As well you should.

 

Why?

 

Even though I live in one of the top ten safest cities in the US, I would never leave my car running while parked. I would never leave my keys in my car whileit was parked either ?

Why ?

Because it is not exactly a sensible thing to do, anyone could come along, see the car is unlocked with the engine running and simply drive it away.

Mini go to great lengths to make the car tough to steal, the keys are chipped and the locks are hard to pick and someone simply leaves it parked up with the engine running

Regardless of how small a town you live in or (in my case) how safe a town is, there are always oportunists that will steal / borrow your car.

I guess that Texas recognise that this is dumb, yet people do it, and the cops get a little bored chasing down 'stolen cars' that the owners left running and decided that the owners need to be taught a lesson ?

Maybe the insurance companies lobbied the state because they where sick of paying out on 'stolen' cars that where left this way ?

Perhaps it is simply a stupid behavior tax, just like running red lights, not stopping at stop signs and parking in tow-away zones ?

 

The only gremlin I've had is that once in a while, maybe on average once a month, the car will lock itself right when I turn off the ignition. It's not a remote lock - I'm not trapped inside, I can pull the driver's door handle twice and open up - but it's also not the auto-locking 'feature' since it wasn't available on '02s.

And I don't know what ya'll're talking about and this '10 foot' range thing. My key worked and works from about 50-75 feet away.

 

Wait wait wait are you saying you HAD the plastic key and didn't realize it while waiting 3 hours????

mb

 

Sad to say mbcoops, but yes. The key has been in my wallet for two years and long ago, I forgot it was there. I used the same brain power to decide to leave my car running too - apparently...but the parking space is 10' from Starbucks front door.

But here's the good news, that door will no longer open - locked or unlocked:impatient So I get to climb across the seats now...good practice for when the roll cage is installed.

 

This is probably why. I can sit in my office on the secnnd floor and roll my windows down. If I go to the ground level right under my window it will not work.