Locked My Keys in My Truck $#&!

[kiwigtx]

While my work van was being serviced this week, and up on the hoist...I was having a look around to check things over and saw something odd.

Turns out it was a brand-new key for the doors & ignition, taped up tight around the spare wheel frame underneath.

I have owned this van for 18 years now and have never seen that before. It must have been there since newish in Japan. The van was previously used in a factory as a parts runner - probably never saw the road and was never in a crash - perfectly straight frame and minimal rust. Not on; that - but at 8 years old when I bought it the odometer only had 69,000km ( less than 43,000 miles) which is not a lot. Now has over 320,000 km and still runs well.

 

[kiwigtx]

Back in the '70's the Police here would pull you over for suspected drunk driving if they felt the desire. In those days, unless you were falling out of the car when stopped, they would just take the keys off you and let you walk home - otherwise the cells would be full in no time at all.

So, lots of people would hide a spare key handy to grab - after the cops had left you alone....go back and get the spare key out - drive home.

This was the case with my GTX - the previous owner was a pi$$head and was always at a party or the pub. The car was known as the 'Puhoi Pub car' back in the day. Always full of drunken larrikins doing burnouts and donuts.... that's another story.

When I was stripping the car down back in 1999, I found a small plastic box with a magnetic base - sitting under the battery tray on top of the chassis rail. Opened it up and found a key - it was a spare for the car. I don't know how many times it was used or replaced... but it was still there after all those years.

 

[Cranky]

I went braless

 

[Dave6T4]

Back in the '70's the Police here would pull you over for suspected drunk driving if they felt the desire. In those days, unless you were falling out of the car when stopped, they would just take the keys off you and let you walk home - otherwise the cells would be full in no time at all.

So, lots of people would hide a spare key handy to grab - after the cops had left you alone....go back and get the spare key out - drive home.

This was the case with my GTX - the previous owner was a pi$$head and was always at a party or the pub. The car was known as the 'Puhoi Pub car' back in the day. Always full of drunken larrikins doing burnouts and donuts.... that's another story.

When I was stripping the car down back in 1999, I found a small plastic box with a magnetic base - sitting under the battery tray on top of the chassis rail. Opened it up and found a key - it was a spare for the car. I don't know how many times it was used or replaced... but it was still there after all those years.

I have one of those in both my cars. I keep it right near the %?*@&$£π¶℅, so I can find it.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

 

[Triplegreen500]

View attachment 1948962

My '91 Daytona came with something similar, right from Dodge. It's a credit card that you keep in your wallet, with the spare "key". Not a bad idea, really...

 

[Mopar Hunter]

Glad you got it unlocked.

 

[YY1]

View attachment 1948962

I had one of those for a while.

Super cool idea, whoever invented that.

 

[33 IMP]

My dad used to keep a Phillips screwdriver under the hood, to take off the taillight lens.... where he kept a spare key. Sometimes just kept a key on his ring with a point on it that would work on a phillips screw.
The idea doesn't work with newer cars nowadays.

 

[toolmanmike]

Pretty easy if the windows are cracked open a bit. Even if not, call a towing company and they will be in in a min. or two. They would probably reach inside with their unlock tool and hit the power lock button. Hide a door key somewhere on the truck or in your wallet.

 

[68BabyBlue]

I got to be an expert on breaking into Mack trucks during my corporate tour. The old R models were too easy, pop the vent wing window inside out, and then bump the terminals on the starter relay with a quarter. The non ecm diesel engines would run without electricity, no key needed.

The newer CH models were more challenging in a lockout. The key needed to stay in the on position for the ecm to run the engine, and the engine had to run for unloading the tankers. It wasn't hard to bump the lock mechanism on the driver's door when exiting the cab. I did this one early morning in zero degree weather at an incinerator in Newark, NJ. I covered my butt by never locking the side box on the truck when I covered a run (this was in my final management days.) I carried a basic tool box, and had a well used flat head screwdriver sized for what I needed. Put the blade under the gasket on the safety window at the bottom of the passenger door, and pop the glass out. I could then reach the door handle from the opening.

Went I went back to driving full time, I kept three sets of keys for the Peterbilt. One in the ignition, one on a master ring, and another with a spare car key in the opposite pocket. I accidently locked the driver's door more than a few times in 1.3 million miles, but I never had to do a break in, thanks to the two extra keys.