Disable Lock Button ????

Hey Bob. Can't you explain to her that the button is a lock, and not an unlock button?

That's seems like a more simple solution that tearing into your electronics.

... Brad

 

Bob,

You know it's only a matter of time until she relearns the new habit of only ...griping the door handle.

I'd just tell my wife, to never press the black button unless she wants to be locked out. They learn quick.

Besides, what vehicle did you have that had a black unlock button?


ZC1

 

Thumbectomy?
Oddly, my wife has a similar problem with our Sony CyberShot underwater digital camera. Her finger just HAS to point itself in front of the lens...great pictures of her finger....she knows the problem, but just can't stop that darn finger.

 

Rather than retraining a wife, it might be easier to turn the SKS off. You could then train yourself to take the fob out of your pocket and use the fob buttons to unlock and insert it in the dash to operate the car.

To turn SKS off use the button at the bottom of the dash below the steering wheel.

As an alternate, take her fob away from her. The lock button will not work without the fob being present at that door.

 

.
This one made me LOL. I can picture that happening. 2 months huh?

Just a thought, your dealer may have a tool (something like a scan or plug in tool - can't remember) that can deprogram the button.

Curious, what car did she used to press a little black button to unlock the car?
.

 

Could you see if you could get a non-SKS fob for your wife? She'd then have to plug in the remote to the dash to drive the thing and push the buttons on the fob to unlock the doors, but if she's reverting to a time when the doors had little buttons on them, she's probably not going to mind this little inconvenience from the previous century. If I remember correctly, the non-SKS fobs are less expensive and, even more important, there's a little dance that you can do yourself to program it to your car (there was a recent post on here detailing the instructions).

However, that said, I am not sure if it is possible to program a non-SKS fob in this way to work with an SKS car. Someone else would have to confirm that. . .

 

Simple, cheap solution: cover passenger side button with small piece of electrical tape. It will still work, but wife (probably) won't be tempted to press it.

 

Try taping a thumbtack to the button with the point out. That will discourage her from pressing it. This was a suggestion from my wife!!

Buck

 

Would it be simpler all round if both of you went to the car, you demontrate the proper way to open the door, and then have her do it your way eight times (best learning curve) and then have her do it her way once. Don't yell, don't laugh -- unless she starts giggling.

 

Hi Bob,

Maybe a variation/combination of what SteveO and Buckland suggested?

That is, use electrical or other tape to tape a small pebble, piece of foam or rolled up wad of paper onto the lock button, so that it ends up like a much more pronounced version of the raised bump on the F & J keys of the QWERTY keyboard. I haven't gone out and experimented with this yet, but I think depending on the materials used, this could actually stop operation of the lock button, or clearly signal to her that it's not to be pushed.

 

Okay, I have another idea.

This might work.

Find at your local Toyota dealer and paint the rubber button with matching red touchup paint.

It won't harm the button, won't look ghastly, won't protrude, won't be messy or ugly and should work fine and can be removed later.

(It's not the button that makes her push, my guess it's the blackness)

ZC1

 

Perhaps you could make her wear mittens without thumbs - it's probably a lot less expensive and messy than the proposed thumbectomy.

Sometimes when I try to open my Prius, I have my hand too close to the button resulting in it being pressed while I pull the handle and the door won't open.

 

Well, if the thumbectomy is out, maybe she could open the passenger door with her left hand.

 

If the change in color from the tape is not enough, you could fabricate a cover and temporarily tape it in place. I'm thinking a popsicle stick (or some other material you have around the house) could be used to quickly make a button guard. With this taped in place the button can't be pressed and it's easily removed once she gets used to not pressing the button.