I opened another Tesla by mistake!

[Calliope]

Earlier today I was returning to my car from shopping, and I accidentally opened someone else's car! I was parked on the street; when I left, and there were 2 empty spaces behind me. My last stop was a bakery near my car, and I was not really paying attention when I went to what I thought was my car and pressed in the button to open the door (using my phone as a key). As I'm looking at my hand on the door handle, I see the side view mirror open and I realize the colour of the car and the wheels are different, and it's not my car! It was a Tesla M3. I pull my hand back, but realize the door opened, so I pull it open a bit and re-close it, then left a note on the windshield about what happened, with my phone number (since I'm sure I'm on the Security camera).

How did I open someone else's car? Interestingly, when I went in my car to write a note, I tried to use a voice command to open the glove box, and it wouldn't accept any voice command.....I'm not sure if that was related.

 

[jjrandorin]

Earlier today I was returning to my car from shopping, and I accidentally opened someone else's car! I was parked on the street; when I left, and there were 2 empty spaces behind me. My last stop was a bakery near my car, and I was not really paying attention when I went to what I thought was my car and pressed in the button to open the door (using my phone as a key). As I'm looking at my hand on the door handle, I see the side view mirror open and I realize the colour of the car and the wheels are different, and it's not my car! It was a Tesla M3. I pull my hand back, but realize the door opened, so I pull it open a bit and re-close it, then left a note on the windshield about what happened, with my phone number (since I'm sure I'm on the Security camera).

How did I open someone else's car? Interestingly, when I went in my car to write a note, I tried to use a voice command to open the glove box, and it wouldn't accept any voice command.....I'm not sure if that was related.

You are making a huge assumption here... and that assumption is that their car door was actually locked (because you think somehow that you opened their car with your phone key).

How do you know that their car door was locked?

Occams razor (the simplest answer is usually the correct one):

Their door was not locked, so there was nothing about your phone key involved at all.

 

[avs007]

Usually when the car is locked the side mirrors are folded tho. Personally I think the other dude may have left a phone in the car..

 

[ScottNY]

Usually when the car is locked the side mirrors are folded tho. Personally I think the other dude may have left a phone in the car..

If their phone was left in the car, it’s more than likely that the mirrors wouldn’t have folded.

 

[Calliope]

How do you know that their car door was locked?

Their side mirrors were in, and opened when I pressed the door handle. That's not for sure, but if the car was left unlocked, the side mirrors would have still been out. In fact, it was the side mirrors opening that drew my eyes to the wheels, which were fancier than the ones I have.

 

[jjrandorin]

Ok...

that still doesnt have anything at all to do with YOUR phone key though. Maybe they were in a business close to the parked car? What didnt happen, is your phone key opening their car.

What did happen, is you pulling the handle on their car and it opening.

 

[Need]

Maybe his phone has low power and he left it in the car charging. He took his keycard and lock the car with the keycard thinking that the car is locked. Little did he know that anyone came by could just open the door and unlock it and drive it away (unless he has PIN to drive enabled).

 

[avs007]

If their phone was left in the car, it’s more than likely that the mirrors wouldn’t have folded.

Depends how they left... Sometimes my wife leaves her phone in the car, but I always take mine with me.. I've seen some people leave their phone in the car, then use their keycard to lock the car, thinking the car will stay locked, but it will not, if you do that. Personally, I always tap my phone to the B-pillar to lock the car for other reasons, so I never forget my phone becuase of that....

 

[ScottNY]

Depends how they left... Sometimes my wife leaves her phone in the car, but I always take mine with me.. I've seen some people leave their phone in the car, then use their keycard to lock the car, thinking the car will stay locked, but it will not, if you do that. Personally, I always tap my phone to the B-pillar to lock the car for other reasons, so I never forget my phone becuase of that....

I find that if I leave my phone in the car and walk away, the car neither locks nor do the mirrors fold.

 

[avs007]

Or maybe the other dude was actually still in the car, and you didn't notice, lol... Sometimes while watching netflix, I would forget to lock the car from the display first, and would use my phone to lock the car... (until I realized that locking from the app while you are in the car is pointless, becuase you can still open the door, as you MUST lock from display if you are in your car and want the car to stay locked)... One time I was chilling in a Target parking lot waiting for the wife, and I watched some lady with kids walk up to my car, open the door, and step her foot in the car... Then she freaked out when she saw me in the car... That's when she she realized she had the wrong car.

 

[Need]

Depends how they left... Sometimes my wife leaves her phone in the car, but I always take mine with me.. I've seen some people leave their phone in the car, then use their keycard to lock the car, thinking the car will stay locked, but it will not, if you do that. Personally, I always tap my phone to the B-pillar to lock the car for other reasons, so I never forget my phone becuase of that....

We posted the same thing also the same time. It happens A LOT. People don't want to take their phone with them and thinking that the car is locked when the mirrors folded after tapping the keycard. It is locked... until someone pulls the handle bar.

 

[avs007]

I find that if I leave my phone in the car and walk away, the car neither locks nor do the mirrors fold.

I was talking about if two people were traveling together, and then one leaves their phone and the other doesn't. There were a couple times when the wife couldn't find her phone, so I set her phone to ring, and I'll go to the car, and find it locked, but her phone still inside. I never tap my phone to the b-pillar at home, so I know it locked when I walked away, not because I tapped the b-pillar.

 

[Need]

Or maybe the other dude was actually still in the car, and you didn't notice, lol... Sometimes while watching netflix, I would forget to lock the car from the display first, and would use my phone to lock the car... (until I realized that locking from the app while you are in the car is pointless, becuase you can still open the door, as you MUST lock from display if you are in your car and want the car to stay locked)... One time I was chilling in a Target parking lot waiting for the wife, and I watched some lady with kids walk up to my car, open the door, and step her foot in the car... Then she freaked out when she saw me in the car... That's when she she realized she had the wrong car.

OMG, that is like me. I have a white M3 and there are always like 3 or 4 of them at the supercharger. I went Target shopping came back with a big bag of goodies. I went to the back of my (thought it was my) m3, opened the trunk. I stared at it.... how come there are stuff in there that I don't recognized. After like 2 seconds standing there, I realized I got the wrong M3. I closed the trunk, look toward the driver side and saw the driver has his windows open and he waved at me and laugh.

 

[avs007]

It's fun when I go to pickup the kids at school at the curbside pickup area.. I'll actually have the door locked from the display... Many times, I'll see the same girl walk up to my car, pull the handle, then pound on the window yelling, "Open the door"... Then I'll roll the windows down, and she'll be like, OMG, and run away, lol... That's why I always harass my kids about making sure they have the right car before getting into a car at school.

One time, a boy did the same thing... I saw him get into the Model X that was a few cars away, after pounding on my window... Not sure how he confused a Y with an X, unless his parents also have a Y... But I always see that X in the pickup area, so I'm not sure....

 

[myshenaini]

Earlier today I was returning to my car from shopping, and I accidentally opened someone else's car! I was parked on the street; when I left, and there were 2 empty spaces behind me. My last stop was a bakery near my car, and I was not really paying attention when I went to what I thought was my car and pressed in the button to open the door (using my phone as a key). As I'm looking at my hand on the door handle, I see the side view mirror open and I realize the colour of the car and the wheels are different, and it's not my car! It was a Tesla M3. I pull my hand back, but realize the door opened, so I pull it open a bit and re-close it, then left a note on the windshield about what happened, with my phone number (since I'm sure I'm on the Security camera).

How did I open someone else's car? Interestingly, when I went in my car to write a note, I tried to use a voice command to open the glove box, and it wouldn't accept any voice command.....I'm not sure if that was related.

Did the person call you back?

 

[Calliope]

Or maybe the other dude was actually still in the car, and you didn't notice, lol..

LOL. I'm sure they would have noticed when I opened the door to re-close it. I can certainly see the humorous situations though.....Sometimes if I arrive somewhere early for an appointment, I'll hang out in my car in the parking lot, playing backgammon.

Did the person call you back?

Nope, not yet; I wish they would.

 

[E90alex]

A few possible scenarios but there’s no way your phone unlocked another car.

1. Driver or partner left phone (enabled as phone key) or a key fob in car, then they locked it with the screen button, key card, or another key fob.

2. They were nearby within Bluetooth range but initially walked far enough away for it to auto lock or manually locked it when leaving.

 

[Need]

A few possible scenarios but there’s no way your phone unlocked another car.

1. Driver or partner left phone (enabled as phone key) or a key fob in car, then they locked it with the screen button, key card, or another key fob.

2. They were nearby within Bluetooth range but initially walked far enough away for it to auto lock or manually locked it when leaving.

#2 is possible when Model 3 a while ago before the software update. I don't think you could do this now. Now you have to be pretty close to the car before the phone as key would work. I was just washing my car and my phone was about 12 feet away with clear line of sight. I thought I could open the door to clean the door frame but it won't open. My phone BT range is huge because the whole time I was washing my car, I was listening to BT headphones. It has about 60 to 100 ft range. Long time ago, I could have my phone inside the garage 25 feet away and it would still open the door. Now I think it is using some kind of signal strength filter with the software update.

 

[nate704]

The problem with the center console wireless charging pad is that it is so easy to forget to take it when you get out of the car. I did that for about the first 7 days of my ownership and I installed side phone mount, so I don't forget to bring it with me.

 

[avs007]

#2 is possible when Model 3 a while ago before the software update. I don't think you could do this now. Now you have to be pretty close to the car before the phone as key would work. I was just washing my car and my phone was about 12 feet away with clear line of sight. I thought I could open the door to clean the door frame but it won't open. My phone BT range is huge because the whole time I was washing my car, I was listening to BT headphones. It has about 60 to 100 ft range. Long time ago, I could have my phone inside the garage 25 feet away and it would still open the door. Now I think it is using some kind of signal strength filter with the software update.

Interesting. Mine still works from pretty far away... The problem with BT ranging is that it is designed/spec'ed to transmit with lowest power necessary to receive. This is why proximity probes are supposed to be sent at max transmit power, which is also terrible for phone battery life. (Many, many, years ago, I worked on a project doing wireless proximity, using BT LE among others)