# Key locked in the Mini Question

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-locked-in-the-mini-question/30025>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [May 4, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-locked-in-the-mini-question/30025 "2009-05-04T18:09:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![bbschreiber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@bbschreiber](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bbschreiber)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-locked-in-the-mini-question/30025/1 "2009-05-04T18:09:18Z")

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I was reading in the MINI forums over the weekend that a guy locked his keys in his car in the middle of a road trip. With no better ideas, and not wanting to call the cops, he called his wife, who held the spare clicker to the cell phone, and hit unlock, the MINI, hundreds of miles from home, with the cell phone held to the car roughly where the receiver is, UNLOCKED.  
  
  
  
 Is this BOGUS or how is it possible?  
  
  
  
 Bruce

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**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-locked-in-the-mini-question/30025/2 "2009-05-04T18:41:03Z")

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Sounds bogus to me.

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**Author:** ![mshugna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce73a5/32.png) [@mshugna](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mshugna)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 6:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-locked-in-the-mini-question/30025/3 "2009-05-04T18:59:00Z")

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It would be interesting to see if someone would try and repeat this…I suppose ‘onstar’ uses a computer signal to unlock customer’s cars.

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**Author:** ![Cougar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cougar/32/21348_2.png) [@Cougar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cougar)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-locked-in-the-mini-question/30025/4 "2009-05-04T19:16:52Z")

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Most keyfob remotes work by using a coded RF frequency to communicate to the receiver in the vehicle. It is not possible to transmit that signal over a cell phone or any other normal communications device.

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**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2009, 8:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/key-locked-in-the-mini-question/30025/5 "2009-05-04T20:03:36Z")

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Exactly!

Most remotes use a radio frequency to open car doors. Some (or perhaps all) Mercedes use a light signal (infrared, laser, ??) to open doors.

A cell phone can transmit a sound with a certain degree of accuracy, but it cannot transmit a radio frequency other than its own radio signal, and it certainly can’t transmit a light signal.