Nightmare keys scenario.

[ambermarine]

Decided to spend a few days in North Devon drove down Sunday six hours great trip ,

Parked the car in the hotel garage and went out with my daughter in her car (she lives in Braunton),on Monday did the same thing and on my return to the hotel garage unlocked the  boot placing some purchases in there and not needing to enter the car shut the boot.

Hey presto keys locked in the boot and the car not unlocked as fifteen seconds had elapsed since unlocking the car with the remote the car auto relocks.

I have the green flag cover so rang them they sent me a tow truck from a local garage who informed me he had told green flag he would struggle to get in a Lexus ,alarm bells started in my head and I had visions of hire cars and a 600 mile round trip to get the spare key from home,I had earlier rung Lexus Exeter who did not have any source of help and recommended a locksmith.

I asked the tow truck mech how confident he was he would'nt damage the door of the car forcing it apart to get a trip wire in ,he offered to leave there and then if I was going to worry too much so I was virtually in his hands .

He pulled two inflatable envelopes and a plastic wedge out of a grubby satchel and after creating a gap at the top of the door with the wedge he then inserted the rubber envelope into the gap he pumped it up with a hand bulb similar to the one used on a blood pressure test bandage.

This by degrees and alternative use of the two envelopes and the wedge on the top and side of the window profiles created a gap wide enough to get the wire into the car.

He taped up all the edges the wire would contact and within a couple of minutes snagged the handle yanked it and the door flew open,the door was not marked or damaged and the profiles and gaps were fine .

He was very professional from start to finish and I promised to write a good report on his garage website but he did not leave any  note or card so I cannot name the garage but it did have the word horse in it and was in North Devon around the Barnstaple area

[runsgrateasanut]

Nightmare indeed Phil.  Glad you were helped and sorted the problem. 

I always carry my second key on my House keys.  The drivers door sometimes locks itself way before twenty seconds when I just get out to put the chain across the driveway.  Alarmed me until I discovered that the passenger and back doors don't lock. Strange, and I've never fathomed it but like the security in case I lock the keys in the boot - so easily done.

 

[ambermarine]

Yes Stuart it is so easy to do and I have nearly done it before this occasion ,I have now found a solution that leaves a key  in the car I can get to anytime.

I mentioned on another subject there is a rubber bung in the chassis that gives access to the inner cavity I have placed a small magnet on the valet key  that stops the key disappearing into the chassis ,when dropped just aside of the bung.

It will be in there for ever so as it is not used  for the purpose provided for it will be a useful safeguard against this happening again.

[malcolmw]

Many years ago I was in Yorkshire on business. I had my raincoat on and was hot so I went out to my car (Mercedes SL500 at the time) opened the boot, threw the coat in and slammed it shut. My key was in my raincoat pocket!

Lots of calls to the local Mercedes dealer and their Assist service revealed that there was no way to either open the boot remotely or to get a spare key so they loaned me a car to drive home to the south coast to get the spare key. A lot of driving but I never did anything like that again.