Keys locked in my car...yet again

MeepZero

I keep doing it, 2nd time this week. There they are, dangling from the ignition...almost laughing at my sorrow.

Anyone have any tips on remembering to grab the damn things so I quit leaving them behind?

Death of Rats

Lock yourself out somewhere where you have to walk 2-3 miles to your house to get your spare key.

That's what helped me. But I don't think it works if you do it on purpose.

brandotheninjamaster

Lanyard and wear them around your neck. Worked for me.

bowen

My routine is, open the door, pull keys out, place in pocket, pat down myself to check for cell phone, wallet, and keys, lock the door, close the door.

Having remote lock/unlock has been a godsend for remembering my keys though.

joshofalltrades

Yeah, basically don't lock the doors from inside, ever. Make certain that the only time you ever lock your door is from the outside with the key. Get in the habit.

Six

Have a spare key made and keep it in your wallet.

darthmix

I just made myself a spare key that I keep in my wallet, behind my driver's license. I lock my keys in my car about twice a year, but I always have my wallet in my pocket.

Rend

joshofalltrades wrote: »

Yeah, basically don't lock the doors from inside, ever. Make certain that the only time you ever lock your door is from the outside with the key. Get in the habit.

Six wrote: »

Have a spare key made and keep it in your wallet.

If you do both of these, you will never have this problem, ever again.

Gabriel_Pitt

Get a spare key, put it in a magnetic holder, and keep it somewhere on the car. I stashed it hidden up in the underbody of the car so that I actually have to crawl under there to get it. Having to get on my back and crawl under my car in a dirty parking lot in business attire is something I never want to repeat again. Also, I've made sure that the procedure is 'turn off the ignition, stow keys in pocket.' is about as natural as breathing.

joshofalltrades

Gabriel_Pitt wrote: »

Get a spare key, put it in a magnetic holder, and keep it somewhere on the car. I stashed it hidden up in the underbody of the car so that I actually have to crawl under there to get it. Having to get on my back and crawl under my car in a dirty parking lot in business attire is something I never want to repeat again. Also, I've made sure that the procedure is 'turn off the ignition, stow keys in pocket.' is about as natural as breathing.

Ehhhhh, I've heard that this sort of thing is the first thing a car thief will look for. You're better off keeping the spare in your wallet, IMHO.

Taximes

It won't help your immediate situation, but when you next look for a car, look for one that won't let you lock the keys inside. :P

There's those new fancy-pants ones with keyless ignition, and I think those won't lock the doors if the key is detected inside the vehicle, but there's also the old-fashioned way that simply won't lock the driver's door if you're using the power locks on the inside (while the key is out of the ignition).

MagicToaster

Six wrote: »

Have a spare key made and keep it in your wallet.

Yes. I do this. It helps.

Rotting Meat

Taximes wrote: »

It won't help your immediate situation, but when you next look for a car, look for one that won't let you lock the keys inside. :P

There's those new fancy-pants ones with keyless ignition, and I think those won't lock the doors if the key is detected inside the vehicle

Really? This seems like it'd be a huge safety concern if you're trying to keep someone out of the car.

To the OP, I open my car door (to get out) while holding my keys in the same hand everytime. If it's too easy to open the door I realize there's a problem. And don't sit in the seat listening to music after you turn off the ignition. As soon as the car turns of, take out the keys.

Gabriel_Pitt

joshofalltrades wrote: »

Gabriel_Pitt wrote: »

Get a spare key, put it in a magnetic holder, and keep it somewhere on the car. I stashed it hidden up in the underbody of the car so that I actually have to crawl under there to get it. Having to get on my back and crawl under my car in a dirty parking lot in business attire is something I never want to repeat again. Also, I've made sure that the procedure is 'turn off the ignition, stow keys in pocket.' is about as natural as breathing.

Ehhhhh, I've heard that this sort of thing is the first thing a car thief will look for.

The first thing thieves look for is signs that the car owner is an idiot. If you just stick it under the bumper or something where someone can just kneel down and see it, you're a moron. My way is foolproof because a thief is never going to find it (and unlike a wallet, your car will always be there when you need to get it). Like I said, to get mine, you actually have to go under my car and stick your hand into a blind space. If someone wants to steal your car so badly, they're going to check for a key in obvious locations, and then just smash a window.

Unknown

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rfalias

After my first time locking my self out, I put a spare key in my wallet.
On the odd chance that I forget my wallet and leave my keys in my car, well... I deserve it.

Also, since then the wallet key has saved my ass on numerous occasions.
My wallet is ALWAYS with me. The key is in the little zipper part so it does not fall out.

saltiness

Some cars let you set the driver's door lock to only lock when the key is used on the outside, see if your car has this. Other than that, make a spare key and keep it in a safe place at your house.

matthias00

All I do to avoid locking my keys in the car (after having it happen quite a few times) is I just jangle my keys right before I lock the door. It reminds me to have my keys in my hand before locking and closing the door.

Jimmy King

You know what this thread makes me miss? My old Taurus SHO. That thing had a keypad right below the handle and you could punch in a combination to unlock the door. I don't know why they didn't do that with more cars or stopped doing it, unless someone found an easy way to crack them or something. That was some genius shit. You could always get back in the car.

Does your car have a remote for the locks? With my current car, I just got myself in the habit of only using the remote to lock the door. Since the remote is attached to the key, if I locked the door, I've got my key.

Sir Carcass

Jimmy King wrote: »

Does your car have a remote for the locks? With my current car, I just got myself in the habit of only using the remote to lock the door. Since the remote is attached to the key, if I locked the door, I've got my key.

That's what I do now, never had a problem.

I used to keep a spare in my wallet before I had a remote and it saved my ass so many times.

leaf

Make a spare and put it in your wallet. Won't help much if you're a girl and you leave your purse in the car, but this has saved me many a time.

MHYoshimitzu

I have a semi-funny story that happened to my friend that relates to the keyless ignition cars.

My friend Ben and his mom decided to take one car to their respective gyms (about 2 miles away from one another). He drove his mom to the one gym, dropped her off, and then drove to his gym.

He got out, locked the door, and--shit. He didn't have the key with him, his mom did. He had driven the car two miles without realizing he had no way to get back to pick her up.

So he called me up, and I drove over to him, we drove over to his mom's gym, waited for her to come out with the key, and then I drove him back to his car so he could finish working out and then drive back to pick her up. It was pretty ridiculous, and he felt so bad about it that he bought me dinner the next time we saw one another.

Everyone loses keys every once in a while. Don't sweat it, just get in a routine where you become so accustomed to taking your keys out and putting them in your pocket that you can't possibly forget.

Forkes

Get one of those key zip thingies that custodians are always wearing. Once you turn off the car and take the key out of the ignition, the thing zips right back to you belt! You may look like a moron with them jangling around, butI bet you get good at remembering them!

I have locked my keys in my car a few times, but I usually leave the window open a crack, so I can press the unlock button. I always lock the car now with the auto locker remote thing, so I can never lock them in there again!

Spherick

The way I remind myself to not lock my keys in the car is twofold:

1) I turn the car off with my right hand in the same motion as im stepping out and pushing the lock door button with my left.

2) It sucks locking your keys in the car

YodaTuna

rfalias wrote: »

After my first time locking my self out, I put a spare key in my wallet.
On the odd chance that I forget my wallet and leave my keys in my car, well... I deserve it.

I have done this.

Another good idea that I heard is to get a spare key. Drill a hole through it, unscrew your license plate and put that screw through the key and screw the plate into place. A little more hidden and not many people probably think of it.

NotASenator

Rotting Meat wrote: »

Taximes wrote: »

It won't help your immediate situation, but when you next look for a car, look for one that won't let you lock the keys inside. :P

There's those new fancy-pants ones with keyless ignition, and I think those won't lock the doors if the key is detected inside the vehicle

Really? This seems like it'd be a huge safety concern if you're trying to keep someone out of the car.

That isn't actually how they work. On my Altima (coupe, Dark Slate) it lets me lock the doors if I'm in them with the keys.

If you open the door, lock it and close it with the key still inside, it beeps loudly and unlocks the door. All that system prevents is you locking your keys in the car.

Tam

Six wrote: »

Have a spare key made and keep it in your wallet.

this

I used to lock myself out about twice every three months, and now it doesn't happen at all

MeepZero

Rotting Meat wrote: »

And don't sit in the seat listening to music after you turn off the ignition. As soon as the car turns of, take out the keys.

That one...right there...every goddamn time I do that I leave the keys behind, god I never even realized it. You win the thread good sir.

Also to everyone else who said wallet + spare key = win, I'm going to do that after I leave work today.

illig

i have my keys attached to my wallet with a quick disconnect keychain.... i've been doing this for years, to the point that having my wallet WITHOUT my keys attached in my pocket feels weird

i also only lock my car using the keyfob now... can't do that when i leave the keys inside

GoodOmens

This won't actually help you not lock the keys inside, but it will help you if you do, and it's just good advice...join AAA. Seriously, given the services they provide, it's a steal.

A few years back my wife managed to lock the keys in the car, with the engine running and the AC on full blast, on a 100 degree day. The day before we were going to drive from Illinois to Washington. AAA saved our bacon that day.

Khavall

I have more times left my lights on than left my keys in the car/bike.

You know why? Turning the car/bike off and removing the key is one fluid motion. I now remind myself to check, but make the turning off and the removal of the key one thing that flows together.

There's no quick way to do this, just when the car is off, the keys come out. Even if you're parking in a closed garage and don't need to always, take the keys out when you turn the car off. You'll never forget them again.

Also spare key with you.

eternalbl

Dude, keep a spare in your wallet.

Edit: no, I didn't read the thread before I posted this.

wallabeeX

Not that it'll help you, but Volkswagen's have been without the ability to lock the door from the inside while it's ajar since I can remember. My Audi's the same way. Back when I drove an Escort, I used to lock my keys in the car all the time - once even with the car running.

Triple A was my friend.