I posted this initially in the '09 section.

Here's my Public Service Announcement:



Never place your keys on the plastic cowl cover (the black piece between the base of the windshield and the hood). Especially, avoid placing your keys near the depression in the cowl cover, close to the quarter panel. If you don't place the keys on the cowl cover, you're probably not needing this PSA.



I was rushing out to do an errand on Wednesday morning, placed my keys along with a bunch of papers on the cowl cover so I could run back into the house and pick up something I had forgotten. Let's just say it's not comforting to hear your keys sliding and ricocheting down the opening between the structural tube (framing the engine bay) and the driver's side front quarter panel. Luckily, I was at home, so I used the second set of keys to get where I wanted to be.



It took a computer with a webcam, a tethered flashlight, a 14 ga electrical wire with a hooked end and plenty of patience to fish the fallen keys out of a tight spot and back into my hands.



While I tried to fish the keys over a couple of days, I learned something else. You need 2 'master' keys to have the 3rd key (or replacement key) work. Without the 2 master keys, only your dealer can make another key work. Hint: get yourself a 3rd key, just in case something happens to one of the original keys. It's cheap compared to the dealer fees.



That's all. End of Public Service Announcement.

 

Sounds a good bit of advice - all of it.

One of the first things I did when I got my truck was to have a third PATs key cut and then I programmed it and tested it. It's now in a safe place, so if I lose one, I still have two.

I've never considered putting my keys on the cowl though. I've often thought, as I walked to my vehicle late at night, "What if I drop my keys down this grate in the sidewalk/parking garage?" Wonder how many people have done that?

- Jack

 

and don't do this either......

On my recent trip to Canada I rented a Ford Fusion to drive the Trans Canada Highway to Winnipeg where I picked up the train.

The Fusion was a surprisingly nice car to drive but just before I set out from Toronto it was very hot, so I reached inside the car and set the A/C to full.

I pushed the door almost closed but someone brushed against it and 'click', locked me out.
I tried for an hour with a variety of coat hanger type things but no way could I get in......bear in mind the car is running all this time.
I called the rental office to get the code for the external keypad....
"Oh, I'm sorry we dont keep those"

So they called out a locksmith.

After the period of time had elapsed that they quoted for him to arrive I called back....They had only misdialled and a locksmith from Tucson, Arizona was puzzling about why he was about to drive to Canada !!

Anyway a locksmith did eventually arrive and took about 20 seconds to get in with a small inflatable bag inserted in the door shut and then a specially shaped piece of wire.

I questioned why this feature was necessary to lock the doors....
"Oh its a safety feature"

Yeah right.....what if a small child had been in the car.

Needless to say the keys were never far from my person after that.

It wasn't just me though.....While camping in Kananaskas a young visitor arrived in a truck that was his pride and joy...and did exactly the same !!!