Push button start, reliable?

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I love the push button. Walk up to car and open the door or trunk. Push button. Go. You never need to take it out of your pocket.
 
Anyone that has a problem with a fob must understand that they have to develop a new routine. It's not that hard.

Many fobs are also customizable. If there are two drivers in the house and the car seat positions and other prefs are set to the fob then you have to make sure you have your own.

I keep the button batteries on hand and replace when needed.

Our Mazda is our first fob car. I was used to keys but in a very short period of time I've gotten used to the fob. It's all in the routine you develop.
 
All these push button starts are marketing fluff! The ONLY thing that connect this button to the button of you're is the "Button" This latest button doesn't establish a connection between the battery and the starter, it only sends a signal to the computer to send another signal to establish a connection. Looks great on ads though
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My GTI needs a key to start it and my wifes car has push button start. I prefer using a key to my wifes keyless start. I drive her car quite often as I'm close to work and she'll use my car for business travels and gets paid mileage.
 
Originally Posted by Pelican
All these push button starts are marketing fluff! The ONLY thing that connect this button to the button of you're is the "Button" This latest button doesn't establish a connection between the battery and the starter, it only sends a signal to the computer to send another signal to establish a connection. Looks great on ads though
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Not really, I believe they do eliminate the old steering column mounted mechanical switch (not just the key cylinder), someone correct me if i'm wrong.
 
112K miles - Santa Fe Sport 2.0T - No issues
I wish my Sportage was PBS.
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Originally Posted by Trav
10 year old Infiniti M35 bought new, no problems. The battery in the remote AFAIK is only for the doors, trunk, panic on the remote on this car, I may be wrong, I haven't investigated much.

Mine is still good after all these years, too, just a couple battery replacements. I know people like the old school keys, but you'll be one of those that will remember the nightmare of taking apart an old school GM steering column when the switch goes haywire.
 
Originally Posted by ammolab
One hazard I discovered.... Wife and I out for a day of shopping. I stopped to shop, engine running, and sent her off in the car.

Key still in my pocket! First store she stopped at she got a restart (you do get one). Her next stop?..NADA. I had to hitch a ride to save my stranded wife. That doesn't happen with a key in the ignition.


Why wasn't your wife carrying a key of her own? What happens if you two are out with only one key and it gets locked in the car, dies, lost, run over, etc?
 
My Sierra has an old school key and I love it. I can zip it in my PFD and I don't have to worry about keeping it dry.
 
This is quite the coincidence, We had a 2009 Nissan Altima 2.5L 180,xxx miles W/ push button start come in on a hook today with a no start complaint. Had about 40 trouble codes across all the Modules. Most being redundant.
Cleared them & the car would start......ONCE! If shut off, It would not crank again 'til the codes were cleared. B2607 column lock relay code came back every time.
The column lock solenoid had been replaced recently with a OE part (Probably right before it got shipped to us) & was operating just fine!

Followed the trouble tree for B2607 (rolleyes) & came to the conclusion that it needs a IPDM (INTELLIGENT POWER DISTRIBUTION MODULE) that houses the column lock relay & relay status circuitry.

Pulled the 10amp Column Lock fuse, Car will now start every time & no codes present. Column lock is the only component that's inoperative.

Quoted a IPDM replacement.......But also gave the customer an option to just run it without a column lock (Along with the caution that we are not liable for anything that happens as a result) They opted for leaving the column lock disabled.

****I HATE Nissan diagnostic information!! It's just a parts swapper checklist. Giving ANY kind of operational theory is completely foreign to them, Like technicians are stupid & can't handle the extra information?

I don't really have an opinion on Push Button Start reliability.......
*Is it more complex.....YES! But this may be a Nissan thing with the non replaceable relay & Relay "status" over CAN?
*Can it be misdiagnosed....Obviously! True for any vehicle, Especially with anything electrical.
 
Originally Posted by Garak
I know people like the old school keys, but you'll be one of those that will remember the nightmare of taking apart an old school GM steering column when the switch goes haywire.


Man.....That was such GRAVY work! The key switch & ignition switch was super easy on columns without a telescoping steering wheel.

Back when I was a GM dealer tech.....I made GOOD money doing theft recovery repairs & repairing loose tilt columns.
 
Originally Posted by ammolab
One hazard I discovered.... Wife and I out for a day of shopping. I stopped to shop, engine running, and sent her off in the car.

Key still in my pocket! First store she stopped at she got a restart (you do get one). Her next stop?..NADA. I had to hitch a ride to save my stranded wife. That doesn't happen with a key in the ignition.


My 18 f150 will honk the horn twice if I leave the vehicle running with keys in my pocket. Works good so people dont leave vehicle running in garage, and also your situation as well. It annoying if I start truck and run back into house to grab something, but I understand why it does it.

My 14 Durango does not honk.
 
Originally Posted by MCompact
Don't trust them; I'd want a hand crank starter, just to be safe.




Yes but there would be a rash of broken arms.

Btw, my brother has a 1949 pickup with the hand crank. It also has a foot starter with a key that was added on.
 
Originally Posted by clinebarger
Man.....That was such GRAVY work! The key switch & ignition switch was super easy on columns without a telescoping steering wheel.

I always found them fairly finnicky. My dad was good with them, but it was still time consuming enough. These were tilt columns in the late 1970s to early 1990s GM products. Then again, more modern things with air bags have added some complexity, too, so I might just be colouring the job as overly hateful.

As for Nissan diagnostic procedures, yes, there are a lot of parts swapper checklists, aren't there? Don't get me started on the silly tire rotation procedure in the shop manual calling for TPMS reset when the system isn't position sensitive in the first place. The dealer charges a fair bit to the people who go there for a rotation, because the procedure is to reset the TPMS, without it actually being necessary. So, it just gets done for the heck of it.
 
I don't see why they wouldn't. All the moving parts in a conventional ignition vs a push button ignition.

I'd just choose standard due to the fact that if you don't keep your doors locked someone can start the vehicle if you're close enough for the FOB to sync up.
 
Originally Posted by Pelican
All these push button starts are marketing fluff! The ONLY thing that connect this button to the button of you're is the "Button" This latest button doesn't establish a connection between the battery and the starter, it only sends a signal to the computer to send another signal to establish a connection. Looks great on ads though
crazy.gif



Most of the ignition switches these days are connectionless as well.

(some cars have started with key in ignition while on stands...my Colorado, once you turn the key, you can release and it will crank until it fires)
 
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