[rickgassko]

I'm hoping someone can help me because I'm confounded by my Gen II 2016. I'm a surfer, so to lock my car, I use the blade (physical) key to lock the car so I can take it with me in the water. I leave the RKE in the car, remove the cover to the cylinder lock, and lock with the blade key. All the doors are locked, I check them, everything is great.

Sometimes when I've returned to the car it is still locked, but it seems like when I surf for a long time (2 hours) I return to the car and the doors have popped open, all on their own. The first couple of times I thought maybe I didn't properly lock it, but now I know the car is opening itself.

Can anybody think of why this would happen?

Thanks in advance.

 

[canehdian]

There is an anti-lockout feature that will unlock the car door if you leave the remote inside.
Take the battery out of the remote before you leave.

 

[Geohec]

There is an anti-lockout feature that will unlock the car door if you leave the remote inside.
Take the battery out of the remote before you leave.

Wow, that stinks. You shouldn't have to do so much work to surf, especially if your able to go daily or a few days a week. Water-proof pouches never work, but you might try 'surf logic' and hide it under the car where bolt cutters couldn't get to it. I would never put it on the door handle (as some pictures will show it) as that would invite thieves with bolt cutters. Not sure if it will fit the remote but it's worth a shot. Good luck.

 

[trm2]

Get one of the boxes like this
http://www.davstarsecurity.com/auto-keysafe-1266.htm
You can hang it on your window while you surf.

Or take the battery out of the remote.

 

[Barry]

I don't get some of these suggestions. The volt key works by proximity. If it is in or near the car, anyone can unlock the car by pressing the button on the outside of the door, right? Locking it in the car won't prevent that. Neither will hiding it under the car or locking it in a box on the window. You have to leave the fob at home and take the blade only. Or put the fob in a foil pouch, maybe?

 

[Joule]

IIRC, there's an "anti lockout" function that you can disable in the config menu under vehicle settings. I don't know if it will prevent automatic unlockification when the RKE is left inside the vehicle. Might be worth testing.

 

[Geohec]

I don't get some of these suggestions. The volt key works by proximity. If it is in or near the car, anyone can unlock the car by pressing the button on the outside of the door, right? Locking it in the car won't prevent that. Neither will hiding it under the car or locking it in a box on the window. You have to leave the fob at home and take the blade only. Or put the fob in a foil pouch, maybe?

If you can fit the remote in the 'surf logic' case then you can put it some where outside the car that hopefully would not initiate the auto lock-out feature of the volt. I'd place it in a location that bolt cutter can't get to it.

Here's a pick

 

[jsmay311]

IIRC, there's an "anti lockout" function that you can disable in the config menu under vehicle settings. I don't know if it will prevent automatic unlockification when the RKE is left inside the vehicle. Might be worth testing.

From the 2016 manual:

Unlocked Door Anti-Lockout
If "Unlocked Door Anti-Lockout" is turned on and the vehicle is off, the driver door is open, and locking is requested, all the doors will lock and only the driver door will unlock. The "Unlocked Door Anti-Lockout" feature can be turned on or off using the vehicle personalization menus.
[...]When on, this feature will keep the driver door from locking when the door is open. If Off is selected, the Delayed Door Lock menu will be available.

Doesn't sound like this would help in this situation, does it?

If removing/replacing the battery every time doesn't sound appealing, another idea would be to buy a container to put the RKE in that would block its signal. That way you could leave/hide it in the car without someone being able to unlock the doors by hitting the buttons on the door handles.

I can't vouch for the effectiveness of any specific product, but there a few highly-rated ones on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Key-Valet-FOB-Disabler/dp/B00GRC63M4
http://www.amazon.com/Keyfob-RFID-Signal-Blocking-Bag/dp/B00Y3FLYWG/

However, if you go this route, I think you'll have to deal with an issue with an alarm sounding after you unlock and open the door. In my experience with my Gen 1, unlocking the door with a physical key and then opening the door when there's no RKE signal for the car to find leads to an alarm sounding. For the first 10 seconds or so, it's a mild/moderate chirp that isn't super loud or annoying, but then it progresses to a full-volume horn alarm. that is super loud and annoying. So if you use this approach (and assuming Gen 1 and Gen 2 behave the same in this respect), you'll want to be able to retrieve the RKE, take it out of it's RF-blocking container, and hit one of the buttons to deactivate the alarm as quickly as possible.

(As an alternative to the products listed above, I just confirmed with my 2013 RKE that wrapping it up in multiple layers of aluminum foil is also effective in blocking the RF signal. But that is also NOT a good solution if you need to take it out of the AL foil quickly to silence an alarm.)

 

[ampera_jed]

Assuming it is the same as Gen 1, could you not simply remove the battery and metal component from one of the remotes and use that for surfing, in which you place the batteryless/bladeless remote in the 'emergency' position to drive and then squirrel it elsewhere in the car when surfing?

 

[trm2]

I don't get some of these suggestions. The volt key works by proximity. If it is in or near the car, anyone can unlock the car by pressing the button on the outside of the door, right? Locking it in the car won't prevent that. Neither will hiding it under the car or locking it in a box on the window. You have to leave the fob at home and take the blade only. Or put the fob in a foil pouch, maybe?

The lock boxes that hang on the window block the signal so you can't simply push the button and unlock. I had that idea when I saw it used on my car and tried to unlock - had to use my phone.

 

[Over Achiever]

If you have a transponder for Fastrak, doesn't it come in a mylar bag that blocks the signal (you use it when you use an Expresslane with the HOV sticker or with 2-3 people in the car so you don't get charged). Why not use that for the key fob?

 

[BZZT]

Doesn't anyone make a small box or sleeve that blocks the remote from being detected inside the car? Like a lead sheath?

 

[jbakerjonathan]

If you have a transponder for Fastrak, doesn't it come in a mylar bag that blocks the signal (you use it when you use an Expresslane with the HOV sticker or with 2-3 people in the car so you don't get charged). Why not use that for the key fob?

^^^THIS^^^ ...and it's inexpensive, too, and it's super fast to gain access to the fob if needed to to silence the alarm. I believe any anti-static plastic bag might do like the ones used with items for a pc.

 

[canehdian]

Yes, you could use a faraday cage as well.
Probably faster than the battery removal.
But you'll need to make sure it's sealed before leaving it (test your door buttons don't work before you leave)

 

[rickgassko]

I really appreciate the advice; thanks for the great comments. And perhaps the box that blocks the signal will get the job done. But here's the crazy part; sometimes the lockout doesn't activate. I did a test in my driveway by locking it with the key and leaving the RKE in the car. 8 hours later it was still locked. I'm totally stupefied. Is it possible that other cars' unlock signals are causing it to unlock? It's so bizarre.

 

[jjulien]

My god, I may be over simplifying it but whats wrong with something so simple as that:
https://surf-report.co.uk/the-keebunga-waterproof-key-case-offers-real-solution-when-surfing-2084/

JJ

 

[fangq]

I think you can just use the physical key, and leave the RKE at home. As someone said earlier, leaving RKE inside the car makes your car ready to open for anyone who presses on the buttons.

 

[STiG]

If you have a transponder for Fastrak, doesn't it come in a mylar bag that blocks the signal (you use it when you use an Expresslane with the HOV sticker or with 2-3 people in the car so you don't get charged). Why not use that for the key fob?

This is the best and cheapest solution.

If you want to get fancy, you can get these: http://www.uline.com/BL_57/No-Print-Static-Shielding-Bags-Reclosable

 

[Chicken]

Doesn't anyone make a small box or sleeve that blocks the remote from being detected inside the car? Like a lead sheath?

I use altoid (mint/candy) box on my tesla key works perfectly and I love the mint

 

[rickgassko]

I tried my Fastrak bag last night - didn't do anything. I put the RKE in the bag, folded it up completely, walked up to the car, pushed the button, and it opened. I ordered a Faraday Cage and hopefully that will do the job.