Leaving the car unlocked

fshuk1

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MG4 SE SR
Could someone explain what happens if you forget to lock your car when you get home. Not socially but technically.

Thank you
 
I thought there was already a thread on this, but I can't find it.

Short answer, after about half an hour everything goes to sleep, including the DRLs switching off, but the doors don't lock. I've done it several times, and each time only realised when pressing the door handle button locked the car instead of unlocking it, the next day.

The only time I had real trouble was when I forgot to lock it when it was in a dark multistorey car park hooked up to a destination charger. I was already in the theatre foyer when I realised, and I couldn't make the car lock from the app. I ran back to the car park, where the car was sitting with DRLs blazing. I don't know if I had been away half an hour or not, but I have a crawling suspicion that the fact that the car was on charge might have prevented the lights and the screens going dark.
 
You can lock and unlock the car from the iSmart app.

Screenshot_20240730-071849.png
 
Nothing happens, to my knowledge, when I forget to lock the car overnight, or daytime for that matter.

Can't be sure what the car is doing under the bonnet, but it certainly does not lock itself up...(MG ZS EV Mk1)
 
MG5 SR does not appear to be affected in any way when left unlocked for long periods of time.(many days)
Can`t be bothered to lock it up at home.
Knowone wants one !? Even when I left it in a busy carpark with the keys and a mobile phone on the roof for over 2 hours it was still there when I got back !
(She who must be obeyed was not impressed ! Said I was hopeless or something less polite?
 
You can lock and unlock the car from the iSmart app.
If the ismart is in one of its good moods and is talking to me this has worked well.

However if you want to check the lock status on the status page, I have had it report locked on several occasions when not locked, even though the refresh appears to have worked.

Before believing it, I first refresh until all items on the status page look sensible and then do one more refresh.
 
I left my MG4 se unlocked for 24hours my door wouldn’t open I had to use the temporary key to get in I had no electrics whatsoever.i had to call the AA to jump the small battery and get it all going again .Therefore I always make double sure to lock the drivers door
 
I left my MG4 se unlocked for 24hours my door wouldn’t open I had to use the temporary key to get in I had no electrics whatsoever.i had to call the AA to jump the small battery and get it all going again .Therefore I always make double sure to lock the drivers door
sounds like your 12v (small battery as you say) went flat. This is a major issue with electric cars. Most cheapish ones like ours use the normal lead-acid type all ICE cars use. More expensive EV's like Tesla are now using Lithium batteries.

TLDR don't let your 12v battery go flat. There is a whole thread on this. The other answers are true if your 12v is not flat when you get back
 
MG4 I left my lights on overnight. Saw them next morning but they went out while getting key and car would not unlock. Unable to work out manual unlock but AA did. 12v battery flat. Recharged, no problem since except paranoid about leaving lights on again.
Not sure what setting lights were on. Why didn't lights go off when car locked? Shouldn't the HV battery have kept the 12v charged?
 
On my SELR (phase 1) the DRLs go off after about five minutes if it is left unlocked. Also if left with the boot open the boot space light goes out after about the same length of time.
 
MG4 I left my lights on overnight. Saw them next morning but they went out while getting key and car would not unlock. Unable to work out manual unlock but AA did. 12v battery flat. Recharged, no problem since except paranoid about leaving lights on again.
Not sure what setting lights were on. Why didn't lights go off when car locked? Shouldn't the HV battery have kept the 12v charged?
The 12v battery definitely gets charged when HV is being charged and also when the car is in ready mode (or driving). I am yet to be convinced that it is charged at any other times. I know people say that it is charged by the HV if it is left for some time and loses charge but most of the evidence of 12v going flat suggests this is not true. If anyone has actual evidence of the random charging then I stand to be corrected.
 
The 12v battery definitely gets charged when HV is being charged and also when the car is in ready mode (or driving). I am yet to be convinced that it is charged at any other times. I know people say that it is charged by the HV if it is left for some time and loses charge but most of the evidence of 12v going flat suggests this is not true. If anyone has actual evidence of the random charging then I stand to be corrected.
I have posted previously that although I haden't touched my car for a couple of days and it's not connected to the wall charger the 12v battery has shown a charge of 14.7v in the app and then steadily reducing to 12.4 volts.

Car 12v charging.png
 
I have posted previously that although I haden't touched my car for a couple of days and it's not connected to the wall charger the 12v battery has shown a charge of 14.7v in the app and then steadily reducing to 12.4 volts.

View attachment 28649
Ok I've never seen that but I accept what you say.
 
I left my MG4 se unlocked for 24hours my door wouldn’t open I had to use the temporary key to get in I had no electrics whatsoever.i had to call the AA to jump the small battery and get it all going again .Therefore I always make double sure to lock the drivers door
The fear of that happening and being parked in airport car parks for several weeks made me buy an emergency battery pack, it fits neatly under the front seat, but although it's supposed to be able to start a big IC engine, it wouldn't start our 2 litre Hyundai diesel when the battery went flat. But it should be sufficient to fire up a flat EV 12V battery.
 
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The fear of that happening and being parked in airport car parks for several weeks made me buy an emergency battery pack, it fits neatly under the front seat, but although it's supposed to be able to start a big IC engine, it wouldn't start our 2 litre Hyundai diesel when the battery went flat. But it should be sufficient to fire up a flat EV 12V battery.
I like this idea ?. How long do emergency battery packs stay charged?
 

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