Car opened.

[Jethro_uk]

Occasionally, when carrying lots of bags/boxes, I can't lock the car when I park on the drive, and do it when I get inside (press the keyfob).

Presumably there must have been times when I have forgotten. However, back in March I went to go out, and found that someone had been into the car and stolen the sat nav. Only that. It left me wondering if there were gangs roaming the street looking for unlocked cars, or if someone had clocked that I hadn't locked the car. Since we live in a cul de sac it seems a bit far fetched.

Going OT, amazingly enough I had a call from the local nick last week - they had recovered the Sat Nav ! All the more amazing, since I hadn't bothered to report it !!!! Turns out they consulted the manufacturers database which did list it as stolen (to prevent the scrotes trying to remove the Garmin Lock). All they would tell me is they had arrested a local youth and a search of his premises revealed a crateful of SatNavs, the only one of which they could show was stolen was mine.

[Jules Richardson]

Same with one of the doors on my van. All the rest of the electrics are so complicated that I don't know why they can't detect that the user has requested for the doors to be locked, but the mechanism in one of the doors hasn't shown to have engaged. It's not like it would be difficult...

[Jules Richardson]

But the main benefit of remote entry is that you can unlock/lock from a significant distance, surely? If it needs to be right next to the vehicle, then may as well just use a physical key than the complexity of something that transmits wirelessly.

[Jules Richardson]

I've lost count of how many times something else in my pocket has managed to press the sodding panic button on the key fob for the van. I ended up taking it apart and covering the switch contacts with a bit of tape.

[Nightjar]

Remote opening of the back of my estate car is much more useful than having to put a key in a lock when coming back to it with my arms full.

Colin Bignell

[dennis]

All the cars I use check for that. They aren't exactly top of the range so its not an expensive feature.

[SteveW]

My remote fob stopped working a while ago and until I fixed it (new surface mount switches) I found being without it a right pain. Nip to the shops, reverse into the drive, get out, walk around the car, get the shopping, put it in the house (too many bags to lock manually), come back out, walk around the driver's side, lock the door, go back in the house - all the while getting soaked in a downpour (I never wear a coat when driving). Even worse if my wife has parked on the drive and I have to park on the road outside. Normally, I can get out, get the shopping, get in the house and lock the car from the doorway. Similarly, when it's raining, I can unlock the car from the door and then the family can rush out and get in, leaving me to bring up the rear and make sure the kids' doors are shut as I get in, instead of standing in the rain shouting for the missing one to come out!

SteveW

[The Other Mike]

Blame the cat

[Toby]

What annoyed you about it - did it unlock when you took the key out the ignition? on mine, even if you don't take the key out you just need to double pull the internal handle to open it, my mum had a 3 series BMW that was the same, makes you feel a little safer when driving through less than desirable places!

Mine can still attempt to lock if a door is not 100% shut, thus it makes a locking sounds, but then doesn't lock, and it saves looking at the indicators when walking away from it!

I wonder if you can retro-fit an RFID device that detects and RFID tag on your keyring...

[ARWadsworth]

I learnt the hard way that if you overfill the van and shut the rear doors so that it hits the stuff you have piled into the van and the door is not properly closed then it will lock but not unlock:-)

[Dave Liquorice]

You've not been to Japan then? B-)

[Dave Liquorice]

I don't like being locked into a steel box with toughned glass windows...

I got it turned off before I took delivery, 2nd hand car so noticed on the test drive. I don't think it unlocked on ignition key removal so you had to do the double pull malarky.

Not many (any) of them around here. B-) In any case there is a switch on the dash to lock / unlock the doors should one find ones self in such an area.

With my system if it doesn't beep and makes the right clunky noises it's locked, no need to look at the indicators. If it beeps you need to find the door that isn't shut properly but even then I don't think you can open that door assuming it was on the latch rather than actaully open.

[tony sayer]

Yes of course but your making an entry point for those who'd have your car away...

Bit of a trade of convenience -v- security..

[David]

What about an extra alarm, independent of the OE systems ?

David