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Locked out and keyless entry

toothofwar

Autocross Champion
Location
KY
Car(s)
2018 Golf R
Out of curiosity I tried this on my 2017 GTI (I have a spare keyfob):

1. Locked car with keyfob
2. Opened the hatch with keyfob in my pocket
3. Placed keyfob inside the hatch
4. Closed hatch door
5. Tailights quickly blinked 3 times
6. Hatch door unlocks when I go to open it as if I had the keyfob in my pocket
This is the same results I had.
 

Strange Mud

Autocross Champion
Location
Small Town CT
Car(s)
Assorted
I spent the $ to have another key made (real one) I have it hidden with battery removed. I locked keys in another car 1x. Luckily I was across street from locksmith. Lesson learned. The 1st time this saves you it pays for itself

Mud
 

RSLICK

Ready to race!
Location
Victoria, B.C.
Car(s)
7.5 Autobahn DSG
Did you buy your car used? Possibly someone else already coded it.
No, purchased car new. FWIW, so far, in this thread most owners have the fob working as it should, ie., not letting you lock yourself out if you accidently left your key in the hatch. One owner experienced the same problem as me.
 

VDubberinDE

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Delaware
Car(s)
2018 VW Golf R
Depending on the thickness of the bag and location of FOB inside, it may simple not have detected it.
Normally it won't lock, but nothings perfect. Doubt its a defect. I always keep key in my pocket.
 

Genegenie

Drag Race Newbie
Location
North Yorkshire
Car(s)
VW Golf
Same thing happened to me once with a previous non-kessy Golf. Was sorting stuff in the boot, had key in my hand and for some reason I put it down in the boot (I know) and closed the hatch. The car 'autolocked', or whatever it's called I realise this function can be disabled though didn't think it was supposed to operate with a key inside the car, and thus forever sealed the car with the key safely inside. Oh dear. Had I not had the spare key on my 'house keys' key-ring it would have been a tricky situation to be sure, especially as we were literally in the 'middle of nowhere's ville' at the time. Never done it since and always have both keys with me at all times....
 

The Fed

Old Guys Rule
Location
Florida
Just tested mine. I wrapped the fob in a heavy towel. The towel was 2-1/2" thick at the fob. Still worked from at least 18" away from the emblem in a straight line sob I feel something is wrong. I would test the car battery and fob battery voltages just to make sure it's not that. If you have a VCDS you can check car battery voltage and for a low fob battery fault.

Or perhaps this? From Vortex for a 2015 GTI. Impossible to know for sure because it could have been a bad connection.

I had this problem on my GTI from the day I drove it off the lot (just didn't notice it at the time) until a few weeks ago. The hatch would not open reliably if the key fob was in my pocket. I would have to lift my leg up and toward the hatch to get the system to activate. (I looked like a dog marking his territory).

I tested this behavior on several other Golf MK7 models and all of them behaved as one would expect: you walk up to the hatch with the key fob in your pocket, and you can open the hatch with no problems. I would caution against thinking any other behavior is "normal". I would advise any experiencing similar issues to test other brand new cars to confirm yours is not working as advertised.

My former local dealer refused to play ball and fix my car, despite having reproduced the issue and admitting something was wrong, because there were no error codes . I moved states and had a new dealership to work with. They had my car for a couple of weeks but fixed it. Per VTA, they replaced the start module and tested a different antenna to no avail. They were finally advised to replace the J519 central electronics module, and this seemed to fix my issue, at least.

Finally, I can walk up to my hatch without having to contort my body in order to open my hatch.
 
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KyACRASH

Autocross Newbie
Location
Fort Walton Beach, FL
Car(s)
2015 GTI 6MT, 04 R32
Did OP confirm if he tried to reopen the hatch?

As others have mentioned even if the doors are locked the hatch should sense the key and open. That's what happened to me, leaving the airport I had my keys in my bag, threw it in the hatch and had a mini heart attack after I heard the horn beep when I closed the hatch. Fortunately, the hatch opened right up, as it should...
 

RSLICK

Ready to race!
Location
Victoria, B.C.
Car(s)
7.5 Autobahn DSG
Did OP confirm if he tried to reopen the hatch?

As others have mentioned even if the doors are locked the hatch should sense the key and open. That's what happened to me, leaving the airport I had my keys in my bag, threw it in the hatch and had a mini heart attack after I heard the horn beep when I closed the hatch. Fortunately, the hatch opened right up, as it should...
 

RSLICK

Ready to race!
Location
Victoria, B.C.
Car(s)
7.5 Autobahn DSG
Yes, I tried to reopen the hatch. I think something is wrong to. I have to take the car into the dealership for a squeaky sunroof. I will discuss it with service at that point. I think our "Old guys rule" suggestion is a good one. Thanks Old Guy.
 

RSLICK

Ready to race!
Location
Victoria, B.C.
Car(s)
7.5 Autobahn DSG
The dealership said that there are dead zones in the car. He said he thought this was in the manual. I will check this, but you now know the rest of the story!
 

chillax

Drag Racing Champion
Location
Wi
Car(s)
18 GTI SE plaid
The dealership said that there are dead zones in the car. He said he thought this was in the manual. I will check this, but you now know the rest of the story!

What did they do about the sunroof?
 

RSLICK

Ready to race!
Location
Victoria, B.C.
Car(s)
7.5 Autobahn DSG
What did they do about the sunroof?
The sunroof has been squeaking quite badly. Originally, they put a felt lining in it to stop it. This worked for about a week. Now they claim it was a hinge and they adjusted the position of the glass. Seems okay so far.
 

MK2MK7

New member
Location
NC
Car(s)
GTI MK7
I did the same thing when my car was new, leaving the key in a bag I put in the trunk of my locked 2017 Sport. KESSY unlocked the trunk, it flashed 3 times when I closed it, but I didn't yet know that meant anything. Talking to a friend in the parking lot for 20 minutes, and tried opening the driver door. Realized it was in my bag, but I couldn't open the trunk. Later testing showed that the trunk will remain "unlocked" for a couple minutes if you put the key in the trunk. If you don't attempt to open it within the allotted time, it no longer opens without the other key. When it locks with a key inside, you need to reset that key using a procedure detailed, I think, in the manual.
 
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