This is not about my car–it’s about the noisy cars Sabrina complained about in your column published in the Columbus Ohio Dispatch on 10-27-18.
What if we all got unlazy & put forth the “extreme” effort of inserting the car key in the door lock & turning it! I do every time & it works just fine (& quietly) every time!
I did not see the column. Have no idea what her complaint is. But as far as locking the door using the key, why? Using the fob all you hear is the very soft click of the solenoid.
The complaint in the column was that car horns go off when locking the door remotely, as you walk
away, using the key fob. So the “soft click of the solenoid” is not all you–& everyone around you
–hears.
I don’t even know how to answer “as far as locking the door using the key, why?”!! Isn’t that what
keys are for–locking & unlocking?? Using the key fob will eventually wear out the battery which
will get discarded when replaced. But, the bottom line is, how did we become such a lazy culture
that we can’t insert a key in a hole & turn it less than 360 degrees!
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Sharon. there are some vehicle where the key slot is only on one side of the vehicle and may be hidden behind a plate to keep dirt and ice out.
So if I enjoy the fact that when it is raining I can use my remote to unlock the doors before I get to the car and also use it to raise the hatch to put groceries in I am a lazy person.
Also you don’t seem to realize that batteries can be recycled.
I do realize batteries can be recycled. I also realize we have raincoats. I also realize that using the remote for the
occasional good reason is not the same as using it routinely so you can walk away from your car a few seconds
sooner. I also realize many peoplewon’t do the extra step(s) to recycle instead of trash.
My car has a key slot only on the driver’s side; no problem.
To beep the horn you normally have to hit the Fob twice.
Sure, that little button battery eventually dies, but the store will dispose of it.
You don’t have to use the key to lock the doors, push the lock switch button on the door panel before closing the door.
To play devils advocate, you’ll also wear out your key faster using it to manually (and let’s be honest, you’ll spend more replacing a chip key than you will batteries in a fob 
). And it’s really not hard to recycle batteries
That’s the way my cars work. If I am nearby and can see the inside lock knobs go down, I don’t press the fob a second time.
The owners manual may give more info about settings for features like the key fob-controlled locks and whether or in what circumstances there is a horn beep.
fyi … There’s another thread just below this one about the same subject OP.