my trunk and so far it worked for me: nothing got ever stolen since

[falconeye]

ok, less sarcastic now...

car trunks aren't considered to be any safer than anything. The idea to lock one's belongings into is to hide stuff from a thief's eyes.

So, parking and then putting stuff into the trunk is about the worst thing one can do (Sorry for you, mtnbearhug). I always have a harsh word with my girl friend if she is doing it (no wife and yes, she is still alive ).

Now, there are countries where thiefs will assume that a closed trunk is only closed to hide stuff from their eyes (Italy and others). In those countries, you better leave your trunk (and car) open and hide your stuff elsewhere in some creative manner. I think, this is not required in Idaho, though


@mtnbearhug: I feel really sad for you.
Because the thief seems to have the habit to watch people attending events, there is a certain chance police will catch him sooner or later.

[Peter Zack]

That sucks Kim. Sorry for the loss. Unfortunately locks are for honest people. Scum like this will always find a way. It's a constant concern when carrying my camera gear and laptop which is always with me on the road. The gear inside is worth more than the van I drive!

[Bramela]

Very sorry to hear that, Kim. Nothing seems to be given respect these days.
Set me to thinking about my car, it seems everything that Stu spells out as a fault , applies to my car.
I need to do some serious rethinking.
Once again, am very sorry about your mishap, Hope you at least enjoyed the movie.

[KrisK10D]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune, Kim.

Does the school keep a list of the serial numbers? It might be worth checking to local pawn shop cause you can guarentee they've sold it fast. Less of course the police have already done that

[Lowell Goudge]

We're all told by the police and insurance companies to lock our belongings in our cars trunk.

Which is fine in my case, since I must have my ignition key in the ignition, and the switch either turned to On or Acc.
Plus my back seat doesn't fold forward, so my car's trunk is tough to get into.

However I got a phone call from another board member (mntbearhug) last night.
It looks like someone watched her doing the right thing and locking her school laptop computer into her trunk while she was going to a movie.

So they broke through a window, popped the trunk with the interior switch. And stole her computer.

It would appear that her cars interior trunk latch still pops the trunk without the key

Good thing that she didn't bring her camera, or we'd all suffer from it

Anyways it got me thinking. We should probably be more careful.

If you have one of those interior trunk switches that will allow anyone to open your trunk without a key you might want to either disable it or change it to something a little more secure.
Or at least lock your glove box, if it's inside

Most sedans with a folding back seat can be locked in the closed position as well, so please use this feature.

Plus if you can take the time to hide your valuables before you get to your destination.
So no one can watch you storing them away.

I'd really hate to see anyone else loose something valuable

Stu

You are correct, most trunks are no more secure than the car interior. The reason most insurers say to lock things in the trunk is that they are out of sight, and unless someone sees you putting valuables in the trunk, there is no visible reason to break into the car.

Having said that, if I were to be travelling where I was sure nothing was safe, I would do 2 things. First get a hard case (pellican or other) that can be locked, and second, get a good cable lock and put it through the case handle, and around part of the trunk structure (even the hinge arm would do)

This way, the thief needs to spend too much time trying to steal the case.

The same goes for hotels, lock it to the bed frame.

You have to remember, most break-ins are because the thief a) knows what's there, and b) once in, it's a quick grab.


BTW I used to have a big argument with my insurer, when I owned a convertable. to claim theft you had to prove forced entry, therefore lock the car and top up. To me, that cost the insurer a lot of money because it is really easy to open any convertible (with a knife) and the replacement tops cost a lot more than the stolen goods. My view was leavve nothing in the car and leave it TOP DOWN for all to see.

[alohadave]

On some vehicles if you lock the trunk with the key, it will override the internal trunk release and seat back pulls. They are designed this way so that when you hand out the valet key, the person parking your car can't get into the trunk.

[daacon]

Sorry to hear Kim - Laptop makes sense easy to pawn electronics as others mention best case is you have the serial # and the police can alert the pawn shops. I think but for the grace of god (just an expression folks) any one of us could be in the same boat. I know on ocassion (not oftern) and like Peter I have doubled the value of my car with the trunk contents and I also have a trunk release that does not require a key.

Karma will take of this , sorry for your loss.

[ve2vfd]

Car trunks are not in the least bit secure... take it from a firefighter who can open up a car like a tin can in seconds AND an amateur locksmith who can pick locks in a few minutes or seconds (yes I do have diverse hobbies!).

A bad guy won't even bother with picking locks, he'll just pull the trunk lock out with an automotive slide dent puller (aka a slide hammer).

I guess installing a cut-off switch in the trunk to disable the trunk latch solenoid is probably your easiest solution. And for people who have a rear folding seat, installing a sliding latch behind the seat inside the trunk would add some security.



Your trunk remains the safest place to store valuables in your car, so I guess your best protection is to make sure nobody sees you putting valuables in your trunk.

Pat