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Comment by 0xbadcafebee | Hacker News Reader

Having lived in big cities half my life, I leave my car's doors unlocked, and keep a waterproof seat cover on.

Remote start is troubling though.

I used to leave my windows open on sunny days, to stop the car getting too hot or anyone breaking in to look for stuff to steal.

When I did this at my office car park, well-meaning people would call security and ask them to help the person with open windows by earning them they were open. Or if they knew it was my car they’d seek me out to warn me that my windows were down.

The reason they gave was always that they were worried someone would steal stuff from the car. There was nothing in it to steal.

Eventually I got sick of wasting other people’s time for them and left my windows closed.

So many of them complained that their cars were hot, and/or had them broken into by people looking to steal things.

I think the only real solution would be for me to buy a car that lets me take the roof off. If your car is roofless, no-one comes to warn you.

I’ve owned a few convertibles and I always left the doors unlocked and/or the top down. I’d rather someone steal the $100 radio than cut through the top or break a window. I did always keep the glovebox locked but that only contained my registration and proof of insurance. I have had a radio stolen once but it was just the faceplate. Not sure what they’re going to do with that.

It is very common for Miata owners to leave the doors unlocked if they need to put the roof up because the roof is more valuable than the interior. (Since it is a common track/race car, every interior piece has an aftermarket replacement.)

I'm guessing the unlocked doors are so thieves don't break the windows to get in. But what is the waterproof seat cover for?

Probably in case someone doesn’t shut the door or perhaps a person sitting in the drivers seat while rummaging.

People can set up shop in your car:

https://old.reddit.com/r/LosAngeles/comments/dc6s78/came_bac...

Homeless pee.

It's kind of depressing how much we tolerate this state of affairs.

How so? To me it seems like a general acceptance of things outside of your control. The idealist in me wants to agree, but I don't see a utopia emerging out of the bushes imminently.

You think it's utopian to not expect your car windows to be smashed in - now I'm even more depressed.

There are people who are just scum; there are people who have morals but sometimes do scummy things, possibly due to circumstance; there are people whose morals differ from your own.

I would not choose a future where everyone shares my own moral values - that would be bleak.

In that context, sadly, crime will exist.

I think scum is a bit harsh, but some people lack empathy.

As a courtesy to people looking for wheels?

Or is this a reverse psychology thing where people are supposed to think it’s already been checked by others

One rationale I've seen is, "If my car is likely to be broken into, I'd rather not have to replace the window."

For example, "they stole my $20 from my center console, but broke a $200 window to get to it."

I also wonder if potential thieves think a car with open windows is a bait car or something. Probably not often enough in its own right to justify leaving things open?

I commented earlier that I left the top down or doors unlocked on my convertibles. A window or a cut top is far more expensive to replace than my $100 aftermarket radio. I’ve actually had a radio faceplate stolen once.

The idea behind it is that the criminal will not have to break the windows which is more costly to replace than what was in the center console.

Sort of violates the idea of a "smash and grab" though. You want to minimize the noise generated and time spent and maximize the potential profit gained. Typically, you just inspect what is in plain view of the vehicle and if there's anything that has value (ie, backpack, clothes, cell phones) then it's a good target. If there's nothing in plain view, then there's no point in attracting attention and increasing the chances of getting caught.

Of course, there are some municipalities that have decriminalized or refuse to prosecute this type of theft so that negative reinforcement no longer applies and you just get people that smash all windows and search entire vehicles.

Anecdotally, just following the idea of "nothing in value being in plain view" has worked wonderfully for me. Works locally in my somewhat big city and when traveling to other big cities.

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