[noopster]

Originally Posted by highway_star

The doors on my Santro auto unlock when the engine is switched off. Is this true for all cars?

Pretty much. But I think the Vento is unique in that the fuel lid is included in the things that get unlocked automatically when ignition is switched off- it of course locks once you centrally lock the car.

Glad to see that my fears were justified and was not just being paranoid. Please be cautious and alert whoever you can about this.

[a_myth]

Arrgh....Morons driving on the roads, corrupt authorities and now thieves on the roads. What more do you want??

I want to share about the "dreaded ten rupee note gang" here on Goan roads.

It is generally a trend that we leave our valuables such as a mobile, laptop or any other valuable in our vehicles when we have to dash into a ATM or make a quick purchase. But when doing so we always remember to lock our cars.

Well there are instances when we don't bother to lock our car doors. That is when someone is present in the car, may it be our driver or our co passenger. The gang I am talking about use to specifically target such cars. Finding someone alone sitting in the car, they would scatter a few ten rupee notes near the door of the car and draw the persons attention towards it claiming that he might have dropped it. As soon as the person gets out of the vehicle to gather the notes, the gang would snatch anything valuable from the vehicle and disappear from the scene.

Believe me, even in spite of many such instances being published by the local newspapers, and repeated police warnings regarding this gang, these crooks carried on with their trade for quite sometime. Nowadays no such reports have come in, maybe the crooks have left for a greener pasture.

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by highway_star

The doors on my Santro auto unlock when the engine is switched off. Is this true for all cars?

In my santro, using an autocop lock, the doors unlock only when i unlock completely, i.e. the position where i would pull out the key.

This feature is provided as its "assumed" that when you turn the key completely to the left, you would be alighting from your car. If you are turning your vehicle off at signals, you can just make two turns of the key to shut down the engine and battery. This would ensure that doors remain locked.

[sanjeevskartha]

Scary indeed! I really wonder if driving would be a pleasure in the future when novel scams like this are cropping up every day. Already have enough things (EMIs,petrol bills,unscientific tolls,corrupt cops and what not) to worry about while driving.

[ZENnist]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

In my santro, using an autocop lock, the doors unlock only when i unlock completely, i.e. the position where i would pull out the key.

This feature is provided as its "assumed" that when you turn the key completely to the left, you would be alighting from your car. If you are turning your vehicle off at signals, you can just make two turns of the key to shut down the engine and battery. This would ensure that doors remain locked.

I think the doors getting unlocked when engine is switched off is a standard feature of Autocop [I'm not familiar with any other brand]. For some reason this is not working in my car. couple of places i showed this, mechanics have confirmed this is a problem with the autocop unit. since this started happening well over the warranty period, i dint feel like changing the unit as everything else works fine. over the time i got used to it and also felt safe at signals when i shut off the engine. The only inconvenience was that i need to unlock the car using the button when i want to get out.

the disadvantage i see is that - god forbid - only in case of an accident or so the doors will remain locked even if the engine is off. since 80% of the time i drive alone and 90% of my drive is within the city, i havent changed the unit yet.

the irony is that this is a blessing and a risk in disguise both at the same time.

[_raVan_]

Originally Posted by noopster

Driving into Mumbai on Friday evening, there was a "nakabandi" (temporary police checkpost) just before the Vashi bridge. The queue extended a long way and traffic was at crawl levels since the cops had blocked all but one lane. My friends and I had just driven up across the expressway and were chafing as we waited our turn in the interminable queue.

Thanks for sharing this info. As a matter of fact, I was also stuck in the same queue on the same date while coming from Pune at around 8:30PM Fortunately, nobody approached us with such a demand. Absent minded that I am, I might have opened the boot too!

[bluevolt]

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If you are driving at night and eggs are thrown at your windscreen, do not stop to check the car , do not operate the wiper and do not spray any water, because eggs mixed with water become milky and block your vision up to 92.5%, and you are then forced to stop beside the road and become a victim of these criminals. This is a new technique used by gangs, so please inform your friends and relatives

[root]

Originally Posted by noopster

Suddenly a man wearing some sort of uniform comes and knocks on our window. I roll it down: "Dickey open karo, checking hai" he commands authoritatively ("Open the boot, checking is on").

Any guesses on what people do actually check when they open the boot. They wave a metal detector around (sometimes.) The metal detector would always buzz if you keep your repair kit in the boot. Nobody I have seen in a boot check does anything if the metal detector actually buzzes. None of them are experts in finding anything amiss. If there is a huge amount of stuff such as bags, what is it that they can achieve by just seeing them, unless you are carrying contra-brand in a obviously blatant manner.

I do like some offices where trace detectors are used which do not require boots, bonnets or glove compartments to be opened. Also, I quite like a number of star hotels which use a sniffer-dog - anything is good in the name of safety as long as the check in not perfunctory and achieves some stated purpose. Otherwise, all these checks, even if genuine - are mere ticks in boxes that satisfy somebody's checklist somewhere. Good for you that you detected a scam in time!!!

[superutp]

Noopster, great work on uncovering another scam. Only if these jokers could instead utilize their overactive minds to do something useful for a change!
I was heading to Mantri Mall, Bangalore parking yesterday and saw sniffer dogs beings used to sniff out the boot of cars. Cant be really sure if these dogs have been actually trained or they are just there to satisfy somebody's checklist as 'root' said.
And about the metal detector, whats the point. Buzz or no buzz they still going to let you go. Even if you carried a gun on your lap, they would check your boot and let you go!! There are 1000 ways to bypass the system! Off topic but the bag check when you enter buildings, malls, hotels etc. Thats another system just for the sake of having a system. Unless they have airport like systems (which would inturn result in overcrowding entrances and inconvenience for footfall) there is no point of the current systems in place.

On a different note, the Autocop in my Beat also unlocks the door when I switch off the engine. So while waiting for traffic lights to turn green, I switch off the engine and turn the engine back on to get the doors back locked. Of course the alternative is to manually lock the door, but the ignition technique just feels more natural.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by bluevolt

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Attachment 881428

If you are driving at night and eggs are thrown at your windscreen, do not stop to check the car , do not operate the wiper and do not spray any water, because eggs mixed with water become milky and block your vision up to 92.5%, and you are then forced to stop beside the road and become a victim of these criminals. This is a new technique used by gangs, so please inform your friends and relatives

This is an ages old hoax, being circulated through Email, Orkut, Facebook and now, G+. It makes me wonder how the Hoax-starter came out with the figure of 92.5%! It is absurd, stupid and misleading. The image is probably taken from some vehicle safety test, where the windshield is tested by throwing weights onto it while the car is in motion. What you see on the glass are cracks, and not anything related to eggs.

Request anyone who doesn't concur with me, to test it out themselves. I've done that, out of curiosity. The windscreen washer feature is good enough to clear the mess.

Check these links:
snopes.com: Eggs Thrown at Cars
Egg Windshield Attack Robbery Warning
Eggs on Windshield / Fake Car Seat Crime Alert - Urban Legends

EDIT:
For the sake of humanity, please don't believe everything that's circulated through email and social-networking sites. Take a moment to analyze the piece of information before spreading it.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Like someone said, there's a sucker born every minute, which is what these con bags survive on!

Absolutely. It's our duty to ensure that we don't go down to those levels.

[rajivr1612]

Originally Posted by highway_star

The doors on my Santro auto unlock when the engine is switched off. Is this true for all cars?

Many times we carry stuff on the rear seat. It is easy for someone to open the door and grab things at a signal. If I am carrying very valuable things I prefer to keep the engine running all the time to be safe. I think manufacturers should give us the option to disable the auto unlock feature when required.

Thankfully my Liva doesn't have this auto lock / unlock feature. It has to be done manually and not linked to engine being on or off. I go through a mental checklist (just like a pilot) the moment I get into my car and the first point is to lock the door then subsequent points like put in neutral, check handbrake etc.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

And do we need registration numbers on the windows anyways?

Originally Posted by bluevolt

I don't think it's compulsory but when I bought my WagonR (April, 2007), the showroom guys stamped number on all four windows. When I asked them they told me that it's compulsory. But nothing was done when we bought Honda City & i10.

The etching of the numbers helps in identification of the car. Stolen vehicles could be identified with this, as also vehicles used in terrorist acts. Or so the police claim. I doubt if the law mandates this, but there may be directions from the local police authorities that this be done to ensure vehicle identification can be carried out more effectively.

Originally Posted by noopster

My Vento has this thing about the fuel lid opening directly whenever the central locking is off.

Same as the Ikon. Weird, but there you are.

Originally Posted by highway_star

The doors on my Santro auto unlock when the engine is switched off. Is this true for all cars?

It depends on the locking system, methinks. My Santro too had this 'feature'. If you switch off the ignition and then quickly switch it on again, the doors won't unlock. You need to practise it a bit. In any case, if your car also has central locking, after switching off the engine, you can quickly lock the driver side door to make sure all the doors are locked instantly. Takes just a moment and you don't need to leave the engine running.