Never Mind Technology, Sometimes An Owner's Worst Enemy Is Themselves.

Kinja'd!!! "McMike" (mcmike)
12/18/2014 at 09:12 • Filed to: None

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A New Zealand couple in their 60s !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for 13 hours because they got in without the fob are stupid.

What kind of car was it? It was a Mazda 3 Hatchback.

I'm not sure how the fob works with this car, or if it's truly key-less. All I know is that I think I could have probably figured this out before 13 hours had come and gone.

Could someone explain how this system could have possibly confused the shit out this poor couple for 13 hours?

Thirteen. Hours.

The pair were stuck after a series of ''Murphy's Law'' events, including leaving the car's manual in the house, leaving the transponder outside the car and a combination of stress, night-time, and what they called a lack of information from a car salesperson.

After becoming trapped about 7pm on November 5, their attempts to escape included sounding the horn and trying to smash a window with a car jack.

Mrs Smith said it was Guy Fawkes night, and no-one would have noticed the horn due to fireworks.

When they were freed by neighbors about 7.45am the next day, she was unconscious and her husband was struggling to breathe.

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There have been stories of people being locked in Corvettes before. Since the doors can not be !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , or the electronic !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! won't work with a dead battery. Somehow, I have a little sympathy for them, since no one ever thought there would be a need for a hidden emergency release.

Oppo, what kind of mistakes would you expect a new-to-keyless-entry owner to make?


DISCUSSION (37)


Kinja'd!!! CalzoneGolem > McMike
12/18/2014 at 09:16

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Wait ... wouldn't the door open ... if you pulled on the handle from the inside? Like every car I've ever been in.


Kinja'd!!! Alfalfa > McMike
12/18/2014 at 09:17

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Lack of information from a car salesperson?

Are they supposed to teach you which pedal makes it go, too?


Kinja'd!!! 505Turbeaux > McMike
12/18/2014 at 09:18

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url has a few extra characters at the end, replace with http://www.odt.co.nz/regions/centra…


Kinja'd!!! Sn210 > McMike
12/18/2014 at 09:18

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Lack of information from the sales person?!?!

"Oh before I forget, let me show you how to open the door. No sir, that's the steering wheel."


Kinja'd!!! spanfucker retire bitch > CalzoneGolem
12/18/2014 at 09:23

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As an owner of a Mazda3, yes, that is precisely how it works.


Kinja'd!!! McMike > 505Turbeaux
12/18/2014 at 09:23

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Fixed http://www.odt.co.nz/regions/centra…

Thanks!


Kinja'd!!! McMike > McMike
12/18/2014 at 09:23

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Toumb! Toumb!


Kinja'd!!! Leon711 > McMike
12/18/2014 at 09:24

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Illuminati (photoshop it, you know you want to)


Kinja'd!!! CalzoneGolem > spanfucker retire bitch
12/18/2014 at 09:24

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I need a drink. A large one.


Kinja'd!!! RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > CalzoneGolem
12/18/2014 at 09:25

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Some cars, no... but the lock lever is *right there*.


Kinja'd!!! CalzoneGolem > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
12/18/2014 at 09:27

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It makes not being able to find the release under the seat in the 'Vette seem completely excusable.


Kinja'd!!! Two Drink Minimum > McMike
12/18/2014 at 09:29

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Aaaand... now you know why airlines have to show passengers how to buckle their damn seatbelts. People can be breathtakingly stupid.


Kinja'd!!! jariten1781 > McMike
12/18/2014 at 09:31

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Absolutely the only way I can reasonable see this happening:

Checking out their new car they decided to plop down in the back seats to see what it's like. Child safety locks were on at delivery. They were old enough that they didn't have the agility/dexterity to reach the front release.

They needed to level up their stats.


Kinja'd!!! Meatcoma > McMike
12/18/2014 at 09:43

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The Juke is almost identical to that, took me about 5 seconds to figure out how to unlock the doors.

The Camaro will unlock the doors if you pull the handle twice or hit the unlock button that is in the middle of the dash.


Kinja'd!!! Rico > McMike
12/18/2014 at 09:44

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Kinja'd!!! Meatcoma > CalzoneGolem
12/18/2014 at 09:44

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My Camaro won't open the first pull but does the second, my wife's juke will not no matter how many times you pull the handle if it's locked.


Kinja'd!!! CalzoneGolem > Meatcoma
12/18/2014 at 09:45

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TIL


Kinja'd!!! Dubblewhopper > McMike
12/18/2014 at 09:46

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The question is, what were they doing in the car without the keyfob in the first place? I think he was teaching her to drive stick? Or reenacting a scene from the movie Parenthood.


Kinja'd!!! Meatcoma > CalzoneGolem
12/18/2014 at 09:50

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When I read that, I thought about how many times I've sat in a car lot Vette and shut the door. I'm a bit worried bout that now.


Kinja'd!!! McMike > Dubblewhopper
12/18/2014 at 09:54

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Who knows..... Maybe he thought she had the fob? Maybe she thought he had the fob?


Kinja'd!!! CalzoneGolem > Meatcoma
12/18/2014 at 09:55

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Just don't do it when the lot is closed.


Kinja'd!!! Dubblewhopper > McMike
12/18/2014 at 09:56

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It is an odd scenario nonetheless. Teleportation tech cannot get here fast enough.


Kinja'd!!! Cé hé sin > Dubblewhopper
12/18/2014 at 09:57

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It was in New Zealand so they would already know how to drive manuals.


Kinja'd!!! Meatcoma > CalzoneGolem
12/18/2014 at 10:04

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That's the only time I shop for cars though.


Kinja'd!!! The Transporter > CalzoneGolem
12/18/2014 at 10:04

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Nissan is particularly bad about this, but all car manufacturers are starting to make it difficult to get out of the car by doing the most instinctive thing possible: pulling on the door handle. If the door is locked in a new Nissan, it will not automatically unlock just by pulling on the handle. You have to unlock the door first, and if the car is new to you it can be difficult to figure out how to do that. The locking mechanism on the door itself can be camouflaged, especially when locked, and the central locking button can be in some very illogical places, especially on Chevys. I myself have been locked in cars before...for about 13 seconds, though I can see how an absolute imbecile could be locked in one for over half a day.


Kinja'd!!! CalzoneGolem > The Transporter
12/18/2014 at 10:26

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Yeah in the worst case scenario there has to be a visible release mechanism in the trunk by law.


Kinja'd!!! CalzoneGolem > Meatcoma
12/18/2014 at 10:27

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Carry a brick.


Kinja'd!!! Meatcoma > CalzoneGolem
12/18/2014 at 10:29

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hahaha


Kinja'd!!! Agrajag > McMike
12/18/2014 at 11:17

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Must be related.


Kinja'd!!! The Transporter > CalzoneGolem
12/18/2014 at 11:42

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But they don't say that you have to be able to get to the trunk from the inside of the car. Many cars have release mechanisms for the back seats only in the trunk. The problem then becomes recursive. The solution: brown, diesel, station wagon Miatas!


Kinja'd!!! CalzoneGolem > The Transporter
12/18/2014 at 11:43

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I don't want a brown, diesel, station wagon Miata.


Kinja'd!!! The Transporter > CalzoneGolem
12/18/2014 at 11:49

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Then prepare to be trapped in your car FOREVER!


Kinja'd!!! CalzoneGolem > The Transporter
12/18/2014 at 11:51

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Awesome!


Kinja'd!!! Gizmo - The Only Good Gremlin, but don't feed me after Midnight > McMike
12/18/2014 at 14:01

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This is exactly why I give a preflight brief to anyone getting into my car for the first time. I show them the way to get out normally and have them practice the emergency ejection handle. Also whenever my gal and I go on a roadtrip, I ensure we both have working fobs.


Kinja'd!!! Hooneriphic > McMike
12/18/2014 at 14:53

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I've got one for you. My stepfather just bought a TDI Passat. He's had it for 3 weeks and was complaining that the thing wouldn't start in the morning. I asked him if he knew what glowplugs were, to which he responded no. It's his first diesel.

Long story short, with a keyless system, it's slightly tricky to know when to start the car. The manual wasn't much help either, at least not from what I saw. Basically, you have to press the start button without touching the brake pedal. Once the glowplug light goes out, you press the start button again. Pretty simple but when the dealer drills into your head that you must have the brake pedal depressed in order to start the car, I gave my stepdad a pass. We live in PA and cold weather is not exactly uncommon. I was a little bummed that the salesperson didn't mention this. Seems like need-to-know info for our region.


Kinja'd!!! Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > McMike
12/18/2014 at 16:12

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I'm going to need anyone here with a similar model, or anyone willing to spend extended time at a Mazda dealership, to try and prove the validity of this (if it's even remotely possible for you to act this stupid and ignore the door handle and lock). I just don't see this as humanly possible.


Kinja'd!!! Wacko > McMike
12/19/2014 at 16:47

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Was their last car a Toyota??