Community Forums

Cat320 · 05-19-2017, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sue46

...We keep a spare car key in the MH and a spare MH key in the car...

Same here. We also keep an extra set of MH keys in a magnet hidden under the coach...if we get locked out of both. Once inside the MH we keep extra keys for everything.

Podivin · 05-19-2017, 02:15 PM

I've got a lock box much like what a realtor uses on a house that's for sale.
It's a combination lock, not a keyed lock - locked to the frame that holds the propane in place.
Inside that I have a full set of keys for the coach, not just a key that will get me in the door.

TheOldMan76 · 05-19-2017, 02:28 PM

Had to run into town (20 miles) for a couple of things today. Thought I'd exercise the TV (F350) since it hasn't been used much lately. Got in & started it up, and DW asked "how did you break the windshield"? Had just driven the truck to the local convenience store day before yesterday, and it wasn't broken then. Had been setting in the driveway, on our 10 acres, behind a closed gate.
First stop was insurance agent. Got a claim filed, and an appointment set up for a replacement, and went back to the truck to go shopping. DW - did you lock the truck? Nope, but left Frankie the mini doxie inside, and he likes to look out the window, and the door lock switch is on the armrest of the door - nuff said? And where are the spare set of keys? Hanging in the kitchen at home.
Went back in and had the girl call a locksmith. She advised me to pay him, bring her the receipt and she would file another claim for the bill. When I took her the bill, she said, "You know that's 2 claims in 1 day - but I'll try). Guess I'd better find a place to hide that key!

bobbelcher · 05-19-2017, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheOldMan76

Had to run into town (20 miles) for a couple of things today. Thought I'd exercise the TV (F350) since it hasn't been used much lately. Got in & started it up, and DW asked "how did you break the windshield"? Had just driven the truck to the local convenience store day before yesterday, and it wasn't broken then. Had been setting in the driveway, on our 10 acres, behind a closed gate.
First stop was insurance agent. Got a claim filed, and an appointment set up for a replacement, and went back to the truck to go shopping. DW - did you lock the truck? Nope, but left Frankie the mini doxie inside, and he likes to look out the window, and the door lock switch is on the armrest of the door - nuff said? And where are the spare set of keys? Hanging in the kitchen at home.
Went back in and had the girl call a locksmith. She advised me to pay him, bring her the receipt and she would file another claim for the bill. When I took her the bill, she said, "You know that's 2 claims in 1 day - but I'll try). Guess I'd better find a place to hide that key!

You filed a locksmith on your insurance?

budwilson · 05-19-2017, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JFXG

Lots of clever and sometimes expensive solutions to what shouldn't be a problem. I want to know why your door key wasn't in your pocket.

Starting your engine has nothing to do with gaining access to your vehicle. Separate the two. My car ignition key stays in the car, where it belongs. It has no possible function elsewhere. Likewise with my coach ignition key, gas cap key, storage bay key, etc. In the coach.

But every morning, through 50+ years of habit, my pants pockets receive wallet, cash, pocket knife, and a small key ring with the remote clicker for the car, the door key for the coach, and the key to my gun safe. These are access keys, not function keys, and they never leave my pocket without going right back in. Damned hard to lose!

Just trying to help someone not experience what I just went through. My door key was on the same ring as the ignition. Maybe, according to you, it shouldn't have been. With your way of thinking what would happen if you lost your pants? Guess you would have lost everything

dmurdock · 05-19-2017, 10:25 PM

Not sure if everyone is comfortable with this but I just took the lock/latch off one of my big sliding windows (as a backup to the backup key).

mrt_1111 · 05-19-2017, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmurdock

Not sure if everyone is comfortable with this but I just took the lock/latch off one of my big sliding windows (as a backup to the backup key).

I had that plan once. Purchase a key safe right after I had to use it.

dmurdock · 05-19-2017, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrt_1111

I had that plan once. Purchase a key safe right after I had to use it.

Yep it's a last resort..but I saw somebody's lock/latch mechanism break in a park once so the key didn't help. They had to break a window to crawl in and open the door from the inside!

TheOldMan76 · 05-20-2017, 04:34 AM

State Farm - if you have towing coverage, it will pay for lockout,

4x4van · 05-20-2017, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheOldMan76

State Farm - if you have towing coverage, it will pay for lockout,

Hmmm.... I've had State farm for 39 years; I don't believe that's true, unless it's an add on that I've never purchased.

As I said, I've had a spare key hidden under the front bumper of every vehicle I've ever (and currently) own. I've installed the same on every one of my kids' vehicles as well, and all are in the same general location so that no matter who's driving what, if they need it, they know where to find it.

However... True story: some years ago, my oldest daughter called me while I was at work. Said she locked herself out of her car and the spare key was nowhere to be found. Since I had never, in decades, had one of my spare keys "fall off", I told her to look again, and told her exactly where it was. She again insisted it wasn't there.

Now she was 60 miles away, the opposite direction of my normal route (from work to home), and it was not yet quitting time for me. That meant that I would have to take off work early and drive INTO Los Angeles traffic to help her (we didn't have AAA at the time) right in the middle of rush hour, turning my normal 30 minute drive home into a 3+ hour grind. I told her I was going to be really ticked off if I showed up and the key was there. Again, she insisted it was gone.

So I drove into LA, parked in front of her, got out, walked up to the front of her car, reached under the front end... And immediately grabbed the spare key and handed it to her!

I was not a happy camper. Since then, I have made sure that wife and kids ALL know exactly where the spare keys are on all vehicles; they have reached under and felt every one of them.

PanJH · 05-20-2017, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmurdock

Yep it's a last resort..but I saw somebody's lock/latch mechanism break in a park once so the key didn't help. They had to break a window to crawl in and open the door from the inside!

Yep- that's why I leave a window unlocked when we are on the road.

Spk64 · 05-20-2017, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PanJH

Yep- that's why I leave a window unlocked when we are on the road.

That is part of our solution also. I have a spare for the dead bolt hidden, but no spare for the other lock we do not use intentionally. I have also heard of doors getting stuck when the screen door interferes with the handle.

4x4van · 05-20-2017, 01:16 PM

On my rig, the single key that I have hidden in the LPG compartment unlocks the house door and the driver door. If one breaks, I can enter thru the other.

CharlesinGA · 05-20-2017, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr-kolby

We have a spare key with a larger hole drilled through the key ring hole, it is mounted under our license plate using the plate mounting screw / bolt. Easy enough to get to in a pinch, and undetectable to the naked eye.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Txice

Every vehicle we own has a spare key Gorilla Taped to the back of the license plate. Just takes a dime to unscrew the plate. No tools needed.

Great ideas, but I use security screws to retain the plates (and the MH has four screws holding the tag), might be difficult to find a security bit for those screws on the road.

Charles