How Often do you bring your car to a service center?
Whether it be for a Stereo Installation, Auto Repair, Recall, body work etc., do you remove your valuables? I am referring to your house key, did you leave one on your key chain? How about your Garage Door opener, Registration or other items that may make it easy for those not so trust worthy in your vehicle?
I work very closely with my local Sheriff’s Office to help educate Automobile owners in how to keep from becoming a Victim. Not all Centers are dishonest, but there have been several instances around the Country where a customer has left service items at the hands of the Repair person. Leaving your house key on your key chain can allow someone to make a copy of it without your knowledge, or use your garage door opener. I have always advised my husband to remove all of these items many a times when he has had various things done to his truck which my shop is not set up to do, such as Body Repair and painting. In the past he would show signs of resistance thinking I was paranoid. Well, one day a friend of his dropped his car off for service and informed the Service Center that he would be gone for a day or two. First mistake, notifying others of his absence and then leaving the house key and garage door opener with his vehicle.
When he returned to pick up his vehicle everything was still there, but when he arrived home it had been ransacked. He thought for sure someone broke in. But when the Police arrived they did not find evidence of forced entry. After some further checking since my husband’s friend informed the Police he had been out of town and his vehicle was left with the Shop, it appears that an employee not only took the garage door opener and house key, but the truck as well. This way if the neighbors saw the truck, they would have thought it was the home owner. His own truck was used to remove the items and transported to other locations for re sale.
So please, do not fall victim when in fact this could have been prevented. My husband now has a new respect for my warnings.
Many of the newer vehicles today have Valet keys. Just leave only what is necessary to operate your vehicle. This is also true if you frequent Businesses that use Valet parking. Before heading out make sure you do not have valuables left in your trunk as well. Your safety is top priority. So stay safe and Happy Motoring. v