Event Coverage Do you lock your doors at car shows?

Saturday we went to a small show in Custer S.D. The wife and I had walked away from the car and had walked about a half a block when I needed to turn around to get something out of the car. As we look back here is a 60ish year old lady with the door open,we high tail it back and my wife asks what she needs out of our car and I rip into her about not touching cars. Her response is Ohhh I just wanted to see the interior. WTF!! But this isn't the first time, last year at the same show we come back to the car and there is a flyer on the seat( that pisses me off but that's a different story) it was drizzling so all the windows were up so someone had to open the door and put the flyer on the seat. Just as I am grabbing the flyer and crumpling it up an older man says hey did that flyer have a phone number written on the back, I said did you put this in my car? He said yes but I think it has a phone number I need. Again I rip into him and say you don't open peoples cars his response is its ok I'm a car guy. So not only does he open the door once but he was coming back to get in the car for a second time!
I just don't get people do you go to the shopping center parking lot and open daily driver car doors because you want to see inside? What's wrong with people. I'm seriously thinking about locking the doors from now on.

 

As is said, "It only takes one to ruin it for the rest!" Never worried about it with the T bucket(!), but I don't really go to car shows. At a cruise in, I have never locked the A up. As to what happened to you, I think it's a general lack of respect for others possessions prevalent it today's society. Car guy or not, it's Not an acceptable explanation.

 

Yes, because it's parked in the spectator lot.

 

If I'm going to be leaving the car unattended, absolutely

 

I seldom go to car shows but when I do, in my coupe, I leave the doors open. I don't leave valuables in the car and people can see the interior. I don't really mind if someone actually sits in it if they are careful.
When I had my convertible, I always locked the doors when the top was down...

 

People who enter into other peoples property without there permission already have a huge problem with respecting people’s property - do you really want that type of #$*hole poking around in your car! I always leave my windows down and my car unlocked that is where my fire extinguisher is kept in plain sight and anyone is welcome to it in a emergency and if my car needed to be pushed around in a emergency type scenario I am cool with that also.

 

Doors, no
Trunk, yes

 

Never have locked any of them, that's just to keep honest people honest, I can understand someone getting upset about messing with other peoples property.

The average person that doesn't know anything about the vintage/classic cars assumes they are like cars on a dealer car lot or sales floor, and open the doors get in and try to open the hood.

Now the fliers printed on colored paper tossed on you car set are the ones that make me see red, at a show out of town I came back to the car to find8 or more fliers for different events laying on the seat, some one had obviously spilled water on one of them and it was wet enough to bleed black printing on the white seat, I don't normally get mad but that particular event got to me and when I am at that event now I roll up the windows no matter how hot it is.

Brenda was able to remove most of the stain but it is still visible in a couple of spots. HRP

 

It depends on the show...some are scarier than others. I prefer to take real pieces of crap to the scary shows, instead of a nice car. Then I don't have to worry about it. But I do keep my valuables locked up in the trunk or glovebox.

 

No. There is nothing in my car worth stealing, and nobody would want the car!

 

I haven’t attended any shows in years, but when I did I never locked a car, but I do agree that it is probably necessary today.
While it is not the same thing I’ll relate what we saw at the St. Paul NSRA Nats years ago. There was a guy that drove a ‘glass ‘23 T with a blown BBC. He would cruise the fairgrounds and leave a couple of items to hold his parking spot on the grass right by the street. When he got back he’d hop out of the car and toss the ignition key in top of the Hilborn style scoop and walk away.
Nobody ever messed with that key ring but then again it was 40+ years ago and times have changed.

 

Don’t ya just love when a color paper flyer is on your seat and it got wet and the color bled onto your seat...

 

Doors no trunk yes!

 

Windows are usually open and have caught myself leaving the key in the ignition. Do get the odd flyer thrown in though. Never had a problem otherwise. I probably would not appreciate someone I didn't know hopping in on their own-But if some one asks,I am more than happy to show them anything inside or outside the car.

 

I don’t lock my doors and rarely pull the keys. My ‘58 has shaved door handles and I leave the windows rolled up to avoid having car show flyers left on the white upholstery.

Having flyers left in the car is a pet peeve of mine. Nothing like cleaning and detailing the interior for a show so your ride looks it’s best, only to come back and find a bunch of flyers thrown in there. Worse yet, they somehow end up unnoticed in the back seat until I’m driving on the freeway and they start whirling around inside of the car.

 

That's what I'm talking about. I spent way more money on my interior than I should have and if my seat were stained by a flyer I think I would throw a major fit!

 

That's not the point, the point is don't open doors step on running boards open hoods and trunks or in general touch a car if it's not your!

 

Not as much as the assholes who sit on my RoadKing no matter where it is parked

 

i have never reached into or opened a car at a show, that just isn't the way to be. but one day i went and picked up lunch for the shop. got the food and i went out the door and walked up to a grey ford ranger, as soon as i opened the door i knew i was in the wrong truck, shut the door walked two trucks back and got in mine. sure did look like my truck but it was clean.

setting on my bike will get you got.

 

At some of the larger shows in the Tenn. area I know guy's who not only lock their cars but they also sleep in their car at night just to make sure it does not disappear.

One friend thought he was safe leaving his car in the parking lot of a hotel that had a 24 hour security guard at the only way in or our of the parking area was to show that you were staying there.
Next morning his car was gone and nobody saw anything happen including the security guard on duty.

If you love your car made the effort to stay with it overnight.

Jimbo

 

Yes I do and windows up enough to make life difficult...sucks but quite frankly I don't trust the few that may not quite get it...and windows are see through...

I do also mill around and check out the show...People still touch, it's almost an instinct and to date no issues...I guess there's something about touching stuff that completes a connection to some and as long as your not damaging it I let it go...I do however appreciate looking rather than touching...

 

I never have locked them up at a show, and never had anyone messing with them either, nor have I seen strangers opening car doors or getting into cars at shows. That seems really strange to me, I can't believe it actually happens, but I've seen several people post similar stories so I guess it does, I just find it hard to believe people are that stupid or inconsiderate.

 

I drive an old truck ,unfinished,primer,crappy interior,,,,,But its MINE ,ALL MINE It sucks ,but you have to believe everyone is a jerk. let's open the door and peek inside ,came back one time two kids were using my fender as a slide ! Beat it Kids ! If they asked to get in ? sure ,,,, There needs to be signs at the entrance to these shows. Ahh forget that ,they would have to know how to read . I can't imagine the colored paper flyer staining my seat ! plain ignorant,,,I would gave friggin lost it... more shit to worry about I guess

 

This is from a reply I posted back in January of 2018.

I haven't had it happen to me personally but...

We were in Pigeon Forge about 20 years ago and my friend Rene' & I were having breakfast and his wife looked out the window and said,"Rene' someone is sitting in your car."

He jumped up from the table and started out the door,his wife said please go with him and don't let him do something stupid.

Just before Rene' got to the car the old man lifted the drivers side of the 4 piece hood and actually tossed it over the other side of the car and it was still flexing when I caught up to Rene',he was already screaming at the old fellow.

"What the HeLL do you think your doing"?

The old man must have thought all the old cars were for sell because he said he was thinking about buying the Plymouth.

Rene,still yelling,"Do you see a ******* sign on my ****** car?

I was afraid Rene' was going to hit the old man and then he ask the man where was his car and he pointed out the new Cadillac sitting near by and Rene walked over and slammed his clinched fist on the hood several times and he actually dented the hood,then the old man started yelling and about this time the old mans wife said she was calling the police and Rene said, "good,your old man just ruined my hood"

We went back in the restaurant and Rene's wife was fuming,she was mad because Rene' gave the old man a hard time and me because I was suppose to stop him.

The old man and his wife left,the police never showed up and to my knowledge the old Plymouth hood still had a crease in it. HRP

 

My wife has went to the wrong vehicle several times. Usually just let her go then laugh at/with her about it after. Always good for a laugh and ribbing.

 

When I take my roadster to a cruise in, I stay with it till the outside pipes and headers have had a chance to cool, making sure no one touches them. Once they've cooled I may wander off, but I do lock the trunk and take the keys out. Usually our cruise ins are small enough to have the car in sight most of the time anyway.
The '40 Ford coupe, when I take it, I try to get acquainted with my neighbors, and if they are folks I know, or seem like good folks, I often leave the hood and trunk, which is nicely upholstered as well as the interior, open, roll down the windows and lock the doors. I figure folks can see all they need to without openng the doors.
Yes, the flyers can be a nuisance but I never had one stain the seats, and often I end up going to the show, unless they're going to charge me to enter my car, except if it'd for a good charitable cause or a good swap meet, I'm willing to pay, Then I lock up the coupe, or on the roadster, the trunk, before leaving the immediate area to visit swap meet area or look at other cars.

 

YES. The ink from the flyers can stain your upholstery and there are always those
who want to open the door and climb in without asking. Plus, the smokers with ashes
could be a problem.

 

This one is hard to believe. We were invited to display our "Woodie" at a small event only about 20 cars. At one point someone pointed out to me that someone was sitting in my car. When I walked up to my car, here was this guy a plate of food on his lap with a drink on the floor. I walked up to my drivers side window and asked him how he was doing. He replied he was fine, I then asked him for his home address. He asked me why and I said because I'm going to pay you a visit and sit on your couch with a plate of food and a drink. He looked at me with this puzzled look on his face and then the poop hit the prop. I lost it. I cursed him up and down and literally had to be restrained by my wife. He actually told me that he thought it was OK to do sit in peoples cars at shows.

 

Never used to lock doors or roll up windows at a car show...had open roadsters, mild customs, then started using my F100, (for everything) Always left it open. UNTIL...
One of the Billetprufs some drunks were about, harassing everybody.
I returned to find one of them passed out across my bucket seats!
Removed him by the ankles. Dragged him over by some Chevys.
Since then, I close/lock doors, roll up my nice green tinted windows.
Worry about the 'trampolene' snapped onto the bed...

 

Never did until we came back to our car and found someone had lifted our NOS sunvisor vanity mirror I had bought for my wife. I do now !