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Locked Out Of Car: Key Inside and running without battery connected


completelylost
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I was cleaning my car out today and I had the car ticking over to check the results of the major service that was carried out last week.

That all seemed good so I started to clean out the boot, and to do so I had to open it with the remote, so I removed the key from the ignition, and used the remote and then put the key back in the car and started it up.

Next time I looked the car doors were locked, the engine running and the boot was still open.

No problem I thought, I'll disconnect the battery and use the plastic valet key to open the drivers door (my spare isn't with me): So I did that and the engine still runs.

I though that only happened with Diesel cars and not petrol!

Any thoughts on how to stop the car (it's still running as I am typing)?

And any thoughts on why the car locked?

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No folding rear seats or ski hatch a small child could squeeze through?

Does it have frameless windows? If so, unravel a metal coat hanger, poke it between the glass and the rubber into the car, see if you can either hit the unlock button, or turn the the key off.

Actually, try connecting the battery back up, then try the valet key or the above, as it may be that not having the battery connected won't let the central locking work.

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If the key is on a ring, a decent bit of bamboo, aim to 'stab' the ring, if you manage that then you should be able to twist the ring around the key thus turning things off and realising the key from the mech.

I', pretty sure Audi keys don't have the simple push in / out key type of BMW's- if they did then the use of a pole to push the key would be easy.

If the car has a start button does pushing that stop the car ?

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Thanks everyone the AA did it using a min-air bag to make a gap between the door and frame and then a long wire to push the window button, after that it was easy.ame

Before that he tried to use the Valet key, managed to break it and damage the lock: does anyone know if a lock can be rebuilt/pins changed over?

Sure the auto-locking behaviour isn't normal, or is it?

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Thanks everyone the AA did it using a min-air bag to make a gap between the door and frame and then a long wire to push the window button, after that it was easy.ame

Before that he tried to use the Valet key, managed to break it and damage the lock: does anyone know if a lock can be rebuilt/pins changed over?

Sure the auto-locking behaviour isn't normal, or is it?

He broke it! - Ooops! They are only plastic, so he should know better.

Auto-locking IS normal on my many Audis and VWs. Open 1 door and then shut the door, and if nothing else is used or activated, then the doors lock after 1 minute. Happened to my Bora in the VAG indy garage - I only had 1 key, but luckily the garage had the knowledge/reprobate characters to get in......... Phew!

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The doors should only ever lock themselves under two circumstances-

1. If you unlock the car, but don't open any doors or boot, the car will re-lock itself.

2. If the anti hi-jack feature is enabled the doors will lock when you pull away, but shouldn't lock until you are doing 5-10mph.

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One thing that commonly happens is the door controller fails so it doesn't know the door has been opened. In this case the car will re-lock after the door has been opened and closed. Easy to diagnose, interior light doesn't come on or lights on buzzer doesn't work when door is opened

Infact, that was the case with the Bora - now I think about it.

On my Audis, that is not the case and they will relock after 1 minute if only 1 door is opened and closed.

I should think you can chage the settings in VAG-Com?

Edited by cruiser647
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I think that this happened: key out, drivers door open, boot unlocked, car started door shut, no movement, drivers door locked.

I don't know if it's a door controller as that sounds different to the situations described above.

The valet key broke as the nice AA man seemed to damage the lock barrel so the key couldn't be pulled out, we tried with my flip key and that got stuck as well, but we got it out.

I'm thinking of getting the lock rebuilt, if that's possible, to avoid changing all the barrrels.

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