[hybridpetrol]

A few months back, we were on a picnic to a place in Kerala, just 20 kms from Coimbatore outskirts. Mine is an alto, with a remote lock installed aftermarket. The remote lock covers only the doors, and the boot has to be operated manually either through the key or from the lever below the driver seat.

My wife got the keys from me and opened the boot for taking some things out. As it is a bad practice to leave the keys hanging from the open boot, she carefully removed the key from the lock & placed it in the boot. However, after she had taken the things she wanted to take, she closed the boot with the key lying in the boot! Since the doors were never opened, we were locked out of the car, with key stuck in the boot.

After panicking for some time, we used a thin stick to slid inside the front quarter glass and opened the central lock. That day I saw how simple it can be to open the doors of a locked car like mine! Though I was content that a thief will not dare to attempt such stuff, as the intruder alarm can send shivers even to the owner, let alone the thief!

[ronz_2507]

Yup done this way back in 2010 when I was in UK. Had no clue what to do then, I didnt want to appear as a guy trying to break into a car in a super market parking lot. Asked a few people for help one of them recommended calling the insurance company. Called them up and in 45 mins a tow truck came and the gentle man happily opened the car after some verification questions.

The time it happened in India I was in school in late 90s remember me and dad bending an old hanger rod and prying through the door in our Maruti 800 and pulling the door lock.

[ssambyal1980]

Yes this happened some years ago when I used to drive Maruti 800. I had gone for some work in the city's CBD and parked the car in the parking. After sometime came back to the car to pick up some documents. Upon unlocking the car I got busy with some documentation work and put the keys on the dash board. After I was done with the work I pressed the lock lever and locked the car unmindful to the fact that the key is on the dashboard and went away.

Finally after I was through with the work, it was during walking back towards the car that I realized that I had locked the key in the car. For a while I was reprimanding myself like how can I be so careless? But luckily as I was in city itself so I called my uncle who was at home at that time and requested him to bring in the other key. He arrived after 30 mins and finally my ordeal was over. Had this happened at some far off place out of the city, it would have caused much more inconvenience.

That day I learned a lesson though hard way and it was: Always carry the spare key in pocket at all times. Carrying the spare key not only helps in case of the other key getting locked but it also helps you to move on in case you lose the other key.

[swissknife]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I don't know how my Polo behaves if I press the lock button with the door open and then close it. I don't often use that button

On a Polo, you can get out of the car and hit the lock button on your remote. When a door or the hatch is shut, it would go into the locked position. After all the doors and hatch are shut, you would also see a visual indication through the flashers.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by dre@ms

Went to maruti showroom and he suggested to unlock the car using the spare key, through phone. We tried this but didnt work.

Wow. Never knew this was even possible!

Well, it wouldn't be with my car, as VW does not supply two remote units. I suppose I could get my wife to send a photo of the spare dumb key, and show it to the car

Seriously, though, I thought it mean of VW to cost-cut the second remote, then I rationalised and realised that my previous one had never been used. But then, I didn't know about this phone trick.

[hrman]

I think it is pretty difficult to get the keys stuck inside the Rapid.
1. The auto lock kicks in if the door is not opened within 30 seconds of pressing the unlock button on the remote.
2. The doors do not auto lock if the engine is running and the car is in stationary mode. It is activated based on speed.
3. You can only lock the car with the key fob button if you are outside the car or the central lock button on the door. This central lock button does not work if any door is open.

The only way you can get the keys locked in is if come out of the car with the key, lock the doors, use the button on the remote to unlock the boot, take your stuff out of the boot, and by mistake close the boot lid with the key inside. Then there is no escape.
I always check and see if the key is in my pocket before closing the boot. Additionally on long trips, make my wife carry the spare key in her handbag.

[gkveda]

Originally Posted by dre@ms

he suggested to unlock the car using the spare key, through phone. We tried this but didnt work.

This method is so popular that everyone "believes" it works. But, I have never heard anyone telling that this "worked" for him

Anyone on the forum who has tried this method and opened the car door through a really "remote" remote via two phones?(One phone from home and receiving phone at car site)

Really curious! ! At least, this has never worked for me when I tried testing several times with 3 types of remotes
1. Autocop remote
2. Nippon remote
3. Hyundai remote

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by swissknife

On a Polo, you can get out of the car and hit the lock button on your remote. When a door or the hatch is shut, it would go into the locked position. After all the doors and hatch are shut, you would also see a visual indication through the flashers.

Oh, sorry, I forgot that I had tried: the car does not allow me to lock it then get out and leave the key inside... because opening the door unlocks the system. The hold-door-handle over-ride I used to use a decade or two ago does not work on this car. I don't think it is possible to lock myself out.

(But, if it is, I'm sure I'll discover how at the worst possible time!)

Originally Posted by dre@ms

... suggested to unlock the car using the spare key, through phone.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Wow. Never knew this was even possible!

Originally Posted by gkveda

This method is so popular that everyone "believes" it works. But, I have never heard anyone telling that this "worked" for him

Thinking about it, don't see how it can work. Don't these things work by some sort of radio signal? That is not going to be transmitted over the phone.

It is not UV. I can unlock/lock from inside the house with the door shut.

It can't be audio. When I get that "did I lock the car?" feeling, if I can see the car, I'm close enough. Actually, the visual contact is to see the flashing-light confirmation. The thing might work from even further away, but I wouldn't then know it had.

[Durango Dude]

I've two cars with the start stop button (City and Grand i10) where it's not possible to lock the key in. My Elantra is old world car where that is possible. I did put the keys in the boot of the Elantra and shut it once after loading some plants from a nursery in ECR, luckily my wife was in the backseat and pulled down the split seat and took the key out with great difficulty as I had kept it close to the loading lip.

[ritedhawan]

I had this habit of unlocking the car with the remote key , and locking it by pressing the locking button on the driver seat door end. This persistent habit of mine got myself into trouble one fine day, few years ago.

The car in question Honda Accord 2007 AT model. I was on my way from Chandigarh to New Delhi, Pulled over at Karnal Haveli, pulled the key from ignition socket. The car key had a contraption that allowed me to latch the key to my jeans, in a hurry latched it on my jeans(didn't check whether it was securely latched to my jeans or not!) exited out of the car and at this point , always, my left hand pushed the lock button on the driver side door and followed up with my right hand closing the door. Only to realize at the next moment , that the car keys and my cell phone are still inside the car.

Oh, I was incensed with myself for being in that awkward position. Didn't have the cell phone to call my brother, therefore, called my brother from Haveli , Karnal.

Spent the next few hours walking over the Highway as penance for the stupid mistake I made , My brother arrived after few hours with the second set of keys.

[dre@ms]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Thinking about it, don't see how it can work. Don't these things work by some sort of radio signal? That is not going to be transmitted over the phone.

But the Maruti SA assured that they have tested this functionality and it was 99.5% successful. I tried the same day with my City, but no luck. May be it works for select model of cars and locking mechanism/operation?

Someone owning a latest model of swift can check and confirm.

[vkr15]

Originally Posted by dre@ms

But the Maruti SA assured that they have tested this functionality and it was 99.5% successful. I tried the same day with my City, but no luck. May be it works for select model of cars and locking mechanism/operation?

Someone owning a latest model of swift can check and confirm.

Have tried this with my Polo(P) HL which came with 2 remote keys: can't say whether it will work with Swift. Worked like a charm. It was tried in a high rise society building with someone in the apartment clicking the door open button on the key fob and me holding my cell phone close to the door handle. Whether it would work over larger distances I'm not too sure.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

I did put the keys in the boot of the Elantra and shut it

Ahh... Here's a method to lock myself out of the Polo. It has a boot-only-unlock button. Press button, open boot (doors remain locked)... Close boot, entire car is now locked again.

Must remember never to do this!

Originally Posted by vkr15

Have tried this with my Polo(P) HL which came with 2 remote keys: can't say whether it will work with Swift. Worked like a charm. It was tried in a high rise society building with someone in the apartment clicking the door open button on the key fob and me holding my cell phone close to the door handle. Whether it would work over larger distances I'm not too sure.

Nothing like direct experience to prove the point. Thanks!

[vkr15]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Ahh... Here's a method to lock myself out of the Polo. It has a boot-only-unlock button. Press button, open boot (doors remain locked)... Close boot, entire car is now locked again.

Must remember never to do this!

Nothing like direct experience to prove the point. Thanks!

Just to re confirm about using the cellphone to open a locked Polo. Tried the same with my Polo GT TSI, which comes with only one key fob and a ' plain jane key'. Similar experiment: and it worked a number of times: in fact the distance of my phone from the door handle was over a foot in one such trial.
I use Samsung S 6: not sure whether it will work with Apple.

[hrman]

Originally Posted by hrman

I think it is pretty difficult to get the keys stuck inside the Rapid.

The only way you can get the keys locked in is if come out of the car with the key, lock the doors, use the button on the remote to unlock the boot, take your stuff out of the boot, and by mistake close the boot lid with the key inside. Then there is no escape.
I always check and see if the key is in my pocket before closing the boot.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Ahh... Here's a method to lock myself out of the Polo. It has a boot-only-unlock button. Press button, open boot (doors remain locked)... Close boot, entire car is now locked again.

Must remember never to do this!
!

Haha Thad. I also posted the same thing about the Rapid. I guess its similar across VAG cars.