WDYT - car broken into?

I got back to my car at the station quite late last night. I knew I was going to be late, so I parked at the car park where it faces the main road - a quite busy one - thinking that would be pretty safe.

When I got in to my car, it was pouring with rain, and very dark.

I noticed I couldn't get my seat quite right (I normally have it right forward to drive, but I put it back out when getting in and out) but didn't think much of it.

Almost as soon as I got in, I called DH because he'd tested me to see if I could grab something from the shops.

The shops are maybe 100m up the street, so I ducked in there first. I noticed my radio was on the wrong station, but thought I must have knocked the button with my umbrella in my rush to get in.

I went to the shops, got back in the car maybe 10 minutes later. No worries.

Driving down the street, went to turn the radio up - the buttons on the steering wheel are missing. (Tuens out they were on the floor, and one of the clips is broken).

Suddenly, I connect the random dots - seat not quite right, radio on wrong station - damage to car.

Has my car been broken into?

I had a moment of sheer terror wondering whether there was some maniac in the back of the car... I remembered that I'd put the shopping on the back seat, but it was so dark and still raining hard, I can't be 100% positive I really looked in there ... I seriously considered pulling over and just getting out, or doing that thing where they tell you to get in a minor car accident so there's other people and the would-be-abductor runs away, but I figured that if they were going to do something they would have by then.

DH had a good look at the car with a torch, and is satisfied that there's no signs of break in.

So WTF?

What do you reckon?

Someone broke in very neatly to get out of the rain, listened to the radio (magically, without needing to hot wire it) and broke the radio button when leaving?

Aliens?

Clip broke itself, I bumped the radio station button (different buttons) onto another station, and the seat was just me not feeling it?

What do you think?

Was the car locked when you had it parked? If the button/clip on the steering wheel was broken the wiring could have caused the radio to change stations or its possible you did just knock it (the radio) But the broken ones are the head scratcher. Could you have possibly caught them with your brollie or bag or something that broke it? If not I would say kids or someone has been in your car & has attempted to get your radio out but is stupid & thought they needed the buttons off the steering wheel. OR they where disturbed & took off before being able to do any real damage/take the car.

But if the car was locked & there is no sign of forced entry then I would think you have managed to break it somehow when either getting out last or when you got in out of the rain in a hurry?

Quite possibly. My cars were entered on Monday night because I forgot to shut the garage door:wall: and it took me a while to realise it had happened. And I probably would not have realised had I not heard DH leave and heard the remote door twice..

My DH took my car before I got out of bed. When I went to get in the other car, there was stuff on the seat I didn't think much if until I saw an empty pen case, then it dawned on me that the ash tray and glove box were opened.

By the time I got hold of DH, I believed i was right and we had been intruded, and he then confirmed that my door was slightly ajar and the glove box was opened.. He thought nothing of it, just that I had got sidetracked the previous evening..

So they can do subtle things. Is it a modern car? A lot of cars without advanced central locking are apparently easy to break into without obvious signs of forced entry..

Quite a while ago now my car was broken into, I thought it was locked, but possibly not *shrug* but I really thought it was locked. The drivers door was left slightly ajar (so that we didnt hear them shut it I presume) I thought I had just been stupid and not paid enough attention the night before. It took until the afternoon to realise that they had taken the ashtray with the loose coins in it. The ashtray cost more than the coins that were in it!! So yes, I would think it is possible. Why? Who knows.

I would say its quite likely it was broken into. My first car was broken into a couple of times. Both times nothing was taken (literally nothing of value was in it), they did take everything out the glove box though. Did anything else seem disturbed?

Did you accidentally steal someone elses identical car?

I would say it was broken into, one of my cars was broken into twice the first time they took the spare tire the second time I am certain it had been driven and out back in the same spot the seat had been moved forward and the car started first go and it never did that. I sold it after that! Report it to your local police station incase they got into other cars at the same time.

We had our 2012 model grand carnival broken into one night. No signs of forced entry and the car was locked securely in the morning (I 'believe' my hubby didn't lock it properly - it is central locking but if a door isn't closed properly that one door will remain unlocked. but am unsure, because we did hear a car alarm go off in the middle of the night too - could have been ours or one of our neighbors).
We knew it had been broken into because things were missing - hubby's prescription sunnies, his iPod, and our fuel cards. All useless to the thief except the iPod.
Not nice.
But my hubby has ever since been more cautious about security - which is a very good thing, as he was extremely lax before no matter how many time I ranted at him about not locking up the car or house properly. So in a strange way I'm a actually kind of greatful it happened like it did, because it taught him a lesson and gave him a wake up call, and it was his items (which whilst not cheap, weren't really 'major' either) that got stolen for his mistake.

I'm pretty sure I didn't bang anything. I've thought on it further, and I doubt it.

I'm going to have another look to see whether anything else is disturbed, but I don't keep anything of value in there - a shammy, an umbrella, a water bottle, some paper and pens... that's about it.

I didn't think to check the spare tyre - will check that too.

Thanks!

I have had to break in to two of my cars numerous times over the years we had them. Surprisingly easy to do, although admittedly, neither had an alarm. However, if you looked at the car, there is no way you would be able to tell I had unlocked it with a coathanger.
My guess would be someone broke into it.

My SIL had his car broken into at our place and the alarm didn't go off. The only reason I looked out the window was I heard something and it was then I saw his interior light on.

When the police came they said thieves now have a device that they can unlock the car without setting off the alarm or making you suspicious that your car has been broken into.

DH checked - tyre still there, as is shammy, etc.

Oh well. At least we're all safe.