# Auto burglaries without broken windows **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 5, 2024, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-burglaries-without-broken-windows/999892 "2024-04-05T17:20:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2024, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-burglaries-without-broken-windows/999892/21 "2024-04-10T19:48:07Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > Does this actually work? Snopes says [False](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/can-unlock-car-door-tennis-ball/). And it was Mythbusted ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2024, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-burglaries-without-broken-windows/999892/22 "2024-04-10T20:47:42Z")
**Rocky** : That trick _never_ works! ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2024, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-burglaries-without-broken-windows/999892/23 "2024-04-10T23:11:28Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yes- “IF”. DrDeth & LSLGuy probably have it right – they forgot to actually lock their car, but thought they had. Then when they were returning to the car, they hit the fob button, which actually locked the car. So they found it locked, which confirmed their expectation that they had locked it when leaving. Local police have mentioned that this is a pretty common scenario. Some newer electronic systems have a mode where the car automatically locks when the driver leaves (the key fob gets out of range of the car). ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2024, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-burglaries-without-broken-windows/999892/24 "2024-04-10T23:28:50Z")
> [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](#): > > Then when they were returning to the car, they hit the fob button, which actually locked the car I have never seen a fob where the same button both locks and unlocks the car. Back when I had fob you had to push buttons on, I’d hit the unlock button as I was still 10-15 feet away from the car walking towards it. Whether the car had been locked or unlocked a moment before, I got the same response: the car beeped and the doors were unlocked. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2024, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-burglaries-without-broken-windows/999892/25 "2024-04-10T23:37:49Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > > [@pullin](#): > > > > I’m curious where you live. I’ve never heard of alarms being outlawed. Is it true for houses, or just cars? > > Israel. They’re considered noise nuisances. > > House alarms are still legal, but with restrictions - no louder than 87 dB, no longer than 6 minutes, and if they go on for longer than 30 minutes the police will break into your house, shut it down, and bill you for their services. That is actually a good thing. Their only purpose seems to be as a nuisance. (I had an idea for a car alarm that would be tied to an app on the owner’s cell phone, and would only make noise or alert there. That way the only person annoyed by the noise is the person who owns the car.) ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2024, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-burglaries-without-broken-windows/999892/26 "2024-04-10T23:46:46Z")
Mine does that. But it’s an aftermarket one, not a manufacturer fob. And for a 22-year-old vehicle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-burglaries-without-broken-windows/999892.md?page=1)