OMG Did my car doors really lock?

Today I was walking into the store from where I had parked my truck. As I passed one car, the horn honked........WHAT? Did I walk in front of someone? Then I see the owner who obviously had hit his remote, probably a couple of times. I continue to shop and go to another store. As I'm headed down the aisle of cars to park my truck, another horn honks. What did I cut someone off? No, another owner locking his car door.
Fucking amazes me. They get out of the car, walk ten feet and hit the remote. The lights flash to confirm the remote command. Of course they didn't see it, they walked away. So they hit the remote again and the horn honks, ahh now they KNOW the doors are locked.

I usually push down on that little knob thingie sticking up out of the door panel, close the door and walk away. Been doing that for 40 fucking years. So far I have NEVER come back to my car to find the doors have unlocked themselves. Car manufacturers are amazing, they can make a simple thing like that little knob thingie lock the doors and they can make the remote lock the doors. Wonder why they made the horn honk on the second attempt? Maybe to let you know your fucking doors are already LOCKED asshole. Now quit scaring the hell out of someone walking by your car as you attempt to remember if you locked the damned doors. Push down the little knob, shut the fucking door and go to wherever you're going. Your doors will be locked when you come back.

Remote control for everything is all most folks understand. I sometimes sit in the vehicle and wait till they do that and and if it sounds like my horn I give them a few extra beeps. That sure gets their attention. Often wanted to have a super loud horn to just scare the pants off them when they do that.

I bought a Camero right after Hurricane Andrew to drive while my car was in the shop for repairs (second car completely distroyed). I filled up one day in a gas station and went in to pay, leaving my keys in the car. Well I came out to find my car locked by someone else's remote systems. Needless to say once I got in the car the security system was permently disabled. Hate the car alarm systems with remote control.

Now wait till you rent a car, all keys for the car on a single ring with remote that locks after so many seconds. Shame on you if you lose the keys too.

OhioTC18 said:

They get out of the car, walk ten feet and hit the remote. The lights flash to confirm the remote command. Of course they didn't see it, they walked away. So they hit the remote again and the horn honks, ahh now they KNOW the doors are locked.

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That has to be one of the most annoying things people do when they exit a vehicle and walk away.
WE GET IT, you/most of us have a special gadget to lock your car on your key ring.
Hurray!
After I park, I reach over and put my finger on the L on the passenger side to lock all doors, then get out of the car.
Is it really that difficult to do so?
No.

I use the remote key lock thingy all the time but I only push it once right after I get out of my vehicle. I wait to hear if it locks, then I try my driver side door, If it's locked, so are the other 3.

On a funny note though, sometimes I'll be at the office sitting alone bored in the lunchroom. I'll have my remote in my hand waiting for people to walk by. As soon as I see someone slow down or stop infront of my truck, I'll press the button twice then watch them jump when nobody's around....hehehehe. Works great to keep the drunken natives away from my truck. The kind of people that hang around looking for unatended vehicles they can go into and steal enough loose change so they can buy hair spray and snort it or rubbing alcohol/mouthwash etc and drink it. The kind that crap their pants and don't shower for a week...

Pushing the lock button on some cars will not set the alarm, just lock the doors. Check your owner's manual for how yours operates, especially if your want to insure your alarm is set.

FWIW, I carry a door key to my truck in my wallet for the occasional times I lock the keys inside...it happens! DW is so perfect that she NEVER locks her keys in the car. I wonder why all the calls to AAA are on the phone bill?

I like how our Suburban has it so that if you push the lock button on the door with the door open, it will wait 30 seconds after all of the doors and hatch is closed and then lock the doors. It will then give a quick toot of the horn by itself. Makes it nice when it is raining or something and we are trying to get Addyson out of her car seat in the 2nd row and then get something out of the hatch as well. You can have your keys already put away and not have to worry about trying to hold onto them and put them away while carrying a kid and something else.

On a side note to what GroomerGuy was talking about. I had a remote start installed on my '97 Silverado. Keyless entry was kind of rare then and remote start was almost unheard of. We were sitting in Mickey D's one day. Saw a guy outside with his kid and he started hitting him. Not spanking, but just hitting him. I hit the buttons on the remote. The truck tooted its horn a couple of times and turned the lights on and then started. The look on that guy's face was priceless. He sat back down and didn't move. What a live that poor kid must live if he was treated like that in public.

My Sonata has no key just the fob you carry in your pocket. When I get out of the car all I need to do is push the button on the door handle to lock. No annoying horn. I have heard some vehicles that have a chirping noise that seems to be a much better way than a blaring horn.

My cars just give a flash of the parking lights. No sound.

You can set up most cars to lock or alarm set on the first or second press, or to have sound or not on the alarm set.

Most people choose to not read the instruction manual that comes with the car and they have no idea how to operate it other than park, reverse and drive.

Guilty. I always forget whether or not I've locked my doors. My car honks and the lights flash. I'd be fine if just the lights flashed but AFAIK I can't turn off the horn honk thing.

Sorry TC but I'm going to keep annoying you! The only saving grace is that I usually park in the far out parts of the lot so no one door dings me.

PBinWA said:

Guilty. I always forget whether or not I've locked my doors. My car honks and the lights flash. I'd be fine if just the lights flashed but AFAIK I can't turn off the horn honk thing.

Sorry TC but I'm going to keep annoying you! The only saving grace is that I usually park in the far out parts of the lot so no one door dings me.

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Ok, so I'm not the only one. By the time I've walked halfway toward the store from my car, I've already forgotten whether I locked my doors, so I give my little beeper thingy two clicks and listen for my car horn.

I like having my german shepherd in the car. No real need to lock the car.She was along for a drive the other day along with the 2 little dogs. Two women walked over to see the little ones and the shepherd barked her deep loud bark. I bet they both pissed their pants the way they jumped back from the car. On my suburban the first thing I did was turn off the damn horn. It still beeps if the alarm goes off. I have it set to light the side entrance lights on the mirror and the back up lights.

Even with dogs in the car over here, one would still have to lock the doors. Dog theft is rampant, and a rising crime in the UK. I kid you not; one couple were held at gunpoint in a park, and ordered to hand over their dog. Ok, this happened a couple of years ago, but its scary.

As for the horn, well, one of my cars is a Peugeot 107. A small car, 2 door hatchback. Nice little car for town and village journeys, and hugely economical. But I'd never buy another. Apart from a few niggly irritations with it, its the most embarrassing car I've ever driven, because the horn is situated in the centre of the steering wheel. It takes up a good part of the centre of the SW, and its a freakin' hair trigger mechanism.

I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to curl up and hide away, or left the demmed car flame faced with embarrassment when I've accidently touched or nudged it. Don't ever reach for the parking ticket on the dashboard in one of these cars.

Lucky you to have a horn that blows so easily, one of my cars is a Volvo V40 and when I try to blow the horn I have to hit it really hard and sometimes, if I am lucky it actually sounds. I do hope I never have to blow it in an emergency. By the way the horn is situated on the steering wheel also.

Ice Queen said:

Lucky you to have a horn that blows so easily, one of my cars is a Volvo V40 and when I try to blow the horn I have to hit it really hard and sometimes, if I am lucky it actually sounds. I do hope I never have to blow it in an emergency. By the way the horn is situated on the steering wheel also.

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Well, it’s debatable as to whether I am lucky. I don’t consider myself so, and perhaps the Volvo horn doesn’t have a hair trigger. But, actually, although I do recognize that a car must have a horn, I cannot conceive why it would be necessary.

I’ve never really felt any occasion to use a horn in a vehicle. I really don’t see the need for one. What would it do? To honk at someone who has cut one up is self gratification. It draws just as much unwanted attention to the offended driver as it does to the recalcitrant driver. What’s the point?

And, as for a warning to pedestrians, well, if one is driving correctly then a pedestrian would be in no danger, nor need alerting. I don’t think I’ve ever used a car horn intentionally, and I actually dumped a boyfriend because he had a habit of leaning over me to punch the horn whilst I was driving, which really peed me off.

No, I don’t feel lucky that the slightest touch sets off the horn. Its an irritation, in my view.

I've used my horn for sure. Usually it is for cars who do not know you are there. One time a car was backing out of a place and did not see my car. would have backed into me if I had not honked the horn and I could not move out of the way due to a car in front of and behind me. Or I've had to honk when a car is changing lanes and does not realize a car is next to them. I do feel horns can help avoid collisions, plus they can let someone know you are there to pick them up. Very handy.

I normally don't use the 2nd push for the toot. Not sure about my truck but Mrs. Zoom's Honda Odyssey will sound like it locked the doors on the first press but if a door is ajar, it won't toot on the 2nd press.

bczoom said:

I normally don't use the 2nd push for the toot. Not sure about my truck but Mrs. Zoom's Honda Odyssey will sound like it locked the doors on the first press but if a door is ajar, it won't toot on the 2nd press.

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Thats it! Thanks for the reminder bczoom. I had meant to add that neither of my cars horns can be activated by the remote locking device; and I was just wondering, both cars are manual gear shifts, so could it just be an 'automatic' thing?

Just a thought...

My picture of the door unlock button on my keyless remote is completely worn off but the lock button hasn't ever been used to my knowledge. I prefer to hit the lock button inside the car as I am exiting rather than use the remote. I don't like the sound of horn toots in parking lots either.

Lia said:

Even with dogs in the car over here, one would still have to lock the doors. Dog theft is rampant, and a rising crime in the UK. I kid you not; one couple were held at gunpoint in a park, and ordered to hand over their dog. Ok, this happened a couple of years ago, but its scary.

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<sarcasm>
What, a criminal with a GUN??!? In Britain? I thought you folks had solved that problem by making guns, for all practical purposes, illegal.
How could a criminal get a gun, when honest folk can't?
</sarcasm>

Thanks Doc, my view exactly. Yes Denang, criminals can get them easily, which point seems to be totally missed by those making the laws.

THERE WERETWO KIDS SITTING ON THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF WALMART ONE DAY LAST SUMMER DOING JUST THAT.EVERY TIME SOME POOR FOOL WALKED BY THEIR PARENTS CAR THEY WOULD HIT THE BUTTON AND SET OFF THE HORN AND SCARE THE HELL OUT OF FOLKS.WELL I SAW WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND WALKED UP TO THEM AND SAID,DAMN THAT IS FUNNY AS HELL LET ME DO IT THEY SAID OK SO I THREW THE KEYS ON TOP OF THE BUILDING AND WALKED INSIDE.WHEN THE PARENTS CAME UP TO ME INSIDE I JUST SAID I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT AND WALKED OFF LAUGHING.