# Locked out of our campervan! Any ideas what happened?



## lalala (Aug 13, 2009)

We hadn't activated the Strikeback alarm on our camper van (VW T5) and had locked it manually from the inside. Next morning I opened the large sliding door and went out, followed by husband who closed the door after him. We must have done this many times but this time the door passively locked with the keys inside.
It took the VW mechanic who came out to help about an hour to get in, and to enable him to do this he had to disable some of the electrics.
We were mightily relieved to get those keys ... but what if one of the small grandchildren had been inside, or we had left the cooker on?
Why did it lock the doors this time when it has never done it before?
By the way obviously with a child inside or a kettle boiling we would have broken a window or cut the roof open. Luckily we didn't have to.
Lala


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Locked out*

A few years ago, the dog locked me out of a motorhome on a 2006 Fiat chassis. I think he pressed the central door locking button whilst I was outside. The AA could not get in and were about to smash a window, but a friend rescued me and got in in about 15 seconds.

Russell


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## CliveMott (Mar 10, 2008)

The latest Transits will do this unless the feature is turned OFF using the service Laptop diagnostics.

C.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I had a Y reg VW Passat, which would allow you to get in, using the key remote, sit in the car put the key in the ignition, turn to ACC, and with me sat in the seat with the door open would lock all the doors.

I never leave my keys in any vehicle nowadays as things stop working as they should sometimes, but usually when there's bugger all you can do.


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## Andysam (May 10, 2005)

T5s have got passive locking. If you unlock it with the keys/fob it will passively lock after 30 secs unless disabled via VAGCOM.


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## richardjames (Feb 1, 2006)

I think you will find, but I stand to be corrected, that most modern vehicles will self lock after a period of time e.g. my KA and Mini will self lock if I zap open them but not open a door


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## sideways (Jun 2, 2008)

I managed to lock us out yesterday while the bloody thing was running with our phones and everything else in the camper. Fortunately we had not long used the cooker and had the little sliding window above the cooker open, i collared a passing small child and inserted her through the window feet first and she let us in but i was at a loss what else to do. I have resolved to get a spare key and a magnetic box like we used to do forthwith.


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## lalala (Aug 13, 2009)

sideways said:


> I managed to lock us out yesterday while the bloody thing was running with our phones and everything else in the camper. Fortunately we had not long used the cooker and had the little sliding window above the cooker open, i collared a passing small child and inserted her through the window feet first and she let us in but i was at a loss what else to do. I have resolved to get a spare key and a magnetic box like we used to do forthwith.


Sideways, could you not have slipped in that little window yourself .. sideways of course!
Thanks to all for the suggestions and information, we are taking it into the local VW dealer to see about having this feature disabled. To my mind it is dangerous, ok perhaps for a VW car but not for a campervan when one is living in the van and moving in and out of it a lot when camped up. The fact that this is the first time it has happened seems a bit strange.
The VW mechanic suggested a key and magnetic box under the van but there are only so many places to hide it, and if someone broke in using it then I'm sure the insurance would be invalidated.
We are just thankful that we weren't in some of the remote places we recently drove to in Portugal, with the mobile phone and VW information locked in the van that would have meant a very long walk to the nearest village, and how we'd have explained ourselves I don't know.
I'll let you know how we get on with VW.
On a different note as we left the campsite with our two grandchildren we were held up by an accident where a large car was on its side with police and ambulance in attendance. Puts things in perspective!
lala


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## SpeedyDux (Jul 13, 2007)

My VW T4 self-locks after about 20 seconds. I locked myself out when I first got it. Big surprise! Luckily it was parked outside my home and I have spare keys. After that I always check I have the keys with me when I am getting out of the van unless my other half is inside. :roll: 

Maybe the MH converters should disable this security feature. 

SD


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## Andysam (May 10, 2005)

Lalala,

For info VW should charge about 15 mins (the minimum charge) labour time MAX. It takes about a minuite to hook up to the computer, another minute to boot and 30 secs to change the setting. Wait until service and ask them to do it FOC? Don't get ripped off by dealers!

If you are on the T5 Forum, I'm sure someone near to you has VAGCOM and will do it for free in any case.


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## thieawin (Jun 7, 2006)

I have been locked both in and out of my vehicles.

1. I left the dogs in the Discovery landrover whilst I went to deliver some legal papers to an office, gone less than 2 minutes. They arer jack Russels and the climbed up onto the dashboard and on the way hit the door lock button. I had left the keys inside and had no access to spares.

Keys are dealer ordered from Germany and take two days minimum.

Dogs would not jump onto dash and hit the buton again in spite of much encouragement from outside.

I was outside our Government offices, where I am well known, so went in and asked to borrow a hammer, but they refused, saying that I might not own the car. I then went into the locval advocates office opposite and was handed a hammer, without question by the junior, smashed a side window and got in a and drove off. Cost was new window, in stock fitted 3 hours later at £90 

I was in central business area, no one thought to ask me what I was doing or report it to the police. 

You have no idea how hard it is to smash a car window! Took several swings.

2. On last night in Spain outside Santander, had a great holiday. On way back the internal handle on the one and only door to the motor home went US and I had to lean out of the window and call people over to get them to open it from the outside! That was the poition all way back, at santander port, getting on the fery, filling with fuel partway home and getting onto the ferry back to IOM. I had rung ahaed to get my partner to be awake and let me out when I arrrived at 06.00 but did not wake so i bedded down for a couple of hours


3. In the Citroen Pluriel. I have a C3 Pluriel parked in my garage space in Spain. It is great in the sun, roof down, and handy for nipping around. It aslso pulls our trailer, but it is cussed.

On one trip the car would not start. Garage man started with jump leads. We asked should we follow him to garage and get new battery, but he told us to drive around. After an hour we stopped in a side street. The lights went off, proof the battery had not recharged. Sighing we reached for the door, it wouldn’t open. The default position in power failure is locked. Windows are electric as well. We tried to break a window, to no avail. It was 9.00pm and dark. Eventually a man walking his dog came over and we were able to slip the key out through a small gap between the window and rubber on the frame. He opened the door manually from outside. We now carry window hammers in all vehicles!


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## Andysam (May 10, 2005)

Shouldn't you change your username to "Lucky" :wink:


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## lalala (Aug 13, 2009)

We went to VW today to ask about having the passive locking disabled. We had a really good coffee and a chat with the commercial division who said that what had happened was normal and that we should buy a key blade and hide it under the van. He did not recommend disabling the passive locking. So off we trotted to the parts people who said we couldn't buy just a blade for the T5.
As we were leaving I asked a saleswomen if VW cars all did this, she took us to some-one in the Service dept. We explained all over again and when he fully realised what had happened he said it wasn't in fact normal and he thought there was something wrong with the door.
So back we went to Commercial, feeling a bit more perky, and there we were told that you can get just a blade for the T5. We then discussed what happened all over again with the Head mechanic, who knows his stuff. He asked us to replicate exactly what we had done, which we did. THE DOOR DID NOT PASSIVELY LOCK. He asked us to try something else and again to leave the vehicle and close the door. We did, and again the door did not passively lock. So he says there must be something wrong!!!
We shall see. We can't take it in for a couple of weeks. 
I'll let you know.
Lala


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## Mick757 (Nov 16, 2009)

Only the other week me and the mrs managed to lock ourselves out of our Compass coachbuilt. Because i managed to get a side locker open (almost the size of an old VCR), we were able to prop up the made up lounge bed with a peice of wood, and insert the mrs lengthways into said locker, where she managed to wriggle up inside the van and open the door. 

If only id thought to video it. :lol:


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## Jezport (Jun 19, 2008)

On quite a few vehicles you can lower the electric windows from under the engine bay, if you have a wiring diagram. I have seen it done by the AA. So dont panic and break a window.


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## lalala (Aug 13, 2009)

Jezport said:


> On quite a few vehicles you can lower the electric windows from under the engine bay, if you have a wiring diagram. I have seen it done by the AA. So dont panic and break a window.


This is exactly what the VW mechanic did after all else had failed. Our VW is 2009 and he told us that he couldn't have done it with a 2010 model.
lala


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