Locking a Model 3

[Ben177]

I don't think I'm being thick here, but just wanted to double check as most searches, and the manual, focus on unlocked the car, not locking it.

Is it correct there are only three ways of locking the car?

• Key card against the driver's door pillar
• Walk-away locking
• Lock button in the phone app

You can't lock by using an authenticate phone against the door pillar? And the lock through the app won't work without an internet connection for both phone and car?

It's a shame you can't do what most keyless cars do, and push a button on the door handle (or maybe even push the handle in) to lock when an authenticate phone is within Bluetooth range. I'm not a huge fan of the walk-away locking.

 

[Gatsojon]

You can't lock with the phone against the door pillar, no. Just walk away.

You don't need to have wireless internet connection but you do need some form of data phone signal I believe.

I just walk away. I used to have the 'honk on lock' enabled but after a couple of weeks became sufficiently confident so as to disable that. I'm possibly tempting fate but I've never had a situation where the car wasn't locked, except when I left my 'phone in it shopping once. That wasn't clever and why I have PIN to drive on.

 

[Jason71]

there are key fobs available to buy of course as a forth option

 

[Ben177]

Thanks.

I was avoiding the walk away locking as there are a number of times I'll leave people in the car, and out of habit, I'll just hop out with my phone. I know there are work-arounds, but they're more of a faff than me locking the car.

I think I'll just buy the keyfob, and break the habit of 10 years of keyless cars where I pressed the door handle to lock!

 

[Glan gluaisne]

FWIW, I bought a fob at the same time as I picked up the car, and use that pretty much all the time. That allows walk away locking or you can lock the car by pressing the roof of the fob, the latter is useful if you need to make sure the car is locked quickly and confirm it. I have mine set to fold the mirrors on lock, primarily as they give a useful visual indication that the car has locked.

 

[26ct2143]

Thanks.

I was avoiding the walk away locking as there are a number of times I'll leave people in the car, and out of habit, I'll just hop out with my phone. I know there are work-arounds, but they're more of a faff than me locking the car.

I think I'll just buy the keyfob, and break the habit of 10 years of keyless cars where I pressed the door handle to lock!

I might be wrong, but I think when you walk away with the key in your pocket, it locks...

 

[Alex987854]

You don't need to have wireless internet connection but you do need some form of data phone signal I believe.

No need to have a data connection for the walk away lock. Done using the bluietooth signal

 

[Ben177]

No need to have a data connection for the walk away lock. Done using the bluietooth signal

Yes, I'm aware that's done through using the Bluetooth signal strength. Locking via the app must need an internet connection for both phone and car though. It'd be nice if it could use Bluetooth for that. In fact, I'll test it in a moment by switching my phone internet off and see if it can lock.

 

[Dilly]

I had a few occasions where my phone won’t unlock the car but it’s never failed to walk away lock

 

[MadScientist]

IIRC you can set up for phone as a key card using its NFC function. I assume you could then use method one to lock?

 

[spooksman]

you can set up for phone as a key card using its NFC function. I assume you could then use method one to lock?

I must admit I tried this and never managed to make it work,

 

[MadScientist]

Thanks for info, I’ve been meaning to try it but never got around to it.

 

[Jeeves]

I was avoiding the walk away locking as there are a number of times I'll leave people in the car, and out of habit, I'll just hop out with my phone.

This has been discussed at length in other threads. IIRC, the consensus is that it won’t (or shouldn’t) lock when you walk away and someone is still in the front seat. That’s what happens for me at least. I think the subject got discussed when it locked for someone with passengers in the rear seats only.

 

[MrBadger]

This has been discussed at length in other threads. IIRC, the consensus is that it won’t (or shouldn’t) lock when you walk away and someone is still in the front seat. That’s what happens for me at least. I think the subject got discussed when it locked for someone with passengers in the rear seats only.

And in one of the situations, the rear seat passenger had actually locked the car with their app.

 

[MrBadger]

Yes, I'm aware that's done through using the Bluetooth signal strength. Locking via the app must need an internet connection for both phone and car though. It'd be nice if it could use Bluetooth for that. In fact, I'll test it in a moment by switching my phone internet off and see if it can lock.

You can open and close via app with only bluetooth connection. No internet data needed.

 

[Steely]

So if you wanted to walk away and leave someone in the rear of the car but not lock it could you simply turn the phone Bluetooth off then get out?

 

[Ben177]

You can open and close via app with only bluetooth connection. No internet data needed.

Interesting. I did completely forget to try that, was too busy figuring out how far away my phone needed to be before the unlock stopped working. Will try that tomorrow.

The idea of using the NFC function of the phone as a key card is also interesting, I’ll research that more m

 

[Big Earl]

When someone else is in my car and I don’t want it to lock, I’ll just leave my driver’s door partially latched instead of fully latched. The car stays awake, HVAC stays on and doors stay unlocked. I use this method most frequently at Supercharger stops.

 

[quentinsf]

I have a related question... if my wife gets into the passenger seat when I'm not there, the screen doesn't switch on. Well, bizarrely, it's on when the door is open, but goes off again when it's closed.

Is there any way to turn the screen on if somebody walks up, unlocks the door and gets into the passenger side?

 

[Vinny2102]

Had my car almost 2 months now but just sitting thinking, if I am driving and stop to pick someone up how do i unlock the passenger door to let them in? Never had to do it yet.