An Expensive Trip Out
A word of caution for anyone whose car has keyless ignition and door locks and a very expensive lesson learned.
We were out for the day whilst in France. On the way back to our site some 80 miles away we heard a bit of a clatter and thought we had run over something on the road. We stopped part way home and I took the opportunity to look around the car to make sure nothing was amiss. Everything looked OK.
I usually keep the car keys in my pocket so, as expected, I could open the car doors and start the engine. It was only after we had been back at the caravan for a time that I started to look for the car keys. After much searching we decided that the only explanation was that I had put them on the roof of the car before we got in and that the clatter was the key fob (attached to which was also my garage door remote), sliding off the roof. It was only then that I realised the full story. Although my key fob had fallen off the car soon after setting off my wife had the spare keys in her handbag and it was those keys that the car was now recognising. As we didn't know exactly where we were when we heard the clatter there would be no chance of finding them again even if we did drive back the 75 to 80 miles.
The result of this was, apart from very, very careful check on the whereabouts of the remaining key fob at all times is a very expensive bill for both a new car fob and a new garage door remote.
So beware, if you have more than one key fob in or very near your car at any time, it may not be the driver’s fob that is allowing the doors to be opened and the engine started.
Comments
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A cautionary tale indeed, also worth mentioning with many cars with keyless and having one key only within the car.
Is once it is started you can drive away without the key and it is only once you stop the engine you find it won't restart.
Now that would be a bummer.
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That happened to me last year. There is a hand car wash fairly local to work and I dropped my car off in the morning and when I went back at lunch time they brought the car to me and I happily drove back to the office. It was only when I’d parked up and went to lock the car I realised I didn’t have the keys. As I’d turned the engine off it meant a long walk back to collect them. Glad it wasn't 70 miles away as the OP
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Another anti-social trick the car makers have foisted on us is the locking when you walk away - even if the key is actually inside the boot and just got nudged as you dropped in your jacket.
My first motor vehicle didn't have door locks (or a huge number of other modern things-to-go-wrong) or the second one either, and we got along just fine.
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well I used to think these keyless things were a good idea, now I'm not so sure?
Ours is 'keyless' but I'm still in the habit of having the key in my hand getting in and just putting the key in the centre console and taking it with me when I leave. My OH has hers in her handbag and yes I've been locked in while she goes out for something.
My daughter's (hand me down) car central locking stopped working for a while, she didn't half complain about having to lock each door or lean over and open the door for passengers and couldn't believe that once most cars were like that.
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Some things are too smart for their own good. Although the MH doesn't have the keyless that the Kuga had, I think I prefer knowing exactly where the key is.
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. On long trips I carry the usual key fob my other half keeps the other which is never actually used. About five months ago an alarm came up on dashboard "key battery low" so I duly changed the battery. A day after arriving in France en route to Italy the same alarm came up, a bit strange anyway and slightly concerning bought a couple of batteries changed mine still the alarm showed. Eventually twigged it was the spare key the alarm referred too, perhaps obvious in hindsight but its unusual I would suggest if the car receives one strong signal to alarm on a weaker one. Anyway changed second battery and all was well!
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My pal's got a XC90 Volvo. After a bit of retail therapy we returned to the car, arms loaded, and he proudly demonstrated the auto boot opening magic widget. Approach car with keys on person, swing foot under rear bumper and...….chin his wife who was standing too close!!! My sympathy was limited to commenting that it was a good job it wasn't my wife. From memory he slept under the van that night.
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Problem is that if you open the boot of a 'keyless' locked car and drop or just thoughtlessly put the key down the key is shielded from the sensing system and when you close the boot it will re-lock. There are warnings in the manuals about leaving keys in bags or anything that could mess with the sensors but who reads that much detail?
Cost my son a 200 mile round trip to fetch spare key as he had not brought the code that could have been used by the RAC to unlock the car. Guess who coughed up for the 4 gallons of fuel?
Lesson learnt.
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