Hi all

my new Octavia Scout was recently broken into, they broke my rear widow (hatch window) and grabbed some bits.

seems that this car has a security flaw.

The rear pull back cover had a handle to pull the cover back, the handle is an open hole and this hole was used along with a torch to target my boot items.

i have now stuffed a rag in the hole (handle) but this needs correcting by Skoda.

my last car (VW Touran) had a spring loaded flap that closed over the hole once your fingers were removed from the handle.

Not sure I understand...if the scrote was stood looking into your car with a hammer/brick in one hand, and wondering whether to break in or not, I doubt if the hole was covered and he couldn't see through was going to stop him?

 

If he couldn't see, he's more than likely going to break in anyway to take a look? 

 

I have an estate myself with the same cover - you can see through the >10mm gap between the end of the cover and the tailgate anyway?

He was shown on cctv spending a good few minutes crouching with a torch

then using a punch tool to fracture the window and returning to punch through the now fractured glass - the hand grip should not be an open hole 

 

Just think about it, from what you're suggesting nobody has ever broken in to the boot of a 4 door car.

 

It's not a security flaw at all. If a thief is determined to get in to your car, he (or she) will.

 

Didn't your car alarm sound when the window broke?  

Alarm went off - but was ignored by the local residents.

this pleb had plenty of other cars to chose from - whilst I appreciate it could have been a Radom hit - the cctv suggests otherwise

and to add my own “think about it” why did VW go to the effort of ensuring the handle is closed on finger removal?

and “think about it” my VW Touran was parked in the same area for 3 years and no issue.

I buy a Skoda with an obvious security flaw and 3 weeks later I’m a victim.

this is going to the Skoda dealer for correction.

oh and I have no visible gap at the end of the shield.

i have a nice flap securing any peeking by the roller housing behind the seats

But

then they leave a gaping hole of a handle - an oversight me thinks.

 

Edited 8 April, 20188 yr by Ojnet

whats the tint like on your rear window? i've just gone out with a torch to satisfy my curiosity and the factory tint on my windows stops me from seeing anything...

I would say the replacement window is much darker that the original.

street lights would easily light up the rear on the original glass

22 hours ago, Ojnet said:

Alarm went off - but was ignored by the local residents.

this pleb had plenty of other cars to chose from - whilst I appreciate it could have been a Radom hit - the cctv suggests otherwise

and to add my own “think about it” why did VW go to the effort of ensuring the handle is closed on finger removal?

and “think about it” my VW Touran was parked in the same area for 3 years and no issue.

I buy a Skoda with an obvious security flaw and 3 weeks later I’m a victim.

this is going to the Skoda dealer for correction.

oh and I have no visible gap at the end of the shield.

i have a nice flap securing any peeking by the roller housing behind the seats

But

then they leave a gaping hole of a handle - an oversight me thinks.

 

 

The gap I referred to is not behind the seats, its's between the tailgate and the roller cover.

 

Maybe yours is different...

 

Will be fascinating to hear the dealer's reaction - good luck.

20 hours ago, JohnnyType2 said:

whats the tint like on your rear window? i've just gone out with a torch to satisfy my curiosity and the factory tint on my windows stops me from seeing anything...

 

Ive just nipped out as well and shone a torch and yes you can see into the boot and dependant where the items were then yes you maybe able to see them.

 

Under normal daylight or night time street lighting I'm not convinced you would be able to see in.

 

Its a bit like the trucks you see parked in the lay-bys.  Some are left intentionally open to show they are empty, meaning the ones that are closed will be loaded.

 

15 hours ago, Ojnet said:

I would say the replacement window is much darker that the original.

street lights would easily light up the rear on the original glass

 

If the new window is darker I wonder if the window is for a different model.  I thought the VRS privacy glass is darker than Scout privacy glass.  A lot of estates I see (with factory glass) have darker glass than my Scout.

 

I dont know that your dealer is going to be able to do anything in all honesty, maybe tape a rectangle of bing bag underneat the cover?

 

My boot is full of work equipment nothing of great expense just great inconvenience when stolen :-(

maybe the glass tint is the same - just that I’m focused on the issue, makes your mind wander.

i need to ask the dealers what logic was applied (apart from cost saving) with the blind pull handle design.

thanks to all for your thoughts and your help with this problem 

Edited 9 April, 20188 yr by Ojnet

Cost saving?

 

Good luck but I think you’ll get nowhere as nothing is broken, no Health and Safety issues just a personal issue you are blaming the handle gap for.

Something in the back of my head tells me your dealer had little to no input to the design of the handle either. Just a hunch. 

 

But yeah. You’re looking to apportion blame where is there is none. My car has 6 windows that thieves can look through and gain access. Doesn’t make it a security flaw. 

Back of your head is not used for thought :-)

but well done for posting

Never had an issue with a saloon or hatch but estates seem to attract scrotes especially when the cover is pulled over, it’s irresistible to them.

 

I’ve unfortunately found this out over the years and been told not to have stuff in the boot / pull the cover over by the police when reporting a laptop taken from below a cover in an estate, very helpful I’m sure, however estates / combis are so useful. I normally empty my one out and leave the cover off whenever possible.

 

I don’t have privacy glass on my vRS but would of liked it for the above reason, not so sure about getting window tints, but they may offer some resistance to glass breakage? Perhaps other users can comment?

20 hours ago, Greenliner1 said:

Never had an issue with a saloon or hatch but estates seem to attract scrotes especially when the cover is pulled over, it’s irresistible to them.

 

I’ve unfortunately found this out over the years and been told not to have stuff in the boot / pull the cover over by the police when reporting a laptop taken from below a cover in an estate, very helpful I’m sure, however estates / combis are so useful. I normally empty my one out and leave the cover off whenever possible.

 

I don’t have privacy glass on my vRS but would of liked it for the above reason, not so sure about getting window tints, but they may offer some resistance to glass breakage? Perhaps other users can comment?

 

They just make it harder to see whats Inside.

They'll provide little resistance to someone breaking the glass as its designed to shattering into small pièces on an impact anyway which is why a crafty theif only needs a small stone to  get past it.

On 10/04/2018 at 18:28, Greenliner1 said:

I’ve unfortunately found this out over the years and been told not to have stuff in the boot / pull the cover over by the police when reporting a laptop taken from below a cover in an estate, very helpful I’m sure, however estates / combis are so useful. I normally empty my one out and leave the cover off whenever possible.

 

That's exactly what you should do. OP said he never had his Touran broken in to? Touran is an MPV, it's designed to carry passengers. Estate cars are designed and generally bought by people who want to carry goods as well as passengers.

 

If you have nothing in your boot, leave the cover open because there's nothing to hide. However, if you close the luggage cover, especially overnight when few people are around, well you may as well have a neon sign on your car saying goods waiting to be stolen.

 

Must have been a pretty dumb thief if he needed to peer thru a handle to work out there was booty to be had. Thief was probably using the torch to check if the cover was open or closed.

 

As for the handle being some cost saving measure - not a chance - t'd be cheaper not to have any handle at all !  And would hardly cost a penny more to have a different shaped piece of plastic. Looks to be designed for practical purposes more than anything else.     

At the end of the day, we don’t know what the scrote was thinking, but I doubt complex planning / cover / no cover etc thoughts were on his mind. Anyone who steals / plans to steal from a car isn’t that bright. Cleverer criminals will have better & more profitable scams up their sleeves. 

 

Waving a torch about on a dark night isn’t the brightest, but the OP may not care. Theft is theft, damage is damage - utter scum. 

 

I don’t think the handle in the cover is a design or security flaw. As above, it’s simply to make pulling the cover across easier to do. How else would you pull it? 

I appreciate not everyone has the option of off-street parking, but I just reverse the car right up to the garage door, so that it's not possible to walk behind the car or open the boot (or the garage door for that matter).  I always have the cover pulled across, but never have anything left in the back anyway, other than a coat and maybe the child's buggy.