3 ms·

1990's hondas all used the same keys. You could, literally, steal a car by accident using your own key.

by liveoneggs 5y ago

marricks 5y ago
Any source for this? That's completely wild.
- liveoneggs 5y ago
  aside from my high school parking lot google for terms like "honda civic same key" :) https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/why-can-another-civics-key-crank-up-my-civic-1244168/ https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-... https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/honda-civic-keys-96-00-a-3156783/ https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-... https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/help-any-key-can-open-my-car-1803965/ https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-... I guess the real answer is that any key/lock that isn't 1-year-new is worn down enough to fit any other honda. I'm not sure they take security that seriously.
  - marricks 5y ago
    Ahh, I searched 1990s Honda same key and it was too broad. That is hilarious
johnvaluk 5y ago
Did you lock your keys in your trunk and need your key to unlock the trunk release? No problem, just pull off the casing with your hand and poke the mechanism with a stick. Let's face it, car security is generally a game of rock, crowbar, towtruck.
- SOLAR_FIELDS 5y ago
  Blew my mind when a locksmith, presumably taking some pity on me for locking myself out in the cold, showed me how I could pop the manual lock (this technique only works on manually driven locks, not electronic/automatic ones) on my pickup by unscrewing the antenna off the front and and using it to perform a rather simple maneuver in my door lock.
colechristensen 5y ago
Likewise for a huge range of years and models, all Ford commercial vehicles had the same key.
rndgermandude 5y ago
Back in the early 90s, my mom took me and my sisters shopping for winter clothes. After we were done (and us kids had stressed her out), she opened up the car, parked in the mall car park, put us in the back of the car, checked we put on the seat belts, and then started to reverse out of the parking space, when all of a sudden she stopped, looked visibly confused for some moments, drove back in and took us out of the car again. Turns out it wasn't our car, just the same new VW Golf model in the same color, and her key worked for it for whatever reason. She only noticed because the actual owner had put some stuff on the rear window, which she only noticed when looking back to reverse out of the parking space. I have no clue if VW had the same keys for all/many cars back then, or if it was a huge coincidence that the key fit well enough. The story of "how mom almost stole a car" is still treasured family folklore :P

1990's hondas all used the same keys. You could, literally, steal a car by accident using your own key.

marricks 5y ago

Any source for this? That's completely wild.

liveoneggs 5y ago
aside from my high school parking lot google for terms like "honda civic same key" :) https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/why-can-another-civics-key-crank-up-my-civic-1244168/ https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-... https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/honda-civic-keys-96-00-a-3156783/ https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-... https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/help-any-key-can-open-my-car-1803965/ https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-... I guess the real answer is that any key/lock that isn't 1-year-new is worn down enough to fit any other honda. I'm not sure they take security that seriously.
- marricks 5y ago
  Ahh, I searched 1990s Honda same key and it was too broad. That is hilarious

johnvaluk 5y ago

Did you lock your keys in your trunk and need your key to unlock the trunk release? No problem, just pull off the casing with your hand and poke the mechanism with a stick. Let's face it, car security is generally a game of rock, crowbar, towtruck.

SOLAR_FIELDS 5y ago
Blew my mind when a locksmith, presumably taking some pity on me for locking myself out in the cold, showed me how I could pop the manual lock (this technique only works on manually driven locks, not electronic/automatic ones) on my pickup by unscrewing the antenna off the front and and using it to perform a rather simple maneuver in my door lock.

colechristensen 5y ago

Likewise for a huge range of years and models, all Ford commercial vehicles had the same key.

rndgermandude 5y ago

Back in the early 90s, my mom took me and my sisters shopping for winter clothes. After we were done (and us kids had stressed her out), she opened up the car, parked in the mall car park, put us in the back of the car, checked we put on the seat belts, and then started to reverse out of the parking space, when all of a sudden she stopped, looked visibly confused for some moments, drove back in and took us out of the car again. Turns out it wasn't our car, just the same new VW Golf model in the same color, and her key worked for it for whatever reason. She only noticed because the actual owner had put some stuff on the rear window, which she only noticed when looking back to reverse out of the parking space. I have no clue if VW had the same keys for all/many cars back then, or if it was a huge coincidence that the key fit well enough. The story of "how mom almost stole a car" is still treasured family folklore :P