Ok, so this question is a bit obscure. But we were hiking deep in the woods of the Coast Range on Sunday, and as I spotted the van from some considerable distance, I found myself reaching in my pocket to get out the keys. And I mean considerable distance, as in about 50 yards (meters) or so, if not more.
And I’ve caught myself doing it much further away, on a trail we do regularly, from which we can see the parking area some 150-200 yards away, if not more. Sometimes I catch myself, and put it back in the pocket. Other times not.
I’m not sure I should be concerned about this as perhaps there are others who also over-anticipate the act of unlocking their cars. I wonder what a shrink would say about this compulsion?
Funny, but I was thinking about this just the other day. In my case, it varies, but it usually at least 100 m from the car. It seems to have something to do with how much I am looking forward to driving that day. Good mood means I take the key out earlier to get the fun started.
This is used in the Jack Nicholson film “About Schmidt”. In the opening scenes, his wife has become irritating and alien to him in many small ways, and one way is that she gets her keys out a long way before she gets to the car. Ever since watching the film I’m careful not to do that.
“About Schmidt” is the first thing I thought of when I saw the article title, too.
To go into a bit more detail on that memorable scene in the movie, Schmidt’s wife not only gets her keys out way before she gets remotely near the car, she holds the ignition key upright and out in front of her, sort of like King Arthur wielding a scimitar.
Another amusing, annoying thing she makes Schmidt do is be seated to urinate in the toilet.
I pull my car keys out when I’m leaving the office or a store, but the old-school New Yorker in me prevents me from pressing the unlock button until I’m very close. Needless to say, locking the car from some distance (and checking it twice) is very satisfying to that same sensibility.
My husband’s newer car has a keyless fob. It still seems awkward to me. I never seem to remember that I don’t have to take it out of my pocket to use the car.
The key fobs on my cars don’t work all that far away, certainly not 150-200 yards, so I wait until about 20 yards. I get them out, and push the button at about half that distance.
Don’t really have a distance, but I pretty much take out them out the instant I walk out the door of any place I’m at. Sometimes i’ll keep them near me the whole time and never put them away.
Somewhere between 0 and 15 meters, give or take a meter. I must add that I always lock the doors, even when checking the tire pressure at the gas station, let alone when filling it up.
Because of the van-conversion (fully blinded rear side windows) I can’t see what’s happening on the other side of my ol’ full body farm tractor. Shrink alert?
I get them out of my pocket when I leave the building at work. Never take them out of the car when I get home.
I’m going to assume your car is kept in a garage?
Usually when I walk outside. But I’ve become worse with my new truck’s “switchblade” style key which I often find myself fidgeting with as soon as I get up from my desk.
My wife’s van has keyless entry, but I still use the fob almost all the time so I can save the split second wait when I touch the door handle. Habit I guess.
Glad to know I’m not the only one with Switchblade Fidgeting Syndrome. Our new Sedona has a switchblade-style key, and I can’t stop fidgeting with that button thingy with it when it’s in my pocket or in my hand. Over and over and over again.
My Dad had that switchblade thingy on HIS Mustang and I was constantly fiddling with it the week I borrowed his car while my own Mustang’s transmission was being rebuilt before I bought my Civic.
This must be a common affliction!
I’ve had the experience of the switchblade key opening up to a 45 degree angle in my pocket and stabbing me just below the hip as I saw down. Now they go into the side pocket of the cargo shorts or cargo pants.
At those times I had a car without power locks, I would have my key out and ready all the way across the parking lot and I tend to park very far away. Now that I have a car with not only power locks, but key-less ignition, I walk up to the car then poke the unlock button once I get there
It depends. If I am carrying something usually not until I reach the car even if I have a hand free. When it’s just me usually as soon as I get up and start walking towards the car.
Complete polar opposites. Hmm….very strange now that I think about it.
Maybe I need to discuss this with someone?🤔
My last four or five cars have had proximity keys, so there hasn’t been a need to do that.
That said, when I did pull the keys out, some of them had a better range than others. My ’15 Golf SportWagen’s key was notoriously low-range. It also went through batteries every eight or nine months.
Of course, there are those that will argue that in certain situations, it’s unwise to unlock your car far away from it in case someone with ill intentions gets there before you do.
I don’t care what anyone says, proximity keys are awesome and I don’t want to go back.
Ditto to that!
Ditto that!
Ditto to that for me too!
(Although our ’14 Forester doesn’t have keyless, but it does have Remote start. I don’t drive it though!)
A few ranges on the cars pictured at “Curbside” below:
My Wife’s Lancer: 30 to 40 feet if I am lucky!
My Mustang is good for about half a football field (150 feet) with a direct line of sight.
My Civic is the range champ though. I swear I was able to lock and unlock the doors from a tenth of a mile away!
I was walking the dog one night and got line of sight on the Civic in the driveway while I was in the next block when I crested a hill and got line of sight. I was able to light the lights… one flash for lock, 2 for unlock. What I could not do at that range was remote start the engine. That didn’t happen for me until I was about a hundred feet away. This is probably a safety feature.
Ok, I misunderstood the question. I thought that this was a range study on various remotes. (I also find that battery freshness has an effect as well, BTW.)
As to when I take them out?
Civic and Lancer: Never… as I just need the fob on my person and both of the Japanese cars sense that I am there.
The Mustang has a fob, but is SO old school. There’s actually a KEY for the ignition like on Classic Cars! – All kidding aside, I take the key out about 10 to 15 feet away, unless I unlocked it prior to walking out the door, and then it’s just as I’m entering the vehicle.
What I miss? – Fords that have the combination lock on the door like my old T-Birds. Just lock the keys in the car (or keep them in your pocket) and use the buttons to open the door!
I liked the key pad a lot on my ’14 MKS. What’s more, by then, they had figured out how to conceal it in the B pillar via capacitative controls.
Yeah, I thought that Ford had eliminated that feature until I read your COAL on that car the other day Kyree! ;o)
Very stealthy, but I imagine that fingerprints were an issue.
The remote B-pillar keypad was truly one of Ford’s better ideas. I thought it strange when I read not long ago that Ford was considering getting rid of the quite useful feature. Frankly, it was one of the few reasons I’d ever consider buying a Ford product.
Interestingly, I think it was available as an aftermarket installation, as well. IIRC, all Fords are set-up to be able to use the keypad, so the physical dealer installation was a very simple slap-on with 3M tape.
Ford did discontinue Key-less entry in 1998 and heard about it loudly from customers and dealers so it returned in 1999 and they expanded its availability to lesser models.
The cars with Keyless entry have their own unique DDM or Driver’s Door Module, that is not the same as the cars that only have remote entry. However if the vehicle does have remote entry you can add the accessory keypad which is nothing more than another remote that is weather proof and requires a code to operate. I put one on my E-150 and I’m probably going to stick one on the wife’s C-Max as well as Keyless was never available on the C-Max.
Now you guys have me wondering if that feature is buried somewhere on my 2007 Mustang!
Eh, it’s probably too late now. 177,639 on the clock and 12 model years old…. I’ve lived without it this long.
It’s a well optioned car, and I always wondered why that wasn’t included. I just assumed that since it had a remote key fob for a key chain, that this feature had gone the way of the dodo, I mean T-Bird. 😉
No it is not buried on your 2007 Mustang. As I mentioned the car either has it or not, there is different hardware but so far Ford hasn’t offered it on the Mustang.
However if you want to add it it is only about $75 for the combination remote to stick on the door or anywhere else you want. Here is where I purchased the one I added to my E-150 https://www.ebay.com/itm/323515402459 and it had over 180k and was 10 model years old when I added it. I do use it frequently. I’m debating on adding it to my wife’s C-Max as I can and do use my phone to unlock it when I need to grab something and don’t have the key with me.
The true keyless entry is absolutely one of the standout features on Fords and Lincolns, enough so to maybe sway me to buy one for my next car. I like to go to the beach to swim or surf, and right now I face a serious quandary of where to put my electronic key for my VW when I go in the water. If i have it on me, the salt water will likely ruin it. If I leave it in my beach bag, someone could grab the bag when I’m in the water and my nearby car could easily get stolen. Likewise if I hide the key under the car. Ford’s pushbutton entry lets me lock the door and hide a key inside the car for much better protection.
I get irked when some other manufacturers call their remote entry “keyless”. If I need to carry around a key fob to unlock the door, it’s not keyless.
@la673, agreed those other systems are remote entry, not keyless entry.
Nissan had a dealer-installed key pad for the older Titan. Whereas Ford’s current system is hardwired into the car’s central locking system, Nissan’s was essentially just a key fob that sent an unlock signal with a passcode. As such, it was adhesive on the back and you could stick it anywhere, like on the wall of the bed or on the fuel filler door.
What’s more, Ford was smart enough not to use the capacitative buttons on the F-Series trucks, because owners might be wearing thick gloves while on the job. So the F-Series models have the traditional rubber buttons, albeit stylized ones that match the aesthetic of the vehicle.
15-20m at most, unless I’m in the house and think I’ve forgotten to lock it.
Word to the wise for those with fobs or proximity unlocking…
Use your physical key once in a while! I doubt a physical key was ever used on my Prius, and the lock does not at all work 11 years later. I was lucky that my battery died when I was inside the car, otherwise I would not have been able to get in.
Most vehicles today don’t even have exposed locks. You usually have to pry off a cover to get to it, which isn’t very practical.
It’s also impractical to be locked out of your car because your car or fob battery died. 🙂
FWIW, I long ago got into the habit of using the power lock button on the armrest pad as I exit the vehicle. Even then, as I’m walking away, I’ll double check that it’s been locked by then pressing the key fob lock button, too.
Also, one of my pet-peeves is the annoying horn alert that accompanies remote vehicle locking/unlocking. Disabling the audible alert (but retaining the flashing light alert) is always one of the first user settings I perform on a newly acquired vehicle.
My car (2007 Rabbit) honks the horn upon locking but not unlocking. It really should be the reverse. I often “lock” my already-locked car just to locate it in a crowded parking lot.
I’m sure my neighbors are tired of my coming home in the wee hours of the morning, parking in my driveway, and hearing my horn honk when I lock it. Their bedrooms are on the side of the house facing the driveway.
Every car I’ve owned with a remote has had the ability to silence to sound made when locking/unlocking, starting with our 1993 Toyota which had a dealer add-on remote setup. With our current “smart key” Toyota, one can also program which (if any) exterior or interior lights come on, time delay to lights turning off, etc). Frankly, though my truck lacks many expected features like power seats, the smart key and push button start are game changers. Hands full and can’t reach in your pocket? Keys in your purse or backpack? No problem. Bumpy 4wd trail? No rattling and scratching from your key ring dangling from the ignition switch. I love driving my wife’s Golf but often get in it, then sit there trying to figure out if I remember where the key is, let alone remove it from the pocket of my jeans when I’m all strapped in my seat.
Yeah with my latest acquistion the honk with remote lock was turned on when I got it. That was corrected within hours of getting home with it.
For us, we find the alert quite useful, especially on our A7. The reason for this is when unlocking the car (either through the keyfob, or touching the back of any door handle), the only sound is that of the doors unlocking, however, the mirrors do not fold out. (They do so as soon as you hit the start button, along with adjustment of the steering wheel and seat). When locking the car (through the fob, buttons on the doors or button on the power trunk), the mirrors fold in and it makes an audible tone, but it’s a rather nice and quiet tone. The reason it’s useful is that if we don’t start the car, we can’t tell if it’s locked based on the position of the mirrors.
On the other hand, my mom’s Mazda uses a system where one beep is locked, two is unlocked. It’s quite smart. And our 2007 Acura TL Type S, pushing the lock button once was a beep, twice was the horn. Our 1999 A6 Avant, however, pushing the lock button twice disabled the alarm and motion sensor, which I think was a pretty smart idea.
My 2008 (base model) TL doesn’t make any noise if you press the lock button once, but beeps if you press it twice. It will not beep if a door or the trunk is open – it’s handy if you want to check if you closed the trunk after unloading groceries at night, for instance.
Also, if you press “unlock” twice and hold the button the second time, all windows and the sunroof will open. You can close them by putting the key in the driver’s door lock, turning to lock once, and then turning to lock again and holding.
My apologies, we got rid of the car in 2017 and I messed that up! It was actually the exact same as your 2008 as far as key operation goes! (And we did use the “convenience” open and close more than once, although not too often.) It was a really good car, which we thoroughly enjoyed and took on quite a few road trips. We considered a TLX SH-AWD Elite (I think in the US it’s the Advance), but it just was lacking something, at least compared to that Type S and my father’s ’93 Legend Coupe LS.
No problem! My TL has been great to me as well. The only TLX I’ve driven was a base-model 2015, which is more of a TSX replacement than a TL replacement.
The problem with the ability to disable the remote horn alert is simple: people can’t be bothered to do it or, in a lot of cases, the owner’s manual isn’t included with the vehicle so they don’t know how and, frankly, are too lazy to even look for it if they could. Personally, I wish manufacturers would default to the lights-only alert and, if owners wanted to enable the horn alert, they have that option.
But, no, the default setting is always to have the damn audible alert, and the vast majority of people, even though it can easily be disabled, just leave it as is. It falls into the same category as the incredibly stupid use of the back-up lights as an alert on newer GM cars. It drives me insane to drive through a parking lot and be startled by what appears to be a GM vehicle preparing to back-up, when it’s just the damn remote alert.
Someone mentioned they like the audible alert to find their vehicle in a crowded parking lot. Well, there’s always the ‘panic’ button for that one.
Good point, I’ve never used it on our cars with the proximity keys and it is very rare to use the ones with remotes, which is now most of my commonly used fleet.
It wasn’t until the battery died on my remote(s) that I discovered the door locks were not cut to my key. True story, I had to prove to dealer (that I bought it new from) that it was my truck to get problem fixed. The keys still to this day only work on driver side key lock. 2008 Chevrolet Colorado. Still have it and I keep the remotes working at all times.
Oh and keys out… Unconsciously I pull the keys out when I’m still inside of the building I’m leaving then wonder why and put them back in my pocket until I walk up to my car…our Rav4 has proximity keys but hasn’t cured the issue, and my Mustang doesn’t have a remote (on the list of TTD) but, yep same time frame.
Pretty much whenever I leave whatever building I am in before heading for the car. There is nothing I hate more than fumbling for the keys when standing next to the car door.
I will confess to getting spoiled last summer when I had the temporary new Sedona with its proximity key.
I often do the same as Paul, and actually often end up mostly unconsciously getting out the keys to my car even when my wife is going to drive us in her car.
What makes it even sillier is that I don’t use a remote key fob for my car, I actually use the key (range: -1.5 inches).
I kind of attribute it to the same part of my head that makes my PIN pop in to my head by itself when I get within 100 ft of the ATM.
On my cars that have remote start, I do it as far away as possible to get the AC/heat going.
Since I’m annoying, I also never tire of showing anyone unfortunate enough to be with me how you can greatly extend the range of the fob by holding it up to your head.
You know that causes brain cancer, right? 🙂
About 15-20m I guess, although I do tend to occasionally check my pockets on a hike to make sure I still have them. Like it’s going to make a difference, but I’ll tell that one to the shrink as well.
When we were at Mosport last year someone didn’t check their keys enough!!
Someone was trying to get rid of an Echo. You may or may not have helped them.
Like some others above, my current car has proximity keys, so I literally never take my keys out of my pocket anymore.
Back when I did have to actually pull out my keys, I did find myself taking them out pretty far in advance. Typically I’d take them out just before I stepped of the sidewalk into the parking lot.
Probably a bit too soon, sometimes when the car is just coming in to view in the parking lot, to see if the fob has the broadcasting strength to reach the car from far away. However, when curiosity is satisfied, we’re talking the last 20 yards.
The find my car feature on mine works from quite a distance but it wont unlock until about 10m away, and sometimes it doesnt want to lock at all but thats the remote getting worn, Ive used the actual key once just to see if it works, it does.
Both car and truck have manual locks (and windows). Walking out to the garage or driveway from the house keys are in my hand, anywhere else they come out of pocket as I walk up to the vehicle.
Extreme temperatures dictate when and how far I am away from my vehicles because I have remote start. It gives my car and truck time to warm up on cold days or cool the cabin on hot days.
I have a neighbor who restores furniture and would occasionally grab me to move some heavy furniture as I was leaving for work in the morning. (Nothing like breaking a sweat when I had no intention of doing so.) When I started my car one day he literally came running to my car, became confused because I wasn’t inside, and walked away.
LOL. If I were you, I’d do that occasionally just to see how often you could get the guy to come running.
I have a prox key for my car, so never. I usually just wear it on a lanyard around my neck.
Now, since I have my mom’s spare key in my ring, and since both cars are keyless go Mazdas, I have to have hers out if I need to drive it for any reason. I’ve resorted to rubber fob covers in different colours.
My keys and fobs are on a lanyard, and I keep them in my coat pocket most of the time, and pants pocket if not in a coat. My venza is keyless, so I never even bother to take them out of my pocket to get in (I just touch the door handle to unlock) and start the car. (I do find that if I take my keys out, I’m very prone to leaving them in the car.)
For my ’01 Nissan which requires an ignition key, they’re in my hand when I leave the house because I had to lock the door. At work, I whip them out when I’m almost next to the door (my hand is in the coat pocket grasping the keys by then before I pull them out). The range on my venza’s fobs are erratic and unreliable despite changing the batteries, so I prefer the touch method by proximity. Keys go in the pocket before I get out because I’ve locked myself out of my car a couple of times thanks to careless attention. Fobs make this impossible, but I still pause before locking my truck.
The lanyard is convenient to find the keys and I’ve used one for decades, but I had a habit of whipping my keys around like a martial arts weapon so I’ve preferred to keep in my pocket at the ready. Losing the occasional key from busted carabiners after accidently hitting something shook me of this habit of pulling out too early before using.
My wife has her keys out at the ready as soon she is thinking about getting into her car. Doesn’t matter the distance.
On a hike I tuck the keys out of sight in the car and just take the fob, which goes in a pocket on my waist pack. I have one of those quick opening cable keyrings.
Excessive-distance-clicking only happens as I go away from the car to double-check that it’s locked before going out of sight and to check for battery power.
Even when I’m way out in the woods, which is most days, I never unlock until I’m at the car.
Since remote unlocking is the subject, it’s worth mentioning that the first vehicle to have it was the unlamented Renault Fuego (probably one of the few memorable things about that car). Imagine what a revelation it must have been back then.
From Wikipedia:
“The Fuego was the first car to have a remote keyless system with central locking that was available for the 1983 model year (from September 1982). The system was invented by Frenchman Paul Lipschutz (hence the name “PLIP” remote which is used in Europe), and later introduced on other Renault models. The Fuego was also the first car to have remote steering wheel-mounted controls for the audio system (European LHD GTX and Turbo from September 1983).”
Usually about fifty feet.
There are times I will prematurely pull my keys out of my pocket, and it’s a psychological / subliminal thing. Earlier today I was going to leave work early but had people in my office at the time I wanted to leave. I pulled out my keys and started making subtle noise with them. Everyone soon left yet I never had to directly tell anyone to leave.
Those keys work in more than one way.
Unfortunately with the two main cars having proximity keys I often find myself trying to open the door of the other vehicles w/o unlocking it first. I’d say it took about a month or so to change my habit of pulling out the key, to not pulling out a key. However I occasionally go a week or two w/o driving one of those vehicles and the next time I do go to use them I’m reaching for the remote.
Before proximity keys my norm was to pull them out before heading out the door when at home. When I’m someplace else it kind of depends, when walking out of work I’ll grab them once I’m out the door, and I’ve double checked that the door is latched at locked. Other places I’d say I tend to pull them out once the vehicle is visible so that could be as little as a few feet of many yards depending on the situation.
I read that BMW is working on technology which will allow an owner’s smartphone to work as a key fob, unlocking/locking and start the vehicle.
With that said, I’m puzzled why, with today’s level of technology, a device of any sort is required to lock/unlock and operate a vehicle’s ignition. Some high-end Class A RVs have voice recognition ability to unlock and open the doors. At the very least, you would think high-end cars would have something similar, if not voice recognition, then a fingerprint sensor or even a retinal scanner, or even all three.
Sorry, no voice recognition access to my car. Too easy to record someone’s voice and edit it into the passphrase, like Robert Redford did back in 1992’s “Sneakers”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zVgWpVXb64
And retinal scan instead of car keys? Can’t see it.
OnStar will let me do anything except actually let the car drive away; Lock, unlock, start, engine kill are all available on the phone.
I wonder if that’s a liability thing.
For 2020 at least some Lincolns will have phone as a key, if you forget your phone or its battery dies you can use the keypad to get in the car and apparently you’ll be able to enter that code in the Infotainment system to start and operate the vehicle without your phone or key fob.
I am little surprised, yet not surprised that no one has fingerprint access yet. I’ve got it on my phone and it is pretty reliable, as long as my finger and the screen are dry. That I suspect is the problem, the outside particularly where there is snow and ice likely presents a problem in proper recognition, not to mention long term durability. Inside to start the car, if you can get in with a key pad I can see it but I suspect no one wants to do inside the car w/o also having it outside.
I can say as an iPhone delevoper we don’t actually have any access to the Touch ID system- we can ask for it and all we get is a true/false it it worked or not. If you trust apple’s security implementation you can trust any app using it.
Any voice can be recorded and edited, even the old-school way like Robert Redford did in the 1992 movie “Sneakers”.
I remember as a kid at Catholic mass seeing some folks jingling their keys on the way back from Communion – then right out the door to beat the “traffic.” No remotes back then.
Rudiger;
My son’s Ford Fusion had that ability. He could lock/unlock the doors and start the car with a phone app.
That was one of his great party tricks when he got it was to give someone the keys to open it up and then do it with the app just before they got to the car.
Yup the Ford Energi cars and Focus Electric have that ability. When plugged in you can also have the car precondition the interior on shore power through the ap, or web page.
My F-150 has that, FordPass Sync Connect. You still need the key to drive away. Last year it came with 5 years for free, now it is 1 or 2 years, then it will cost about $60/year. Sure is handy. Also shows range, location, and service intervals. Not sure I’ll pay for it once the free period is up.
That’s the nice thing about the Energi’s MyFord ap it is free for ever since it is part of informing you when it is done charging.
Jason Shafer has a point, I usually get mine out 5-10 feet from the car…unless I’m leaving work in which case it’s before I’m out of the building. No remote (I had one for a couple days when I had a rental recently. I don’t see the convenience).
When I’m 10 feet from the car, or closer. Same distance as when I had all those cars, over 43 years, that didn’t have keyless entry.
My last three cars have had Comfort Access (proximity keyless entry), so I don’t need to take my keys out at all. Simply pull the door handle with my key in pocket and it unlocks. One of the under-appreciated automotive technologies I feel.
My truck, being a base model Tradesman, has a remote unlock feature, but not proximity, and no push to start. If I’m carrying a handful of stuff, I’ll usually have the key out in my hand and unlock as I approach within 20′ or so. Otherwise, I’ll reach for the key in my pocket at about the same distance.
I live in a rather rural area. I currently DD twin Chevy Cobalts, alternating them every so often. Both are 200K beater sedans. One is a manual. I rarely take the key out of the ignition on either. At my day job, my car is at my shop a 100 ft. away. My second job is restaurant delivery, I’m in the car 90% of my shift. At home they are parked at the end of a long driveway right outside the bedroom window. Should I go on a MTB ride, kayak trip, hike, etc. the key is placed in the end of the Yakima roof rack crossbar. Nothing of value is in either car. Lastly, in my small town my neighbors know who drives what and look out for each other. Case in point, recently I had a friend from the next town over come get the manual Cobalt to repair the clutch as I was short on time. After his GF dropped him off at my house and he started to drive towards his home, I received several “Someone is driving your car who isn’t you” type calls and texts. When he stopped for gas at the corner store my immediate neighbor owns, my neighbor and his brother weren’t going to let him leave until I verified he had permission to have my car….
This isn’t meant to be a humblebrag or me trying to come off as that guy, I used to live in a major city in PA where car theft was rampant. When my folks come to the farm they chastise me every time we go out for not taking the key. And the law will not be on my side should my car get stolen, if the key is in the vehicle there is no case in VA. That being said for 15+ years, I’ve never lost a car key or been locked out….
In my case, it’s what distance I take out my flat blade screwdriver. Depends on the neighborhood.
A shrink would likely tell you you are suffering from Premature Anticipation, or at minimum, that you’re pulling it out far too early. (Your keyring, natch).
Mind, it was said to me by a shrink too – about my keyring – as I got to trying it out as far away as possible. (At least, I think we were talking about keys. Well, I was).
Not anymore, sadly. The remote has gone to god (or possibly to hell considering the $ they want to revive it), and so I tend to pull it out at the last minute before sticking it in.
Again, I’m talking about my key.
I get the keys ready when I get about one car away from the car. Enough time.
The Taurus key fob has the original battery from ’05 and still works now.
We use it every day.
When I first got the car when new the kids and I were sledding at the Indiana Dunes.
We were on top of the highest dune, an awesome sled path, and maybe three blocks from the car. I could make the lights blink from all that distance because of the height we were at, like a transmitter tower. No exaggeration.
Then I accidentally opened the trunk and had to walk all the way back to close it.
…duh…
For me, how far I am from the car when I unlock it depends on how it’s opened. With traditional keys on older cars, I usually didn’t pull out the keys until I was closeby, unless I was carrying something and didn’t want to have to fetch the keys from my pocket when my hands were full. But with the remote opener I have now, I usually grab the key and open it from afar because it helps me locate the vehicle in a crowded car park by flashing its lights. If I had a car with a smart key, or a Ford or Lincoln with the keyless pushbutton entry, I wouldn’t bother with the keys at all.
Please tune in again for “First World Theater”; tomorrow’s installment attempts to answer that age old question, can I train my vehicle to come and get me at the door so I don’t have to venture into the parking lot at all?
That’s actually coming, a lot sooner than you might think. If I’m not mistaken, Tesla has it in the works for the very near future.
Seems silly, until you get caught inside a business during a downpour. Then that feature of having your vehicle drive up to the business entrance by itself would come in mighty handy.
Tesla has had this for awhile, though there are legal restrictions as to where it can be used
http://www.teslarati.com/tesla-full-self-driving-advanced-summon-preview/
Here it is:
Since my current car has push button starting I never actually take out my keys, I just reach into my pocket and unlock with the remote by feel when I’m about 15′ away.
When I was in my Saab 9-5 wagon faze, that car had a range of about 4′. If you clicked it more than 5′ away, it would never unlock. I was told it was intentional to better guarantee that unwanted intruders would have less time to sneak into your Saab.
Probably everyone knows this but if you hold your clicker to your chin, it extends the range of “click-ability”. Who knows why but it sure works.