Am I missing something? Warming up the car outside while keeping it locked...

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by Rhino

I am thinking about the person who do not have remote start. Who starts the engine and locks the door with a physical key.

Couldn't someone open the window with a brick, get in, and drive away?
<snip>

Yes. They could also hit you with the brick on your way to the car.

Tom

[Rhino]

Originally Posted by qbee42

Yes. They could also hit you with the brick on your way to the car.

Tom

Tom,

You are, of course, correct but it is unlikely.

The guy/gal can just hit you with a brick although that is generally not the preferred way to rob. Criminals prefer overwhelming advantages - like a knife, a bat, or a gun. There are very few "brick" criminals because the outcome is far from certain.

Moreover, the population of people who would commit a non-violent crime is a lot bigger than the population of people who would commit a violent (assault) crime. Therefore, the two probability are not equal. The probably of a brick through a window is much higher than a brick towards a person.

And, if an assault were to occur, there would be the risk that the victim can identify the perpetrator. Therefore, assaulting someone is inherently risky and will cause the police to come looking for the criminal. You may have to kill the victim. A property crime is generally given lower priority by the police vs. assault or murder.

A brick can be easily procured in many neighborhoods either through urban decay or as part of a well manicured front lawn (as part of landscaping). And, if one were to commit grand theft auto, a brick is highly advisable since it would hardly prolong the sentence. As long as you are stealing a 20K car, breaking a $500 window does not really elevate the severity of the punishment.

I was only trying to address the original poster's concern about locking up the car while warming up. Obviously, he/she is concerned with crime and he/she thinks there are criminals lurking about. If crime is not a concern, just warm up the car without locking it.

[Snowbell]

Originally Posted by Rhino

I was only trying to address the original poster's concern about locking up the car while warming up. Obviously, he/she is concerned with crime and he/she thinks there are criminals lurking about. If crime is not a concern, just warm up the car without locking it.

Rhino,

To tell you the truth, I'm not overly concerned with crime where I live, although I do live on a street now with a lot of traffic. I grew up never having to lock my car or my house. ...but times have changed over the years. Now, I keep the car locked 99% of the time. While the Prius is parked in a driveway at home (no garage), the driveway is short in length and I guess I'm now more consciously cautious. I don't expect anyone to throw a brick at the car and steal it, but keeping it locked while it's running and defrosting does give me a little better sense of security than just leaving it unlocked. ...And if it disappears one morning at least I can tell the insurance company that the car was locked in the driveway.

As for a remote start, I don't really have a need for one. It's easy enough for me to go outside, start the car, and come back a few minutes later.

...but thank you for your concern.

p.s. I'm a she. (not a he) ;0)

[Radiant]

This is a little off topic but similar in relence. Background: I drop the kido off at school and walk in with her in the winter (0 to -10 F weather). Neither one of us want to walk in that weather and since I go to work from the school I drive her.
My question is: are really short trips of a block or so bad for the car?
I think about leaving it running because I wonder if this is not a better choice as far as taking care of the care is concerned.
Thoughts?

[Joe166]

Originally Posted by Radiant

This is a little off topic but similar in relence. Background: I drop the kido off at school and walk in with her in the winter (0 to -10 F weather). Neither one of us want to walk in that weather and since I go to work from the school I drive her.
My question is: are really short trips of a block or so bad for the car?
I think about leaving it running because I wonder if this is not a better choice as far as taking care of the care is concerned.
Thoughts?

Since the ICE starts and stops so often, I bet that short trips matter far less than in most other cars. Absolutely no scientific basis for this opinion, just a gut feeling from my rather substantial gut.

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by Radiant

This is a little off topic but similar in relence. Background: I drop the kido off at school and walk in with her in the winter (0 to -10 F weather). Neither one of us want to walk in that weather and since I go to work from the school I drive her.
My question is: are really short trips of a block or so bad for the car?
I think about leaving it running because I wonder if this is not a better choice as far as taking care of the care is concerned.
Thoughts?

Shutting off the car isn't going to hurt it. Most of the heat will be retained, so it will still be fairly warm when you restart.

Real mileage nuts would probably keep the Prius running for a short stop, simply to avoid the restart cycle, but either way is fine for the car.

Tom

[Rhino]

Originally Posted by Radiant

This is a little off topic but similar in relence. Background: I drop the kido off at school and walk in with her in the winter (0 to -10 F weather). Neither one of us want to walk in that weather and since I go to work from the school I drive her.
My question is: are really short trips of a block or so bad for the car?
I think about leaving it running because I wonder if this is not a better choice as far as taking care of the care is concerned.
Thoughts?

Your insurance company will tell you never to leave a car running in a school parking lot. It could be stolen, especially by kids who have no good concept of the risk they are taking. Worse, if for whatever reason the kid hits somebody, you would be liable. It can be argued that leaving a running car in the schoolyard is like leaving a loaded gun in the school yard. A 12 year old kid is not that responsible for his actions. It is like entrapment. You leave a running car, the kid finds out and find it hard to resist, steps on the brake, shifts it into drive just like his daddy, and you are in one heck of a liability situation.

[RobH]

You can leave the car running with the doors locked. Just put it in Park, set the parking brake, exit the car, and use the mechanical key to lock the doors.

The engine will cycle on/off normally, and the heater/air conditioner will continue to operate. The smart key system, including the buttons on the remote, will not operate while the car is in Ready mode. The mechanical key works fine, and actually locks/unlocks all of the doors even with the car running. The car beeps three times when you exit it in Ready mode as a warning, but that's ok. For a short stop, it might even save some fuel since the car will not have to go through the startup cycle.

[Judgeless]

Originally Posted by RobH

You can leave the car running with the doors locked. Just put it in Park, set the parking brake, exit the car, and use the mechanical key to lock the doors.

I agree. I do this all the time. But I do not set the park brake.

All you have to do is start the car. Get out of the car and manual lock the car with the key. You have to turn the key twice so all the doors lock. Turning it once only locks the driver door.

Originally Posted by F8L

Try turning off the SKS feature by pushing the little black button on the lower dash then manually locking the door like you would a normal car?

This does not work in a GEN III. Please stop posting solutions from older Prius models in a GEN III forum. If you are going to post please disclose that this worked on a GEN II it might work on a GEN III.