Font ResizeQ I read your column as I do every day and was I surprised at a recent subject -- drivers whose keys can open and start other vehicles. This happened to me just the other night.
Sunnie Simmons
San Jose
A Tell me more. I received dozen of emails, calls, letters, etc., from drivers who have experienced this. Most involved incidents many years ago, but not all.
Q I was leaving a square dance at Murphy Park in Sunnyvale and headed toward my car, a 2003 Toyota Camry. The park is quite dark and my car was near a large willow. I hit the remote and the car's lights came on and I opened the door and got in.
Something seemed amiss. The dash lighting seemed a different color and the seat was not in the position I left it in. Strange! I got out of the car and checked the license plate. Not mine. My car was parked two spaces away. As I walked toward my car I saw a young man approaching me across the park and I asked if this was his car. Sure enough it was. Not being a car thief I apologized and told him my remote had opened his car. A bit embarrassing but everyone was able to drive home in their own vehicle. A first time experience for me.
Sunnie Simmons
A And for others.
Q Gary, I have enjoyed the various stories of capricious car keys. I think I have one
I drove the car to Kerman, observed the sale and returned it to the lot, though nowhere near the same spot. I asked my employee, a burly 6-foot-6 young man, why he had a stupid ceramic frog on the dashboard. He said he didn't. I took him out to the lot and said, "See there is a frog on the dashboard." He told me that wasn't the car assigned to him and pointed to his, another blue Ford Fairmont.
I always wondered what went through the mind of the employee who came out and found his car in a different location.
Jerry Kinkade
Morgan Hill
A He was probably relieved the frog was still there.
Q One Christmas Eve, my dad offered to move my brother's rental car off the street before the snowplows came around. My brother threw him the keys and told him it was "the blue car." Dad was gone quite a while but eventually came back, muttering that he had a hard time getting the car to start but it was OK now. That was about 6 p.m.
About midnight there was a bang, bang, bang on the door and there stood a police officer with a short little Scotsman hopping up and down behind him. When we asked what was wrong, he informed us they had found a stolen car in our driveway. My brother, who by then had a fair bit to drink, blurted out: "Gee, Dad, you didn't hide the car very well." At that point we all figured out he had managed to move the wrong car, and we broke out into hysterical laughter. The police officer didn't think it was a laughing matter -- which set us off even more, because to us it really was very funny.
The Scotsman had reported his car missing several hours before and they had been looking for it in the freezing cold. Not only that, but he was recovering from a heart attack, and this was not funny at all to him. By then we could barely control ourselves, but my brother, not wanting the little man to have another heart attack, invited them both in so we could talk about it. It turned out my brother had rented an American car and the Scotsman's car was a Toyota. But it was blue, and that was all my dad needed to know.
He managed to unlock it and get it started and move it with the wrong set of keys. A couple of drinks later, they were convinced we were telling the truth. But we still laugh about "my father, the car thief."
Lynne Mercer
Newark
A You have me laughing.
Q Wrong car? Or exactly the right car, Gary! A favorite game of mine for the past 30 years of marriage has been to purposely park near a car that looks like ours. Upon exiting stores with my wife I will keep her distracted in conversation and open the passenger door of the look-alike car for her to sit down in. I then go to our car, often within sight, and sit in the driver's seat. The look of puzzlement followed by mild horror on my quite modest wife's face as she puts together what I've just done is priceless. Yes, I said 30 years and she's still keeping me.
Rich D'Arcey
Felton
A She is one patient woman. Tomorrow, Alex-the-Auto-Man explains this phenomenon.
Look for Gary at www.facebook.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@mercurynews.com or 408-920-5335.
