Doors locked with ignition key in

[Ironside]

I am in the midst of having a brand new V6 Mercedes sprinter adapted so I can drive from a wheelchair. Everything is going to plan apart from one thing. I have very limited finger movements I cannot use an ignition key like an able-bodied person would. In other words, I can't pull it out, and put it back in again. We are trying to decide the best way of going about things. My technician has put an add-on to the key fob which enables me to turn the car engine on with ease. There is a possibility of having a pushbutton start. However, this could be very complicated since there ignition system is far from straightforward when it comes to wiring.

We want to know is if you leave the key in the ignition, will I still be able to lock the doors? The guy who was working on my car says not. Silly thing is, I didn't actually get him to try it while I was up at the workshop yesterday. There is a special electronic door opener on the two backdoors that are operated by remote control.

If the doors will not unlock because the key is in the ignition, I doubt whether anyone will be up to get the doors opened anyway. There will be quite a bit of resistance due to the electronic motors that open the two backdoors. There will also be a very large fold up lift in the way so nobody will be able to gain access even if they could get the doors open. If that isn't enough, they won't even be a driver's seat. I have attached a photo for you to see.

 

[television]

Sorry to say that it is not possible to lock the car with the key in.

I will read up on keyless go and see what is involved, or maybe there is something else one can do

 

[Ironside]

Sorry to say that it is not possible to lock the car with the key in.

I will read up on keyless go and see what is involved, or maybe there is something else one can do

Thanks for the prompt reply. I assume the back doors will shut? If they do shut but they don't lock, nobody will be able to open them unless they are very strong. However, it would be better if they would lock. With the
key in the ignition, it is so easy to switch the engine on an off. It will be a real shame if we have to start taking it apart. Anyway, anything you can find out will be very much appreciated

 

[television]

Thanks for the prompt reply. I assume the back doors will shut? If they do shut but they don't lock, nobody will be able to open them unless they are very strong. However, it would be better if they would lock. With the
key in the ignition, it is so easy to switch the engine on an off. It will be a real shame if we have to start taking it apart. Anyway, anything you can find out will be very much appreciated

Now I know your problem, I will give it some thought, maybe anyone else here as well, any idea's bounced around are good.

I used to make special equipment for thalidomide children, no promises but who knows

 

[television]

Thinking again do you need central locking, the front doors can be locked from the inside and left locked, surely this means that you only need a special lock for the rear door, that could be anything from a code lock or similar

 

[eric242340]

The nearest to what you are looking for is keyless Go. Im sure this can be adapted to what you need. With keyless go you only need to press to control items such as central locking, starting and stopping the engine and locking the car. You dont need a key its all electronic.

 

[television]

The nearest to what you are looking for is keyless Go. Im sure this can be adapted to what you need. With keyless go you only need to press to control items such as central locking, starting and stopping the engine and locking the car. You dont need a key its all electronic.

You work it out for him then eric, in reality it is not possible even the door handles are not the same.

I dismissed that 1 hour ago, you say please how this can be wired in.

 

[eric242340]

You work it out for him then eric, in reality it is not possible even the door handles are not the same.

I dismissed that 1 hour ago, you say please how this can be wired in.

Everything can be achieved its only a matter of determination. Malcolm it can be done but not by any workshop, Mercedes can do this, try talking to them and then you will understand.

 

[Ironside]

Hey guys, thanks so much for your help. So what happens if I leave the ignition key in and then locked the two front doors, the side door and then close the back door, do all doors automatically unlock, or would it just be the back doors that wouldn't lock? Like I said before, if there's no way around it and this is the case, I don't think anyone would be able to get into the van because they wouldn't be out to get through the fold up lift, that totally blocks the entrance when the two back doors open. However, I'm not sure the insurance company would be too happy about it. .

 

[Ironside]

Everything can be achieved its only a matter of determination. Malcolm it can be done but not by any workshop, Mercedes can do this, try talking to them and then you will understand.

The technicians at the place where my car is being adapted said that Mercedes wouldn't want anything to do with alterations that change their vehicles. However, I haven't paid Mercedes for their vehicle yet so I'm sure they will want to be as helpful as possible.

 

[television]

Everything can be achieved its only a matter of determination. Malcolm it can be done but not by any workshop, Mercedes can do this, try talking to them and then you will understand.

Mercedes would not do this in one million years, the system is not even a retro fit on any car

 

[Ironside]

It's been said that you cannot lock the doors with the ignition keys still in yet you can sit in the car with all doors locked with the ignition key in. What would happen if you left the ignition key in and use a spare key to lock the door from the outside using the remote control?

 

[television]

It's been said that you cannot lock the doors with the ignition keys still in yet you can sit in the car with all doors locked with the ignition key in. What would happen if you left the ignition key in and use a spare key to lock the door from the outside using the remote control?

This is my thought at the moment, as yes you can lock the doors while you are in the car even when parked. I know on my Volvo the remote locking does not work if the key is in the ign when using the spare key.

I am going to have a play over the weekend, and I will post back

 

[Blobcat]

If the key is in the ignition of my E, non of the buttons on the key work (or on the spare key for that matter). However the lock/unlock button on the dash does work. So you could possibly find a way to use that.

 

[television]

If the key is in the ignition of my E, non of the buttons on the key work (or on the spare key for that matter). However the lock/unlock button on the dash does work. So you could possibly find a way to use that.

Thats what I have been thinking, as the exit is from the rear doors, a special lock like a code number keypad lock could easily be fitted within easy reach

 

[greatw]

Just to throw in onother idea....
Ironside, do you have mobility enough to operate an alarm keyfob?
The reason I ask is that Clifford do a remote start / lock system for their alarms that works off the fob. The last one I had was quite large and the main button was located in a large dip in the surfave so souldn't be hard to operate with limited mobility.
Only downside is I don't know what the insurance companies take on this would be :-(

Malcolm and Eric, do you think this is doable or have I missed the point here?


Regards
Alex

 

[television]

Any form of lock remote or otherwise on the rear doors would work Alex as the front of the car could be locked with the button and left locked. this must be the only way to go.

 

[greatw]

Agreed Malcolm. Where I was comming from was more the requirement to start the vehicle without requiring the key to be inserted in the ignition barrel. One other issue has also occurred to me. If we could come up with something to allow a keyless unlock / start of the vehicle, the steering lock would also need to be disabled as this engaging would be a bad thing I have no idea if the Merc system is mechanical or electrical (I suspect it is the former) but it would still need to be factored into the equation.

 

[television]

With EIS systems it would be a nightmare, no reason though to not fit one into the starter motor feed, that would be simple

 

[greatw]

DOH! Forgot about the immobiliser! I gures that will be the sticking point as I think we've established the lock / unkock and starting (from the basic prociples at least) is perfectly doable. The only thing we need to figure now is teh immobiliser.
Is the security feature based upon an RF transponder in teh key or is ot the IR window that transmits the code?