FOB keys and theft
Keep those in a faraday bag or case when not in use. New vehicles only need the key close to the car, then when FOB is close the door will open and the push-button start will crank the engine and unlo...
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JaxDad wrote:ktmrfs wrote:JaxDad wrote:ktmrfs wrote:
Don't feel left out. I'm not a fan of the keyless go either. The fobs for my keyless go vehicles
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4) no way to just have a spare Key
Spares are easy to obtain.
key to open the door, yes, those are inexpensive, RFID key or a key to let you start the car, in Most cases nope, need a keyless go fob. even if the fob battery is dead, place the fob next to the keyless go to start, but no way to have a real key to start the car. There are/were a few exceptions, where there is a hidden slot for a RFID key to start the car. AFAIK all the keyless go systems also have a key in the fob to let you unlock the car, but that's about it. Early on keyless it was common to have a hidden key slot but most mfg have gone away with that since the FOB w/o a battery near the keyless go button is a work around to a spare key slot.
Read my earlier post, I’ve had numerous RFID chips duplicated, cheap and easy to do.
Many car mfg have gone away from a seperate RFID or similar chip in the fob, when the got away from a key with a chip and went completely to keyless go with no "emergency key" to start the car. The remote programming is in the IC in the fob that also controls the other functions. For those keys (I have several) key shops have the same comment. They have NO way of just programming anything other than a new fob that will start the car. they have access to fobs, and can program them, but they aren't inexpensive.
For those that still may have a Chip for the imobilizer in the fob, programming those, especially if they have a chip key as well is easy peasy and inexpensive. But those are rapidly going extinct.
As an ex design engineer I can see why they have gone to this process.
1) they aren't relying on a 3rd party chip and how long it will be made
2)_ don't need to mount it in the fob
3) adding this to an in house dedicated IC they have control over the mfg of (even if it is an outside foundry) is adding zip to mfg cost and reduces assembly costs
4) makes it much harder for someone to clone a key for theft
However it does mean no longer a low cost way of a backup. to bad they don't just offer a "spare" key option like in the past that is just a fob like device with blade key for the doors and no other functions that will just unlock and start the car
