Water bottle trick: Are thieves about to steal your car? Probably not

BERLIN: Car-jackers are using plastic bottles to jam tyres in a ploy to steal cars, social media posts and car websites repeatedly warn. And yet this is more likely a popular urban legend that refuses to go away.

Despite being repeatedly debunked on the Internet and no police actively warning about any such risk, the would-be trick continues to cause alarm.

The first report to have received signification attention came from South Africa in 2018 in a now deleted Facebook post that said "if you find a plastic bottle near your car, you may be in danger."

Warnings about a the water bottle trick thieves use to steal cars spread to media in other countries such as Mexico, India and, now, Germany, despite fact checks in several countries showing that no police force has reported of this form of carjacking.

"There are no known cases in Germany (yet). But car thieves like to be inspired by colleagues," the mass-circulation Autobild motoring gazette recently said, calling on drivers to be on guard.

The trick, as described on social media and on various car news websites, is simple. A potential car thief wedges a plastic bottle between the tyre, mudguard and bumper on the passenger side of the car, either at the front or rear.

The driver then hears odd, crunching noises, jumps out to investigate and walks around the car, usually leaving the key in the ignition or even the engine still running. This is the cue for the thief to get in the car and drive off or else pilfer belongings.

Whether it's myth or real, experts advise motorists to get into the habit of briefly checking their car's road-worthiness before getting in. Briefly walk around the car and look at the tyres to see if there's any reason - water bottle or other - to be suspicious.

While there does not appear to be a clear carjacking risk from hidden water bottles, if you do notice a crunching sound after setting off, stop as quickly as you can and ensure the car is locked once you get out and take a closer look.

It is worth noting that in most cases the plastic bottle will not cause real damage to the vehicle.