Car Locks And Alarm

[Opifex]

The trouble with the Prius manual is that it’s so thick it needs a lot of willpower to read it all, so having found something I think other members may also have missed I thought I would pass it on.

We always thought that we lived in a low crime area in France, except, of course, for the dogs fouling the streets and the drunk drivers. However, in the last week we have heard of three cases of cars being broken into while they were parked in official car parks, one of which was right outside the town hall. (Of course, the local police blame it on foreigners coming from the evil big city over the hill)

I said to SWMBO that with the Prius if they broke a window the alarm would go off and the villains wouldn’t be able to open the doors anyway. After thinking about this I got the manual out to check on the alarm and door locking. I found that the doors are locked on the inside only if you press the lock button TWICE within 5 seconds. So I am now making sure that I do the double-press routine as well as avoiding parking in remote spots and making sure that there is nothing visible to attract any villains.

As for the alarm going off if a window is broken, the manual doesn’t exactly spell this out. It says that the “intrusion sensor (if equipped) detects an intruder or movement in the vehicle” but doesn’t say what happens then. Since the car has the button to cancel the intrusion sensor I assume that the car is equipped and the alarm will go off, but I can’t think of an easy way to test it.

We have also heard about things being snatched from cars while the car was occupied so we are trying to remember to lock the doors when we are inside.

p.s. the manual has a warning that the double lock process must not be used if there is anyone inside the car as no door can be opened from inside in an emergency.

[steverally]

The trouble with the Prius manual is that it’s so thick it needs a lot of willpower to read it all, so having found something I think other members may also have missed I thought I would pass it on.

We always thought that we lived in a low crime area in France, except, of course, for the dogs fouling the streets and the drunk drivers. However, in the last week we have heard of three cases of cars being broken into while they were parked in official car parks, one of which was right outside the town hall. (Of course, the local police blame it on foreigners coming from the evil big city over the hill)

I said to SWMBO that with the Prius if they broke a window the alarm would go off and the villains wouldn’t be able to open the doors anyway. After thinking about this I got the manual out to check on the alarm and door locking. I found that the doors are locked on the inside only if you press the lock button TWICE within 5 seconds. So I am now making sure that I do the double-press routine as well as avoiding parking in remote spots and making sure that there is nothing visible to attract any villains.

As for the alarm going off if a window is broken, the manual doesn’t exactly spell this out. It says that the “intrusion sensor (if equipped) detects an intruder or movement in the vehicle” but doesn’t say what happens then. Since the car has the button to cancel the intrusion sensor I assume that the car is equipped and the alarm will go off, but I can’t think of an easy way to test it.

We have also heard about things being snatched from cars while the car was occupied so we are trying to remember to lock the doors when we are inside.

Could you not test the intrusion detector by locking the car with a window open, then wave your hand inside the car through the window that should set it off shouldn't it?

[Chris Dance]

I always double lock the car if I am leaving it parked in a public place. What is wrong with folk these days that they rob & steal with no thought for their victims. My neighbour has just had his new Vauxhall deliberately scratched across two doors. Looks like it has been done with a key. What sense is there in doing that? Criminals are let off and given legal aid etc. The victim gets no help. I think UK is as bad as France if not worse.

[cootuk]

Most people realise now not to leave stuff on display whilst parked, so here in Bradford there are several cases where people are robbed whilst waiting in traffic - someone jumps into car and rips off satnav or grabs bag.

We've started locking the doors with the driver side switch as well as double-locking when parking.

[Jan&tone]

IMO it's hightime the namby-pamby do-gooders had their cars vandalised and stolen... Then perhaps we might get some proper sentencing for this sort of crime, something like the removal of one finger per item stolen, up to and including the removal of balls for the whole car...

Publicise a couple and lo and behold car crime rates halve

As for those that say "it's only metal" certainly, but it's my metal and I worked damned hard for it!!

[monya]

I don't even know if the alarm works. I've never tried it. How can you test it?

[Burma Sauce]

There are a couple of paragraphs in the manual about testing the alarm (in the Prius manual, anyway). Look in the contents page under "security". Something like open all windows, lock car as usual, wait for the alarm indicator light to start (stop?) flashing, then reach in and open a door from the inside.

[cbcdesign]

IMO it's hightime the namby-pamby do-gooders had their cars vandalised and stolen... Then perhaps we might get some proper sentencing for this sort of crime, something like the removal of one finger per item stolen, up to and including the removal of balls for the whole car...

Publicise a couple and lo and behold car crime rates halve

As for those that say "it's only metal" certainly, but it's my metal and I worked damned hard for it!!

Quite! I too get fed up with the rediculous pampering of criminal scum bags who steal and vandalise other peoples property. Most of them probably have drug habits but they chose to take these substances and I don't see why that should excuse their anti social behaviour. Lock them up in solitary with nothing but a toilet, a sink and one book I say! -------- :censor: