1998 C2 Help with car locking itself

[simonkay1]

I am having trouble with my 98' C2 locking itself when left unattended for a week or longer.

 

When I store the car in the garage, the drivers side is nearest the wall and I leave it unlocked, then exit the car out the passenger side. I do not touch the fob after this so I know it is not an accidental thing where I lock it after parking it

 

When I returned to the car over a week later, it had locked itself and because of the time it was left, the key fob would not open it (I know this is a feature of these cars). As the car was near the garage wall, I could not open the drivers side with a key and there is no key slot in the passenger door. Fortunately, with some help, I managed to pull the car out enough to get to the drivers door. 

 

However, I want to leave the car unlocked and feel I cannot as I do not know why the car locks itself. I have searched in the drivers manual and even asked at my local main dealer thinking it might be a dealer activated feature, but they did not know anything other than what we already know, that the key fob does not work after an extended period where it is not used.

 

I leave the car in the garage with the front lid up and a trickle charger attached, could this be anything to do with it?

 

any help would be appreciated.

 

[judgejon]

My memory is the car will attempt to lock itself. Leaving front up could trigger alarm.  Also, after about a week locked, door will only open with key, and alarm will go off.  Why don’t you back car into garage?  Also, get a trickle charger that plugs into cigarette lighter, leaving window slightly open for cord to go through.  Lighter is not switched, and saves you trouble of connecting charger to battery.  Good luck. 

[Loren]

18 minutes ago, judgejon said:

My memory is the car will attempt to lock itself. Leaving front up could trigger alarm.  Also, after about a week locked, door will only open with key, and alarm will go off.  Why don’t you back car into garage?  Also, get a trickle charger that plugs into cigarette lighter, leaving window slightly open for cord to go through.  Lighter is not switched, and saves you trouble of connecting charger to battery.  Good luck. 

 

Excellent advice!

[simonkay1]

32 minutes ago, judgejon said:

My memory is the car will attempt to lock itself. Leaving front up could trigger alarm.  Also, after about a week locked, door will only open with key, and alarm will go off.  Why don’t you back car into garage?  Also, get a trickle charger that plugs into cigarette lighter, leaving window slightly open for cord to go through.  Lighter is not switched, and saves you trouble of connecting charger to battery.  Good luck. 

Thank you Judgejohn, I live in the UK and the garage is very small and a tight fit so need to get the car as close as possible to the wall, so that I can open the other door as wide as possible without taking paint off the car door on the opposite wall when getting out. Although I consider myself a good driver, I would be worried that I may damage the paintwork reversing in as it really does need to be close!!.

 

Is there a way of disabling this self locking function? 

[judgejon]

Greetings Simon. 
i don’t think the self locking can be disabled.  Others might have better information. 
Where are you in the UK?  I was at Merton College at Oxford.  We miss riding the bus into London and taking the tube everywhere. 
Cheers, j

[judgejon]

But mostly we miss the Oxford environs. 

[DBJoe996]

I have never heard of a feature where the car self locks.  Of course you already know that after 5 days the immobilizer stops listening for the key fob to conserve battery power. Then you have to unlock the car with the key if it is locked.   I leave my car unlocked for days and weeks and it never self locks.  Something is up with this and I don't know what.

Edited February 1, 2021 by DBJoe996

[JFP in PA]

1 hour ago, DBJoe996 said:

I have never heard of a feature where the car self locks.  Of course you already know that after 5 days the immobilizer stops listening for the key fob to conserve battery power. Then you have to unlock the car with the key if it is locked.   I leave my car unlocked for days and weeks and it never self locks.  Something is up with this and I don't know what.

 Sorry, but some do exactly that.  You can test a given model by locking the car and arming the security system.  Wait about five min. and unlock the door with key fob, but don't touch anything.  If it has the feature, it will relock the car and arm the security system all by itself after a few min. have passed.

[simonkay1]

11 minutes ago, JFP in PA said:

 Sorry, but some do exactly that.  You can test a given model by locking the car and arming the security system.  Wait about five min. and unlock the door with key fob, but don't touch anything.  If it has the feature, it will relock the car and arm the security system all by itself after a few min. have passed.

I guess I have one of these then ☹️ Just wish there was a way to disarm it.

[simonkay1]

3 hours ago, judgejon said:

Greetings Simon. 
i don’t think the self locking can be disabled.  Others might have better information. 
Where are you in the UK?  I was at Merton College at Oxford.  We miss riding the bus into London and taking the tube everywhere. 
Cheers, j

Hi, I am in Northampton which is only about 30 minutes from Oxford now that the old A43 Trunk road has been upgraded (On the old road, It used to take up to 1.5 hours). Oxford is a great place and is still one of my favourite places to walk around, so much history, so much charm and so many places to just sit and have a coffee and soak up the atmosphere, so I fully understand your affection for it. Where are you based, are you in the States? we spend a lot of time road tripping over there.

[judgejon]

In the US, Northern California coast.

cheers,