Feel Smart?
Avoid Mistakes with Smart Keys. AAA did a terrific article we found on Cars.com on so-called Smart Keys that we think is a must read for every driver (see the link at the end of this item). In it, the company notes that the Smart Key (AKA Advanced Key, Intelligent Key, etc.) “has brought with it new opportunities for motorists to feel stupid”, with such incidents as walking away from the car with it still running or the ignition still on, or managing to lock the key in the car.
It is interesting how easily the idea of a driver feeling stupid rolls off so casually. Regardless, we’d like to add an item or two.
First, AAA’s recommendations regarding Smart Keys:
- Familiarize yourself with the keys’ capabilities and know what to do in an emergency.
- Become comfortable with smart-key features in a safe environment.
- To avoid keyless-entry or smart-key failure, replace the battery every two years or when recommended by the manufacturer or in-car battery warning system.
- Don’t expose fobs or smart keys to harsh elements, especially water.
- Get a spare key and store it in a safe location for emergency use only.
All true. And we would add the following.
- Replace the batteries in all the SPARE keys when replacing the battery in the primary key. The battery in any spare key will also become depleted over time making it nearly useless as a replacement.
- Do not use the manual door lock when exiting the car. Using it overrides the Smart Key system in some models and if the key is left inside, you will be locked out.
AAA noted that lock out incidents have not gone down with the advent of smart key technology. They helped 4 million drivers alone in 2012. This could be due to some confusion over what constitutes ‘locked.’
Locked or Unlocked?
With a Smart Key in hand (or pocket, purse, etc), only a touch is needed to open or ‘unlock’ a vehicle. This is true of the trunk as well. Service departments handle any number of calls from drivers who have closed the trunk with the keys inside thinking they are now locked in. They are not. A simple touch on the pad or sensor will open the trunk because the key can be sensed from inside. Thus the trunk isn’t actually locked, it is closed. It is true however, that once the key is removed from the car’s location, no one else will be able to open the trunk or any door, and the vehicle is now ‘locked’ with no further action taken.
However, a manual lock exists inside the passenger compartment that overrides the Smart Key system. We have all been sitting inside our cars and locked the doors because of some activity nearby that made us uncomfortable, and many drivers routinely lock the car when driving. All the doors are then locked and cannot be opened from the outside whether a Smart Key is detected or not.
Thus tripping the manual lock when exiting the car also overrides the Smart Key system. The unlock button on the Key Fob will be needed to get back in. But if the keys have been left inside, you are now officially locked out.
Any driver in the habit of tripping the manual lock will at some point leave the key inside. Carrying a spare mechanical key will get you back in, but they are pricey.
——————————————————————-
Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY
All Too Common Keyless Ignition Headaches
Keyless Ignition Headaches
The development of hybrid vehicles all but required a change in the way a car is started. A hybrid deems itself “Ready” (or not) with the ignition on, and the gasoline engine is started with a press of the gas pedal. Thus were born keyless ignition, or push button start, systems. Well what are perceived as the coolest gadgets ultimately will always find their way into everything eventually, and these systems are no exception. But what looks and feels cool comes at a price.
Which is a dead key fob, or remote control, battery. Most of us have used keyless entry for years, unlocking our cars with the touch of a button. But in order to start the vehicle without a key, the remote control must send out and/or receive a radio signal continuously, or nearly so. As a result, the life expectancy of the battery in the key fob can be as little as 12 months. Thousands upon thousands of drivers are caught unprepared by this in their busy, busy lives every year.
The industry sees this as little more than a trifle, despite the number of calls that come in to service departments and roadside assistance centers every day. They wash their hands of the problem noting that the vehicle does, in fact, notify drivers when the key fob battery is weakening, and that there is a back up plan for getting in and getting moving even when the fob battery has died.
Why It’s Still a Problem
However:
– The back-up instructions are treated as an afterthought in owner’s manuals, buried inside what are today 500+ page tomes.
– And the manual is necessary because, there are no standard means for starting the vehicle when this happens. Not between manufacturers and sometimes not within product lines!
– There is also no standard means for retrieving a hard key to get into the vehicle from manufacturer to manufacturer.
– And for five vehicle manufacturers, there is no visible keyhole in the driver’s door for that hard key!
The disrespect for drivers is appalling. You can well bet that the designers of those hidden keyholes have NEVER talked a panicked driver through the process of prying off a piece of a $50,000 vehicle in order to find key cylinder on a cold winter night in a dark parking lot. A very, very vulnerable position that you do not want to be in, or have a loved one in. And this so that a single square inch of the vehicle can be more attractive!
And once inside, two manufacturers have six different methods for starting the vehicle, and another has four. Most have at least two starting methods. A driver will be lucky indeed to get someone on the phone at a dealership – assuming they are open – who knows how to start a particular model.
There are many good reasons for keyless start systems: theft deterrence, convenience, even pain relief for some. But let’s standardize the back-up plans and give drivers a break! Yes, satellite services can open and start a car – if the service is available and paid for. It is no excuse for the schizophrenic approach now employed by the industry.
——————————————————————-
Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY