Can the Civic Si door-handle sensors (for keyless entry) be turned off?

[250gtswb]

This may seem like an odd thing to want to do, but I would like to turn off the door-handle touch sensors in my 2017 Si. After parking the car, and locking it up using the button on the key fob, I like the feeling of security I gain when pulling on the door handles a few times to confirm that they are properly locked, before I walk away. Call it OCD, or call it prudence; I live in Los Angeles, where theft of cars -- and things in cars (including my wedding suit, stolen out of my car some years ago, and in a nice area) -- has happened to me several times. So, I always check to make sure that my car is definitely locked.

With my car's door-handle sensors, it's still possible to grip the handle in such a way that it will not automatically unlock the door, even if I have the key fob on my person and thus close to the car, but it's not always so easy, and the door often unlocks itself even though I'm doing my best to avoid touching the inside surface of the door handle while grasping it. It thus often requires a few tries to successfully check both doors (my Si is a coupe) without the car unlocking itself. An obvious solution would be to put the key fob down somewhere out of range, and then walk back to the car to check the door handles, but this isn't always practical, especially in more crowded parts of the city.

I would like to know if there is a way to reset the keyless entry system so that the touch sensors on the door handles are disabled. I don't want to shut off the whole system, just the touch sensors. And if that isn't possible, would fitting door handles from another Civic model that doesn't have keyless entry work? I don't mind having to press the unlock button on the key fob to get in, or even using the actual metal key that is concealed within the key fob.

Thanks in advance for any ideas on this!

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[Ataricade]

You can clearly hear the doors lock. In addition to this you can click the lock button on the remote to hear the confirmation if you’re really that paranoid. If that still isn’t enough move your keys away from the car walk back and pull the handle.

If this still doesn’t satisfy you, you need to realize you might have a disorder. Though I suspect you really do have one.

The simplest thing and I can’t understand why you haven’t thought of this is just walk away from the car and set the keys down. The keys have to be close so I mean at most a few steps.

 

[250gtswb]

The simplest thing and I can’t understand why you haven’t thought of this is just walk away from the car and set the keys down. The keys have to be close so I mean at most a few steps.[/QUOTE]

I did think of this, but as I wrote, it's not always a good idea to lay your keys down on the sidewalk in a crowded city like Los Angeles. (Is there a part of the car itself that would be out of range, like the rear spoiler, where I could rest my keys while checking the doors?) In some parking situations I have placed my keys a few feet away from the car, and that does works, but it's not practical everywhere I park.

As for having a psychological disorder, I will accept your diagnosis! I admit to being so crazy about my Civic Si that it's driving me crazy!

 

[17siturb0]

Use your key fob and hit the lock button over and over till you see your lights twinkle and you hear the locks click. I have the same OCD and that does it for me. I’ve had friends try to open the doors in many situations that I thought of and I’m satisfied.

 

[dmitri]

You might be able to "replace" the act of pulling on door handles with seeing the lights blink and hearing the 'locked' beep. Neuroplasticity and all... Think about how many various signals the car gives you that you already trust without having to check mechanically to verify the readings -- fuel gauge, speedometer, coolant temp, the list goes on forever. So when you re-lock the car (couple of times if you need to) with the key fob and it flashes those lights and beeps, it's a pretty safe indicator that it is indeed locked. You shouldn't have to pull on the handles to verify that the car isn't lying to you any more than having to get out of the car and lower a stick into the gas tank to verify that the fuel gauge is not lying to you.

But, if that doesn't work out, I would consider trying two things that you haven't mentioned trying yet:

1) put a strip or two of electrical tape on the back of the handle, or

2) hold your fob in one hand as far away from the door as you can (both arms outstretched) and hope it's far enough so that the NFC doesn't kick in, while you're pulling on the handle with the other hand. You'll look a bit silly, but somehow I don't think that's something that'll bother you (it wouldn't bother me if I were in your shoes).

Not sure either one will work, but easy enough to try. Good luck!

 

[250gtswb]

Great replies, full of good advice which I will try out today. Thanks!

 

[Doc_C]

OP, I use the auto lock feature. Shutting the door after opening it or parking and getting out will trigger the system "ready". It will beep once and flash the lights once letting your know the system is good to go. As you walk away, about 10ish feet away, the car beeps again, flashes again, and the doors lock. You'll have to get that far from the car in order for it to lock too. If you stay close as you need to open another door or to go to the trunk it won't lock. It will also never lock with the key inside the car. Never had it fail and the time between the system ready and lock beeps give my brain time to focus on the second beep.

 

[swah_fk7]

This may seem like an odd thing to want to do, but I would like to turn off the door-handle touch sensors in my 2017 Si. After parking the car, and locking it up using the button on the key fob, I like the feeling of security I gain when pulling on the door handles a few times to confirm that they are properly locked, before I walk away. Call it OCD, or call it prudence; I live in Los Angeles, where theft of cars -- and things in cars (including my wedding suit, stolen out of my car some years ago, and in a nice area) -- has happened to me several times. So, I always check to make sure that my car is definitely locked.

With my car's door-handle sensors, it's still possible to grip the handle in such a way that it will not automatically unlock the door, even if I have the key fob on my person and thus close to the car, but it's not always so easy, and the door often unlocks itself even though I'm doing my best to avoid touching the inside surface of the door handle while grasping it. It thus often requires a few tries to successfully check both doors (my Si is a coupe) without the car unlocking itself. An obvious solution would be to put the key fob down somewhere out of range, and then walk back to the car to check the door handles, but this isn't always practical, especially in more crowded parts of the city.

I would like to know if there is a way to reset the keyless entry system so that the touch sensors on the door handles are disabled. I don't want to shut off the whole system, just the touch sensors. And if that isn't possible, would fitting door handles from another Civic model that doesn't have keyless entry work? I don't mind having to press the unlock button on the key fob to get in, or even using the actual metal key that is concealed within the key fob.

Thanks in advance for any ideas on this!

if you go into your vehicle settings, you can turn them off. There is an option for 1 door to unlock, all 4, or none.

 

[Ataricade]

if you go into your vehicle settings, you can turn them off. There is an option for 1 door to unlock, all 4, or none.

That’s for when you turn off the car and open the door to leave there’s no way to turn off completely the doorhandle unlocking. You can only choose drivers door or all doors

 

[jayee]

If you MUST test the doors by tugging them after they lock, just use one of the rear doors. They don't have the sensors.

 

[250gtswb]

hold your fob in one hand as far away from the door as you can (both arms outstretched) and hope it's far enough so that the NFC doesn't kick in, while you're pulling on the handle with the other hand. You'll look a bit silly, but somehow I don't think that's something that'll bother you (it wouldn't bother me if I were in your shoes).

This really does work, and you're right, I do look silly while doing it! I think when my two hands are outstretched in opposite directions, the span between them is just enough to prevent the Civic's sensor from picking up the presence of the key fob.

I've read several online articles about how car thieves can hack these keyless systems with electronic devices which let them get into cars to steal things, and even the cars themselves. When my beautiful Honda Prelude Si was stolen, about 25 years ago, it was later located by the police... stripped. A very sad sight, it was totalled by the insurance company. Years before that, another of my cars (not a Honda) was stolen and never recovered. Neither of those cars had keyless entry; they were stolen the old-fashioned way. I suppose if someone really wants to steal your car, there is very little that can be done to stop them. (I used to remove the starter relay when leaving a car parked on the street. That would still not prevent the car from getting broken into, but at least I had peace of mind about the car itself being stolen.)

 

[dmitri]

I suppose if someone really wants to steal your car, there is very little that can be done to stop them.

Exactly. Moving to a nicer neighborhood is about the only thing I can think of, but unfortunately that is, of course, not always possible.

 

[Zeffy94]

Exactly. Moving to a nicer neighborhood is about the only thing I can think of, but unfortunately that is, of course, not always possible.

That assumes the would-be thief knows how to drive a stick shift.

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