Locking the car when the car is running ?

[huy397]

How can it be done ?Sometimes when I need to run into a store for something quick, I'd like to let it run but lock the car.Or, when my car is warming up outside.thanks

[ragingfish]

I'm not sure, but try manually pressing the locking mechanism.If that doesn't work, you may not be able to do it. Not sure.

[huy397]

That won't work.I tried to lock the door with the driver door open... it locked for a second and it automatically unlocked all doors.

[ragingfish]

Pretty sure it can't be done then if the car is in park.

[joatmon]

Did you try using your extra key?How about locking them manually from the rear or passenger door?If those don't work, take out the power lock controls, the power window regulators, the lock and window control switch panels,and the remote keyless entry control module and ship them to me. I will conduct an extensive fifteen year study of the problem and report back to you on how to do it. Realisticly though, even with the doors locked, if the car is running it's just a thin piece of glass between the thief and an easy free car. I recommend turning it off, taking the keys, locking the car, even to just to run in to the quicky mart.

[huy397]

True... And I don't have another key with me, I left another key ( and fob ) in my home.I'll try a couple other ways...

[dmitri]

why dont you put it in neutral and put the parking brake on, then try.

[Sub-Vibe-R]

Get a remote engine starter and it will work!While the car is running, press the start button on the remote for 5 sec (or until the parking light flash), remoive the key from the ignition and tadam!, the car still running, lock the door and that it. The lock does not work is the ignition is a lock, and since the remove starter bypass this, the engine car run and the doors car be locked.

[Hot Vibe]

The system is designed not to lock the doors if the key is in the ignition. It makes sense not to lock the doors while the key is in the ignition. You will look and feel pretty stupid if you locked your doors with the car running. If you mess with the system that is exactly what may happen. Your aftermarket remote starter may fail or the system may bypass or not recognise it. Battery failure in the key fob and all that junk. I see plenty of post for many different things about homemade options/personal touches. I do not want to name them all but this one is a good example. If you do not like the option then why did you buy the car? IF it was that anoying to you I am sure that you would have not spent your hard earned money. By messing with part of a "system" you will mess with the entire system. It may not be visible today but I can guarantee it will in the future. I would like people to enjoy their vehicles for a long time with a minimum of complaints. Things like this will only cause people to dislike their vehicle and probably not buy another GM product because of what they did to the vehicle.

[joatmon]

A co worker (with a non-GM vehicle) found out about the usefulness of the interlocks when he left it locked and running to warm up, came back and only then learned that the remote entry didn't work on his vehicle when it was running. It sat there running for three hours before the locksmith got there. Well, at least it was warmed up. I don't think anyone is going to swear off Vibes or GM because you can't lock the car from the outside while the engine is running. I also think that it is almost never actually a good idea to lock the car from the outside while the engine is running. If it's running, you should be near enough to not need to lock it. If you need to lock it, you should turn it off. That's just my opinion though, and others are more than welcome to have a different one.A remote starter has it's uses. Anything can fail. Seems like Vibe owners in cold climates are at a much higher risk of having the battery crap out on them on a very cold morning than they are of having an aftermarket remote starter malfunction. They still like their Vibes though.

[drunkenmaxx]

puzzling, how does it lock when i am in the car and driving it?

[joatmon]

It's smart enough to know when the doors are locked from the inside.

[huy397]

Exactly, Salsa.I think it's a good safety feature in general but I just have different circumstances.Regarding heating up, the air get get warm for a few minutes and the temp doesn't get to 50 for 5 min or so.is it just me ? thanks

[USyota]

The fob didn't work but I had no problem locking it with the spare key. In my Camry I used to reach in from the LR door and lock it manually (the drivers side cylinder didn't work that well after I hit about 225k mi This was a lot easier because the lock was by the B-pillar. I personally like to leave my car running if I'll be back in about 5 minutes or less. For the environmentally conscious among you I have several rationalizations. I read about 10 yrs ago that you burn as much gas at start up as you would if you idled for about a minute. This was in response to an inquiry about idling in drive thru’s... This may not be the case anymore with all the progress in automotive design. My standpoint is based more on wear and tear. Startup is the most taxing event for a good many engine components. I’d rather burn 30 cents worth of gas than put undo stress on my ride. I like to save it up for the twistys What were we talking about? Oh yeah, use the spare key.

[Pump233ca]

I used my spare key on a few occasions.....it worked, left it running in Summer with air to keep it cool while we went into Costco..came out 45mins after... .running ,locked and cool....

[TheDude]

you can always install a remote start on it, so when you get out, just start it up, you'll have the keys on you, so no need for a spare

[joatmon]

When I locked my keys in the car, the guy who came and unlocked it for me used a low tech bent wire to do it. I can only imagine how happy a thief would be to find a nice new vibe, unattended but running with the keys in it, outside a big store that people spend a lot of time in. Even without the wire, just a thin piece of glass away from a free vibe. Don't know what the crime rate is where you live, but around here you would have come back to an empty parking space.Then, when you're hassling with the police, the thief took your registration, or ownership or whatever you call it, figured out where you live, used the house key on the key ring and loaded up your vibe with the rest of your stuff.

[Hot Vibe]

I think I am going to be sick. I hope you bought brain food at Costco.

[joatmon]

OK, problem solved, here's how to leave the car running after you take the keys out. All you need to do it get hit by a flying PT Cruiser.From http://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/sto ... Charleston woman cited following two-vehicle wreck By ROGER ADKINS PARKERSBURG - A Charleston woman was cited for failure to maintain control of her vehicle Wednesday after she rolled her PT Land Cruiser on Interstate 77. Karen Goff, 56, of Headrums Lane, Charleston, was cited by Wood County sheriff's deputies after the 2:40 p.m. crash just north of the northbound Staunton Avenue entrance ramp.Goff sustained minor injuries and was treated by paramedics at the scene. No one was transported to the hospital.Goff was driving south on I-77 near the 174 mile post when she lost control of her 2001 Chrysler PT Land Cruiser, which crossed the median and went into the northbound lanes.The vehicle flipped and struck a 2002 Pontiac Vibe driven by Gerard Moser, 48, of Granada Hills, Parkersburg, said deputy L.S. Jefferson. The Land Cruiser came to rest on its top in the right northbound lane.Moser said the Land Cruiser went into an "uncontrolled bounce" and struck the front of his vehicle. He said he had stopped when his vehicle was struck by the Land Cruiser.Moser said the wreck was unnerving, but he wasn't injured."I'm thinking I hope my wife and kids remember me fondly," he said of his initial reaction just before his vehicle was struck by the Land Cruiser. "I'm just glad I wear my seat belt all the time."Moser said he was pleased no one else was injured and that so many passers-by stopped to offer assistance.Deputy Dave Westfall said the Land Cruiser left a large gash in the pavement when it went airborne and landed on the road. He said the vehicle traveled several hundred yards while rolling before it came to a rest.Jefferson said it is not known if speed was a factor in the crash. Goff told him she wasn't sure why she lost control of her vehicle, he said. Road conditions did not appear to be a factor, he said.Moser's vehicle remained running at the scene though the keys had been removed from the ignition.Reporter gets pretty confused between PT Cruiser and Land Cruiser.