Do I have any sympathy out there? My Smart Key has ruined me! OK, here's the scenario - I drive my wife's van (which I rarely do); I leave the key in it, I hop out, lock the door, and say "Oh no!" I've done this twice; and other times when my wife has had to say "You gonna take the key out of this thing?" Can anyone out there relate!?!:doh:
Yes, I can relate... I locked the key in a rental car once. It was at a gas station, stopped to fill up before returning the car and flying home. Doh! Nearly missed my flight. Luckily the car had one of those keypads on the door and the nice lady at Hertz gave me the number over the phone. Whew!
I haven't done that - but every time I am going to drive her van, and it's in the garage, (van unlocked) I forget to take my key out of my pocket, and realize what's going on when I don't find a button to push to make it go.
Hell, after driving a 4Runner since '93, I still find myself trying to put the clutch in!!!! Some habits are hard to break, yet others are hard to learn!!!
I've reached for a POWER button before in a Yaris rental car. Then later on when my smart arrived, reached for the ignition keyhole in the dash in the smart (it's on the floor a la Saab).
Wouldn't you realise the key is in the van when there was no button on the outside door handle to lock the door? I don't have SKS so I don't know. My other car has a remote to lock and unlock the door just like my Prius. My Crown is old enough to feel very different so no it don't happen there.
When I had a rental i kept grabbing the handle expecting it to open. Then I would open the door with the key get in and poke the dashboard where the power button should be.
Welcome to the SKS Anonymous meeting. I'm Jim & I've done that too. Manually locking the driver's door does help break the habit.
For me, it's the remote unlock in general, not just the SKS, that has me spoiled. We had remote unlock on the 2000 Taurus SW we traded in for the Prius, but I don't have it on my 2002 Saturn. I open the trunk with the key each morning to put my briefcase in, and expect the driver door to be open as well! (I do sometimes have a problem remembering i can leave my keys in my pocket when I drive the Prius. I feel a little silly with my keys in my hand...) At least my boys are in the habit of locking the passenger door when they get out of the Saturn. I really like remote locks...
I hate keys! My front door is on a 3 digit combination lock, soon to upgrade to biometric (fingerprint). Key for the old ford pickup is in the ignition and doors are unlocked, if some one wants it they can have it, I drive it a couple times a month at most. Also it has this bad habit of the ICE running when I don't need it, seems rather obsolete. When I first got my 2004 with SKS, I wanted to have the SKS downsized and surgically implanted, but my health insurance would not pay for it and the only person I found to do the surgery was a drunk veterinarian with bad eyesight. I will drive my 2004 until I can get one with a PLUG and a BIOMETRIC key!
i can relate, but in reverse!! my SO had a Corolla and in 3 years had locked herself out about 6-8 times. she had roadside assistance so they provided first $50 in locksmith services, so most of the time, they would do the slim jim thing and it wouldnt cost anything. i immediately realized (after she lost the THREE spare keys we had made especially for these situations that even that extreme measure would not work. so, i got a Zenn, gave up my beloved Pri and now she is the primary driver of it since its a car you cannot lock your keys in, no matter how hard she has tried and yes, she has made several dozen attempts to do so!!
I used to expect my house door to unlock when I touched the knob. Not as often now. I don't lock my keys in my other car because all my life I've cultivated the habit of always locking from the outside if I am outside. This guarantees I won't lock the key inside.
I hate you guys for having it joking of course. When I was buying, I considered it and back up camera unnecessary. I mean how hard is it to push a button, for crying outloud? I have regretted ever since, now I am stuck with my 2008 until....whenever....!
Now I'm glad I don't have SKS, simply because I can be VERY absent minded sometimes. Having a simple key in hole approach is better in my case.
In the future we will all have an embedded chip and it will unlock all our doors, pay for our purchases (assuming we have the money in our account) and let the government scan us and know everything about us all the time (as if they don't already - you Do know what those stripes in our money are for, DON'T you?). And, of course, with 4 32 bit computers, our Prius are recording all our conversations, all our trips, and send off a file every time we boot them. Soon we'll start getting speeding tickets in the mail issued by the car. That Smart Key in your pocket monitors your health status and runs a genetic scan monthly - if you are genetically pre-disposed to disease, it will contact your insurance to have it canceled. What?....Stop dragging me away from the keyboard!... SORRY, FORUM, MR. LEWIS HAD TO GO FOR HIS MEDICATION - BIG BROTHER, INC.
