I think this will have a factual answer, so I post it here. WHat is the motivating practical reason why cars have moved to keyless entry and pushbutton start? I just bought a new vehicle and I really prefer the key rather than the fob only option. I suspect that most people would prefer a key (though I could be wrong). Lets assume that people either don’t care or prefer a key.
Why would manufacturers be motivated to have to a feature like this that is less attractive to their customers?
Reasons why I don’t like the fob only option:
its bulkier than my old key/fob
I’m more likely to forget to give it to the repair guy since its not in my hands when I shut the car off.
If I take it out of my pocket and set it in console its harder to remember to take it with me when I exit the vehicle.
much more difficult to store a ‘spare’ on the vehicle in a hidey place
costs a helluva lot more to replace ($500-$700)
eventually is destined to fail when the fob battery runs out.
(this won’t happen with mine but)…forgetting the fob in the kitchen but close enough to start the car, then driving to the store and not being able to restart the car.
You can’t assume that people prefer a key, and then wonder why manufacturers are making something that is less attractive to their customers. The logical assumption and conclusion is that people prefer the fob and keyless entry/start, so car manufacturers are understandably motivated to add that feature to their lineup.
Your question really should be, “Why do people prefer fobs?”, and then of course, it’s more of an opinion.
Perhaps it is a littler bulkier, but it’s more comfortable in the pocket than keys. And a fob won’t scratch your cell phone or stab you in the leg like a key might.
If your mechanic doesn’t ask for your key before you leave the store, you need a better mechanic. That should be a normal part of the reception process. Also, I don’t think you should be less likely to remember to hand over your keys. Back when I had keys, they would probably have gone into my pocket by the time I entered the store. So, I’d be pulling them back our to hand to the mechanic. I don’t think most people would find #2 an issue.
Why would you put it on the console? The point of these things is that they stay on your person, your bag or your purse. There should be no reason to take it out of your pocket unless you’re using the remote start. And even then, it should be back in your pocket by the time you reach the vehicle.
There is absolutely no reason why you would need to store a spare key on the vehicle. People did this in the past in case they locked their keys in the car. That is no longer possible with the fob. There’s no longer any reasonable explanation for having a hidden key on your car.
Don’t lose it. Diamond rings cost more to replace than plastic ones. At any rate, people have grown accustomed to the rising cost of vehicle keys. Even pre-fob, chipped keys would cost over a hundred dollars.
When batteries run out, get another battery. Your car will warn you ahead of time that it is time to replace the battery. Just like it tells you to replace the oil or the wiper fluid.
Your car would have to be parked in your kitchen for that to happen. And besides, the car will warn you that the fob has left the vehicle. So you’ll know before you completely pull out of the driveway. There’s no way to get to the store and not realize it.
1-I think this can vary by manufacturer. The keyless entry fob for my Hyundai isn’t really much bigger than previous ones i have had that just operated the locks and trunk release. In fact, i have had a few rental cars that do not have the keyless entry but do have a key that folds up into the fob and those are bigger than my keyless entry one.
2-Valid point and not much you can do about this.
3-Not an issue since you never have to take it out of your pocket, purse, etc.
4-Not sure about most people but the main benefit of hiding a spare key was in the event of locking your keys in the car. Not going to happen with the keyless entry fobs.
5-Also a valid point.
6-Replace the battery, no big deal.
7- The fob has to be in close enough proximity to the car that this is not an issue. Haven’t actually tested how close it needs to be to start but i have to be within a few feet of the door to be able to unlock it (did test this when i first got the car by having someone try to unlock the door as i stepped closer)
All in all i like the convenience of being able to leave my keys in my pocket when locking, unlocking, or starting my car.
I’d rather not be retrained. It may not make logical sense, but that is the reality.
Plus I do take it out of my pocket for legitimate reasons…bulky, more comfortable out of pocket…leave in car when in the garage so I know where it is…I take it out to lock or unlock the car, or unlock the camper shell.
so its not a situation where I keep it in my pocket all the time. I treat it like I treated my key.
in my case its smaller than my old honda keys. Many fobs have a key hidden inside.
they usually ask.
just a slightly different methodology
the main reason for this is lockouts, which you cannot do with the fob in the car. My car actually beeps at you if the fob is in the car and you try to close the door and walk away.
fobs for my 2018 chevrolet volt can be had for $89 and instructions for programming them are simple and available on dozens of websites.
with mine there is a spot in the center console that you can stick the dead fob and it will start the car via RFID type sensor.
Mine will refuse to start if you are holding the fob out the window. I would not be able to open the doors without the fob being within a few feet of the car.
It’s funny how most of your complaints seem to revolve around your forgetfulness, but freedom from absent mindedness and lost of keys is one of the biggest advantages of having a keyless fob. Surely you have something that you leave the house with everyday, right? A bag, a purse, a briefcase? That’s where the fob goes. For other people, it is normal to wear the same pair of jeans all week, or the same outer suit garments. During winter, many people wear the same jacket every day. For these people, the fob goes in it’s regular pocket and stays there. No more fumbling with keys all the time.
Car manufacturers are really, really good at two things:
[ol]
[li]Engineering[/li][li]Marketing[/li][/ol]
Every car manufacturer is doing this because this feature is *more *attractive to the vast majority of customers, i.e., it sells cars. Car keys are going the way of corded telephones and CDs.
BTW in 1980 I locked my keys in the car while the car was running (along with my apartment key). That is impossible with my fob/pushbutton start car. The car knows where the keys are and it will not allow the doors to lock if the key is in the car. It will not allow me to close the trunk if the keys are in the trunk. It will not allow me to start the car if the key is not in the car. How is a metal key superior to that?
Well that’s just it. You can’t treat new technology like it’s old technology and then complain that there are no benefits to the new tech, or that the new tech is more inconvenient. I imagine there were people complaining that their new automobiles wouldn’t eat hay or respond to the whip. How frustrating it must have been to get those cars moving.
It might be possible to find some sort of industry document or marketing survey that describes their reasoning behind it, but I think this thread will do better if we allow opinions in as well.
I resisted the fob in the beginning, thinking it silly and overengineered. Then I got a car with one, and in short order hated to drive a car with a key anymore. For me, it’s just so convenient.
Another aspect of the keyless start is that many people keep/kept their key on a ring with a bunch of other keys and a pocket knife and that funny bottle opener from the state fair. Basically, it’s huge and it weighs more than it should. It create a point of failure. The key can bend, or the ignition can fail.
I will admit that when I first ran across keyless ignition I thought it was nice but not really needed. Now when I get in a car without it, I feel like I’m being confronted with a typewriter instead of a computer. It’s old school. Just wait until you get used to unlocking your car without getting your keys out. That’s the high life right there.
I have almost the opposite fear. Not that I’ll start the car from the house and leave the keys in the house (never happens - I can’t start it unless the fob is actually inside the car) but that I’ll leave the car while it is still running, leading to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in the garage.
I haven’t done it yet, but it’s more likely now that I don’t have to disengage the keys from my car after driving.
Yeah, this happened after 8 years in my first car. The tumblers in the ignition failed, and I had to pay a locksmith to change it out. Most people kept telling me I just needed to ‘jiggle the steering wheel’ like I was an idiot who didn’t know the difference from the steering wheel lock.
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet, I don’t think, is that there is usually a method to start the car with a dead fob battery.
One reason they are so bulky is that there is probably a hidden metal key inside. Use the key on the location of the car that has a keyhole to get in the car. Touch the fob to the start button while depressing the button to start.
But people are giving you this. They’re essentially saying “customers want this”. There are no current regulations insisting on keyless start / entry. These systems are clearly more expensive to implement than a traditional key. That really only leaves one plausible explanation.
In fact, if I recall correctly the keyless start / entry is still sometimes packaged as an optional extra that you pay more for. Not something I’d expect to see if the majority of people perceive it as a downgrade.
Personally, I much prefer the keyless fob. My wife’s car (older than mine, a 2009!) has it and mine doesn’t. For expediency I carry both of our keys and my non-keyless fob is actually larger than hers. It’s nice when I drive her car to leave my keys in my pocket. It’s nice to just pull the door handle with the key in my pocket and have it unlock instead of having to press the button on the fob.
I find the experience slightly better in every way. I probably wouldn’t pay thousands of dollars for it, but appreciate it when it is there.
We’ve been telling you the reasoning, but you aren’t listening. Keyless is way better. When they started fobbing the door locks and trunk, people kept asking if they could do that for the ignition as well. Or the engineers asked themselves that and the customers responded positively.
A few other reasons keyless was embraced:
No lock to pick. Chipped keys made that harder anyway, but without an ignition key, jacking your car just got a lot harder.
Ever try dragging a fob along a car belonging to someone you didn’t like? Eventually we’ll make “keying a car” a thing of the past.
With a fob you CAN’T lock your keys in the car. So no need for any of that folderol.
It all boils down to: it’s what the customers want. They were introduced to the idea and embraced it wholeheartedly.
