I think that I must be sharing my plip code with someone else. Tonight I came out of the supermarket with trolley full of shopping to find the car unlocked. I know that I locked it because I checked, heard the locks go home and saw the indicators flash the requisite number of times. I take the precaution always of putting on a locking steering wheel bar, and generally leave the glove box open. I hope that it doesn?t happen again and the wrong kind of person notice it.
Come to think of it, did I unlock someone else?s car when I arrived?
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I thought (and you should know by now that I don't have the slightest idea what I'm on about) that the cars used a rolling code. That is to say that it may work once, and then not another. However, thinking about it, the key uses a radio frequency or infra red signal which must be at a fixed value so I'm just proved my own theory wrong!
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Adam
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Hillman - could it be that one of the doors (or bonnet or boot) wasn't properly closed?
Some alarms sense this and reset themselves, resulting in all the doors unlocking again after 5 seconds or so.
usually you get a slightly different 'beep pattern' to warn you of this, but it's easy to miss.
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This may sound stupid but it's happened to me (all right, it will still sound stupid).
I locked the car and put my bunch of keys in my trouser pocket, which also had my mobile and wallet in it (I have had a mobile pickpocketed from a jacket pocket on the Tube so it doesn't go there). At some point while walking the plipper must have rubbed against something else and unlocked the car.
Maybe that happened to you?
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At some point while walking the plipper must have rubbed against something else and unlocked the car.
If a door on my Skoda isn't opened within 30 seconds of the car being unlocked, it relocks itself. Your theory can only be correct if Hillman's doen't do the same.
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The central locking and alarm on my car is like your average supermarket trolley, it seems to have a mind of its own. If one of the doors, usually the rear, isn't properly shut the alarm beeps oddly. I have learned that one. At other times the central locking operates itself for no apparent reason while we are inside , and SWMBO accuses me of clowning when she tries to get out and the alarm sounds. We are both very cautious now.
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If it's a VAG model, then central locking problems were quite common on vehicles produced between around 1999 and 2001.
Your local dealership should know how to set up your remote control key to offer various aspects of locking the vehicle (again if it's a VAG model).
My Bora, if unlocked, will relock the vehicle if one of the front doors is not opened within about balf-a-minute. It requires one press of the button to open the driver's door and two to open all of them.
The first setting is a security measure if you are on your own and get into the vehicle - "undesirables" are not given the opportunity to get in using one of the other doors.
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What's for you won't pass you by
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PS
It's virtually impossible to "share" a Plip code with any other car owner in your vacinity - one of many, many thousands will be selected each time you use your remote control unit.
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What's for you won't pass you by
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Earlier this year I bought a BMW 300-series from auction to sell on. I had it on the driveway for a couple of weeks. I was quite surprised to find that the remote operated the CL on my BMW and also that of my neighbour's 300-series! This happened every time I used the remote. Strangely enough his remote did not operate my car.
I sold the car on, so did not bother to investigate further.
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PS It's virtually impossible to "share" a Plip code with any other car owner in your vacinity - one of many, many thousands will be selected each time you use your remote control unit. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - What's for you won't pass you by
Sorry but I disagree. If that was the case, how come your spare remote key still works after you've not used it for months ?
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>>how come your spare remote key still works?>>
I would presume it's to do with the Pin code and the transponder working in tandom.
Done a bit of googling and the nearest situation to your problem was someone whose car battery went flat. After a jump start, using the remote key, the central locking locked, whirred and then unlocked the doors again.
Using both front door buttons to lock the car from inside resulted in success and with the alarm set, but reopening the door and trying to lock from outside brought the original result.
No solution has yet been posted although the thread was only started in the early hours of today.
Incidentally it's been known for thieves who steal a remote car key for a vehicle housed in a large car park, to go around pressing the button until they see its hazard lights flash. Bingo...:-)
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What's for you won't pass you by
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Just been looking at my VAG manual regarding remote central locking.
One section that might assist is to do with synchronisation, but it's the reverse of your problem.
It says: "If the vehicle cannot be opened by pressing the radio transmitter button, it could be that the key code no longer matches that of the vehicle's control unit.
"This can occur if the transmitter button is frequently pressed outside the effective range of the system.
"The infrared key must be resynchronised. The synchronisation process must be completed within one minute.
"Press either the open or close button on the key once for approximately one second. The vehicle will remain locked. The control unit, however, recognises a valid code.
"Now lock or unlock your vehicle using the key. The key bite is recognised as the valid mechanical code. A new code is defined between the key and the control unit and synchronisation is complete."
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What's for you won't pass you by
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Don't know if this is relevant but I had a Vauhall once that was always unlocked when I got back to it. It had me doubting my sanity. Anyway, to cut a very long story short, it was eventually tracked down to a faulty inertia* switch and once this was replaced, the problem was cured.
*(function of the inertia switch as far as I recall, was to unlock the car should it be involved in an accident when driven with the doors locked)
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>>unlock the car should it be involved in an accident>>
Going back to the toe-rags again, this is a feature they use (or have in the past) to steal a chosen parked car - another vehicle is employed to bump it with just enough force to operate the automatic unlocking. Bingo again....
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What's for you won't pass you by
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>>unlock the car should it be involved in an accident>> Going back to the toe-rags again, this is a feature they use (or have in the past) to steal a chosen parked car - another vehicle is employed to bump it with just enough force to operate the automatic unlocking. Bingo again....
Wouldn't that set off the airbags ?
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Unlikely as it takes a fairly heavy impact to set off airbags.
In the course of a former job I came into contact with a very upmarket breakers yard on a regular basis and it was amazing to walk around the stored vehicles and see how bad some of the impacts were and the airbags had not deployed.
The really worrying part was the yard used to sell the undeployed airbags on to back street garage bodyshops!
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I have a Fiat Marea Weekend and I regularly find my car unlocked. This is due to a very poor design of the position of the button on the key. If you have the key in a pocket with anything else, it always seems to push the button in due to the weak spring. It is now in a bell pouch on my belt, but it still is not the perfect place. The only way I could effectively stop this is to use the red code key, but if i loose this it costs about £800 to replace as all the door locks and engine management system have to be replaced together. Other than this one fault the car is a delight to drive with the 2.4 litre turbo diesel.
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I had a remote like this. The button was round, so I glued a metal washer around the button like a collar, but still letting me press it in with my fingernail. This way you couldn't active the plip in your pocket.
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Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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A friend of ours has been asked not to use his plip when he visits - it rings the doorbell next door.
I can claim to be the first person in the U.K. to coin the word "plip". It was used by our French lodger about 15 years ago.
Before then, everyone said "remote control".
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My key has a very limited range of operation, jusy two or three metres maximum. If a thief stole the key and tried to identify the car in a car park he/she would need to be practically alongside.
None of my neighbours has ever complained that I rang their doorbell. How did you discover the relationship?
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Infra red Plip codes do not roll. Its really dead easy to capture someones infra red plip with a palm or ipaq, and re transmit them,
Radio codes do roll and much harder to clone,
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None of my neighbours has ever complained that I rang their doorbell. How did you discover the relationship?
Our friends once left at 3am - next doors dogs went potty - all the lights came on - our dogs went potty - all the lights in the street went on - neighbour thought the people getting into the Saab had rung his doorbell and were running away - no only joking.
It's about 25 metres from their house to the street. I suppose they have a good doorbell.
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