Posted on 09/04/2012 6:39:05 PM PDT by rawhide
The temperature inside your car can get insanely hot on sunny days, regardless of the temperature outside. When you get to your car and it's boiling hot, what's the first thing you do? You lower the windows and blast the air conditioner, right?
A convenient feature that's been around for years, but remains unknown to many car owners, is the ability to lower the windows with the key remote. This allows you to begin cooling your car without having to get in first. Unless the car dealership told you about this trick or you happen to read manuals for fun, you may have been unaware of this ages-old trick.
The trick usually involves pressing the remote's unlock button, releasing it, then pressing it again and holding it down. In some cars, instead of using the remote, you can insert your key in the door lock and turn it clockwise, release, then turn it clockwise again and hold. Turning the key counterclockwise will usually raise the windows back up. Some cars will also include the sunroof as a window in this operation, while some convertibles with automatic tops will shut.
Based on an internal CNET poll, we've confirmed that the trick works on various models from the following manufacturers:
Acura (MDX/TL/TSX)
Alfa Romeo (159)
Audi (A3/A4/A6/A7)
BMW (3 Series/5 Series/7 Series/M5/Z4)
Chevrolet (Corvette)
Chrysler (Sebring/Town & Country)
Dodge (Challenger/Charger/Durango/Journey/Ram)
Ford (C-Max/F-150/Focus/Fusion/Mondeo/S-Max/Taurus)
Honda (Accord/Accord Crosstour/Odyssey/Pilot/Ridgeline)
Infiniti (G25x/G35/G37/I30/I35/M35)
Jaguar (S Type/XJ8/XK8)
Lexus (ES300/GS350/RX300/RX350/RX400h)
Lincoln (LS/MKX/MKZ/Zephyr)
Mazda (6/CX-9/MX-5 Miata)
Mercedes-Benz(B180/C240/C300/CLK350/CLS550/E350/E500/ML550)
Mini Cooper (Clubman)
Nissan (350Z/Altima/Maxima/Murano/Titan)
Volkswagen (Beetle/Golf/Jetta/Passat)
Volvo (C30/V50)
(Excerpt) Read more at autos.yahoo.com ...
I feel like you “made me look, made me look”. I will report it doesn’t work on my Ford Escape Hybrid..although I did hear some squeaky noise coming from the rear of the vehicle when I held the unlock thingy on the remote down..
“when is it going to happen when a thunderstorm rolls through?”
I have already unknowingly rolled my windows down 3 times; Once for a snow storm and twice for heavy rains
What I want to know is how to disable this wacky idea of smart engineering.
Yeah sure - that's why they went bankrupt.
I knew about this trick. I found out by accident. As I approached my car. In pouring rain.
I knew about this trick. I found out by accident. As I approached my car. In pouring rain.
Actually only have to lower three windows as I leave the drivers side door open for even more airflow...
This use to provide endless low brow entertainment when I was college and owned a ‘84 Chrysler Laser Turbo with the voice module :)
I carry too many keys in my pocket and run into this problem too. And thunderstorms have rolled in after unknowingly triggering this feature.
I’ve been meaning to read the manual to disable the feature, but I can’t decide really. In many ways, it is a very nice feature, but those butt-dialling the windows events for my truck on a dark and stormy night is not so nice to discover the morning after :) So far the interior has not been converted to a pool, but it is still somewhat unnerving since here in NC, we have those gigantic orb weaving spiders. One of these days one is going to be in the middle of his web, in the middle of my truck!
They went bankrupt because of the Unions. Then somehow the Unions ended up with a large stake in the ownership of GM!
Go figure...
Even before GM went bankrupt, they were doing many things Russia did just to keep the lines rolling and the Union workers happy. Oversell into the dealer channel, excess production, etc.
And from what I read, they haven’t learned a single thing from that bankruptcy.
Maybe in round two (it will happen, eventually), they can shed the Union ties like they should have done this time, and fired all the mgt. who thought it was good to keep the line workers busy even when there wasn’t demand.
There’s how to videos on You Tube for several different types of battery replacement in remote keys. Worked with mine as I was worried about breaking plastic clips that I didn’t need to.
That would be AWESOME! All the ones I have ever seen take a couple of seconds to be lowered.
Not available on my 2011 CR-V
No workee on 2004 Toyota Tundra
2003 Toyota Camry -no
2006 Honda Civic - no
Worked on my 2007 Accord and 2008 Ridgeline.
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