Mod to disable anti-lockout 'feature' ??? - Page 2 - GreenHybrid

Wangofree · #11 (**permalink**) 11-03-2005, 04:07 AM

Zimbop
Why not try this. Don't lock your car. Get out, grab your stuff, shut the door, go to work, leave your car unlocked. What's the worst that can happen? Someone steal your car? GREAT, then the insurance company buys you a new car to your liking.

Problem solved.

gonavy · #12 (**permalink**) 11-03-2005, 04:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zimbop

I finally took my 2004 HCH in for the firmware update/recall. While I was there I asked if any of the annoying things it does are programmable or dealer-adjustable. He said no on all accounts I was hoping for.

I am sure some of you are tired of hearing me say this, but I am at the end of my rope. The HCH 'feature' that drives me absolutely insane is the efforts the car goes through to try to stop me from locking my keys in the car, which also stops me from being able to lock the car if I have my hands full - which is every time I get to work and get home. I have to take my stuff out of the car, set it on the ground, lock the car with the keys or remote, and pick all my stuff up again - because there is NO WAY to lock the car without handling the keys, remote or handle as the last thing you do. This drives me so insane I sometimes want to torch the car. No other car I have ever owned has made it anywhere near this difficult. Locking the keys in the car is a rare occurrence, and making me go through all that hassle every time I park the car is a solution outrageously out of proportion with the problem, especially since I don't even have that problem in the first place.

Has anyone ever heard of a mod that will disable this 'feature'? I would even pay good money to have it disabled if anyone could do it. I am at the end of my rope.

It may be rare to lock one's keys in, but it can be catastrophic when it does happen if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time. Getting into a frontal accident is a rare occurence too- but you have anti-death features in the car anyway.

I recall Nissans/Datsuns in the 80s had the 'pull the door handle up as you close the door to lock it' feature. It was all mechanical. Anti-lockout is not a new thing.

zimbop · #13 (**permalink**) 11-03-2005, 06:11 AM

Not saying it's a new thing, just saying honda deals with it poorly compared to other cars, drives me nuts,want to turn it off.

zimbop · #14 (**permalink**) 11-03-2005, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElanC

You're right 99.9% of the time. Most people have a routine the allows them to avoid a lockout, until something unusual happens - a distraction - that changes what they normally do. In my whole driving history I've probably locked myself out once every ten years on average. And when I did it was a big inconvenience.

And that's how you learn to not do it more than once in ten years. Perfect. I like this system - where the driver is responsible and accountable for his actions, has the opportunity to learn from mistakes, and is not burdened by the car's unnecessary efforts to think for him.

lindermant · #15 (**permalink**) 11-03-2005, 07:20 AM

zimbop,

I've noticed that I don't have to do the three handed kabuki dance to lock the passenger side door on my 2dr civic (note I do not have power locks).

Depending on how motivated you are to rid your car of this feature, you could pull the door panels from both driver and passenger side doors and insptec the latch mechanisms to see what's different between the two.

from the above pic, you have to lift the door handle (B) on my car in order to depress the door lock. Which leads me to suspect that there is some small widget on the driver side latch that is not present on the passenger side latch.

Potential offending widgets shown in/around arrow in pic below:

not having dismantled my own car, I'm really on guessing as to whether or not the widget is on the outside of the latch, or internal...

hope this helps!

zimbop · #16 (**permalink**) 11-03-2005, 07:53 AM

Hmmm, this looks like it might offer some possibilities...

Seems so far though that the overwhelming impression on this board is that the solution lies in a "driver mod".

lindermant · #17 (**permalink**) 11-03-2005, 08:02 AM

lol, just drink the kool-aid

zimbop · #18 (**permalink**) 11-03-2005, 08:27 AM

Tee hee. I like the idea of just not locking the car. That's the simplest solution yet, and not a bad one. Except for the golf clubs I keep in the trunk... Oh, but you can lock the trunk release can't you? Maybe I'll try it.

In any case, I think it's interesting how they went to so much trouble to stop my from locking my keys in the car but they're perfectly willing to let me leave the lights on. Whatever.