All Keyed Up
Posted on | January 24, 2008 at 7:02 am | 10 Comments
Pet Peeve of the Day: As I hinted yesterday, the extended weekend getaway to Estes Park was not without its problems. And those problems can be traced to the rental car that I’m still using while my Prius is in the shop after the bus accident. (I won’t be getting the Prius back until the middle of next week.)
Here’s how it all went down. On the way up to Estes Park on Saturday, we stopped at a Noodles & Company in Boulder for lunch. After lunch, we decided to get something out of the trunk of the rental Chevy Cobalt – I think it was the camera. I opened up the trunk and set the keys down on top of the cooler in the trunk while I rummaged through the backpack. When I found what I was looking for, I closed the trunk. That’s when N said, “Do you have the keys?” When I said “No”, she thought I was kidding. She quickly learned I wasn’t. Though it was a sunny day, it was very cold and windy out. Luckily we could duck back inside the restaurant and warm up. Also, luckily, I had my cell phone and PDA on me. And tres luckily, I actually had the number of Hertz Roadside Assistance recorded in the PDA. I called them up and explained the situation. They put me on hold and called GM Roadside Assistance. Hertz was on hold for a long time with GM, but they finally got through. GM called a local service provider, who called me right back and said there was a driver already in the area and he would be there in two minutes. That estimate turned out to be accurate. The driver came and was able to get the door open quickly and pop the trunk release inside. I got my keys and we were back on the road. Total delay was around a half hour. Not bad, plus I didn’t have to pay anything.
So, you’d think by now (as did my girlfriend) that I would’ve learned my lesson and always made sure the keys were on me before I locked up the car. Any normal person would’ve learned that. But if you’ve been reading my blog for long, you already know I’m somewhat addled.
Skip ahead to Monday. It had been snowing most of the day in Estes Park, and we hunkered down in the B&B by the fire and relaxed all day. When dinnertime rolled around, we were pretty hungry, and since we didn’t have lunch, we decided to brave the roads and head on down to town and eat out or pick something up to bring back to the room. By that time it had stopped snowing, and the roads looked pretty much plowed. So I went out and warmed up the car and brushed off the snow. I went inside and told N I was ready to go. As she was getting ready, I tried to open the car door. No go. Yep, I had locked the keys inside with the engine running and the automatic lights on. N stepped out of the room just in time to see me fling the snow brush across the parking lot – I don’t think she’d ever seen me that frustrated and violent.
So, another call to Hertz, who called GM, etc… Luckily, there was a service provider in town who was able to come out pretty fast and unlock the door. The car was running for little over a half hour. We got dinner and didn’t starve, so everything turned out okay. Again, there was no charge for the assistance, which I thought was pretty cool on the part of Hertz. For the whole rest of the trip, whenever I got out of the car and before I closed the door, N would ask me, “Do you have the keys??”.
So what was the problem here? I’m blaming it on the Indestructible Key Ring. The rental car came with two identical keys on one keyring. Both keys can be used for ignition and unlocking. The key ring is a thick wire with a metal fastener:
The metal fastener does not separate and allow you to remove the keys. Believe me, we tried everything: pulling, twisting, everything short of a blow torch. We couldn’t even cut through it. Hertz says they do that so that the keys won’t get lost or stolen or something. But then what’s the point of giving you two identical keys if they’re going to make you keep them together? I’m sure I’m not the only one who has wasted their time and money because I didn’t have an extra key in a separate place. The first thing I did last night after work was dig out the wire cutters and chomp through that ring, which wasn’t easy. Now I’ve got one of the keys on my other key ring.
The other thing I’m blaming it on is the Prius. With its smart key entry system, I never actually need to use a key. I just keep the one key in my pocket. The car senses it, and will allow the doors to unlock and the car to start if the key is near it. So I got used to never dealing with a key. The Cobalt doesn’t even have power locks, and unfortunately it allows you to lock and close the car doors without a key. My Acura had power locks and you had to go through a special procedure to lock the car door without a key. Nevertheless, I did occasionally lock the key inside it, but I also always kept a separate key on my other key ring, so it wasn’t a problem.
I’ll be really glad to get the Prius back.
Jogged Today: Yes (@ 15°F). Not the full route though; gotta work my way back up to that again.
Songs That Came Up On The iPod While Jogging:
- “Sun” (Popinjays)
- “Highroyds” (Kaiser Chiefs)
- “I Want You To Stay (live)” (Maxïmo Park)
- “Nobody Teaches Life Anything” (Dogs Die In Hot Cars)
Latre.
Comments
10 Responses to “All Keyed Up”
January 24th, 2008 @ 7:48 am
I am the queen of locking keys in the car. But since I don’t have a fancy-schmancy entry system on my 79 Chevy I have the next best thing: Two brothers and one uncle who are locksmiths.
January 24th, 2008 @ 6:04 pm
Blame your genes: http://lilurl.com/?ayd
(I wonder how much else about your DNA we could work out from this blog…)
As for car keys, I used to keep a spare under my shoe insert (there’s nothing else I’m absolutely guaranteed to have with me if I’m out of the house; not my wallet, nor any single item of clothing) but that was when I had a flat key available. Now I’ve just gotten into the habit of locking the door only after I’m outside the car, and then hoping for the best…
Handy tip – if you ever lock your keys in your car in a Vegas casino parking lot, most of them have a free service to help you out. This is probably true of many large resorts, I’d guess, and saved a friend of mine a chunk of cash (which he then insisted on spending to tip the guy – I didn’t say he was a smart friend)
January 24th, 2008 @ 7:20 pm
I thought I was the only one who was that absent-minded. I have many a “locked out” stories. Out of the car, out of the house, out of the office. I did the car running lock-out once, too! I was in a small town and was able to walk a few blocks home for a spare key.
Then there are all the times I left the lights on and killed the battery.
I think Hertz only charges $100 for key ring vandalism. :-0
January 24th, 2008 @ 8:44 pm
I think Hertz only charges $100 for key ring vandalism.
I actually asked them about that, and they said it was okay. I guess it’s preferable to them spending all that money on me for roadside assistance.
January 24th, 2008 @ 10:34 pm
But I’d be scared of the auto-key sensing thing…
I was dubious at first too, but it works out pretty well. You have to be very, very close to the car (like touching it or inside it) for it to work. And if you don’t like it, there’s a way to turn off the “smart key” feature and use it like a regular key. There’s even a regular key hidden inside the electronic key for if you want to go really old school.
Did I miss the part where Americans rose as one, and said, “damn – the thing I hate more than anything is actually having to stick a key in a lock and rotate it a quarter turn”?
You’d think that wouldn’t be a great burden, but damn I find myself acting really inconvenienced when I have to hunt around in my pocket for the key to the rental car, and to have to keep track of it all the time. With the smart key, you only have to keep it on your person and your good to go. You never have to touch it except to put it in your pocket. I’ve grown really used to it (obviously).
January 24th, 2008 @ 10:03 pm
First: yeesh, put the damned keys in your pocket when you’re not using them. Never set them down any damned place. Anyway: I agree, the two keys on a single ring is…not convenient.
But I’d be scared of the auto-key sensing thing…I mean, I’d love it if I were a car thief, but since I’m not, I’d be a bit wary of it. Of course, in a way it’s not necessary: if someone’s got your keys, nowadays all they have to do is hit the “panic” button, and then go to the beeping, flashing car.
Did I miss the part where Americans rose as one, and said, “damn – the thing I hate more than anything is actually having to stick a key in a lock and rotate it a quarter turn”?
January 25th, 2008 @ 6:54 am
The smart key and keyless entry thing is aesthetic. All car door locks get scratched to hell on about the second day. Also, in freezing rain, the key hole will ice over and it takes a hairdryer to thaw it out.
Cars come with two keys and I bet the rental companies keep both on one ring to prevent theft. If you “forgot” to return one key, it would cost them plenty to have the car rekeyed.
But I love to read about people more boneheaded than me, so keep up the addled behavior.
January 25th, 2008 @ 10:43 pm
“All car door locks get scratched to hell on about the second day”? Good thing you’re not a surgeon! I’ve never had that problem with any car I’ve ever owned. Also, despite living in Wisconsin, I think I’ve only ever had the freezing lock problem once. A hairdryer works – but there are little portable doohickeys you can buy that purport to work. Rumor has it, the human body produces a substance that will help too…although the application of said substance to keyhole is probably easier for the male of the species. (I’m sure this last is how Eskimos get into their cars when the locks freeze over – I swear, I saw it on Discovery Channel!)
September 9th, 2008 @ 6:38 pm
How did you grt the HERTZ key stuff AND if it’s for sell
September 9th, 2008 @ 9:25 pm
How did you grt the HERTZ key stuff AND if it’s for sell
I don’t understand your question. ” grt”? What Hertz key stuff?