Someone has been in my Zed overnight . . . .

[Marlon]

So I left the house this morning for work and unlocked the car remotely (I think) and noticed a bunch of house keys on my windscreen where the screen meets the bonnet (drivers side).

Then I get in the car and notice the glove box is open and I realise that keys are the spare keys for our parent’s houses that we keep in the glove box.

Then I notice the lid to the cigarette lighter is open and the insert is missing along with my car park coins about 2 - 3 pounds in change.

Nothing else is missing – my leather driving gloves (in the glove box) the wheel locking nuts (in the glove box), my satnav and CDs, my sunglasses and my driving glasses (in the centre console between the seats) – all untouched.
There is no sign of forced entry and no vandalism.

Here is my take on what happened:

I forgot to lock the car and kids have taken the money and checked the glove box for more. Found the keys and left them for me to find on the windscreen as some sort of bizarre ‘calling card’?

Your thoughts welcomed . . .

 

[Scooba_Steve]

I would say leaving unlocked is most likely. Kids/junkies looking for a quick few quid? Do you have a dash cam to check?

 

[Crazy Harry]

Oh - never a good feeling.

A few quid might be the best outcome given that you have no damage to the car and personal stuff is all there. Can the E85 be coded to lock after the ignition is turned off and doors are closed if it has not been manually locked after a given time delay? This is the sort of challenge Scooba-Steve likes isn't it!

One of our Fords locks if you unlock it and don't open the door - never tried not locking though. Might go and play when it stops raining.

 

[Marlon]

I would say leaving unlocked is most likely. Kids/junkies looking for a quick few quid? Do you have a dash cam to check?

No dash cam Steve.

 

[jamie_z4]

you need a Dash Cam Colin! They are cheap and really handy to have! never a nice feeling tho knowing some scally has been rooting through your car

 

[idej_z4]

Must be very young kids looking for an easy 'score' otherwise I would have thought your Sat Nav would be gone (and anything else that can be easily flogged).

Many a times I've gone back to my car and double checked I've locked it - I hate that nagging feeling in the back of your head 'did I leave it open'.

 

[srhutch]

Dash cam wouldn't catch this though :?

Regarding auto locking, it can only be coded to lock if unlocked and not opened (after 2 mins from memory it auto locks). No end of people would get locked out if the car auto locked after turning the ignition off and just closing the door.

 

[Scooba_Steve]

Oh - never a good feeling.

A few quid might be the best outcome given that you have no damage to the car and personal stuff is all there. Can the E85 be coded to lock after the ignition is turned off and doors are closed if it has not been manually locked after a given time delay? This is the sort of challenge Scooba-Steve likes isn't it!

One of our Fords locks if you unlock it and don't open the door - never tried not locking though. Might go and play when it stops raining.

Locking after unlock and no open can be turned on as it's an option. I don't think anything else can but will have a look again.

 

[Silverzedtom]

A dash cam would only be any good if it's still there.

I'm not a thief, but if I was the first thing I'd yank out of the car would be the cam.

 

[coupedan]

Following on from a similar thread...

Ghosts!

 

[Buckz]

CCTV? Depends where you park it I guess. Mine always overlooks the car in front of our house.

 

[Marlon]

Thanks for all the comments fellas.

I agree that I've got away lightly here with no damage and only a couple of quid taken and my £275 TomTom left.
Taking the bunch of keys from the glove box and leaving them on the drivers windscreen is very odd behaviour, but I'm just glad they didn't key it while they were at it.

I will be double checking I've locked up from now on

 

[ronk]

My mirrors auto fold when locked so it's a belt and braces double check !

 

[Silverzedtom]

Now I've thought about it last night I was adamant I had locked the car, every time I always check the clown nose and look for the flash.

I had left some shopping in the boot, went out to get it and the car was unlocked. I have read a few posts on z4s being on a similar frequency to doorbells etc... maybe, but I suspect we are just losing our marbles :roll:

 

[ronk]

I'm told by the Electronic boffins that there is a very narrow band width for stuff like alarms/door bells etc ?
I had a car with an after market alarm that I could not disable between 0720 and 0740 each day ? It all started to happen after the install of a sub station with dish type devices. I suspect they were streaming data - they pointed towards the police HQ
As the frequency fobs use is low powered - they told me it was easily swamped by other signals.

I hope somebody will correct me if I've been fed some duff info

 

[jamie_z4]

you can wire a dash cam into the fag lighter which is a permanent live- if you use the car on a daily(ish)basis it wont drain the battery.

 

[Rusky]

Could be that who ever took the keys out tried them on your door, with the hope that they could possibly get in and get the car keys.

 

[Bumpy]

you can wire a dash cam into the fag lighter which is a permanent live- if you use the car on a daily(ish)basis it wont drain the battery.

And then you would have had to claim for a stolen dash cam. just sayin'

Back in the Old Daze (early 60's) I lived in an apartment building and my friend's father drove a Porsche 356.
That meant very little to me at the time, except that his dad never locked it. Plus he always left money in it.
I thought that was crazy in underground parking until I understood the logic.
If the car was locked, the theif would break something getting in. Problem solved if the door is already open.
Money inside ? A thief get pi$$ed if they receive nothing for their efforts. They take it out on your car, so make sure there is something.

It seems to have worked cause I can't recall his car ever being vandalized or stolen, but that was then. I always thought that car was noting more than a squashed VW, so why would anyone want to steal it?

 

[Smartbear]

You've been sleepwalking & visited your car in the middle of the night, check your pockets for the few extra pounds missing from the car
Rob

 

[Anonymous]

Maybe a space / time dislocation caused by leaving the wine bar prematurely? 8)