Keyless cars are a wonderful thing, but only if you know the tricks of operating it. How nice it is to just get into the car, push a button, and it springs to life. Just walk up to the door and it automatically unlocks (of course if you are carrying a purse, you need to make sure the purse is near). A recent trick I learned is to slide your hand in the rear door handle and it will unlock all the doors at once.
Keyless car was the car for the road trip to Indiana. It worked like a charm. Doors locked and unlocked on cue. I was feeling smug that I knew the tricks to this car (and it only took three years).
The feeling of smugness evaporated when I was out and about on a multiple store shopping trip. I reached my first store, pressed the lock and as I moved away from the car, it beeped. It was the beep of unlocking. How odd I thought as I walked into the store. Returning to the car, I touch to unlock, Hmmm, I think the car door was already unlocked. Something is not right.
On to the next store, I go to lock, but as soon as I lock, it beeps the unlock sound. I hold my purse far away from the car and try touching the little button on the handle to lock it. It answers with a piercing whistle. Still puzzled, I go in do my shopping and return to a car I don’t think was locked.
Third store, still fighting with the car to lock it. This time I dig the fob out of my purse to lock the car. Same results, it won’t lock. I thought about calling my husband and ask why the car was acting this way, but I don’t. I will wait until I get home and demonstrate. Of course I know that it will probably work just fine in the garage.
I pull into the garage, put the car into park, but this time my eyes spot something in the well of the cup holder. What is this? It is a keyless fob to the car! No wonder the car would not lock! It recognized that there was a key inside the car. Mystery solved!
So let’s clarify this information – If a keyless car won’t lock, check for the key inside the car. It was my lucky day that a car thief was not out patrolling and looking for easy cars to steal that day.
elsie tries writing 
There’s always a little something to keep things interesting! ;0)
Best story we have is when hubby walked away from the car to get the mail with the key in his pocket! We’ve had his keyless car for several years, but I’m always nervous to drive it. I used to get out the manual or call one of the kids just to figure out how to start it.
I thought you were masterful at the keyless entry! 🙂 Those fobs do have a mind of their own. Glad the mystery was solved.
Wow…as handy as I think it might be to have a keyless car, I also think it would probably create more problems for my family than we can handle. I’m hearing my husband now…do you know where my phone is? my wallet? my key fob? It would just turn into another thing that gets misplaced I’m afraid! For 13 years I’ve said the same thing…always put them in the same spot and you will know where they are…I’m pretty sure keyless would not turn out well here, but I’m glad you figured it out! 🙂
Love my keyless entry and start, just have to remember to always have it in your pocket.
This is hilarious, Elsie! I have a RAV4 and it does the same thing. I guess we’re lucky though — we won’t ever lock our keys in the car! 🙂
Oh my! We have that same kind of car. I don’t drive it normally, so the one day I did…I forgot and left the key in the center compartment. I didn’t leave it at a shopping center, just overnight in my driveway! Amazingly, it was there in the morning. We are lucky.
Yup! happened to me 🙂
Don’t you just love technology! I swear that as gadgets are getting smarter I am getting dumber. Glad you figured out what the problem was.
Ha, always learning, right? I remember you helped me with a few things at All-Write, my first experience with a keyless entry. So glad you figured this out, though. You are lucky!
Wow…you were lucky, Elsie. I think I’ll stick to my old fashioned key for as long as I can!