Valuables on show

[GTIR]

My neighbour (parks in our street lives round corner, not that it's relevant) regularly leaves his Sat-Nav stuck to his windscreen at night (right in the middle, you know how idiots do it so they have a huge blind spot). In fact I don't think he's never taken it down.

We live in a main street with lots of passing pedestrians of all ages, although it's not exactly a high crime rate area like Haverhill (Or Haverhole as it's known).

Why do people do this?
I would never leave stuff blatantly on show like that and even go as far as wiping off the round scummy mark you get. I even show my iPhone (5s, gold) cable clearly has nothing connected to the business end in the hope no bugger will think I have left the phone in the car.

I just don't get why. You then hear in the local paper that someone had their laptop and digital camera stolen from their car "between 21:00 and 07:00", which means they probably left it in view!

It's just asking for trouble imo.

Why!

[TREMAiNE]

It's something I used to do but don't any more. Whilst I'm not in any way rich, aside from cars, I see material possessions as nothing other than material possessions that can just be repurchased if lost, damaged or stolen and as a result, when I had my Clio I'd leave the £500 head unit face on show, Sat Nav would be visible, I'd sometimes leave my wallet on show... To me, the biggest inconvenience would be the window getting smashed over the actual theft. No idea why I didn't just put things out of sight, probably because I'm lazy.

Since owning nicer cars however, I don't do any of that, I am the complete opposite, I don't even stick my Nav to the windscreen, I just leave it on the passenger seat and listen!

[fjord]

Look on the brightside, at least the thief will screw their car instead of putting a brick through yours.

[madbadger]

Do satvnavs actually get nicked often?

They are not exactly an expensive item anymore and a smash and grab is a pretty unsubtle crime.

[Gareth79]

GTIR said:

I even show my iPhone (5s, gold) cable clearly has nothing connected to the business end in the hope no bugger will think I have left the phone in the car.

Ah, but the police would say that you are silly for leaving the cable on show because a thief will break in to see if you left it in the glove box.

[Rakoosh]

Have to agree - we often get leaflets from the police advising people to keep valuables out of cars or at least hidden.

Seems like common sense to me.

I grew up in Tanzania - and I had a completely different approach (before car alarms were common place). I would leave my doors unlocked as smash and grabs (sometimes windows broken but more often locks forced) were unfortunately quite common (mostly for car stereos but also in the hope of cash, etc)...

Actual car thefts were a lot less common and I figured if they could start a car they could easily bypass a door lock. I would also leave my glove box open to 'show' there was nothing in it (as some people hid stereos away in them).

This approach had some downsides - I came back to my car (a pickup truck) once to find someone having a kip inside!!

[so called]

Accidently left ray bans, camera and phone on display in my car in a German airport car park WITH TYE WINDOWS DOWN for three weeks (due to being late for a flight).
They were all still there when I returned.
It's occasional good to know there are a lot of decent honest people out there.

[Dracoro]

madbadger said:

Do satvnavs actually get nicked often?

They are not exactly an expensive item anymore and a smash and grab is a pretty unsubtle crime.

Drug addict does this to 10 cars, sells to "dodgy" mate for £10 a go, that's £100 of drug fix for an hours "work".

[madbadger]

Dracoro said:

Drug addict does this to 10 cars, sells to "dodgy" mate for £10 a go, that's £100 of drug fix for an hours "work".

I realise this could happen, but does it?

[Geekman]

I've left my satnav permanently on the windscreen for the last two years. I use it every trip and it's too much effort getting it out of the glovebox, positioning it, suctioning it to the window, then re-doing it when it inevitably falls off.

I leave my car in dodgy areas in London and I've never had any problems.

[genericguy]

so called said:

It's occasional good to know there are a lot of decent honest people out there.

Unfortunately they're in Germany but still...

[genericguy]

[quote=Dracoro]...that's £100 of drug fix...quote]
That reads like a Brasseye piece.

[JimmyConwayNW]

It does happen.

I had 8quid in pound coins knicked that I left in the cup holder or ashtray and thought nothing of it. Window it through and knicked.

[veevee]

Dracoro said:

madbadger said:

Do satvnavs actually get nicked often?

They are not exactly an expensive item anymore and a smash and grab is a pretty unsubtle crime.

Drug addict does this to 10 cars, sells to "dodgy" mate for £10 a go, that's £100 of drug fix for an hours "work".

Easier ways to make a tenner, I'd imagine. I see lots of them stuck to windows now. I leave mine up if it's parked on my drive, or somewhere reasonable.

[madbadger]

I'm much more likely to see a satnav in a car than a smashed window.

[JulianHJ]

madbadger said:

I realise this could happen, but does it?

Happens quite a bit. Round my way it's kids rather than drug addicts in the main. Although some of them are out nicking in order to buy cannabis, ketamine and the rest...

[Patch1875]

The one and only time I left my sat-nav on show in my van outside my house I found it gone and my side window smashed the next morning. It was a crappy original tom tom that hardly worked the idiot failed to notice the 150 quid oakleys next to it!

[Patch1875]

The one and only time I left my sat-nav on show in my van outside my house I found it gone and my side window smashed the next morning. It was a crappy original tom tom that hardly worked the idiot failed to notice the 150 quid oakleys next to it!

[madbadger]

JulianHJ said:

Happens quite a bit. Round my way it's kids rather than drug addicts in the main. Although some of them are out nicking in order to buy cannabis, ketamine and the rest...

The kids round your way nick sat navs 10 at a time to buy £100 of 'crack' from a dodgy used tomtom / crack dealer?

Sheltered life, I have lived.

[Chlamydia]

One of the lads left his work satnav stuck to the screen of his work van and came back to a smashed side window and missing satnav. This was a month ago so it does happen. Cheapo TomTom unit too so not even expensive.