How stupid could i be!

[omega man]

Don't know exactly why im sharing my stupidity but the fact this didn't all end in tears is good enough for me! This morning i was looking for my car keys and couldnt find them anywhere and then i had a thought, no i couldnt have, I had. I bloody had. I only went and left my key in the damn ignition over night after i had been jump starting my wifes car the previous night! As i took them out i looked around my shoulder as if to check to make sure knowone could see what i had gone and done! Some lucky f**k car thief could have drove away with the easiest steal ever! To be honest the utter relief over-shadowed the obvious stupidity of the event. I probably deserved to lose my new vrs as a lesson in this day and age but all is well that ends well. I WON'T be doing that again!

[jamestay1]

i've left my car's unlocked at night many times but never left the keys in.your guardian angel was watching over the car last night !!!

[andy2407]

At this time of year, there are always plenty of cars left running on people's driveway in a morning to de-frost them while their owners go back in the house and have a cup of tea.
This means the thieves get a nice warm car to pinch, and don't have to get up quite as early to do it

[KentStu]

I've not left the keys in the car before but must admit there has been the odd occasion where I have found the car open in the mornings ... an unfortunate side effect of my alarm key being overly sensitive and easily activating whilst in a bag / coat and the car still being within range of the house I have caught it doing it several times, by hearing the bleeps but not all the time.

[Basil]

It happens, don't beat yourself up about it - we're not machines and get distracted sometimes.

BTW, What did she look like?

Cheers
Bas

[mr Gareth Jones]

I had a friend who lived in an area where cars are frequently stolen - His car was a real banger,(effectively a scrapper, all set to hopelessly fail it's next MOT )

Ideally he wanted it stolen, so he could claim off his insurance. Accordingly, he parked it out on the road every night with the keys left in (and if the weather was fine with the drivers window wound down).

It never got nicked! even the thieves and Joyriders would'nt touch it !!

[Lowflyer]

The missus managed to leave her bunch of keys hangining out of the house front-door one night! As well as the house keys there was her 306 and my Octy's spare key all on the same bunch. The front-door was unlocked all night and we only noticed when I put my key in from the inside and heard a clunk as hers fell on the step the next morning.

[ric04vrs]

just been reading on the megane forum about a lad who posts on here , he left his door window fully down all night , kept having to turn the alarm off etc every 5 minutes , car wasn't touched , he had even left his wallet in the door pocket , i think the both of you were very lucky
i've left the house unlocked twice ,if thats any consolation

[vRSLen]

I left the keys in my motorbike once and spent ages trying to find them....

[ednmra]

Originally Posted by mr Gareth Jones

I had a friend who lived in an area where cars are frequently stolen - His car was a real banger,(effectively a scrapper, all set to hopelessly fail it's next MOT )

Ideally he wanted it stolen, so he could claim off his insurance. Accordingly, he parked it out on the road every night with the keys left in (and if the weather was fine with the drivers window wound down).

It never got nicked! even the thieves and Joyriders would'nt touch it !!

Should have put a price tag on it. Some bloke wanted to get rid of an old but serviceable fridge. Left it outside with a note saying if anyone wanted it they were welcome to take it. It never moved. So he put a sign on it saying "fridge for sale - £50". It was nicked the next night.

[starch]

My best friend was terrible for leaving his keys in the igniton of his car, and one day when me and his girlfriend were waiting for him to find his keys I turned around to her and said I bet theyre in the igniton still.
Upon finding them rather than go in to the house and tell him i got in started it up and promptly drove off, which caused him to come running out the house in time to see me dissapear around the corner in his pride and joy, needless to say he has never done it again since.

Something eles i read the other day on a mini forum was about a guy who had a mini moke in which he never took the key out of the ignition because upon turning it all would happen is the horn would start going, he had wired in a hidden starter button instead.

It was a good job that your car didnt go missing that night because if a car is stolen using the keys your insurance is void, the only exceptions are if you are forced to hand them over i.e. at knife point, etc. or if they brake in to your house to find them, but this also works on them not being visable from the front door, ie on the table just inside the door.

[RobClubley]

We went on a 10 day holiday earlier this year. I took my mobile with me just in case, and three days after we set off I got a call from someone who was dropping off a quote for us to say that the door from the deck to our lounge was wide open!
It seems that the mother-in-law had unlocked it to go out, forgot to lock it and not shut it properly, so the wind blew it open!!
Fortunately no-one else had noticed, nothing was missing or out of place. We got him to lock it for us (the key was in the inside of the lock!!)
Lucky it happened here in NZ and not in South Leeds where we used to be.

[fredw]

A friend's husband left his wife's company Jag parked on a side street near Ally Pally in London, not only were the keys in the ignition the engine was also idling.

It was still there when he got back well over an hour later.

[ric04vrs]

Originally Posted by fredw

A friend's husband left his wife's company Jag parked on a side street near Ally Pally in London, not only were the keys in the ignition the engine was also idling.

It was still there when he got back well over an hour later.

no way , sometimes you just cant give stuff away

[ChrisRs]

Originally Posted by ric04vrs

just been reading on the megane forum about a lad who posts on here , he left his door window fully down all night , kept having to turn the alarm off etc every 5 minutes , car wasn't touched , he had even left his wallet in the door pocket , i think the both of you were very lucky
i've left the house unlocked twice ,if thats any consolation

My Megane shut the windows automatically if the car is locked/alarmed

[steadyeddie]

As you know well.......There are no car thieves in Dublin

[gilesk]

I once left the car running while I unloaded it in the street, went inside took a call forgot about it and only realised when I went to bed and heard the engine, I just thought someone was being inconsiderate. DOH!

[slider]

Originally Posted by mr Gareth Jones

I had a friend who lived in an area where cars are frequently stolen - His car was a real banger,(effectively a scrapper, all set to hopelessly fail it's next MOT )

Ideally he wanted it stolen, so he could claim off his insurance. Accordingly, he parked it out on the road every night with the keys left in (and if the weather was fine with the drivers window wound down).

It never got nicked! even the thieves and Joyriders would'nt touch it !!

Be very careful to read your insurance policy - most insurance companies will not pay out if you have left the keys in the car - and will ask for both sets of keys back in the event of a theft claim, as proof.
The insured has a duty of care to take all reasonable steps to ensure the car is secure.