Perhaps before too long more vehicles will use your cell phone as your key. It's really great...
Finding a lost FOB
- Thread starter Burt
- Start date
What vehicle? On many vehicles you can program another one. If it's a Ford a paid version of Forscan and a laptop can do it for cheap. I use North Coast Keyless for replacement FOBs. https://northcoastkeyless.com/
When we got our new Toyota, it referred to a "digital key". To our disappointment, it's a function that is only working when the Toyota app is open and running, though it requires biosecurity to be enabled on the phone (not to use the app either - the phone MUST have (in the case of Apple) Face ID or Touch ID enabled). I thought the "digital key" would be tightly integrated into the phone. It's not.... You have to open the app, login, and have it running. Occasionally it fully logs you out too, so you have to re-login, do the 2FA steps, and try again too. That part as well as the poor handling of multiple "drivers" are terrible. Rest of the app is pretty good though.
This is not a Tesla thread, but I can tell you the cellphone key is so superior. Walk up and the car unlocks. Get in and go. No start button; you don't even have to switch into reverse or drive. Walk away and she locks.
I can start the car remotely. If I were away and someone needed the car, I can open the app, unlock and "start" the car for someone to use. Plus I know the car's location! It keeps getting better. Other vehicles seem so dumb, almost.
Have you tried starting the car without the other key on you, if it starts its in or close by the car.
I guess I'm assuming its a push button start.
I guess I'm assuming its a push button start.
Ours does all of that too, once you open the app. Well, you do have to hit the START button. The app/digital key in this case just acts like a FOB.
I found my lost key fob but after my pickup ran over it. I have a key but no fob. I have not given up however. I plan on taking apart the fob and to see what I can find.
They do make new exterior cases if your electronics made it through the crushing.
I found a tiny dent in the battery which I replaced. (Which I did not view as a positive thing). Things look good but it does not work. But with the key working fine it's OK as a backup.
It's a lot cheaper to copy the remaining key than to lose both, get towed to the dealership and they have to start from scratch making a new key fob.
Our ford came with 1 key. It cost $100 to clone the existing key rfid chip. If we had lost that one key it would have been more like $300+.
Same thing with my Nissan. I washed the key fob and that killed it. $300 to get another one and get it clones from the good one. Had that been my only key the price would have more than doubled. A $130 tow the dealership and around $500 to recover the key programming. Plus $150 to cut a new physical key. That's only if you get the one key fob.
My had been washed in the washing machine so the physical key was still fine.
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I bought an OEM key from carandtruckremotes.com for $50 and Batteries+ programmed it for another $50.
Nissan has their keys locked down pretty good. Hardware stores and locksmiths don't do Nissan keys.
That's why the Ford key was like $100 all in.
Sorry, I left out the manufacturer - it was for my Infiniti (Nissan). Batteries+ didn't blink when I inquired about doing a Nissan key. The only thing they warned about was that since I supplied the fob vs buying it from them, I have to pay for the programming process even if it fails (they get charged by the s/w vendor each time it does a programming). Second warning was if it was a generic, knock-off from Amazon, eBay, etc they advised that I not even have them try.
