Unlock your car with a string

[Metspitzer]

I did mention NASCAR :) Were you not paying attention?

[Art Todesco]

I have a friend that has an Altima with electronic key fob. If the key fob is left in the car, even in the trunk, you can't lock the car, nohow, not even with another key fob. I can see it now, a problem in the electronics module in the car, might not let you lock your car.

[Ron]

Yeah, and the infield part just makes matters worse....especially the infield at Dega.

[Ron]

In most cases the windshield is going to be more expensive than a door glass or quarter glass. A big back glass is usually the most expensive piece of glass to replace. Just depends on what kind of car it is and how old it is. The markup on windshields by most companies (especially Safelite that makes most of their own windshields) is around 200%!

[clare]

The key for my Dad's old '66 ChevyVan would open and start half a dozen company trucks (which could not open his) and quite a few other GM vehicles in the lot. Must have been equivalent to a "master key".

[Bob]

In the 70s and 80s GM cars used one key for the ignition and another for everything else. They claimed production efficiency by shipping the steering column assemblies complete with keys to the plant where the rest of the car was assembled.

Otherwise the rationale was that you left only the ignition/door key with a valet and your trunk and glove compartment were "safe."

[clare]

If I remember correctly could also be done by locking from inside and holding the handle up when closing??? At least one of my old cars worked that way. Used to keep a spare key on the air filter stud under the hood (inside the air filter) that would open the doors. Kept spare ignition key hidden inside.

[aemeijers]

Through sometime in the 70s at least, Ford went both ways- most cars had a square key for ignition, and round for the rest. But if car was ordered as a fleet special, the square key worked everything.

[clare]

Just about EVERY car today with a "chip key" can have a "non chipped" key made that will open the car but NOT allow you to drive it. Keep one of those "cheapies" in your wallet, or hidden elsewhere, in case you lock you "chip key" in the car. Doesn't help much if you LOOSE that "chip key" though, like dropping it down a storm drain, or off the dock - - - - .

[aemeijers]

Dirty little secret for many years- there simply were not that many different keys in use. There were 2 generations of pre-chip square-head Ford double-sided keys, short, then long. Within each generation, if you had a couple dozen keys, odds are one would be close enough to work. Had a couple instances of that with Fords I had, and friend's family's Ford products. Pre-chip, GM had 8 or 9 different groove patterns on their blanks, ID'd by a letter on the blank. Each year would start with the next letter. Dunno about Chrysler. AMC probably went with whoever's steering columns they used that year.

Most junkyards kept a bucket of pulled keys, so kids would not walk off with them. DAMHIKT. Not sure where my collection went.

[micky]

My Toyota was like that, but the beeping when I had the door open and the key in the ignition (and the radio on iirc) drove me crazy, and since I couldn't find the beeper, I disconnected the key switch.

Now I'm on my own.

I should do that. Do they still sell the "credit card" like things that fold out two keys?

[micky]

And the vent window is even smaller. Sometimes you can force them open.

[Steve B]

No Comnent.

[Larry W]

I don't believe a Camaro has had a true, operable vent window since 1967.

[The Daring Dufas]

I have a key loop on my belt with extra vehicle keys on it on different rings. when I'm working and get distracted to the point I lock my keys in the van, I reach for my belt and unlock the van without skipping a beat. I told my goofy roommate to put a house key on a string around his neck because he's always losing it. I very rarely lose a key. ^_^

TDD

[tnom]

Grasping for straws? Changing direction? Your post concerns whether a cell phone can be used to operate a remote unlock receiver on a car. I will stay on topic.

In the context of your original statement: " by going through a cell phone (that transmits sound waves, not RF)." The following is true:

The cell phone transmits by using RF, not sound. Otherwise we could make long distance calls by just carrying large audio amps around. In order for any distance to be achieved the sound has to piggyback a ride on a RF signal. Then the RF form is transmitted. Upon arrival the sound is extracted from the RF form.

Mythbusters failed when it came to debunking the cell phone trick. If they would of thought out of the box they would never have claimed that a cell phone could not unlock a car.

I'm not going to go into any great detail here but this trick can happen because of these factors.

A.The remote induces a RF signal into the cell phone circuitry bypassing the normal microphone element. (think out of the box)

B.The unwanted remote RF with modulation can mix with the normal signal in the phone. Thus being transmitted.

C.Even though the radio frequency from the phone is different than that from the remote the harmonics from the phone can have enough signal strength and intelligence to activate the receiver on the car.

Mythbusters is a great show but they only used one configuration of cell phones and one configuration of a remote. The ability of this trick depends on many variables to do with the phones and the remote. Mythbusters used no variables. They failed at myth busting.

[tnom]

You obviously can read but unfortunately you believe everything you read.

I got news for you. WikiHow, Wikipedia and Mythbusters are not always right. This is one such time.

[clare]

Nope. Won't/can't happen. An early garage door opener, mabee. But the remote door locks all work with a fixed carrier frequency with an "impressed" signal frequency.

[tnom]

Never say never. With the right combination of remote and cell phone unwanted induced currents with the coded information can mix within the cell phone and be transmitted. Harmonics can do the rest.

[Steve B]

Lock picks are as useless as a precision engraver to most people. Lock picks are definitely not as easy to master even the basics of as most people think. My first lock took me ten minutes, and it was a Kwikset, about the easiest to open there is. A lock that a locksmith could get into in thirty seconds might take an amateur an hour. And said amateur COULD foul up something, increasing the cost of repair. Get a magnetic Hide a Key, or wallet key. AND, in some states, merely being in possession of lock picks without having a state issued locksmith ID is grounds for possession of burglary tools, no matter what your explanation is. Steve