Door lock question...

[Robert Edmonds]

All right so I remember thinking about this little problem today so I decided to bring it up. When we all go running out of our car to take a quick look at the storms it is easy to loose track of what doors are locked and where the keys are. Thus if we get out of a car with the keys inside and the doors locked we could be in a bit of a pickle. I was wondering what safeguards people took? Or, if there is anything you could put onto a lock to assure that you will not get stuck outside of your car and possibly be required to take a rock to a window?

 

[Bill Hamilton]

I always carry a spare key for my car and my van in my pocket. I have only locked myself out once and it wasn't on a chase, it was in my driveway. Grabbed the spare from my pocket and unlocked the door. Problem solved.

 

[Doug Raflik]

I wear a spare key around my neck on a nylon type rope. Have locked myself out a couple times but always get right back in.

Doug Raflik

 

[Dan Robinson]

I am the authority on this issue! :lol: I used to do this on average of once a month.

On a chase trip in 2002, I did it twice in a time span of one hour in Elk City, Ok on the morning of a chase. Had to call AAA twice and have a locksmith come out. Twice. I unfortunately have about 10 witnesses and I think Bill even has all of this on tape (dreading the day that surfaces!). Insult to injury was that the same AAA operator answered the phone the second time and thought I was joking.

I have AAA, and you only have 4 roadside assistance calls per year on your membership. I usually used all four on locksmith calls every year. The rest of the times I just had to pay the locksmith $25 or have someone drive me home to get the extra key.

Anyway, my eventual solution was to just keep the extra key in my pocket at all times. This was cumbersome since the key was long and had the big black plastic knob on the end. I didn't want to hide a key on the outside of the truck, there really wasn't a good way to do that at least on my Ranger.

While I was on a chase trip I sometimes had someone else carry the key for me, but this wasn't a long-term solution and you had to remember to get it back.

Now, my new car is anti-idiot proof. If the engine is running and I lock the doors, it senses I'm about to close the driver's door and unlocks it as it closes. It also has a numeric keypad, and the code is on a card in my wallet and also on record with the dealer. These safeguards have prevented countless indicents.

 

[Jason Boggs]

I used to find a real good place underneath the vehicle and get a piece of wire and wire the key under the car for emergencies. I still keep an extra key but it is no longer underneath the vehicle. I found a better spot!

 

[B Ozanne]

I swallow a key just to be safe.

Actually, I just try to be careful. If the car has an unstable history of always locking the doors I'll just crack one of the windows. It wont save me, but it will make getting the doors unlocked quite a bit easier.

 

[Jay McCoy]

I keep an extra key in my wallet. Also if I am getting out of the vehicle I usually roll down the drivers side window. If I am getting out it is obviously not raining much.

 

[Jay Cazel]

I drive a Ford Explorer, it has that key pad on the drivers door so if I lock my keys inside I can tap a code and the doors will unlock. I think there might be an after market key pad that you can have installed so you don't have to worry about another key.

 

[Kurt Hulst]

Originally posted by Bill Hamilton
I always carry a spare key for my car and my van in my pocket. I have only locked myself out once and it wasn't on a chase, it was in my driveway. Grabbed the spare from my pocket and unlocked the door. Problem solved.

I do the same. You just gotta remembver to put it in the pocket all the time though.

 

[Tony Laubach]

I have an extra key in my wallet and one on the outside of the vehicle someplace (just in case I don't have my wallet on me - which is often seeing as 10 hours sitting in a car can make a wallet a real pain in the butt).

 

[fplowman]

Originally posted by Jay Cazel
I drive a Ford Explorer, it has that key pad on the drivers door so if I lock my keys inside I can tap a code and the doors will unlock. I think there might be an after market key pad that you can have installed so you don't have to worry about another key.

Key Pad on Lincoln. No worries

 

[John Erwin]

Ditto on the key around the neck. Haven't had to use it, but it sure leaves me with one less thing to worry about.

 

[John Gnuechtel]

On at least the driver's door, my Honda Element mechanically forces it to be unlocked whenever opened (you can't physically push the lock closed). So I have to lock it with the key or use the remote. Can't do either of those when the keys are in the ignition.

 

[B Ozanne]

Just keep the window open and do it Duke's of Hazard style:

Photo from wikipedia

 

[mrobinett]

Originally posted by John Gnuechtel
On at least the driver's door, my Honda Element mechanically forces it to be unlocked whenever opened (you can't physically push the lock closed). So I have to lock it with the key or use the remote. Can't do either of those when the keys are in the ignition.

My Astro is like that. You can lock it with the remote with the key in it if you really lose it and try hard enough!! :lol: