Gone - Not in 30, but 8 seconds.

[Marika]

http://www.motoring.co.za/index.php?fSecti...ticleId=2347310

Gone - not in 30, but a lightning EIGHT seconds

Going Christmas shopping? Remember to close your car's windows and make sure it's locked up tight and all will be well – rubbish! A team of "legal" break-in experts tested 20 cars and nailed 16 in less than two minutes.

The news comes as people worldwide approach the biggest shopping weekend of the year – and many will fall prey to thieves targeting cars packed with Christmas shopping while mom and pop play Jingle Tills.

BEST: BMW's 525i SE – no entry to the ungodly by the two-minute deadline.

WORST: Fiat's Panda – entry in eight seconds.

Each year expert testers from What Car? magazine in Britain assess the security of new cars and, using only commonly available tools, try to break into 20 new cars without causing any physical damage.

This year only four maintained their integrity for two minutes, the guideline laid down by Britain's Home Office after which, it believes, a thief will give up and try elsewhere.

The four cars that passed the tough test with flying colours were the BMW 525i SE, Lexus RX300 SE-L, Peugeot 407 SE and BMW X3 SE.

Many cheaper, mainstream cars fared abysmally. Fiat's Panda performed worst but plenty of other popular – and expensive - cars failed to defeat the bad guys,

Here's the score sheet:

1 BMW 525i SE - Did not gain entry

2 Lexus RX300 SE-L - Did not gain entry

3 Peugeot 407 SE - Did not gain entry

4 BMW X3 SE - Did not gain entry

5 Skoda Octavia Ambiente - 1 min 57 sec

6 Volvo S40 SE - 1 min 48 sec

7 VW Touran S - 1 min 40 sec

8 Citroën C2 VTR - 1 min 15 sec

9 BMW 116I - 1 min 9 sec

10 Audi A6 Quattro SE - 1 min 4 sec

11 Peugeot 307 CC - 1 min 3 sec

12 Renault Scénic Privilège - 53 sec

13 Mini Cooper S Convertible - 52 sec

14 Vauxhall Astra Design - 46 sec

15 Subaru Legacy SE - 40 sec

16 Mazda RX-8 - 39 sec

17 Smart ForFour Pulse - 31 sec

18 VW Golf GT - 26 sec

19 Kia Picanto SE - 11 sec

20 Fiat Panda Dynamic - 8 sec

A British survey said car crime was 12% down in 2003/04 but there are still more than 1.3-million thefts a year from cars - almost 15% of all recorded crime.

What Car?’s editor, David Motton, said: "Car security is far better than a decade ago but there are still some popular cars on sale with weak locking systems. We advise all buyers to consider the results of our security tests before they buy.

"Also, use your common sense. Never leave belongings, such as cellphones, laptops, jackets or bags of shopping on show to tempt thieves. Where possible, put them in the locked boot or take them with you and always lock your car and activate the alarm and immobiliser if you have them."

What Car?’s security test is an annual event. To see the full table of 126 cars tested over the past four years, go to http://www.whatcar.com.

# What Car? has been the car-buyer’s champion for more than 30 years, helping readers get the best value when buying and running their car.

Independent research shows that 25 percent of all new-car buyers consult What Car? and its website – 500 000 unique visitor a month.

What Car? is produced by Haymarket Publishing, the largest private magazine publisher in the UK.

Published on the web by Motoring on December 16, 2004. © Motoring 2004. All rights reserved.

[cadillacjeff7777]

Where does cadillac fit into this?

[Marika]

It doesn't exactly "fit in". What does "fit in" is that this is the time of year where cars are broken into and contents or the entire car is stolen. The article is a reminder that vehicle security is something to look after.

At the Garden State Shopping Plaza, here in lovely New Joisey, there are about 10 cars a day stolen and many more broken into. Those numbers increase drastically around the holiday times.

That article, to me anyway, is a brutal reminder of just how easy it is to lose your car or its contents and yet I see time and time again, people who leave their cars running with keys in the ignition while they walk away from the car. Insurance industry statistics reveal that 80% of all stolen vehicles recovered still have the keys in the ignition.

Leave all contents of the car out of view, Lock it up, make sure the alarm works, and TAKE THE KEYS. Public service reminder.

[acklac7]

This brings up a funny story....

My dad kept getting his newspaper stolen, we couldn't quite figure out who was stealing it, but every morning the guy would drop it off and then it wasn't there when my dad went out to get it. So I decided to set up a hidden security cam on the parking lot (via my bedroom window on the 2nd floor) It just so happens that on that summer night I decided to leave the eldo parked outside...(This was the first time in months that I didn't put her in the garage.) Anyway I had the camera hooked up to my computer so I could record directly onto my desktop, I could also watch the video feed on my screen. So im sitting there surfing the web and all of the sudden I notice some movement on the screen...I look at the video feed of the parking lot (that is live on my desktop) and there is some kid shoving a screwdriver down my window!!! I sprawled over to the window..ripped it open and yelled " you dumb mother-#^$@ im sitting here recording you on camera you dadadada..get the F#&$# away from my car...he took off running with another buddy and that was the end of that... I played the tape over and over again but eventually deleted it...Also that was the second time my car has been broken into...."dressed" up caddy's (barritz, 24k, cloth top etc.) seem to be a magnet for thieves.