BXRMOM

I am brand new to Club Lexus, the forums, and being a Lexus owner. I have been a loyal Jeep girl but decided that it was time for a change and took advice from my trusted mechanic and went Lexus. I have a 2010 RX350.

As my handle implies, I have boxers that mean the world to me. I take them everywhere. That being said, I have what may seem a stupid or silly question to some:

Am I able to leave my car running so in winter the heat continues to run or in summer the A/C for the benefit of my dogs, locked (of course), and leave my car with the FOB on my person if I need to run into a store or bank for instance, without the car shutting off? Is there a max distance away if it does shut down when the FOB transits away?

Thanks for any help.

BLexodus

iTrader: (1)

I cant speak for certain on the RX, as I'm still shopping for one, but on my IS, it wont let me lock it when the key is not inside.

I have actually driven a few miles down the road without the key, so I dont think that part would be the issue. The issues lies in actually locking the car while keeping the key with you I think.

Cruiter

Josey, welcome to our club. It's an excellent place to find answers to questions like yours. Unfortunately in the interest of safety Lexus will not lock if you leave the car and carry your key fob and the car 'running'. It may be (in your case) an inconvenience but I'm sure you can understand the rational behind that. Best thing for your piece of mind and your pups is to leave them at home if you know you're going to have to leave the car. And you certainly don't want to leave it unlocked with the engine running either. I would imagine that most any manufacturer with push button auto start these days is the same way.

BertL

OP, my congrats on your new-to-you RX and to CL as well. I agree it is problematic to do what you want ... too many safety issues are in place that most people want -- to prevent having the truck running and lock it at the same time. You'll see in your manual starting around page 31 the myriad of conditions where the truck will and won't lock/unlock...

I also love my Golden Retriever who is my constant companion, who rides with me in "her" back seat of my RX on a Canine Protector most of the time. I'm fortunate with my very calm girl, as I can put the back windows nearly all the way down and lock my RX if I'm going to be gone for a little while and not worry about her jumping around or someone taking her, but having sufficient ventilation -- if it's not too sunny and there is no breeze, opening the sunroof helps as well. As a fellow dog owner though, I must say that I leave my girl home every time -- without exception -- when I'm going to have to leave the car for any amount of time and it's too hot or cold outside for me to ensure proper natural ventilation. E.g. I adjusted my schedule and was at the grocery store and Home Depot, then back home before 7:30AM this morning so she could come along, otherwise much later in the day, and she would have had to stay home even with those big sad eyes. Even if I could figure out how to keep the engine running of my RX while I stepped away for a few minutes, I wouldn't take the chance the truck may go off for some reason, or what if my animal accidentally pressed a button or lever causing the truck to do something unexpected while I was gone? I've seen too many stories on the news over the years about adults leaving small children in their cars with the engine running and things like that happening, so I can imagine the same possibility with our beloved companions as passengers as well. Not trying to preach to you, but show that I understand your desire to have your dogs with you as much as possible. For me, it's not worth any risk in more extreme temps if I can't be in the truck 100% with her, so my girl has to stay home a little more often this time of year. (...so, I turn the small TV on to her favorite cartoons -- Barney or SpongeBob -- while I'm gone as a consulation ).

Enjoy your Lexus and those Boxers!

heisnuts

You could also have Lexus install a remote starter system in the car. that would let you leave the car running and locked without the danger of someone driving away with the car.

go3Ds

Welcome to Club Lexus. Smart choice switching from Jeep to the 3rd Gen. RX.

Having to turn off the engine before locking is a very good safety feature, and Lexus pays attention to safety.

We also love dogs. The 2nd D in our go3Ds is for our dog Daisy. She goes everywhere with us as we travel full time. Being retired we have it easier, as I have walked Daisy in many parking lot fringes while the wife (1st D) runs in to a store. Our dog (4 pound Yorkie) can also convert from a dog, to an accessory, as she fits in my wife's purse. Come's in handy in most non food businesses. We also leave Daisy at the hotel or rental quite often while we go out, and she is a better dog because of it.

Lexmex

Welcome to the Club

BXRMOM

Thank you all for your thoughtful and insightful advice and hospitality. Looks like the remote start might be necessary. That isn't to say that I refuse to leave my dogs home, just that I'm a realist and I know things will come up while they are with me and their safety and comfort remain my top priority. That being said, as things are currently - no remote start - leaving the car running while unlocked with my beloveds inside is not an option. Of course I don't want my car stolen, but even more paramount, I don't want a car thief driving off with my babies! Furthermore, the danger of having one of them, likely my Tuckerman who enjoys waiting in the driver's seat, accidentally put the car in gear and create a danger, is not an option either.

With remote start, is the accidental gear engagement not going to be an issue? Will the car simply turn off?

EMSLEXUSRX

Bxrmom, here's what I do when traveling with my two Jack Russells in the RX. I live in Florida, so sometimes when traveling with my pups alone, and we all know how hot it is in Florida during the summer, but when I stop at the rest area, after letting them out to do their business, I put them back in the RX, start it, make sure the A/C is on, disengage the key fob from the actual key, put the key fob in the space under the console, put the emergency brake on and lock the door with the actual traditional key. You just open the door with the traditional key, and when you get back in the RX, just put the traditional key back into the fob! This way no one can get inside and drive away with my babies and they're still nice and cool until I get back from doing my business!

cavedawg

I haven't tried this but maybe you could leave one fob in the RX (hidden) with A/C on, brake on and lock it with the interior lock button on your way out. Also have the spare fob on your person to unlock with upon return. I guess I'l have to try this to see if it works.

Dawg

cavedawg

Disregard my last post. I tried it and it does not work.

Dawg

BertL

I'm not aware of anything that would prevent someone or something from accidentally moving a lever or pressing a button while the truck is on.

kitlz

Not sure either. One way to find out is to have one person inside the car while another person from the outside remote starts the RX. It's designed to turn off after 10 minutes without any intervention, immediately once the door handle is touched. I've used it to heat up or cool down the RXh before putting the kitties inside. I don't leave them in there unattended.

offroad200

How about leave it running, keep the fob in your pocket (it will continue to run without the fob) and manually lock it from the outside with the metal key?

EMSLEXUSRX

What I said earlier. You cannot lock the RX while it is on from the inside door lock or the remote. Only using the old fashioned key that's inside the fob will work