To prevent a car lockout, what should be the ideal boot lock logic?

What might be a best logic for the boot? Should the Boot lock be independent of the central lock or not?

BHPian BhaskarG recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

After coming back to my city, I have looked around a little, and seen the following types of mechanical/electronic/software logic for boot door lock-unlock in common modern cars. Let us see which boot is better at preventing such incidents:

Type 1: No external mechanism to open the boot. Only way to open is using the lever at the base of the driver's seat. Usually seen in budget cars with/without central locking. Example: Datsun Redi-go. You cannot get locked out here (unless you circumvent the central lock). Because to open the boot, either the car as a whole has to be unlocked, or someone has to be inside.

Type 2: Contains external keyhole at the boot door. Example Maruti Alto, Hyundai Santro. However, boot door is independent of central lock, and hence not lock-out proof. Car can get locked with the key inside (similar to my incident, but less probable, because you need to have the key in your hand to unlock the boot in the first place).

Type 3: Dedicated button/function for boot unlock in the remote. Basically an wireless version of Type 2.

Type 4: Contains external button/lever at the boot door, but no key hole or any other direct way to unlock the boot independently. Boot door is part of the central locking system. Example: Hyundai Grand i10. This is the best logic, in my opinion. Because the boot is unlocked only if the central lock is unlocked. Similarly boot is locked along with the central lock. No way to forget the keys inside.

Type 5: Proximity sensor based independent boot unlock. That means, the boot is unlocked independently if the key-fob is nearby, while the other doors remain locked. Example: Hyundai Venue SX+. This is convenient feature for grocery shopping, but it is also true that the car gets locked back when you close the boot, without you pressing anything. In the Venue the car gets locked even if the key is inside. The lock should have been prevented if the key was detected inside.

Others: Luxury cars might have more sophisticated logic, that I do not know about.

What might be a best logic for the boot? Boot lock should be independent of central lock or not? What could have been be the soft/hard logic that could have prevented my unfortunate incident above?

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

My 530d has it simple & best. You can choose to "unlock all doors" whenever the boot is opened via the smartkey. I have enabled the option. So, even if you leave your key in the boot, you can open it again from the unlocked cabin.

This is simple & fail-safe.

Here's what BHPian HighRevving had to say on the matter:

The best thing to do here is follow one golden rule - Always keep your car key in your pocket!

Adding more and more technology to make the boot door open even when the key is at a distance, will only start making cars easier to steal. Imagine you pass by the boot of your car and it is open the whole time and an armed robber climbs in the boot - apartment security guards don't even check the boot. This situation can escalate quickly with women and kids or in the night. I personally don't even like keyless entry - I prefer to get really close to the car and unlock only the driver-side door (programmable in most Euro cars) when I am not at home. Unless you're at home and have access to the second key, I follow the golden rule while loading/unloading bags, changing to the spare wheel or working on fuses etc.

If someone is going for a swim or a trek, I can only suggest they wrap the key in a plastic bag and carry it in a bag or leave it with someone.

Here's what BHPian audioholic had to say on the matter:

In my Slavia if you keep the key in the boot and shut it, it opens within a second unless it detects a second key right outside the boot or any other request switch. Simple. Innova doesn't allow locking of doors from outside in the same condition.

The generic logic is, if there is a keyfob inside the cabin, locking and unlocking is only allowed from within the cabin either via the cabin switch or automatically upon crossing the threshold speed.

Here's what BHPian Jeroen had to say on the matter:

A couple of years ago I had an unfortunate experience with my Jaguar in France.

I managed to lock the Jaguar keys inside the boot! There was no way we could unlock the boot. With the help of a local garage we managed to open the cabin, but the electronic boot release would not work. Because it believed the car was broken into.

I have look all over the internet for a solution, but there simply is not one, at least not for my Jaguar. If you lock the car, then use the key fob to open the boot and somehow manage to leave your key inside, you are done for it.

My solution was to get my son to drive over to our home, pick up a spare key and drive all the way to France to rescue me!

All described here.

When I go on long trips I usually take a spare key. I give it to my wife, or alternatively leave it in my luggage, so as long as the luggage is out of the car, I am good to go! My wife has a habit of loosing keys, so not a fool proof solution either.

I have also seen special little metal boxes that you can attach somewhere underneath your car that will hold a spare key.

Jeroen

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.