Car Keeps Getting Broken into - What Do?

Lihgjuk on 06/11/2020 - 13:35
Last edited 06/11/2020 - 14:46 by 1 other user

I park my car on the street outside my house, and over the last month, it has been broken into three times. Its a 2013 Renault, no alarm. It's happened to some of my neighbours as well.

The contents of the glovebox and centre console are rifled through, but there's nothing of value in the car only some old receipts, eneloops, and used tissues, hand san and a couple of pens - nothing to steal!

There's no damage to the car, and there doesn't appear to have been any attempt to steal the car itself. I have no idea what the thieves could be looking for or how they get into the car.

I'm looking for a cost effective way to deter the thieves. A blinking red light on the dash? A fake camera outside of my house? What creative solutions does the OzBargain hive mind have?

Automotive

Comments

  • tsunamisurfer on 06/11/2020 - 13:45
    +42

    there doesn't appear to have been any attempt to steal the car itself

    Its a Renault.

    Mystery solved.

    On a more serious note….can you park it in your driveway or carport? Install an alarm?
    Open all compartments showing there is nothing to steal?

    • ihgjuk on 06/11/2020 - 13:51
      +2

      Yes perhaps the badge is deterring would-be car-thieves!

      No off-street parking unfortunately.
      Opening the compartments is probably a simple solution!

      • tsunamisurfer on 06/11/2020 - 13:53
        +52

        If they keep breaking in successfully, and there is not damage to the car.

        Would you then consider locking the car as an option?

        • Nugs on 06/11/2020 - 16:54
          +11

          Or leaving it unlocked and empty?
          Even glovebox open to speed up the loitering time
          .

          • BOGOF on 06/11/2020 - 17:36
            +1

            @Nugs: It's illegal to leave an unattended car unlocked on the road.

        • ihgjuk on 06/11/2020 - 18:22

          Just to clarify, the car is locked. They break in somehow. No evidence of forced entry.

      • md333 on 07/11/2020 - 17:07
        +7

        Check if the glovebox has a light first, you might end up with a flat battery.

  • contrafibularities on 06/11/2020 - 13:46
    +22

    Leave glove box and centre console open showing no contents. Maybe a sign on the window saying no cash or valuables in car.

    • dcep on 06/11/2020 - 14:04
      +10

      leave the door open , so no damage when breaking into

      • ausdday on 06/11/2020 - 14:11
        +50

        Next post will be "Car Stolen Thanks to Ozbargain - what do?"

        • hashtagbargain on 06/11/2020 - 14:30
          +30

          Ozbargain will say it was a renault, so good riddance anyway and offer advice to get the gold standard - a toyota corolla.

        • BuyOrNot on 07/11/2020 - 12:04
          +2

          Step 1 : Sue Ozbargain
          Step 2: ???
          Step 3 : Profit

      • ihgjuk on 06/11/2020 - 14:29

        The car is locked, and there's no damage, I have no idea how they manage to break in.
        There's no economic loss as there's no damage and nothing to steal, but it's frustrating to know there's someone breaking into my car right outside my house on a regular basis.

        • ausdday on 06/11/2020 - 14:40
          +26

          they just using your car to practise

        • Zachary on 06/11/2020 - 23:15

          Probably using a break in kits those tow truck drivers use to get into your cars that are locked….

        • morse on 07/11/2020 - 03:57
          +5

          Could someone be sleeping in your car over night or even during the day when you’re at work? or maybe using it for short trips without you realising. Have you checked the odometer between parking and returning? Do you have a stalky ex or anything?

          Just throwing some unlikely but super creepy possibilities into the mix.

          • Hangryuman on 07/11/2020 - 08:14

            @morse: yes - they're just using the back seat for sex …

          • VictoriousBboy on 08/11/2020 - 12:11
            +1

            @morse: I thought the same thing. If they aren’t stealing things or damaging anything, my first thought was a rough sleeper. They would have no reason to do anything to harm the vehicle or contents because then they might lose their bed. I wonder if OP left a sleeping bag in there if it would get used or taken.

      • syousef on 09/11/2020 - 22:15

        Leaving your car unlocked in NSW is an offence. Not a law I agree with mind you, but you can still be charged.

        http://www5.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_reg/rr2014104…

        Also note that the law will not change when you downvote my comment.

    • Winston100s on 08/11/2020 - 13:37

      The thieves would then puy a sign
      "Maybe, but It was our duty to check"

    • 811b11e8 on 09/11/2020 - 14:29

      I would not leave the glove box open, espicaly on a Renault.

      Most of them have an old school globe in them that gets quite hot after a few hours, a few have almost caught fire and melted the glove box when the switch gets stuck on and it leaves the light on with the door shut.

      • Gaz1 on 09/11/2020 - 15:52
        +1

        Remove the globe?

    • SuperGeek on 10/11/2020 - 13:07

      I've seen a few youtube videos of flame throwers installed on cars

  • Krankite on 06/11/2020 - 13:58
    +47

    Increase the quantity of used tissues?

    • bhm133 on 06/11/2020 - 19:34
      +9

      This was exactly what I was thinking. Make them wet to the touch.

  • iDroid on 06/11/2020 - 14:00
    +5

    Sleep in your car for a few days? May end up fun scaring the bajeebies out of them!

    • capslock janitor on 07/11/2020 - 00:22
      +16

      -steals owner…-

      • Forfiet on 08/11/2020 - 15:23
        +9

        Next post: "I've been stolen - what to do?"

        • SF3 on 08/11/2020 - 16:36
          +3

          “Wrote post from trunk, please help, battery 5%”

  • petebern on 06/11/2020 - 14:04
    +10

    If you can get a cheap Ring Doorbell Version 2, these make great alarms if your car is close enough to receive wifi.

    I got one for $115 from Bunnings and put it in the power box of my business. The motion sensor will pick up activity and send the alert to your phone and you can then use the speaker to tell the person to piss off. If you don't want to use the RING recording service, you can record the video directly on your mobile phone through the phones recording system(if it has one). They can't steal and use it as it is attached to your id. The battery lasts a while pending on how often the sensor is set off. It could be strategically placed so that it only senses when it sees someone close up in the window.

    • ihgjuk on 06/11/2020 - 14:26
      +5

      I should be able to get wifi from my car. Putting this in the glovebox sounds like a decent idea - I should get a shot of them when they open the glovebox. I'd have to check what the night vision quality is like too.

      Although I imagine they'd steal it, even if they couldn't use it!

      • petebern on 09/11/2020 - 15:58
        +1

        I thought that too but when you speak to them and advise them you have their photo for the Police, they tend to sh!t themselves… People don't really recognise what it is. I had Solar installers stare at it for ages trying to work out what it was in the power box - eventually they asked my wife what the hell it was.

        You don't have to have it in an obvious position as it has a magnetic back and you can stick it in the back seat overlooking the door at an angle.

        The night vision is actually very good. I used mine to read my electricty meter @ midnight after I had solar installed so I could check that the Electricity company was reporting the correct numbers.

    • pragmaticguy on 07/11/2020 - 03:30
      +19

      They will steal your ring device…

      • TheJoker on 07/11/2020 - 07:45
        +5

        That's the first thing I thought too. They'll just steal it…

      • Click_It on 07/11/2020 - 12:52
        +16

        Needs 2 more ring devices watching the other ring devices

  • GG57 on 06/11/2020 - 14:08
    -3

    I just leave the car unlocked.

    • peterpaoliello on 06/11/2020 - 20:30

      And leave note on window, and/or windows down.. Just pack bug spray for when you get in

  • Agarwal on 06/11/2020 - 14:10
    +24

    Mouse trap in the glove box

    • ihgjuk on 06/11/2020 - 14:26
      +7

      I was leaning towards bear trap.

      • monkeyfood on 06/11/2020 - 18:20
        +3

        Poisoned dim sim

        • [Deactivated] on 08/11/2020 - 13:22
          +3

          The often are already

    • MrFrugalSpend on 08/11/2020 - 22:13

      Nice idea - I'd go rat trap though if it fits okay - may cause a bad reaction such as trashing the car or leaving some sort of trap for OP - but it may just be worth it!

  • ausdday on 06/11/2020 - 14:12
    +53

    Put up a sign "This car has been tested Covid Positive"

  • [Deactivated] on 06/11/2020 - 14:17
    +10

    A bit of "Crime Scene" tape should do it.

    • tessel on 06/11/2020 - 22:18
      +9

      Then it'll end up getting vandalized. Cars with tape around them here slowly fall to pieces as the night wolves appear to take a chunk out of them with each passing night. The windows go first, wheels, you get the picture.

      • Click_It on 07/11/2020 - 12:53
        +1

        And then we'll have another post to meet up in

  • FoxJump on 06/11/2020 - 14:19

    Does it have a proximity key?

    • ihgjuk on 06/11/2020 - 14:27

      Nope. That's part of the mystery. It's happened to a few of my neighbours and no one knows how they get into the cars..

      • out4abargain on 06/11/2020 - 15:15
        +18

        Do you all use the same mechanic?

      • No Username on 06/11/2020 - 16:15
        +2

        On most cars you can slide a wedge in and use a stick to pop the lock.

      • ConsumerAffairs on 10/11/2020 - 14:52

        Wire coat-hanger or packing tape usually does the trick on most older cars

    • CocaKoala on 07/11/2020 - 11:37
      +1

      Does it have a proximity key?

      Lol - It's a 2013 Renault.

      • hornbill on 07/11/2020 - 20:38
        +2

        My 2012 Renault has a proximity key and even better than my 2020 Toyota, locks automatically when you walk away. As a consequence Ive left that Toyota parked and unlocked many times…

  • pegaxs on 06/11/2020 - 14:34
    +53

    Its a 2013 Renault…

    Trust me, they are not trying to steal it… probably just move it out of their suburb. It would be bringing house prices down in the area…

  • Muzeeb on 06/11/2020 - 14:50
    +9

    They are only after cash or coins for their next hit.

    No deterrent will stop them.

  • ozwog05 on 06/11/2020 - 14:50
    +2

    Put a decal on the side window that says Not a police bait vehicle

  • John Kimble on 06/11/2020 - 14:55
    +47

    nothing of value in the car only some old receipts, eneloops, and used tissues, hand san and a couple of pens - nothing to steal!

    How can you say "nothing of value" and "eneloops" in the same sentence?! For shame!

    • Franc-T on 09/11/2020 - 14:40

      used - he used them to start his Renault.

  • Quantumcat on 06/11/2020 - 15:01
    +1

    Put a note in the glovebox and centre console that says "Nothing of value is ever left in this car. Please tell all your criminal buddies so this poor car can be left alone"

    • Todes Angst on 09/11/2020 - 14:13
      +1

      THIS^ I was having the same thing happen to my car when I was in Uni 20 odd years ago. It was a typical uni student car ('83 Holden Gemini) and every night for a few weeks it was getting broken into and searched through. There was nothing of value in the car and what eventually stopped it happening was putting a large A4 note in plain sight saying "Hopefully by now you have discovered that I don't keep anything of value in this car due to F@#&heads breaking into it all the time".

  • Ocker on 06/11/2020 - 15:25
    +21

    Reminds me of New York at a time when breaking into cars by breaking the side window just to steal the radio was rampant.
    A guy who had lost 3 radios that way decided to place a note on the window saying "no radio"
    Gets back to his car later that day, the window is broken and written on the note is "well get one"

  • dirtybigbjelke on 06/11/2020 - 15:32
    +3

    I would start leaving the glovebox and centre console open to be visible from outside the car. A simple flashing red LED on the steering column would help as well.

  • wallet72 on 06/11/2020 - 15:35
    +4

    dye pack rigged to the glove compartment?

    • Thrift on 06/11/2020 - 16:53
      +1

      Or put some doggy-do in the glovebox - that'll teach them!

  • mshanann on 06/11/2020 - 15:56
    +10

    you can get an almighty zap from the capacitor found in disposable cameras that have a flash -
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtIimoxpN9c

    • Seraphin7 on 06/11/2020 - 16:31

      Nice vid!

    • HelpMeiCantSee on 07/11/2020 - 08:33
      +5

      Back in the day I rigged an old ignition coil on a micro timer circuit (about 7-10kv) to an insulated drivers door handle of my 626 when I had to park it in Granville and it kept getting broken into. It worked quite well, and coincidence or not wasn’t broken into again.

      • Zachary on 09/11/2020 - 13:30

        did you have ur windows smashed instead?

        • HelpMeiCantSee on 10/11/2020 - 08:30

          Haha. Nope! If I could have gotten away with a lethal shock I would have though.

          • Zachary on 10/11/2020 - 10:58

            @HelpMeiCantSee: I guess you got lucky….some people, if they want it, even after a lethal shock, they will smash the windows and steal anything of valuables, if nothing of valuable, then they'll just vandalize it for payback for giving them that shock….

            • HelpMeiCantSee on 28/11/2020 - 17:52

              @Zachary: They’re welcome to the bag of used dicks that are in there. You need a chill pill lad.

    • Naigrabzo on 09/11/2020 - 11:10

      THIS IS SO SCRUMPTIOUS!!!

  • No Username on 06/11/2020 - 16:12
    +4

    Tape a few party poppers to the door.

  • Fergy1987 on 06/11/2020 - 16:16
    +3

    "but there's nothing of value in the car only some old receipts, eneloops, and used tissues"

    Uhhh the answer is right here…..hes hunting those sweet sweet eneloops

  • JimmyF on 06/11/2020 - 16:17
    +2

    I'm looking for a cost effective way to deter the thieves

    Leave the car unlocked then, this way they won't break anything getting in to check.

    If you don't want to do that, leave the glove box/center console open to show there is nothing of value in there.

    • [Deactivated] on 06/11/2020 - 16:19

      Came here to say exactly this.

  • Seraphin7 on 06/11/2020 - 16:24

    There's no damage to the car, and there doesn't appear to have been any attempt to steal the car itself. I have no idea what the thieves could be looking for or how they get into the car.

    Junkies looking for cash or anything else they may be able to turnover quickly.

    I'm looking for a cost effective way to deter the thieves. A blinking red light on the dash? A fake camera outside of my house? What creative solutions does the OzBargain hive mind have?

    Unfortunately, probably not much. Just try to leave nothing visible inside the car.

  • brendanm on 06/11/2020 - 16:36
    +3

    Random razor blades in centre console and glovebox.

    • capslock janitor on 07/11/2020 - 00:26
      -1

      random syringe needles..

      • Sira on 08/11/2020 - 11:04
        +4

        We’re trying to keep them out, not in…

  • Ughhh on 06/11/2020 - 16:44
    +1
    1. Put some visually dirty socks and underwear (assuming you're a guy) in the car. Maybe add some fake blood on those items.
    2. Buy a serial killer must-have kit and leave in seats.

    No one wants to mess with a weirdo.

  • pomchu on 06/11/2020 - 16:54
    +4

    One of these, doberman motion security alarm. https://www.dobermanproducts.com/products/se_0104.html

    • ihgjuk on 06/11/2020 - 17:00

      This is the most promising solution so far! I could tape it into the glovebox in such a way that it doesn't go off when driving, only when opening the glove box. Set and forget.. Until I open the glovebox!

  • Donaldhump on 06/11/2020 - 16:55
    +4

    put sign on car saying donald trump has made love in this car

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