[kunaalsaigal]

I got the delivery of my Skoda Fabia 1.2TDI Ambiente last week and am really enjoying discovering small advanced helpful features around the car. However there one thing that keeps bothering me, its central locking.

When engaged it locks all doors and the boot so that no one can open the doors from the outside of the car, however anyone can one the door from inside by pulling the door lever.

This is a little concerning.... while driving an occupant can open the door accidently disengaging the central locking.

Why is it designed this way? As per the dealer its a feature they have provided for emergency situations i.e the flood like situation where people could not open their centrally locked doors in time.

Is there no way we can alter this feature by using Autocop or something similar? Does anyone else feels the same way?

Regards,

Kunaal

[MandarMax]

When engaged it locks all doors and the boot so that no one can open the doors from the outside of the car, however anyone can one the door from inside by pulling the door lever.

This is not very uncommon. For example the Ford Fiesta also has similar mechanism.

In reality *anyone* should not try open the door while the car is in motion, if you are talking about adults. :-) Regarding kids I am sure your car comes with safety mechanism so that rear doors would not open from inside and can only be opened from the outside when the car is unlocked.

[SirAlec]

Child lock lever will be there on the edge of the door.

[camchennai]

Please read the user manuals and check for any setting changes for central locking, Usually in Toyota cars you can open the driver side door even if the central locking in enabled however other doors will not open.

One question, Do you have separate control for central locking?? or use the same lever which we use to open the door??

As Mandramax mentioned in this post, I have seen similar mechanism in Ford car's.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by kunaalsaigal

This is a little concerning.... while driving an occupant can open the door accidently disengaging the central locking.

Surely there is usually a manual unlock knob so anyone can open the door of most cars anyway.

[theragingbull]

If you didn't know, all European cars have no locking from inside. This is in fact a safety measure. What your dealer said was right...it is indeed for emergency situations. In the 26/7 floods of Mumbai, several people died because they couldn't open the door of their car since the electric systems failed. So I guess having this feature is a good thing. In case you have a kid, you can always activate the child lock mechanism.

Also, when any door is opened from inside using the door lever, it does not disengage central locking. Try opening any door from outside. It won't open.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by SirAlec

Child lock lever will be there on the edge of the door.

Originally Posted by theragingbull

In case you have a kid, you can always activate the child lock mechanism.

Yes, If the purpose is to not let anyone unlock the doors from inside, you can use the child lock, whereas, if you wish to lock the doors from the inside, so that no one from outside opens the door, like in traffic signals, I'm sure there would be a mechanism for that too. Like in the IKON and Fiesta, we just need to push the door opening lever a bit more inside.

[theragingbull]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

whereas, if you wish to lock the doors from the inside, so that no one from outside opens the door, like in traffic signals, I'm sure there would be a mechanism for that too.

Well I think you got it wrong. The central locking mechanism in the Fabia/Polo is such that no one can obviously open the door from outside after it is locked. But anyone inside can open the door. And that is what been discussed here. How to lock the doors from inside.

[anilisanil]

I think you want that old feature where you can lock the door by pressing a knob and until unless one releases (pull it up) that lock we cannot open the door even from inside. That feature is veru dangerous in floods and emergency situations and hence the modern cars do not have that facility.

As other members suggested the rear doors can be child locked and adults should not be opening it by mistake.

[ghodlur]

The feature of door opening in the absence on any central locking is sometimes a big headache and you need to live with it.

I had some scary moments when my son used to insist on sitting in the front and happened to open the door once accidentally. From that day he is being made to sit at the back with the rear child lock activated.

[bblost]

@ghodlur. Not specific to you but to everyone in general.

Kids are not supposed to be sitting in the front seat. Period.

A very interesting read is available here:

What are the car seat laws in regard to a booster seat? - DMV Answers

The best way to determine if your child needs a booster seat is “The 5-Step Test.”

Can my child sit all the way back against the car seat?
Is the lap belt as low as possible, touching the thighs?
Does the belt cross the shoulder between his neck and arm?
Can his knees bend comfortably at the edge of the auto seat?
Can my child stay seated like this for the entire duration of the trip?
If you answered "no" to any of these questions, your child needs a booster seat to make both the shoulder belt and the lap belt fit right for the best crash protection. Your child will be more comfortable, too!

I know this law is not for India.
But following it is beneficial for our kids.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by theragingbull

But anyone inside can open the door. And that is what been discussed here. How to lock the doors from inside.

Apart from Kids, why would anyone want to open the doors in the first place?. And, I don't think any adult would do that accidentally. If so, its like turning the steering wheel the wrong way accidentally.

However, for kids, there is always the child lock. You may also want to take a look at some of the very useful points that bblost mentioned.

Happy Motoring. .