It took about a year before we figured out a feature that our Infinity had related to the key fobs. The Infinity is my wife’s car. Whenever I would drive her car and she was the passenger, she would get frustrated that all the pre-selected XM channels would change. She would blame me that I had changed the buttons on the dash for which XM channel they would bring up. It wasn’t my car so I claimed ignorance.
We finally figured out that the car would change the preferences for everything (radio channels, thermostat, seat position, etc.) based upon which fob it recognized when we got into the car! Pretty smart.
that’s not universal; Ford/Lincoln vehicles let you pair a new fob to the car with no special tools.
that is, if you have two programmed fobs already. I think that’s to make it harder for someone to surreptitiously take your one fob and make a duplicate.
Bluetooth, at least on Tesla. It has some idea of range, too–it doesn’t unlock the car just because it has a connection. Somehow it auto-calibrates so that it only locks/unlocks within a ~25 ft radius.
At some point most cars included an anti theft system, where the key had electronics in it, that had to be in proximity of the steering column in order to start the car. A copy key without the electronics properly programmed would not start the car. So the actual key itself was pretty useless at that point. My truck has that type of key. It does operate the door locks, but I also have a fob for that too.
So the added expense and mass of a key lock cylinder became redundant. The button can be placed anywhere. The electronics and logic were already in place in the computer.
But I have not used such a system. Is there still a steering wheel lock system? If so, then a separate electro mechanical device must be needed for that. Which used to be purely mechanical with the lock cylinder.
We have a fleet of various vehicles where I work. Sometimes I deal with other peoples personal vehicles as well. For a smart person, I sometimes feel pretty stupid sitting in a vehicle, wondering how to turn the damn thing on. Or do other things once it is running.
I had to get a new key with remote for a 2006 Chrysler minivan recently. The blanks are like $15 online. If you have two, you can program another one very easily.
I only had one working key, so I couldn’t program it myself.
The local dealership quoted me like $600.
One local locksmith was willing to do it for like $150 + the blank, which they wanted another $150 for. They would program my internet-sourced blank, but they’d charge me $150 whether it worked or not. Except they couldn’t do it at all when I tried because the 3rd party system that talks to Chrysler to get the key pins was down. It apparently goes down for a few weeks at a time. They of course didn’t tell me this on the phone. They told me after I drove out to their shop.
The dealership quoted me a $180 hour of labor for them to provide the pin. After I called them like 5 times to even get someone to talk to me. This is, I believe, a 4-digit code. I responded incredulously and will never do any business with them as a result.
And on and on. It took me two more visits to the locksmith over the course of almost 2 months to get a fucking key made (I then made two more using cheap blanks off the internet by myself. Worked fine).
So while I like remote keys and key fobs, the process of getting another one certainly can be an expensive pain in the ass.
We’re not talking about fobs that just open the door. The OP is about keyless pushbutton starts on cars. There is no key to start the car. You need to have the fob with you to start the car.
Pretty rare, and the only time this would be a concern is when you’re close enough to the car for the car to heed the command of the fob.
I will admit, however, that it’s happened to me more than once, but it required me to be kneeling or squatting in such a way that the button got pressed. As luck would have it, this circumstance happens when I’m washing/waxing the lower portions of my car’s front end - and for fuck’s sake, it always seems to be the alarm button. :mad:
If it’s such a concern, you can tape off the buttons or open up the fob and tape over the contacts so they don’t respond to a push. The thing is, they’re pretty much becoming standard, so you’ll have difficulty in a few years finding a car that doesn’t have keyless ignition–or at least that seems to be the case. The last two cars we bought (2014 and 2016) had keyless standard at anything but (I think) the base trim level.
The only complaint that I have had with the keyless fob is when the battery on the fob itself dies.
You can’t start the car with dead fob. Of course you only have to replace the battery, but depending upon where you are when the battery dies, it can be inconvenient.
check your car’s owner’s manual. Ford/Lincoln vehicles will have a pocket or pad somewhere in or on the center console where you can put the fob, and it will authenticate using NFC.
You can start it with a dead fob, at least with my cars you can. You push the start button with the fob itself and it will start the car (this has happened to me.)
I mean, it would be kind of odd to have a backup key in the fob to allow you to enter the car when your fob dies, but no backup method to start the car. Read your manual.
Speaking of batteries, I’ve been getting a ‘low battery’ warning on my dashboard lately. I’m buying four of the coin cells. One for each fob, one to keep in the house and the last to keep in the car. They’re less that 2 bucks each.
Do yourself a favor and look for coin cells made in Japan. They’re made by Panasonic and are the only ones really worth buying. The ones made in China don’t last.
Mine as well( I drive a Mazda, but I assume dead fob starts is pretty standard technology ).
Like many I was slightly uncertain about it for a couple of days when I first got one. Like most, I love it now and miss it when I get a rental without one.
for those keeping track, I’m the OP.
I’ve had the car for a month or more now and am getting used to is. I still walk away from it without locking it because the key isn’t in my hand when I exit the vehicle.
I’m starting to like just getting in the car and pushing the button.
Not sure that convenience is worth the $600-800 vs. a key, but I’ve mellowed considerably.
I wish I could disable this. I often leave my wife and kid in the car while it’s running, and the horn chirp is annoying to me and probably to others who aren’t expecting my car horn to sound.
I currently have my 2004 Expedition, and a 2019 Expedition. I’m at the point where I have to consciously remind myself to take the key out of my pocket in order to do anything with the '04, and that its cruise control isn’t adaptive and oh-my-god-I’m-going-to-rear-end-jz78817.
My parents have a push button ignition. I don’t care for it and wouldn’t particularly want one. I like keys and the security of keys. Keys have been a part of cars for a hundred years, why now change it?
This was my late mother’s car and she would freak out if the key was missing. Which brings me to my next point, spending over a $100 or whatever it is to have to go to the dealership to get a new key made. Would just rather have regular keys that cost $5 to reproduce at the hardware store.
You need the key anyway, so why is this an improvement, plus having to spend 20 times more to have the key replaced if lost? Doesn’t sound like that much of a deal to me.
I wasn’t really looking for a car with that feature, but I will admit it’s pretty convenient. I just put the key fob in my little Levi’s pocket and leave it there all day. When I approach my car I just put my hand on the door handle and the car unlocks, it senses the fob is near but I don’t have to touch it. I get in, push down the clutch, and push the button to start. When I lpark and eave the car I push the button to stop it, open the driver’s door, and push the lock button on the dash to lock it, and I’m on my way. So I never touch the key fob all day.
Except they couldn’t do it at all when I tried because the 3rd party system that talks to Chrysler to get the key pins was down. It apparently goes down for a few weeks at a time. They of course didn’t tell me this on the phone. They told me after I drove out to their shop.