Help .....lost keys on my driveway.

[Mags21]

I have lost my set of vans keys this afternoon between my driveway and my house. I moved my other car on to the street and moved the van out onto the road too. When I went to leave I realised I no longer had my keys. I had been in and out the house a few times during this 15 minute period. I have checked everywhere in the two rooms in the house that I was back into and also the van and my other car. I think I dropped them on the drive or on the street!! If I did and someone has picked them up and taken them is there any way to disable the van or the keys so they can't come back and drive the van away? I can jam the van in tonight between the garage doors (it doesn't fit in the garage) and my other car. It is a double driveway though and it could still be manouvered out maybe.I need to drive my car tomorrow morning also........leaving the van in the driveway.

 

[Jay586]

Disklok?

A more expensive *solution * is a Autowatch Ghost immobiliser.

I don't know about recoding keys but it's got to be possible?

 

[DM]

Oh dear. Have you got a spare key! Can you take the van instead of your car - at least you wouldn't be leaving it home alone. Does your insurance provide cover for lost keys? Some will cover changing the locks which I imagine would be expensive:-( .

I know it's no comfort for now but after a similar experience when I lost a car key at myparents house (car stuck in the drive blocking my father's car in - I was not popular). I now keep a Tile - https://www.thetileapp.com - on all my car keys. It means I can locate my lost keys from my smartphone. I probably use it weekly - saves me hours of searching.

Hope you get sorted.

 

[JohnGuppy]

Take your keys you have to your dealer and ask him as you have lost a key , ask dealer to supply you a new key when he programs the new key he will reprogram the other keys you have I think up to four keys but of course the key you have lost will still open door speak to your insurance company ASAP let them decide for you

 

[Mags21]

The added insult to injury is we lost a set of keys about 2 months ago - similar circumstances last seen before we went on holiday in the kitchen no one remembers hanging them up where they normal go, hidden on a hook in a cupboard. Lost forever. Never turned up. Luckily remembered we had "key cover" with the car insurance and had a very straight forward claim for £186 to replace the main key and the water tank cover and key. No excess to pay either. Can't imagine telling them it has happened again!

 

[Mags21]

Thanks for comments - was not worried last time because I knew they were in the house somewhere - this time I am sure they were dropped outside around the house! I will advise insurers tomorrow and can only jam the car a van together against the garage tonight blocking the van in hopefully.

 

[phillme]

maybe someone has handed them in ? still nice folk about ... good luck

 

[DM]

The added insult to injury is we lost a set of keys about 2 months ago - similar circumstances last seen before we went on holiday in the kitchen no one remembers hanging them up where they normal go, hidden on a hook in a cupboard. Lost forever. Never turned up. Luckily remembered we had "key cover" with the car insurance and had a very straight forward claim for £186 to replace the main key and the water tank cover and key. No excess to pay either. Can't imagine telling them it has happened again!

That's what insurance is for @Mags21 . Thhere's nothing to say you can't claim for the same thing twice - accidents happen. Your claim may well be higher this time if you are looking at changing the locks as well.

 

[JohnGuppy]

Two years ago some low life broke in to our house while we where in the USA like all normal people I keep my car keys behind the door in my study once they found the keys they took them all and drove away with our car , it is impossible to steal a car without the keys so a break in not only gives them things to steal but a car to get away in
My insurance company carried out a full investigation and advised me that all vehicle keys are found with 12 feet from your front door they advice a key box locked under the stairs or take all keys to bed with you
and ladies when you go away don't leave your handbag hidden in the laundry basket its the number one hiding place

Lets hope someone has handed them in as at least you get them back but if you tell your insurance company as keys went missing out of your hands they will want all locks changed

 

[DM]

Two years ago some low life broke in to our house while we where in the USA like all normal people I keep my car keys behind the door in my study once they found the keys they took them all and drove away with our car , it is impossible to steal a car without the keys so a break in not only gives them things to steal but a car to get away in
My insurance company carried out a full investigation and advised me that all vehicle keys are found with 12 feet from your front door they advice a key box locked under the stairs or take all keys to bed with you
and ladies when you go away don't leave your handbag hidden in the laundry basket its the number one hiding place

Lets hope someone has handed them in as at least you get them back but if you tell your insurance company as keys went missing out of your hands they will want all locks changed

I have invested in a key safe set into the wall. I don't bother too much about my car keys (it's worth next to nothing) but all sets of Cali keys are in there.

 

[Loz]

You can remove a 5amp fuse at position 23 I think it is from the fuse box by the battery that will immobilise it, I was experimenting with this as an immobiliser.

Did you lock the van and then loose the key or were you still going in and out of it? I ask as I lost my key for a while at the weekend but somehow it had fallen into the pocket on the side of the seat base and I could not see it for looking.

 

[JohnGuppy]

An idea there is a round disc you can buy that allows you to track keys, luggage anywhere in the world I think they are around £120 for 5
https://www.thetrackr.com/ this is what you need they will ship to the UK

 

[Mags21]

The van was open, I was in an out of it and the house a few times I had to use my husbands key to drive it this afternoon........ I think I can get the key I still have here recoded tomorrow which will mean the other one, the lost one, won't work anymore. When we lost the keys a couple of months ago they recoded the new one and when we got home we discovered the old one no longer worked. We had to return to the workshop and get them both recoded and they said if the lost one reappeared( which it hasn't) that it would no longer work.So we currently now have two lost keys ........!! Never lost keys before and have now lost two sets in two months - I think I need to get the Tile or Nut key trackers immediately.

 

[Mags21]

Thanks for the suggestion about removing fuse at position 23 - I don't think I could manage that but I will ask at the garage tomorrow if they can show me - good to know.

 

[GrannyJen]

The van was open, I was in an out of it and the house a few times I had to use my husbands key to drive it this afternoon........ I think I can get the key I still have here recoded tomorrow which will mean the other one, the lost one, won't work anymore. When we lost the keys a couple of months ago they recoded the new one and when we got home we discovered the old one no longer worked. We had to return to the workshop and get them both recoded and they said if the lost one reappeared( which it hasn't) that it would no longer work.So we currently now have two lost keys ........!! Never lost keys before and have now lost two sets in two months - I think I need to get the Tile or Nut key trackers immediately.

I have tried tile, nut, and lots of other trackers and found Tile to be the best but in no way perfect.

I really feel for you, it's happened to me and I ended up so paranoid I ended up changing my house locks as well as car keys. I hope you can soon be smiling again.

 

[JohnGuppy]

Update they are sold in UK by a firm in Essex just bought 6 if you look at how they operate you will never loose keys or wallet or wife again and when you go on holiday pop one in your case and use iphone to tell when your cases will appear
Better still stick on in you Cal. and track it
Its clever it even uses other tags to narrow down the search area and alert you it even bleeps when it hides under the seat
6 units are cheaper than one VW key plus programming , think what it would be like turning up at the cop shop and saying can I have my keys back please

 

[Loz]

Thanks for the suggestion about removing fuse at position 23 - I don't think I could manage that but I will ask at the garage tomorrow if they can show me - good to know.

 

[JohnGuppy]

In the good old 50s when I went to school I was a latch key kid but we never had a key car keys where left in the car jump in and away you go. The house door was never looked made it easy for mates to drop in for a cupa
how are things have come as kids we climbed trees and some fell out and broke things we called them accidents girls and boys played together no one ever mentioned the bees so we were all in the same gang

Given my first pocket knife at 5 years old
410 shot gun at 8
drove a tractor at 10
started work at 15
got a watch at 21 and was given a key to come and go but still before midnight
Oh Tractors all had the same key

Now we have to lock everything up and if we loose it what stress it causes

 

[MattBW]

Have they fallen out inside your other car? I had this once and they were under the seat in the other car.

 

[MattBW]

Loc8tor is probably my recommendation for lost things, we use them on drones to find lost ones. Never had to use it but tests show its quite good (but not perfect) and gives you a direction too. You would know if it was gone or in the area but not be able to track it if they had gone.

 

[CYCLOPATH]

An idea there is a round disc you can buy that allows you to track keys, luggage anywhere in the world I think they are around £120 for 5
https://www.thetrackr.com/ this is what you need they will ship to the UK

I watched the video...so if someone steals my keys, wallet etc, and are out of Bluetooth range of my phone, then I will not be able to locate it, unless there is somebody else with the same device , within Bluetooth range?
Did I get that right?

 

[Loz]

Have they fallen out inside your other car? I had this once and they were under the seat in the other car.

Yea, right under the seat rail...

 

[hirsty]

I watched the video...so if someone steals my keys, wallet etc, and are out of Bluetooth range of my phone, then I will not be able to locate it, unless there is somebody else with the same device , within Bluetooth range?
Did I get that right?

I early-adopted Tile & yes, that's basically how it works - these things rely on critical mass & eventually one standard will emerge. Likely will always be more useful in a dense urban area than outside your crofters cottage. I didn't renew mine when they eventually went flat.

The problem is battery life, therefore range and duration. To have a cheap sealed unit last a year it needs to be very low powered - 'Find My iPhone' & similar work over wifi & GSM & GPS - as well as Bluetooth - but each unit costs hundreds & needs charging daily ...

 

[Loz]

The old whistle keyfob, simple and effective..

 

[Bramco]

Smaller driveway? If you can loose your keys on the driveway then this is the obvious answer....