Went for a coffee 6am this morning, let the car run in the parking lot for 3 minutes while buying coffee, just like every other day for the past two years. Came back out and the car was locked Three hours later my spare keys arrived.

Friggin electronics! Anyone else have these gremlins in their car?

 

could definitely be your drivers door lock which has the microswitch for the locks. i have seen cars open the windows and sunroof on their own due to a faulty switch. good luck!

 

I've always been real careful to avoid that kind of thing. I don't trust all this new age electronic stuff. Thanks to your post, I'll continue to be cautious

 

I guess your car decided it didn't want to be stolen.

 

A few weeks ago, my Mini locked itself right as I was reaching for the door handle. Luckily it wasn't running & the keys were not inside but STILL, it was creepy
& I could have sworn I heard a little voice saying GET OUT

 

How long ago had you unlocked the car when it locked itself? There's a programmable feature that will re-lock the doors after a period of time if you unlock the car but don't open any doors. I don't know if the feature is disabled or enabled by default from the factory, though.

 

Should it happen again-the person WITH your spare key in thier hand, CAN hold it next to a cell phone mouthpiece, AND if you hold you cell phone next to your drivers door, while they push the unlock button, IT WILL UNLOCK YOUR CAR!! This was demonstrated to me twice in at amviv vegas, with 2 different cars and keys!! this is of course assuming their are 2 cell pnoes available in your situation!

 

The above advice is very much not true, and an internet rumor.

 

Ditto - I'll believe it when there's at least five miles between the locked car and the remote that's being used to open it. (After all, if the unlocking signal is actually being transmitted through the phones, distance shouldn't be a factor at all.)

With the stories I've seen posted here and on the internet, the remote was still close enough to the car that the cellphone antennas could have been acting as passive radiators, extending the range of the remote signal further than it would normally work.

 

With the stories I've seen posted here and on the internet, the remote was still close enough to the car that the cellphone antennas could have been acting as passive radiators, extending the range of the remote signal further than it would normally work.

that is entirely possible, BUT on the roof of the palace station parking garage, 50 yards away from my car, wher emy remote WOULD NOT unlock it the cell phone deal worked. also worked on an 06S during the same test. why or why not? I dont know-seems we need to do a further test.

 

That option seemed like a bad idea to me so I had it set to NO when I picked up my Mini. At the time of my freaky self-locking incident, my keys were in the house on a flat table with nothing touching them. It was just a ghost in the machine kinda like when my headlights used to turn themselves on during for my 1st 6 months of ownership while the stalk was in the "off" position & no I don't have that follow me home option programmed either

 

Does it have to be two cell phones? How about a land line and a cell phone?

I have seen the gremlins UNLOCK my car while doing 70 mph. But only once.

 

Urban legend ... see http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/keyless.asp

in fact, if your on the roof, the range was probably extended.

 

Speaking from my 30+ year experience in the electronic industry, I believe that's *Friggin EUROPEAN electronics*. The Europeans have yet to figure out electronics and electrical systems, and it's not just in motor vehicles. The stuff is way too complex, and over-engineered to the point of unreliability.

This is not something new. I can show you designs for radios, electronic devices and automotive electrics dating back to the 30's where the European designs were inferior and astonishingly more complex that their American counterparts. The Japanese have electrical systems 'wired' so to speak.

 

In Texas, we get a ticket for leaving our cars running, unattended.

 

02-07-2007, 06:55 PM
norm03s
6th Gear Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Ellicott City, Maryland USA
Posts: 1,281
Gallery
This is weird
________________________________________
I unlocked my MCS got in and started it. I got out while it warmed up a bit and popped the bonnet to have a look because the check engine light came on this morning.
I closed the bonnet and went to get in and the door was locked. So now the MINI is sitting in the lot running with the freaking doors locked.
Has anyone ever had their MINI just lock it’s self?
I’m pretty sure I didn’t lock it getting out because the stupid electric door lock stopped working awhile ago. I have to unlock it with the key and you can’t just push the door lock button down anymore.
Is this just me?
Well at least I could get back in the office to whine on here while waiting for my spare key to be delivered.
21 degrees with steady 10-15 MPH wind sucks, did I mention I hate winter.

 

Just out of curiosity...

How much fuel does a MINI use in three hours, while at idle?

 

using the guage as a guide, 1/4 tank...or a hair more.

The coffee shop is two miles from my house. So in winter I leave the car running so it warms up a bit before I get onto the highway. I've been doing this for two years without incident.

The keys go with me hence forth. And yes, the windows have been doing funny things; roll all the way when I lock the car, roll half way down and any combination between:impatient . These were not part of my preferences.

 

i keep the mini plastic key in my wallet just for this reason, well i never leave my car running un attended etc, but if i lock my keys in the car i have the fore mentioned little plastic one to save me!

 

The above advice is very much not true, and an internet rumor.

IT would appear the locks worked at the palace station via cell phone due to increaed antenna magnification through the cell phones. today I was 2 miles away at the local gorcery store, tried it again with my wife at home using the spare key-WOULD NOT DO A THING!! the really interesting thing for me is, my remotes wont unlock the car from 10 feet away, some of the weakest remotes I have ever seen, but with the cell phone at the parking garage in vegas, it did it from 150 feet away. BUT, as stated above, does not work at all if the car is far away.

 

Not meaning to start anything but dude, Do not leave your car running with the keys in it.....It only takes a second for some scumbag to jump on the opportunity to steal a car...
They did this to my neighbor in front of his house, and I live in a pretty good area....He left his benz running while he ran into the house for like 2 minutes...The theives took his car for a joyride and stole his briefcase, ipod, and other stuff....Please do not do that again..

 

HOLLY CRAP BATMAN, YES!!! How funny is that? What a moron, what a maroon - as bug bunny would say. That is the funniest realization I've ever had. I'm actually cracking up while writing this

 

Touch the end of the key to your face and push the button. It works and will open your door a lot further than 10 ft away. It impresses your friends when they are with you and you do it.

 

the gremlins 'attacked' my MINI 5 or 6 times when i was driving it home for the 1st time on my pick up day. i swear i thought the queen of the gremlins liked my MINI so much she tried to scare the hella out o'me so i'l bring it back to the dealer to ask why my mini locks/unlocks itself. and just recently.. i left the car unlocked coz i just forgot something in the house and lo and behold.. tha car is locked when i came back. this only means 1 thing.... the gremlins track me down...eek:

 

Isn't the MINI is programmed to lock itself if left unlocked for too long?