Is it possible to lock the doors with the engine idling?

Hello there,

I've put 8,000 miles on my '12 Golf TDI so far and love it. I will be moving to Wisconsin for my next job in one week, and remembering winters in Spokane, I decided to test out the locking situation while the car is running. Long story short, the car does not lock while idling with one key in the ignition if you try to lock it with the spare.

This is a problem with me because when it is negative degrees Fahrenheit outside, I like to leave my vehicles idling while I pop in to the store or to get the heater warmed up before leaving home. This was all fine and dandy with my previous '98 Ford Ranger with manual locks. It sucks to have to shut down the car before it is fully warmed up and then crank it up again with a battery which has just recently accomplished it's most difficult task of the day (cold start). I want to avoid accumulating that lovely tan foam under the oil filler cap with this car.

I know someone on this forum is going to tell me not to idle the car. I have read some of the anti-idling arguments out there, but I don't agree with it. Call me old fashioned, but I want to be able to leave the car running for brief periods without the fear of someone driving away with it.

Is there any way to get these cars to lock the doors with a second key while it is running?

Thanks!

I can lock my 2010 with the "Service Key" while it's running.

cliballe said:

I can lock my 2010 with the "Service Key" while it's running.

Click to expand...

What's the service key? There's no physical keyhole in this car.

Didn't realize yours was push button ignition. Mine has two fobs and a service key. The service key will only unlock and start the car... it will not open the glovebox, trunk lock on the door panel, or rear fold down seats.

cliballe said:

Mine has two fobs and a service key. The service key will only unlock and start the car... it will not open the glovebox, trunk lock on the door panel, or rear fold down seats.

Click to expand...

Maptologist said:

What's the service key? There's no physical keyhole in this car.

Click to expand...

...often called the Valet key. You really don't want the parking lot guy to have access to all your stuff. Newer VWs (with Kessy) don't get a Valet key.


To the OP: My car has keyless entry too but there is also a switchblade type physical key in the fob. There is also a key slot in the driver's door handle, but it is hidden under a pop-off cover. I do not know if it will do what you want. If you key fob does have a physical key, check your owner's manual for details.

Have Fun!


Don

You can code it to do so with VCDS. Check this out

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=485560

I figured this out today when I received my VAGCOM cable. This thread was the fix, and it works like a charm.

Just reviving this thread as to not leave a dead end for someone else wanting to do this. If you're still on the fence about getting a VAGCOM cable, I was as well ($200!) until I learned that I needed one to correctly change my fuel filter.