Submitted by ChocolateTsar t3_11nrj4g in nottheonion
Comments
Giantmidget1914 t1_jbpqx9p wrote
Happened to me a while back at a gas station early before sunrise. As soon as I sat down and really looked, I had a quick 'oh shit' moment.
iordseyton t1_jbqxjjw wrote
Back in the 80s or 90s, Toyota would only actually have like 150- 250. Different keys/ locks for any given run of cars. Dealerships would buy packs that were each key and could figure out the right one based on Vin (iirc)
As luck would have it, in our small town, there was one other guy with a red 86 Toyota pickup, and his and my dad's had the same key.
To make matters worse, they both worked with boats (my dad built them, and the other guy was a fisherman we think)
Occasionally, when launching a boat or doing something at the marina, when we came back at the end of the day, the other guy would have taken my dad's car home for the night. So my dad would just take it home for the night, then drop it back off in the parking lot first the next day, and get his back when the guy came back for it.
It happened 3 or 4 times that I know of- first time was a surprise when we came back from a sail, My dad reached under the seat for a fresh pack of smokes, as he pulled out of the lot, and came up with a fishing knife instead.
this_1_is_mine t1_jbrctqw wrote
Ford had around 30 different door key cuts in the same time frame. The likelihood you could open any passing Ford was pretty high. Made working opening lockouts a pretty easy but not too time consuming task to do. But in the days of 2 keys to open and then start it was still pretty secure cause even of your door key worked the ignition key probably wouldn't.
iordseyton t1_jbrqg8t wrote
I'm confused, are you saying that ford's came with 2 separate keys back then, or was it a half and half kind of thing?
ctheory83 t1_jbrs4te wrote
My mustang (85) had an ignition key and a hatchback key, I also later found out my friends key for his ranger would work on my car.
StygianSavior t1_jbrt75x wrote
My first car (‘85 Bronco II) had separate keys for doors and ignition.
Mndelta25 t1_jbrzjnj wrote
My 86 Oldsmobile had two keys, my 72 Mustang originally came with two.
Guideon72 t1_jbrze6r wrote
Problem was, once the keys wore down a bit, you could get into any, other Ford with em. Thankfully, the ignition didn’t appear to suffer the same.
Spire_Citron t1_jbs7f2e wrote
Maybe you wouldn't get your car stolen, but wouldn't it make it super easy for thieves to steal things from people's cars? Just collect a few different keys and you can open any Ford.
ScattyWilliam t1_jbr6akl wrote
Never new of different keys starting vehicles but was definitely some 80’s imports (Asian) that often had door keys that worked on different vehicles. When we learnt this in high school there was some shenanigans
giskardwasright t1_jbr920d wrote
This happened with multiple Plymouth minivans in the 90s as I recall
bilateralrope t1_jbsbrd8 wrote
My dad once owned a car where the door locks were so worn out that anything vaguely key-shaped would unlock them. The ignition had flanges around it so you didn't even need a key.
​
It only got stolen once before my dad decided to replace it with something new enough to require rear seatbelts.
[deleted] t1_jbqcgte wrote
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InfergnomeHKSC t1_jbqm1kz wrote
They're Teslas. It's like trying to differentiate a dentist's waiting room from a dermatologist's waiting room. That said, yeah you'd still have to be pretty out of it not to notice.
calliatom t1_jbqh97k wrote
Right? Like, I've walked up to another car that was the same model as mine, but immediately noticed that it had none of my decorations, and then saw mine a few spots down.
Moonkai2k t1_jbqgd9e wrote
I know immediately if someone's sat in my car. I would for sure know I was in the wrong car.
Aeronautix t1_jbqvbrx wrote
sure, if either of your cars have any personality whatsoever
l30 t1_jbr49aj wrote
I had this happen with a 98' Toyota Tacoma. Same make/model/year and even the key. Found a guy sitting in the passenger seat waiting for his friend who had the exact same truck. Blew my mind.
eighty2angelfan t1_jbr9w7x wrote
Ha
RRC_driver t1_jbswg81 wrote
My friend accidentally drove the wrong car (same make model), with his own key.
It was the radio station that clued him in. He is a police officer.
L0nz t1_jbsmr8f wrote
It says he received a text from the other owner who found his phone number on a document in his car (implying that the other guy could get into his car somehow too). Why would you text someone who took your car, rather than call them?
Nothing about this story sounds legit, but shitting on tesla is so hot right now so obviously it's international news
alexanderpas t1_jbtd2ec wrote
> Why would you text someone who took your car, rather than call them?
To cover your ass, and ensure the message arrived, instead of having the call declined because it was an unknown number
JoeBoredom t1_jbokftp wrote
Not a bug, it's the new community feature.
Mirabolis t1_jbq8veh wrote
Self driving didn’t work, so they are going with “random other guy driving.”
bigbangbilly t1_jbrhiun wrote
>new community feature
Our Tesla
Fetlocks_Glistening t1_jbp54qa wrote
And sold it. Third time this month, too. Damn annoying accident
GetlostMaps t1_jbpgkzk wrote
It keeps respawning in carparks all over town. It's amazing.
BEHEMOTHpp t1_jc1q8c6 wrote
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ash_274 t1_jbq4btf wrote
My grandfather and a stranger accidentally stole each other late-70s Ford Ranger pickups once. Same paint, same condition, even the same key pattern. He only realized it wasn't his when the fuel tank was lower than he expected and when he stopped at an intersection a pack of not-his-brand cigarettes slid out from under the seats. He drove to the sheriff's office and the other guy was already there. Everyone had a laugh and they got in their respective trucks and went on about their day.
texastoasty t1_jbqvw1s wrote
Wasn't there a king of the hill episode which was basically that same plot?
Acrobatic-Cactus t1_jbqw7m7 wrote
But with hanks wallet. That one?
IronMaskx t1_jbrmd0m wrote
texastoasty t1_jbrp7i1 wrote
Ah, I must have been combining that and the wallet episode.
TheLostcause t1_jbr0byz wrote
The old ford trucks and SUVs all had like 7 keys. It was insane how it still worked well enough.
cofclabman t1_jbrd07q wrote
All the older cars had few different keys. I was at a wedding and someone locked their keys in their car so we just had all the guests try their keys and found one that unlocked the car within 10 people.
HarryHacker42 t1_jbpnfaq wrote
You can turn on "PIN TO DRIVE" so you have to type in 1234 before you drive. I don't know if you can set other passwords, that's the only one I'd ever try.
EggCouncilCreeps t1_jbqj2e1 wrote
That's the same as my luggage!
texastoasty t1_jbqvyqh wrote
How did you set yours to my bank pin?
Cindexxx t1_jbr9w42 wrote
Why is your bank pin my luggage combination?
texastoasty t1_jbrj2d2 wrote
Don't tell your "father"
xNot2a7Cluex t1_jbragae wrote
If you send me your card, I can change the pin for you
masshiker t1_jbprqi1 wrote
I got in someone else's Honda civic with my civic key once.
Furlz t1_jbpw92c wrote
No way, what year?
masshiker t1_jbuubuv wrote
Long ago. 88 Honda Civic at the mall. Probably, 1995?
Xendrus t1_jbpwmf4 wrote
My altima's key fob unlocked another altima sitting near mine once, wasn't even the same year. Mine was 2005 and this one looked like it was 10 years newer.
Lenny_Pane t1_jbqde4q wrote
That must be why my Altima was unlocked when I got back out to it
Cindexxx t1_jbr9tvi wrote
I found one car that was an entirely different brand that locked when I unlocked my car. Nothing else did anything, but it would do the usual locking beep if I clicked it twice.
Xendrus t1_jbrad5a wrote
Yeah I was going to mention I couldn't relock the dude's car, I had to sheepishly slink away with darting eyes.
iordseyton t1_jbqy58b wrote
Back in the 80s and 90s most car companies would make under 500 keysets for each make/ year. So if there were 350 keysets, you had a 1/350 chance of this working
masshiker t1_jbuv58q wrote
It was in the early 90's.
shortsandarts t1_jboojed wrote
He "accidentally" drove someone's car
Xendrus t1_jbpwcuu wrote
They'd both have to be basically spotless which makes sense in a new car, and the seat and mirrors would have to happen to be adjusted correctly and the color and model matching, I guess it's possible.
docgravel t1_jbr7e2u wrote
Or it was his rental car and he doesn’t have as much attachment to it.
DoctorDiabolical_EvL t1_jbpxz07 wrote
This story is fake. Read the comments of the original post.
Edit: May not be fake, but delving into the story itself has several holes and the one who wrote the article has a suspect set of previous articles.
aeneasaquinas t1_jbqf3f6 wrote
Arguably they provided absolutely nothing regarding this story being outright fake. Definitely should be treated with caution, but that isn't the same as making the claim "this story is fake."
Toloc42 t1_jbqd028 wrote
There is one scenario where I can make this make sense. And that scenario has a lot of guesswork since I don't know the exact start up procedure of a Tesla car.
If the car unlocks and starts as long as the linked phone has connectivity, and stays drivable without further confirmation for a short time window after getting out and back in for convenience, then, if the owner of the other car had just gotten out and was still close enough, this might have been possible.
I do not know if Tesla cars work this way or can be configured to work this way.
Then the guy didn't get in because of an app mix up, but anyone else could've done it too. It's hard to imagine the other driver not noticing it though. Maybe if the second owner stood next to the first car, because they were confused too?
I'd believe a lot about the quality of Tesla cars, they don't have the best rep anymore, but the app actually unlocking a car next to the one it's actually linked to? No. That's beyond any level of incompetence.
EmptyAirEmptyHead t1_jbqnitz wrote
Tesla's have a key card as well (like a credit card). Odds are the owner of the car left the key card in it, car will never lock then. New guy walks up, does 'unlock' in his app and opens the door. Presto he thinks he unlocked the car. He did not.
L0nz t1_jbsmcfz wrote
The key card is NFC and has a very short range. Leaving it in the car won't allow someone else to drive your car, it has to be touched against a specific part of the centre console before you can select a gear, and it's unlikely to stay on that part of the console during transit. I'm not buying this explanation
CptUnderpants- t1_jbrrq58 wrote
>A Vancouver man is trying to figure out how he managed to get into someone else’s Tesla recently and drive off
It's easy to figure out. The car was left in valet mode by the owner, a mode which is meant to only be used in lieu of handing a key to a valet. So it wasn't 'unlocked with their app', it already was unlocked and ready to drive. This is no different to someone leaving their keys in the ignition of a normal car.
Goldrush02 t1_jboxb4f wrote
To be fair, it does seem like it wouldn't be a bad idea. A car rental service that you can just pick a car off the street and drive, rather than wait. Sounds like it MAY have issues catching on though.
IdealBlueMan t1_jbozz29 wrote
Goldrush02 t1_jbqs9rj wrote
Oh damn I had no idea
Wojtas_ t1_jbpidjp wrote
That's available in pretty much every city in Europe.
Upeeru t1_jbpikx4 wrote
They are all over Seattle.
plumzki t1_jbqnigb wrote
Here in the Netherlands the are countless companies doing exactly this, we don't have a car but if we need to drive somewhere there is a car parked about 5 mins from us, we use an app to unlock it so no fucking around having to get it from somebody else, just jump in, do what we need and drop it back off. For a short trip this might cost us 10 to 15eu
Cherryxizz t1_jc1ljkk wrote
They also have it for renting bikes too! Europe is amazing ❤️
plumzki t1_jc1ohxb wrote
Also ebikes and mopeds!
Xendrus t1_jbpwgqj wrote
You'd need a company to inspect the car after each use to charge your card for damages. Basically just a car rental company.
sk8thow8 t1_jbq53ns wrote
You just have the next user inspect the vehicle for damages and report it before they start driving. And probably make people take pictures of the vehicle's condition when they drop it off. Plus, they have cameras in/on the vehicle.
mkizer7 t1_jbs0mtg wrote
I had a red 1962 VW Bug in high school, when they were everywhere. I came out of work one day, unlocked my door, and started it up. I reached over to turn on the radio and had a weird deja vu-like disorientation as I realized that it wasn't my aftermarket stereo. Then I started looking around and noticing some other small differences (mine was mostly stock). It only took a few seconds to realize it wasn't my car.
I quickly shut it off, jumped out, and locked it up. I took a nervous look around to see if anyone thought I was stealing their car. Whew, nobody around. I then saw my car (I checked the plate number this time) just a few more spots further down the row in the parking lot. That was certainly an odd feeling. I guess those old VW keys weren't all that unique. 😀
insidmal t1_jbshs50 wrote
Had the exact same experience with my friends Camero in the late 90s
CaptainJackVernaise t1_jbqcjsv wrote
I guess we'll see if this shows up as the next car-stealing challenge on social media?
makingthematrix t1_jbqh3fr wrote
Before Christ man?
EggCouncilCreeps t1_jbqioea wrote
Let's go to the 90s. We had just bought a brand new Nissan yesterday. First new car the family ever had (everything else was used) thanks to Unky's job at Nissan and the company discount. We walk out of Ross, click the unlock on the fob (ooo! Neat new feature!), open the door, sit down, and get ready to drive away. Look around. This doesn't look correct. Look right, there's a woman absolutely dumbfounded staring at me through the window. I look down. Shit. This isn't our car.
Thank gouda we don't live in Texas we mighta got shot. We got out, apologized, clicked the beeper and our car (right next to the one we got in what with that identical exterior trim) beeped. I like living where people are chill with honest mistakes.
FawltyPython t1_jbqls0o wrote
I unlocked another person's vw rabbit with my key once.
ILuvMemes4Breakfast t1_jbr5sj5 wrote
how did he even get a tesla over 2000 years ago? obvious fake news
semi-nerd61 t1_jbrxyjr wrote
B.C. man was smarter than a lot of modern men. Could manufacture his own Tesla!
Earth_Normal t1_jbrr59z wrote
I sat in the wrong old Nissan pickup once. All the keys are the same (worn out and basically worthless). I even started the truck before I noticed. Truck was the same color and trim. I only notice when the engine sounded worse.
Nobody noticed but I had a laugh.
watertowertoes t1_jbs081x wrote
Take a Tesla, leave a Tesla. Free Little Car Exchange.
[deleted] t1_jbopmbp wrote
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[deleted] t1_jbq3mv0 wrote
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Factsaretheonlytruth t1_jbqc30h wrote
I had something similar happen to me in the late 1980's. I went to pick up my silver Toyota Supra from the dealer after it had been serviced and got a few blocks away before I noticed stuff in the back that wasn't mine...because the car wasn't. I drove it back to the dealer to switch for mine and everyone there was amazed that this was even possible.
BaconIsAVeg2 t1_jbqml8c wrote
EmmaLouLove t1_jbr1y4h wrote
Oops.
Riverrat423 t1_jbreqsp wrote
Can I get the Tesla app, when I don’t own a Tesla? Then I can steal a Tesla.
magick_68 t1_jbskqww wrote
I was shopping with my dad. Went back to the old mercedes we had back then, opened the door and kinda wondered why everything looked so different. That was ca. 30 years ago.
It is nice to see that one thing didn't change over three decades, the "fuck security" attitude of the car manufacturers.
BardicSense t1_jbsro9l wrote
Most people commenting about the guy, but it seems like the Tesla is the real piece of garbage in this scenario.
captainadam_21 t1_jbszqbi wrote
Did the steering wheel fall off too?
spoonfight69 t1_jbt69lb wrote
Imagine paying $100,000 for this level of quality and security. Tesla drivers are rubes.
jimi15 t1_jbwqrc2 wrote
Think top gear proved that some of those automatic immobilisers are highly unreliable and sometimes lets you drive away without a key in the ignition. So i can believe it.
Cherryxizz t1_jc1kfak wrote
My mom did this with an old van. Unlocked got in started then realized it was too clean inside to be hers. Hera was a couple cars over.
MrGruntsworthy t1_jbpj1lz wrote
As a Tesla owner, I can tell you that this is wholesale impossible. You can not unlock a Tesla without the keycard, or a paired phone which requires the keycard set on the card reader to pair your phone during setup.
Folsomdsf t1_jbpljxt wrote
As someone who has had to move a tesla without any of that I can tell you that it's extremely possible. It was very easy.
iceynyo t1_jbpv4z4 wrote
fob? owner unlocked/started the car remotely?
twinheight t1_jbq5se6 wrote
Maybe you did mean "drive", and not "move". Otherwise, moving a vehicle without keys (or keycard) is not the same as driving the vehicle. Would you please elaborate on your claim?
Folsomdsf t1_jbti6vz wrote
We drove it lol. It's really pretty easy to force a tesla into bypass mode. Now you're aware how they get stolen and parted out. Don't use an electronic system that can be failed open!
eighty2angelfan t1_jbou4tj wrote
I know immediately when I get into someone else's car.