View Full Version : Auto-locking Focus
Strange one here, I opened up the car and turned it on, grabbed de-icer and scrapper and closed door.
Ignoring the whole enviromental issue with doing this for 2 minutes please :) I sprayed the car down, opened passenger door and chucked de-icer in, closed door.
The Car locked. With my Keys inside - car keys, house keys, everything.
Fortunately I was a) at home and b) quickly worked out that if I banged on the door someone could let me in and I'd grab the spare key. But what the heck happened? If I'd been at work the only solution that springs to mind is smashing the window in... Or going home, picking up spare key and coming back even assuming someone is at home - plus the car was running with a fairly full tank of petrol.
I'm going to have to use the spare key I think and keep the locking/unlocking fob and house keys on my trousers during the winter but thats a real pain.
Matblack
03-12-2008, 09:47
The MINI autolocks BUT only if you haven't opened the door for 90 seconds. I believe the idea is to make sure that if you acidentally unlock it with the keys in you pocket it knows its not needed and relocks. Once you have opened any of the door after the unlock it won't autolock so you can't lock your keys in it. Clever little MINI :)
MB
Hmmmm, on mine you can hear it lock as you move off. Never thought about it locking itself sat on the drive.... I don't think mine does. Although yours is newer than mine so it might be a feature.
The solution is to run outside, squirt the de-icer and then wander back in to finish your cuppa. Give it a few mins and then go out do a defrosted car :)
leowyatt
03-12-2008, 10:40
You could just be a man and scrape the ice off and then drive to work in the cold car ;D
Justsomebloke
03-12-2008, 11:00
That doesn't sound right to me & I would suspect a failing battery in your fob, Try it with your spare & see if it does the same thing.
Matts post is interesting though and You lot have to bare in mind that I am Old Gen when it comes to motoring so am not aware of these new fangled gadgets, damn cool though.
My Jeeps screen is around 6 feet from my front door on my drive, After making a tea I add a tad of cold water to the kettle then open the door & just sling it at my screen & quickly shut the door ;D
You could just be a man and scrape the ice off and then drive to work in the cold car ;D
With the windows open and no heating.
Justsomebloke
03-12-2008, 11:12
In nowt but your Boxers.
Del Lardo
03-12-2008, 11:24
My Mondeo did that last winter when it was cold and this winter the central locking refuses to work when it is really cold. Guess it is a Ford issue with the central locking but have yet to be bothered to find the cause.
Auto-locking sounds a bad idea to me. If you'd been in the middle of nowhere in freezing weather, rather than just at home...
Hmmm, thanks for all the replies.
My spare is just a stick it in one, rather than a separate fob though haven't changed the battery since I've had it (~2.5 years?) so maybe that is going. Though it still locks / unlocks fine it just did it when I was 4-5ft away and outside the car this time!
It's never done it before even when driving so that might be one of those strange options that I know a lot of foreign cars have, I'll have to dig around and see if I can find that setting.
Could be it's got screwed up with the cold as Del Lardo says. Or just another wonderful ford issue along with the speedo dropping to zero because they did't seal it off properly prior to about 2006.
One of the key things i like about my Ford is the heated front screen, I'm a wimp :D
MB: Mini FTW!
Metalface Mark
03-12-2008, 16:44
Strange one here, I opened up the car and turned it on, grabbed de-icer and scrapper and closed door.
Ignoring the whole enviromental issue with doing this for 2 minutes please :) I sprayed the car down, opened passenger door and chucked de-icer in, closed door.
The Car locked. With my Keys inside - car keys, house keys, everything.
Fortunately I was a) at home and b) quickly worked out that if I banged on the door someone could let me in and I'd grab the spare key. But what the heck happened? If I'd been at work the only solution that springs to mind is smashing the window in... Or going home, picking up spare key and coming back even assuming someone is at home - plus the car was running with a fairly full tank of petrol.
I'm going to have to use the spare key I think and keep the locking/unlocking fob and house keys on my trousers during the winter but thats a real pain.
My fiesta does that as well, if i open the car, but dont turn on the engine, it auto locks after a short period of time.
Its obviously a safety measure in case you accidently unlock your car with the fob.
You could just be a man and scrape the ice off and then drive to work in the cold car ;D
I will now be a sordid git with the obligatory reminder that NONE of you even KNOW what a cold car is!! ;D
When your antifreeze has frozen into a solid block in your engine, come talk to me, ok? :p
leowyatt
03-12-2008, 18:22
I will now be a sordid git with the obligatory reminder that NONE of you even KNOW what a cold car is!! ;D
When your antifreeze has frozen into a solid block in your engine, come talk to me, ok? :p
well it's cold for here :p you decided to live in an ice bowl so there :p ;D
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