[Snow King]

So this is my personal story and experience when I locked my keys in the trunk of my car in a parking garage. Normally I always have keys in my pants pocket, but for some reason that day they were bothering me at work so I put them in by briefcase zipper pocket.

I have a 2007 335i e93 vert with comfort access (CA), OEM alarm, and cold weather package ski pass-through. My factory warranty has expired but I do have the extended warranty until 2014, all details that will come in handy later...

So I get to my car, pop the trunk open and place my briefcase in there. Having CA, I have been conditioned to never use the keys to actually open/lock my car. So since my briefcase was right next to me, I just pop the trunk and place it in there like I do everyday, I close the trunk and swing around to the driver door. I attempt to open the car door nothing happens, I try again. At this point I realize that my keys are in my trunk

Luckily I had my extended warranty card in my wallet. I call the number and finally when I get to a person they look up my details and they said they cannot remotely unlock my car since my BMW Assist membership has expired with the OEM warranty. I can go to a dealership to get it re-enabled and re-subscribe, but right now they cannot remotely unlock! But they were able to dispatch a local tow service guy that may be able to help me out.

So the tow truck guy, lets call him bobby arrives, this is our exchange:

Bobby: So what kind of car do you have and what's the issue?
Me: BMW 335i, keys locked in the trunk.
Bobby: Umm... do you have a spare key? We can give it a try it's unlikely we'll be able to retrieve your keys. But lets take a look.
Me: My commute is at least an hour during rush hour, if you can open the car door, I just just pop the trunk, right?
Bobby: No...

So we go to the car and he does his thing and gets the passenger side door open in a couple minutes. The alarm instantly goes off:

Me: Can you turn the alarm off?
Bobby: Sorry there is no way for me to do that
Me: I'm not able to pop the trunk open...
Bobby: Yes these cars have incredible security. It is designed so that if somebody breaks into your car, they cannot steal anything out of your trunk. As far as the car is concerned, you are a thief!
Me: So what are my options?
Bobby: Well you can rent a car, bring back the spare key tomorrow or have it towed to a dealership. If you can't get into your trunk from the inside, there are no other options.

At this point I realized that I have the pass-through. I had the ski sleeve installed so I couldn't see the trunk, but I was able to slip my hand in there. Luckily, I had my briefcase all the way in the back of the trunk, so I was able to find the pocket, unzip and pull out my keys.

Unlocked the car door with the keys and all was well. It's one thing to lock your keys in your car interior, another thing to lock them in your trunk. Hopefully my painful experience will prevent this happening to someone else.

[AndyR83]

I have come extremely close to doing this several times. Damn, I'm glad I didn't actually ever do it!

[Castle]

Yes, I hear you. Sometimes those "features" are really a PIA. Like when you're battery is dead and you just can't do anything without power. It happened to me once when my serpentine belt snapped and found myself stranded in the middle of nowhere. Couldn't open the trunk, couldn't unlock the shift lever, couldn't unlock the steering wheel...and so on...

[D_o_S]

Wait, what? You have comfort access and the car locked itself?

This is rather weird, as everytime I try to do something like this, the car realizes the keys are still inside the car and wont lock...

[White D]

Originally Posted by D_o_S

Wait, what? You have comfort access and the car locked itself?

This is rather weird, as everytime I try to do something like this, the car realizes the keys are still inside the car and wont lock...

No,
The car was already locked, he just opened the trunk without unlocking the doors. Then closed the trunk.

[KeepitClassy]

Thanks for sharing the story. Glad it turned out well.

[Snow King]

Originally Posted by Castle

Yes, I hear you. Sometimes those "features" are really a PIA. Like when you're battery is dead and you just can't do anything without power. It happened to me once when my serpentine belt snapped and found myself stranded in the middle of nowhere. Couldn't open the trunk, couldn't unlock the shift lever, couldn't unlock the steering wheel...and so on...

Just curious, did you end up having to get your car towed in that situation?

[Snow King]

Originally Posted by D_o_S

Wait, what? You have comfort access and the car locked itself?

This is rather weird, as everytime I try to do something like this, the car realizes the keys are still inside the car and wont lock...

I think this is true for the 2 or 4 passenger doors, but not the trunk. Not sure if that is by design of flaw...

[Yvette]

weird
i have ca and if i close my trunk with key being in there, the trunk wont close
maybe its convertible thing

[yarviinn]

Wear a necklace with your key fob on it. Problem solved.

[aquajon]

If the trunk will unlock reading the CA key from your pocket, I would think it would then also unlock reading the key from a briefcase inside the trunk. You did try to re-open the trunk normally right????

Anyway, this is why I don't mind giving BMW Assist the $199/year.

[alexwhittemore]

Originally Posted by aquajon

If the trunk will unlock reading the CA key from your pocket, I would think it would then also unlock reading the key from a briefcase inside the trunk.

Kind of yes kind of no. The antennas are all highly directional so that everywhere outside the car is covered by one zone. Everywhere INSIDE the car is also covered, by separate also-directional antennas. The idea is this. If you have two keys, only one of them "works" at a time. Key A is in your pocket. You use it to start the car, drive to a place, then walk away. If key B is still in the car, CA knows not to use it to unlock the car.

However, there's a third zone specifically covering the trunk. CA should always know that you've accidentally put a key in the trunk, and refuse to lock it. Which leads us to...

You did try to re-open the trunk normally right????

Theoretically, the trunk never should have locket after putting the key in.


Edit: This may be revealing:

Originally Posted by E90%20General%20Vehicle%20Electrical

Special Comfort Access Functions
The Comfort Access System additionally features special functions that are determined by the actions of the vehicle user such as:
ID Transmitters Remain in Vehicle
If an ID transmitter remains in the vehicle interior, by checking via the interior antennas, the car access system 2 recognizes whether there is a valid identification transmitter in the vehicle interior.
If a valid identification transmitter is detected in the vehicle interior and the vehicle is locked by means of another valid identification transmitter, the identification transmitter located in the vehicle interior is set to "invalid".
For the Comfort Access System, this identification transmitter is considered as no longer belonging to the vehicle until the vehicle is unlocked again.
ID Transmitter Remains in Trunk
If an ID transmitter is in luggage compartment, upon closing the trunk lid, it is immediately opened (automatically).
If there is an identification transmitter in the luggage compartment of the locked vehicle with the trunk lid open. An audible and visual signal draws the customer's attention to the fact that the identification transmitter has been left in the luggage compartment.
On request from the CAS2, the Comfort Access control module starts the check via the interior antennas. The valid identification transmitter in the luggage compartment is rec- ognized via the luggage compartment antenna. Consequently, the CAS2 does not issue the enable signal to lock the trunk lid.
The trunk lid cannot be closed before the ID transmitter has been removed and is located outside the luggage compartment.
Note: An ID transmitter can be locked in the truck if a second valid ID transmit- ter is identified as being on the exterior of the vehicle within the radius of the bumper antenna or if the valet function is active.

There's always the possibility that, somehow, given the orientation of the key within your briefcase, your laptop or something was blocking the key enough that the trunk antenna didn't pick it up. Seems unlikely though.

[Revlis]

Originally Posted by D_o_S

Wait, what? You have comfort access and the car locked itself?

This is rather weird, as everytime I try to do something like this, the car realizes the keys are still inside the car and wont lock...

Yeah, and the trunk "pops" back open... At least it used to 2007 E92, I even tried it just to see. Car is locked, drop my key in the trunk and close... wait a few second and "ktunk" trunk lid pops back open.

Maybe it's an E93 thing????

[Dark_Knight_335]

Ha ha sorry that happened to you brother, but I'm glad it worked out

I came close to doing this about a month ago when I finally realized at the 11th second the trunk was closing and caught the trunk lip just before it shut- saving myself a ton of aggravation.

I swear this is a "feature" isolated exclusively to our E93s dude...

[VTECaddict]

In theory, CA should have detected the key and reopened the trunk. In theory. But, as with all electronic things, it's never 100%. Something could have blocked the signal between the key and the receiver or just some random electronic glitch.

[roadkillrob]

Originally Posted by Revlis

Yeah, and the trunk "pops" back open... At least it used to 2007 E92, I even tried it just to see. Car is locked, drop my key in the trunk and close... wait a few second and "ktunk" trunk lid pops back open.

Maybe it's an E93 thing????

I have tested it on my E93, throw my key in there and close the trunk with the car locked and it will just pop the trunk open about a second later - not sure why yours didn't do that, maybe something about being in the briefcase that it didn't see it or battery is too low??

[Efthreeoh]

My sales person made it a huge point when I took delivery of my car in May 2006 to "ALWAYS UNLOCK THE CAR FIRST BEFORE YOU OPEN THE TRUNK TO PUT SOMETHING IN IT". He said "If you don't unlock the car first, you will eventually lock the key in the trunk." To this day I've followed his advice. I don't have CA BTW.

[SanquintinB]

Damn that blows. In my mothers 07 Maxima, when you leave the keys inside and close the doors while they're locked, the car freaks out. It lets out a shrill and the drivers door and trunk pop open for you to retrieve your keys. It even bypasses the manual trunk lock.

[Datsik]

Originally Posted by yarviinn

Wear a necklace with your key fob on it. Problem solved.

Thats some Life Alert shit.

[Dark_Knight_335]

Originally Posted by Datsik 335

Thats some Life Alert shit.

Help me- I'm locked out and I can't get in!!

[PichaDis11]

Curious how the heck the bobby unlocked your car for you though.. I'm thinking heck, your locked out Wth is he going to do? How did he do it?

P.S. I have locked the trunk with my keys in last October. Stranded at the from entrance of an Atlanta hospital at 3:00Am is not the best place or time to do this. Plus with phone inside car. Lol didn't have BMW Assist or such. To this day I am So glad my cousin could drive out to me in an hour with my spare. Now I kind of always have my plastic key with me in case this happens again.

[Mpy18]

Better than anything in this thread is buying a key holder like I did, after I locked my keys in my old cars trunk. Small black box with a slide cover, with a really really strong magnet on the back. Stick it on anywhere there is metal under the car, throw a spare key in there, and never worry again.

Seems I locked my keys away more often when I had that spare under the car.