It took an hour to get the drummer out.
On the Evo, the doors lock automatically when you start the car. It's not a new invention, but it's the first time I've dealt with it on a manual transmission car. On my mom's minivan, it locks the doors when you shift out of Park, and then unlocks them when you shift back into Park, which is sensible. But on a manual transmission, there's no easy way to determine what gear the car is in, so the Evo locks the doors when you start the engine, and then unlocks them when you shut it off.
It's certainly appreciated in this high crime environment, but I've always been worried that I was going to slip up and get locked out of my car sometime. Sure enough, yesterday as I was getting in the car, I noticed the mailman pulling up to the mailbox. So I started the engine to let the A/C start cooling, and then got out to get the mail. As I started to close the door, I heard the doors lock, but thanks to my Brontosaurus-like reflexes, my arms happily finished closing the door while the order to refrain sped from my brain like an electron through copper wire (that is, travelling about 0.0000536 mph). Sigh. Oh, and you might ask, "But Dan, don't you have a spare key?" Why, yes, I do. I keep it in my bookbag, on the assumption that the bookbag is almost always with me. Except when it's locked in my running car.
Remembering that the Honda dealer had been able to cut a new key for my '89 Civic based on the VIN number, I called the Mitsubishi dealer to ask if that was possible with the Evo's transponder-equipped key. He reminded me that I could just call the number on the sticker on the windshield (conveniently printed on both sides so it can be read from inside or out) to call for 24-hour roadside assistance. Ooh, these new cars come with features I'm not used to :) So half an hour later, a guy showed up and opened the car in ten seconds.
I figured he'd have some closely guarded, dealer-provided tool or maybe even a radio transponder to transmit a cryptographically signed signal to the car to tell it to unlock the doors. No, actually he used the same two tools that have been used to break into cars for years — one to separate the window from the doorframe, and a hook-shaped rod reminiscent of a clothes hanger. Hmm.
On one hand, I'm glad because next time, I don't have to wait for them to come open it for me. On the other hand, I'm reconsidering investing in LoJack.
Hehe, I guess I revealed in a public forum how easy it is to break into my car. You better not steal it, jerks.