I've never kept a spare key in any cars I've owned.
I've never even been happy leaving the key to a hire car either behind the sun visor, up the tailpipe of the exhaust, or on top of the nearside rear tyre when I've finished with it so the rental company know where to find the key when they come to collect it.
Last edited by: VxFan on Thu 10 Jul 14 at 10:17
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>> I've never even been happy leaving the key to a hire car either behind the
>> sun visor, up the tailpipe of the exhaust, or on top of the nearside rear
>> tyre when I've finished with it
That takes me back a few years to when my then boss would always leave the key to his company car on the o/s front tyre so I could use it after he'd gone off!
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I remember these plastic keys. I think they were slipped inside the handbook rather than intentionally left in the glove box
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Probably the same as the plastic keys from VW?
The "key" for my Passat CC is inserted into the dash to start the car. But hidden inside it is a plastic key. In theory you could use it to unlock the car except by default the car deadlocks itself and cannot be opened with a key. If it's not deadlocked you could use this emergency key to get in - after you figure out how to reveal the lock behind a plastic cover.
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The new Audis we deliver come with two "block" keys (black plastic/chrome trim), a black plastic "block" carcase with no gubbins inside it, and a plastic actual key. The carcase key has a dedicated storage slot in the side of the glovebox, I think this is the treasure trove the OP's miscreant has hit upon, although I've never tried starting a car with one. I shall investigate it on the next one I move.
If it is that simple, it's a rather silly idea.
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Probably because until recently car crime was not a consideration in Germany on the scale of the UK.
People do not buy and fit locking wheel nuts to alloy wheels and insurance companies actually penalise you if you do as thieves cause more damage removing the locking nuts.
On the plus side you can park a cabriolet in a city centre with the roof down and come back to find it as you left it.
Imagine that in the UK. It would be full of spit, crisp wrappers and beer cans with the remaining contents emptied over the seats. Probably used condoms if you left it on Friday or Saturday night.
Car crime is on the increase in Germany though. I recently drove passed a main dealer one Sunday morning and saw three or four high end cars on the lot up on bricks with the wheels missing.
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>> ...in Germany ... people do not buy and fit locking wheel nuts to alloy wheels
I can confirm that, they are a dealer fit item during PDI of new cars once in the UK. I assumed that was to make it easier to swap wheels around in case of damage during the transport stage, but it does make sense if other markets don't see a need for them.
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Audi - Where's your spare key? - VxFan
