I didn’t realize that we may have a hot topic on our hands, in less than 12 hours, already two comments, and since I normally don’t get any, this must be important. First from a parking lot operator at a Cruise Line:
One of these new fangled cars was left running at my cruise ship lot for a week. It was near the 24/7 cashier’s booth, so we didn’t worry about it being stolen. With a full tank the car idled four days. The owners came back after their cruise and thought somebody siphoned out all their gasoline. We told them that they left the car locked and running. Yep, key fob ignition.
I have a remote start on my Chevy truck. I love it, but it stops running after 5 minutes unless I put the key in the ignition.
And a comment from a Valet parking Operation:
Two comments on this story. First from a parking point of view, this is a terrible system for valet parking. I cannot tell you how many times valet customers have forgotten to provide the attendant with the fob. The customer leaves and we have no way to start the car again. We train our attendants, but….
From a personal stand point, it is very convenient. When approaching the car with your hands full, you do not have to dig for the keys. My wife loves it, she keeps the fob in her purse and does not have to get the key out each time.
As I understand it, then, if you have one of these critters, as you approach your car, it automatically unlocks. Is this a good thing? I don’t know a lot about it, but if it unlocks without you having to do anything (like press a button on the fob) what if you just walked by the car, it unlocked, but you didn’t know it. You then went on your way. Wouldn’t that leave your car unlocked?
I have keyless entry but I have to push something on my key to lock, unlock, and open the trunk. Perhaps it would be good if someone who actually had one of these “splained” it all to us.
JVH
3 Responses
I can speak on the Prius since my wife owns one. She keeps the fob in her purse. When she approaches the car the interior lights will come on. It only unlocks when she puts her hand on the handle. It only unlocks the driver door. If she puts her hand on the passenger door it will unlock all doors.
My Chevy requires you press the “lock” button, and then hold the start button for 2-3 seconds before the car will start. It shuts off automatically in 10 minutes, unless you put the key in the ignition and turn it to “start.” I don’t use it much, but haven’t had a problem with it either.
My wife drives a Nissan that has this feature. The car does not automatically unlock when you approach the vehicle. There’s a small button on the driver and passenger side door handle – if the key fob is in your possesion and you hit the button on the handle, it will unlock that door. Press the button twice, and all the doors unlock. The trunk has a similar button hidden above the license plate. Wife absolutely loves it, being there’s no fumbling through her purse to find the key. We’ve never “forgot” to shut it off, but it does continue to run (and drive) without the key fob in the vehicle – we found this out when I would drop her off at a store (keyfob in her possession) and proceed to find a parking spot.