[TaurusAl]

Hi Everyone,

Off-late I am facing a weird anxiety for which I don't have the solution and hence I am posting it here and hoping for some workable suggestions from fellow bhpians.

Like everyone, I have appointed a person where I live to wash my car. I live in a multi-storey tower and my car parking is in the basement. The person who washes cars in our complex collects each one's key and returns it after he has finished washing all cars. The time taken to return the key is approximately 1 hour which is acceptable to me.

The problem started when one day i went grocery shopping taking my bike early morning and spotted the guy turning the ignition on of another car in the complex and listening to music. He saw me and we exchanged smiles. The next day he came to collect the car keys, I gave him with a fear, and we he returned the key he said, "SAAR, i was listening to radio in your car, hope that's fine with you" my fear instantly turned into a quiet anger inside me.

As he is a pretty decent guy, I nodded my head in affirmation. Also, I don't want to tell him anything fearing they have a good unity and might damage or scratch my car in sheer condemn to my stopping them from listening to music. Now I am a worried man. The questions arising in my mind right now are -

1) How I can open the car for him without handing over the keys to him. (I do not wish to personally go twice in a day to lock and unlock my car in between the daily chores).

2) Is there a gadget which will not turn the ignition on even if you have the key, Like a secret code or a secret switch or something similar.

I have often seen, if these things are not addressed at a good stage, they multiply. For e.g. Now he is using the radio, tomorrow he might take the car for a short spin. There is no way I can see from my house what he is doing with my car once he has the keys in his hands.

Please help me guys on how do I tackle this menace.

Mods, Im sorry if I have started a parallel thread to the existing one on similar topic. I did a search and found no close matches, hence posted my query on a new thread. Please merge as appropriate. Thanks.

[el lobo 6061]

TaurusAl you have got some serious troubles. Even I have car wash guy in my building from whom I used to earlier get the car washed but no longer as his washing techniques weren't correct, that's all together a different topic.

You have few options to go about.

1. Straightly refuse him saying just wash the car and no listening of music on my car.

2. Ask him to clean the interior just twice in a week by which you would only have to give him the keys twice only. Not everyday. That's what the car cleaner at my place used to do.

3. Certain car music system have standby power by which you can start the music system even without the key being into ignition mode.
E.g. In my VW Vento I can start the music system in the car without putting the key into ignition mode.
See if you could work out such a thing into your car and ask your cal cleaner guy to just switch on the music system rather than turning ignition on.

By the way which car is it? Prevention is better than cure, do look up into the matter before anything wrong happens to your car.

[Aroy]

Time was this would have had a simple solution. In both my Ambassador and Fiat, we had three keys - door, ignition and petrol filler. Alas today you have a single key (or a single electronic signal) for user convenience.

All that I can think of is to install a GPS based alarm, which could be programmed to inform you (or the world at large), when the vehicle moves more than a few meters from its stationary position. If you let the cleaner know, then he will probably not mess with your vehicle.

Some cars, the Accord to my knowledge have a regular key and a Valet key. The latter does not open the boot and petrol cap, but it allows the car to be driven! But that does not solve your problem fully, though it may restrict minor pilferage.

[drmohitg]

Why don't you just try telling him its not fine with you and not to listen to put the key into ignition ever. Sometimes simple solutions which look tough work out the best. If you feel that just telling him to not put the key into ignition in YOUR car will lead to them damaging your car then I don't think any other solution will also work. He would certainly know that you used some gadget ( if such a thing exists) and then damage your car.

What I am trying to say is that you cannot live in such constant fear. The country is not that lawless too. Either live with it which is not that bad an idea since just listening to radio is not that big a deal. Sometimes you need to bear with such stuff. Otherwise just tell him strictly that you will not tolerate this, make some surprise visits and he would most likely stop doing it.

EDIT: I am not encouraging this act or trying to justify it in anyway. But just trying to think practically.

[carboy]

- If your music player has a detachable faceplate & you detach it and take it home with you, he can't play music.
- If you car has an electronic key, you can make a regular duplicate key (from a street side key maker) which can only open the car but cannot start the engine.

That said, when I was in Pune, I only used to get my car washed externally everyday. I didn't do the weekend inside wash. After I moved to Bombay, in the rainy season the insides used to become very muddy & I started doing the weekend inside wash also through the year. But just a week back I stopped it - these chaps broke a lot of stuff inside the car over the last 2 years. Just recently, the small plastic thing which changes the mirror from the day mirror to night mirror was broken. I am pretty sure these guys rubbed it vigorously and broke it.

[amolpol]

I used to give only the autocop remote to my guy when he used to clean the interiors once a week. That way he could still open the car but can't turn on anything since there is no key.

[DarkEraser]

First of all, do NOT give him a key if you don't trust him. If he want, he can make duplicate easily.

You can get interior clean once in a week in your presence on your weekly off.

BTW, you can gift him a small radio (cost less than Rs. 200), so he don't need your car radio.

[Y@SH]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

1) How I can open the car for him without handing over the keys to him. (I do not wish to personally go twice in a day to lock and unlock my car in between the daily chores).

First of all stop giving him the key. Tell him why you have stopped giving it to him. You can open the car without handing over the keys if you have a remote lock/unlock of the car. You should trust the person who washes your car, if you dont, fire him.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

Like everyone, I have appointed a person where I live to wash my car.

"like most others" would be more appropriate ; there are still many enthusiasts who prefer to clean their cars themselves,like me

my suggestions in line

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

"SAAR, i was listening to radio in your car, hope that's fine with you"

not acceptable ;please tell him politely that you are fine with him cleaning the exterior

they have a good unity and might damage or scratch my car

you're right ; I know a guy whose windscreen was damaged by some "safaiwallahs" because he did not engage them to clean his car.
Nothing to worry and no need to fear anyone ; it is your property after all

it is the exterior than needs cleaning twice a week or so ; when the interior has to be cleaned, say once a week,please remove the panel in advance(not in front of the guy)

you can install a secret switch to cut off power to the stereo , but removing the panel is the best

[ajay99]

The best solution to get rid of all this headache is why dont you yourself clean your car(at least the interior) .This need be done once in week or even a fortnight so the problem of handing the keys to someone doesnt arise at all.After all 60 minutes in 14 days is not a big deal !!!

[Honda Monk]

Taurus your anxiety is right and better be be addressed. There happened an incident in Delhi last month, in which a car cleaner had taken the car without owners permission or knowledge and killed a person in accident. The owner come to know only when police called.

There are many alternative to your anxiety and fear, depends which you can use .
1. Install Auto cop and give him the switch to open and lock the car only
2. If your car doesn't get soiled or dirty inside on daily basis, you can limit interior cleaning to once (on weekend) or twice, which most of us usually do.
3. There is a fuse in starter coil, you can take that out (I used to , when had to park my car little away from home.). With this he can't start your car if ever tries to.
4. Simply take the control home with you, but he may think that you have deliberately taken that out.

I think option 2 and 3 are most apt.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Aroy

All that I can think of is to install a GPS based alarm, which could be programmed to inform you (or the world at large), when the vehicle moves more than a few meters from its stationary position. If you let the cleaner know, then he will probably not mess with your vehicle.

GPS wouldn't work in a basement, and I doubt the cleaner would take it out of the building.

Originally Posted by DarkEraser

First of all, do NOT give him a key if you don't trust him. If he want, he can make duplicate easily.

Even with a duplicate he will just be able to open the door and not drive it off.

TaurusAI - Just tell him your not comfortable with him using the radio. Or otherwise tell him you don't need your interior cleaned everyday (honestly I doubt it gets dirty enough to warrant cleaning everyday). Hes not going to scratch your car, because he will probably know that he can be banned from your complex if he does. Also people don't get offended that easily :P

[mayankjha1806]

It gets quiet boring while washing 10-20 cars and music keeps them energized, occupied and focused. My car wash guy used to do this earlier, some folks made this suggestion on Diwali (Gave some extra cash too), since then he has bought a fancier cell phone and connects his headphones and keeps listening to music while he does washing. So no worries for any of us.

Once in awhile i do visit the basement while he is washing the insides (Which he does once a week), and i have found that all car keys are in his pocket and none of the equipment running in the car (Like Audio, Fuel lid open etc).

My advise, suggest him something similar, at the same time provide some solution to his boredom.

[avisidhu]

It's not just the car wash guys, even at most repair or car wash shops the first thing most mechanics or their subordinates do is to turn on the music, and then start working

Originally Posted by ajay99

The best solution to get rid of all this headache is why dont you yourself clean your car(at least the interior) .This need be done once in week or even a fortnight so the problem of handing the keys to someone doesnt arise at all.After all 60 minutes in 14 days is not a big deal !!!

Spot on. Car interiors don't need that amount of cleaning in the first place(although it might be different in your circumstances). Try to keep your windows rolled up at all times, and you should be able to manage for 15 odd days, during which you can take out 30-40 mins to do the cleaning yourself.

[simplyself]

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