How did they get into my car?

[Elephantina]

For the first time in 15 years of travelling all around the country for work, I had my new bag and some other items stolen from my car at a motorway services today.

It was a small services, fairly busy, and I parked the car within 50 yards of the entrance in full view of the main thoroughfare. I was going to be minutes - quick dash for a sandwich, I wasn't queuing for coffee or using the loo. I grabbed my purse and phone, figured my bag would be fine on the passenger seat (I know, I know, but I don't have a parcel shelf so it would still have been visible in the boot anyway). I locked the car with the remote key as I walked away - but I didn't look back to double check, it was just habit.

When I returned after about 8 minutes, my bag and a few other bits were gone, and my car was unlocked. No damage to anything, just my stuff gone.

The police told me that they watch you and use a jammer or a blocker to block the signal from your remote, so you think you've locked it but you haven't. But I've googled this and can only find info on how they target keyless systems for vehicle theft, I can't find anything about them managing to stop you locking it in the first place.

Is this a thing? Did I even lock the car at all? I keep going over and over it. Nothing I can do about it obviously, bit gutted about my lovely new work bag which was on its first outing.

You may not have actually locked the car either. I know ive flicked mine, or thought I have and for whatever reason when ive gone back it's not been locked.

Absolute fuckers though however they got in.

Out of curiosity is it just a VW thing?

Mines a Seat, which is VW group.

So all VW, Seat, Skoda, Audi etc are at risk?

It’s not just Volkswagen (Audi, Seat, etc). They all buy it in from a small number of OEMs who have similar systems. The breaks into one system (that used by VAG) arose from work on the similar flaws on Oyster cards, which used similar underlying crypto. Crypto is hard. Power efficient crypto is very hard.

I'm sorry this happened to you, it's not very nice. We live in a very safe place and I rarely lock my car but also don't leave anything valuable in it. It's been rummaged in once or twice, the most they've got was the 1 euro coin I kept in the ashtray for supermarket trolleys when we go to France!

I have a soft top and I figure if someone is desperate to get in, they'll slash the roof so I'd rather they just opened the door.

I am also jealous of your Mont Blanc, I nearly bought myself one after a decent casino win on a cruise ship but didn't. I bought a fake one instead which has never worked properly!

I had the same thing happen. I had left some shopping in my car boot. Car parked in Sainsburys car park in broad daylight. Boot Completely covered by parcel tray so shopping couldnt be seen. Came back later and boot was empty. Car still locked, no signs of forced entry or damage to car. Asked in Sainsburys if they had cctv in carpark in the hope I could see person taking shopping frim my car and then getting into another vehicle (remote hope of tracing the thief through their vehicle). Told no cctv in car park. Frustrating and like OP the cost of the shopping wasnt worth the hassle of going through insurance.

You just have to accept that if someone wants your car they will have it.
Even a car with a wheelclamp, alarm on and 'wedged' between cars (front and back so close it couldn't be got out) was stolen in minutes by a gang with a flatbed and crane who just lifted it straight up and onto the truck.

Please share the story behind the pen.

#PenEnvyIsAThing

Even before the old keyless entry, it still happened but as well as losing our radio, we had to replace the window too!

badreams I wouldnt even think about keyless entry when leaving stuff in the car. Whenever leaving the car even for a few mins the first thought is everything must be removed or be out of sight otherwise someone will smash a window for it!

I might be imaging it, but did there used to be regular adverts years ago on the TV about keeping valuables out of view in your car? Can't remember seeing any for a long time, but they did make you get into the habit of checking and not leaving anything valuable or in sight in cars.

Last month I locked myself out of my car in my driveway.
Keys in ignition, engine was off, somehow central locking clicked itself, I had no spare set of keys.

Nightmare.

I called RAC - I was gobsmacked at how quickly and easily the mechanic was able to open my car.

No damage, took around 60 seconds, no noise, no bonnet up. No electronic jammers, no whizz stuff, just a few simple pocket sized items which most people would have at home.

I won't outline what he did but I could se how easy it would be for a thief to open a car.

@BrokenWing Yep. I never leave valuables in the car. Other than, obviously, the car radio/stereo that's wired into the dash. They just smashed the window and ripped it straight out of the dashboard. There were scratches on the dashboard where they had used something to pry the radio out

Well.... this is an education to me . I had no idea about all this.

I can't even check if my doors are locked as my car will unlock if you touch the handle and have the key on you. I actually don't like this feature. If I'm with hubby I can walk away and he can check but you have to be a good distance away.

Sympathies, OP.

I do a fair bit of motorway driving and when coming back from family after Christmas this year I just had to admit defeat because the entire car was rammed so full there was no chance of taking everything into the service station with us when we stopped for coffee!

I did once have a previous car (an old Mini, so very definitely not keyless) broken into when we did some flat-sitting for a friend who lived somewhere a bit, er, lively. No damage at all, and the only thing taken was the bag of sweets in the glove compartment. I think it was a training exercise for someone.

I’marocketman mine does the same if you check the front doors, but not the back. So, if I’m not sure if I locked it, I pull the rear door handle

I can't even check if my doors are locked as my car will unlock if you touch the handle and have the key on you.

You can usually get the dealer to disable it, and revert to standard button-activated locking and unlocking. On some cars you can do it yourself, at least temporarily.

Well between not being able to check that your car is locked unless you are with someone who can take the keys out of range and the fact that theives with whizzy gadgets can copy the signal and use it to steal your car, I don't think I'd ever want one of those keyless entry systems.

I can see how it would be useful if you have your hands full, but then if you can't press the button on the keys, how do you open the door anyway, but the downsides just seem too great to bother.

Sorry about the loss of your stuff OP, we should be able to leave things in cars without worry, but it's probably best not to due to in future.

Sorry this happened OP.

Motorway services are an ideal place for these thieves. Lots of people milling around, you can always claim you thought it was your car if the owners approach it while you are near it etc.

Sorry this happened to you OP, so many scummy people out there who will happily steal. Car manufacturers should really start trying to make vehicles more secure.

It is tubbush to have things stolen but they are just things.

I am a mont blanc lover and carry round 4 - combined value 2k. Use the pen. Don’t apologize for it. What is the point if nice pens if you don’t use them.

I didn’t realise this was a thing ,I will be extra careful from now on, I often leave my bag in the car. Luckily my camper has manual locks but my car has electric.

Another trick to watch out for is when your filling up with petrol. You are standing outside your (usually) unlocked car and all your attention is on the pump. They creep up to your passenger door (hands up how many of us leave our handbag on the passenger seat) open it, grab your bag and then leg it. Usually they jump onto the back of a waiting moped.

Blimey! Sorry this has happened op. I have become co place to over the years and will leave bag with laptop ‘sort of’ hidden in footwell as often can’t be bothered to lug to services loos. Not any more! Definite wake up call. Sorry again op, it’s be telling my employers that would be the worst but.

What I don't understand, though, is this: surely the guys would have had to have known you hadn't got your bag with you in time to block the signal?

Absolutely right PoutySprout, the insurance wouldn't pay out anyway. I re-ordered all my lost belongings on Amazon last night, it hurts my pocket but ah well. I'd forgotten that even my coveted lip salve is bloody £5 a tube, for goodness sake. Lucas Paw Paw lip balm, if anyone is interested - 100% guaranteed, no dry flaky lips in winter.

Story behind my beloved pen Snoz - I work in a fairly snooty industry, and my immediate boss is a millionaire. He uses beautiful stationery during meetings but I've usually got an old biro and a notepad. Soon after I joined we were running a meeting together, and at the end we were gathering up our belongings and one of the clients held up an unfamiliar cheapo biro and said, "Does this belong to one of you?"

Well, millionaire boss looked like he'd been accused of shitting on the carpet. He blanched and said shakily, "Certainly not." Then he turned to me and said politely, "Elephantina, is that your pen?"

I relayed this story to my DH with some hilarity, but he was mortally offended on my behalf. A few days later, he presented me with my fabulous Mont Blanc pen, complete with personal engraving, and said "Nobody looks down on my wife."

{What I don't understand, though, is this: surely the guys would have had to have known you hadn't got your bag with you in time to block the signal?}
The blocking signal can be 'continuous' so it may well be that all vehicles in the vicinity would be subjected to 'not being locked' and other people would either have cars that are not susceptible, or just not noticed. You would feel a bit silly shouting out and asking if anyone else's cars were unaccountably unlocked! Thieves would use a combination of reading body language and 'luck' in selecting who to try and thieve from. You can only go so far in making your car 'theft proof'.
I was watching a documentary last night about the development of the atomic bomb. At one point a Russian spy took secret papers from Prime Minister Winston Churchill's desk, presumably from No10 Downing Street.