merz24

I had my car at the dealership Service center for repairs and the dealership service center closes at 6 PM . I saw that my car was unlocked till 2 hours after the closing. I am not sure if the dealership keeps the car unlocked with key fobs in them. I know if anything happens, their insurance will take care of it , but I am trying to understand why such negligence.

Either of the following things occurred.

1. The person left the key fob inside the car and left it unattended and unlocked.
2. The person left the car unlocked and kept the key away from the car in some cabinet.

Any idea on what usually dealerships do with all the car keys that are kept in their lot for the repairs ? What is the standard practice here ?

Thanks !

Lanzz

I see mine as closed and locked unless they are actively working on it. Both local dealers here are consistent with that. I always assumed that would be a policy at every dealer - interested to hear if others have the same thing happen.

superswiss

No, they don't do that, at least in my experience with my dealership. The only time the car is unlocked with the fob inside is during drop off. After that they take out the fob and attach a smart tag to it. While the car is being moved around or getting ready for pick up, they keep the keys in a drawer in the service bay. If the car is parked in the back while not worked on, the key goes into a vault. That's what the smart tag is for. It allows the dealership to track the key and find it in the vault. If your car was unlocked, it was likely still in the service bay and then parked outside afterhours. The location tracking is quite accurate. I can see on the phone if my car is inside or outside in the lot.

Having said that, they did once forget to lock my car. I noticed in the evening that it was outside and still unlocked, so I locked it from the app. The fob was not inside, otherwise I most likely would have gotten a call the next day about the fob being locked in.

merz24

thanks for the detailed reply. Yeah even I am hoping that they have not kept the keys in the car. I have sent an email to service advisor copying the service manager and GM to seek an explanation. Lets see what they have to say

streborx

Even if unlocked, are cars not parked in a fenced secured area? The biggest theft problems seem to be cat converters and drilled 'n drained fuel tanks.

TNS550

Same with me. Receive notice on app if unlocked, so I know they are working on it. Even if it sits, it's no bid deal as I have a loaner.

merz24

the issue is not about it being unlocked in working hours . It is more of a concern when left unlocked after hours when service center is closed.

TonyF61

This has never happened to me. It has only been unlocked while inside the shop. I can understand your concern; however, if someone made a mistake and left it unlocked, couldn't you just lock it from the app?

OldManAndHisCar

Hell, dealership a while back not only did not lock my car...they were out driving my car getting chased by the cops ;-)

taphil

Why don’t you just ask them about your concerns? In my dealership, cars are parked inside their parking structure/workshop and is gated with a garage door. The keys are probably locked inside a lock box too. And they could have security guards overnight. Your car isn’t the most expensive thing they have sitting around.

HAILERS2

I was browsing for a Jaguar at Autobahn about ten years ago on a Sunday. Right on top of one of the cars outside were the keys for that car. I did not even touch them but called the emergency phone number on that Sunday telliing someone/thing that the keys were on top of one of their new Jags outside the bldg. Stuff happens is where this falls.

merz24

Yeah ! Checked with the dealership and they said it was a mistake . They usually lock it but they missed it that day. After that i have always seen it locked. Cars are in fenced gate per them. But I was skeptical to lock it because I thought may be they have left the key in car which can lock them out if I lock from app.

To one of the comment here, I know my car wont be the most expensive out there , but I dont want anyone messing up with car and then dealing with insurance.

prevention is better than cure if that makes sense

TonyF61

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if one can lock the doors, via the app, if keys are inside? I would think not; but now that I think more about it, I guess the app wouldn't have to ability to sense the key.

OldManAndHisCar

I have had it do both. Your not "supposed" to be able to lock the keys in the car...but I have (and been able to unlock it with the app). I can 100% of the time lock the keys in the car with the second set of keys.

superswiss

Yes, you can as far as I know. You can also lock the second key in the car using the other key. I did this during my European delivery trip as I carried the second key in my luggage. The app/second key overrides the key inside of the car. This is somewhat useful if you want to lock the key inside and only take your phone with you. For example when going to the beach. To be sure, the fob itself can also be disabled by double pressing the lock button, or on newer cars a slightly different combination of pressing the buttons. It's explained in the owner's manual. But also as I said, the new fobs disable themselves after they don't sense any motion for 2 minutes.

mikapen

Yes you can lock a key in the car with another, or the app.

Be aware though, the interior monitor stays active unless you separately deactivate it (app), so any people or pets moving inside may set off an alarm.