Car totaled because of lost smart key?

Thats ridiculous.

There has to be a way to tow cars out of garages. What do they do when cars are abandoned in garages? The garage I park in at my office has a lower clearance than 7' and they tow cars out of it.

If they sent a tech out, why can't they send a tech out with the new key and the tool needed to program the key?

Something doesn't add up.

 

To bad she was to cheap/lazy/stupid to have two keys in the first place. I don't feel sorry for her. I'm willing to bet a tow company/ somebody could jack the front of the car up and put the front wheels on dollys and tow the car out for a few hundred bucks.

 

Things would be a bit easier if you could shift it into Neutral (like most other cars on the planet). Is it possible to break in, and at least release the parking brake if set?

 

In the video the tech was sitting in it...

Believe me...it can be towed out of that garage. What if someone parks their car in a garage...and then dies...or disappears and is never heard from again.

What are they going to do, just leave that Prius there forever? Come on.

 

What about those reports of people hacking their way into Prius? Or did that involve being close enough to the owner with their key, and reading some frequencies?

 

That's what I thought at first, but I think he's in another, red vehicle.

 

Whats the address, i can get two guys from Newark to get the car out.

 

Need to find a competent tow company, this is not that difficult. Just put a dolly under the front wheels in place, not that complicated.

this vid is a sure sign of the dumbing down of America. Incompetent tow company, incompetent owner, incompetent news reporting.

 

My thoughts exactly.

A nation that landed on the Moon can't get a Prius out of an underground parking lot? C'mon, let's get that car out there before this decade is out - not because it's easy, but because it's hard !

 

Anyone with a Security Professional TIS subscription can go program a key. And any tow company could put some wheel jacks on the front wheels, and slide it out. Just call a Repo company, they get cars out of much tougher situations every day!

For a nominal fee, (plus 1st class plane tix) I'll be happy to go program a key for her. =)

 

Towing it is not a problem but tow companies don't want to take the liability of the hybrid system if damaged caused by towing so a lot wont tow hybrids. She only has one key could mean that she bought the car used and the original owner lost or damaged the second key. They sent a tech out to program a new key but without success. BTW if you look at the video again, the angle was shot from red Toyota's trunk area into the Prius. This could mean that the tech arrived in the red Toyota. You can clearly see that he was sitting in that Prius. At least they got the door unlocked. Parking garage ramps are extremely steep especially in small parking garages. It would take at least 5 guys to push a 3000lb car up an regular overpass. That's an incline of about 30' over several hundred feet. Parking garage ramps are about 10 feet incline over what? about 50' give or take. It would take at least 15 to 20 guys push and pull the Prius up that ramp. A specially equipped El Camino tow truck could tow it out of there. I've seen several of those in my city back in the 90's They specialize in towing cars in low clearance parking garages. Having the right tow vehicle also require someone who knows how to tow a hybrid too. I agree that this video shows incompetent service and incompetent news reporting trying to scare Americans of new technologies but I disagree about the incompetent owner. She's not required to know how to tow a car or how to program a smart key. She's willing to pay for the service that no one can provide. If your car breaks down but don't now how to fix it and willing to pay to have it fixed does that make you an incompetent owner?

 

The whole object of towing is because something can't be done at it's present location, but can be done at the dealership?

 

A triumvirate of stupid. :madgrin:

 

I find the whole story hilarious

 

The huge problem with this video is that it is on a national (even international) website, reported as if it's a potentially huge issue missed by Toyota engineers in the creation of the car, and it's the sort of thing that people remember, no matter how false. Many people who watched this, none the wiser, will automatically rule out a car that can get them 50 mpg someday in the future when they go to purchase the car because of what they believe to be a flaw in hybrid cars. Juvenile reporting.

Oh, and funny, cause I just saw this on the local news last night:

Lost car key saga ends happily | Turn to 10

Which one will stick in people's minds more?

 

the lady wants it totaled and wants her money. whats not to understand?

 

Wonder if Toyota charged them for the two keys. I'll bet the wife has locked herself IN the car on more than one occasion.

 

I have seen cars "towed" by putting a dolly type device under each wheel--it's like the car is on roller skates. Just jack up each the car and put the dolly under each wheel that then it can be pulled out by most any type vehicle.

 

i have seen these in catalogs like hammecher shlemmer. a skateboard sort of device under each wheel and you can push it around your garage with one hand. of course, she'd rather have cash.