As holiday shoppers often find out the hard way, just because you stow your booty in the back seat doesn't mean it's covered by your auto insurance if thieves make off with the packages.
In fact, most auto policies exclude from theft coverage items that aren't part of the vehicle itself.
"Normally, if a component is built in and came with the vehicle, it's covered," says Wilson. "But if you have your own portable GPS, iPad, CDs or other personal items, those are going to be excluded under your auto policy for theft."
All may not be lost if your vehicle is broken into, however.
"You may have coverage from your homeowners insurance for items stolen from your car," he says.