Perhaps this is one for Steen.
I was talking to a mate who has just returned from a fortnight in the Algarve. He hired a car and he mentioned something that has also occured to me over the last couple of years when hiring cars in the Algarve. The last five cars I have hired have all been missing the rear parcel shelf. With a hatchback this means that anything in the boot/luggage area is visible to passers by. Motorists are always advised not to leave articles on show and put them in the boot. It appears that the shelves are deliberately removed by the rental companies. I had an almost new Punto with the same problem, so I don't think it's wear and tear. We were wondering if the rental people remove these shelves so that thieves will see there is nothing in the luggage area and will not try to force their way in. The thieves will know about the 'hide stuff away' advice and perhaps they would take a chance on breaking into the back on the off-chance that items may hidden there if they can't see that it's empty.
Anyone else had this problem?

Yep. If there's no parcel shelf there's no way to hide any stuff in the 'boot' and therefore, you won't put anything in there that might attract a thief.

The parcel shelf on the Punto we had during Easter was broken. So maybe they simply don't hold up to the wear and tear.

laserblazer wrote:The parcel shelf on the Punto we had during Easter was broken. So maybe they simply don't hold up to the wear and tear.

Fair comment laserblazer, but the Punto I had was almost new - just 700 kilometres on the clock. The other four cars I've rented recently were:- Chevrolet Spark, VW Polo, Renault Clio and Mitsubishi Colt - everyone minus the rear shelf.

Bizarrely, most of the cars I have rented over the past few years HAVE had the parcel shelf and I have to remove it as I can't fit our luggage in when it is in place! (I always have a tiny car with at least 3 lots of full size hand luggage!)

My stepson's car was broken into in Gloucester and the police have told him to take out the parcel shelf and leave the glove box open when he parks up. They did £300 of damage to the car to get a pair of sunglasses and an Ipod.

Thanks floyd - that seems to confirm my theory about many rental vehicles having them removed.
I understand the wear and tear theory, but that usually means that the cord which lifts the shelf with the hatch gets snapped, which is a nuisance, but doesn't really mean removal of the shelf.