New Ram owners; you may want to know this:

[The_Mad_Norsky]

For those that do not know, my new Ram, along with most built in the last few years, have the no key start button and key fob.

Neat feature is all one has to do to unlock the doors is put your hand (key fob in pocket) inside the front door handle and presto! Doors unlock.

Wonderful! And this scared me bad during a recent nine day trip with my truck camper.

I had been habitually leaving my key fob on the kitchen counter area of my truck camper at night when I slept in the camper.

Several nights into my trip, wandering around my truck,no key fob present (it was inside the camper) I could not recall if I locked the truck, so I tried the back door and it was indeed locked.

Walking away, I just leaned on my front door for a second, and my hand went inside the handle. The truck unlocked.

I figured out that my leaving the key fob on the kitchen counter (basically just above and behind the cab of the pickup inside the camper) was too close to the cab, so it acted as though the key fob was in my pocket and unlocked the vehicle.

After getting home a day or so back, in my driveway, I tried this again, with same results. The truck unlocked. Key fob in same position in camper. Worse yet, I jumped in and started the vehicle!

Good grief! Here we had been sleeping soundly above the cab in the truck camper and any ner-do-well could have actually gotten in our vehicle and driven off with it with us as unwilling passengers.

So keep this in mind when storing your keys for the night in the camper. I suspect this is true for all truck campers, and possibly fifth wheels too.

The fifth wheel scenario would be someone stopped for the night, keys in front bedroom, and fiver hitched to truck. I suspect the keys in this case would also be too close to the cab.

I have started storing my key fob as far back in the truck camper as I can go. This seems to work to prevent the unlocking or starting of the vehicle.

[BenK]

1996 GMC Suburban SLT (highest option package)...19 years ago...

OEM key fob could wirelessly open just the drivers door lock or all four door
locks, or just the rear tailgate hatch.

After market alarm fob had, IIRC, sockets for six relays. $60 bucks
for each relay...plus labor


Options were to open each door individually, rear hatch, open each door window
individually, start it remotely...or one button to open all four door locks, or
one button to power all windows (either up or down) or open/close each window
independently

At $60 x six = $360 bucks just for those relays and the $$$$$$ labor to wire
them in (more, as I spec'd ring lugs...so they had to remove each terminal screw
and replace each)

Just told the installer to unlock all four door locks and paid for one relay


There was another optional module to have a proximity sensor to set off the
first level alarm, up to full alarm...with another optional module for the 'voice'
warning to "stay back"...


Remember, this was over 18 years ago and the most "Whizzy Bang" stuff available
at that time...that is now OEM stuff


My point is lost...as most here do NOT keep their vehicles long enough to
wear out with this type of usage.

[cpu266]

with all the vehicles that work with fobs and transmit an rf signal one might want to consider on of these.

http://www.select-fabricators.com/about-us/whats-new/announcements/wireless-key-rf-shielding-security/

I found this company when searching for an rf blocking pouch for my fob. the pouches come in 2 sizes. mine was 16.49 +tax

[Perrysburg_Dodg]

SRT20 you should be able to put the vehicle in ACC and even start it without being in the seat. I do it all the time, to start it you only have to push the brake pedal with your left hand and hit the button with your right. To put it in ACC you should be able to do that without touching the brake at all. Again I do it to mine all the time, But being a 4X4 truck it might sit up higher then the Durango thus making it easier to do?

Ben sorry if I miss-read your post

"I no longer use any automatic door unlocking from my various alarms...use the
key most times and the fob when have guests

I keep my vehicles a loooong time and the fob unlock wore out all four door
locking mechanisms. Just replaced all four on my Sub last year"

It sounded to me like you are/were saying the fact that the fob un-locks ALL the doors it will wear out the lock solenoids. Even in 1994 in Chrysler vehicles anyway you had to push the fob two times to unlock all the doors. My DD 1998 Dodge Avenger's locks still work and my brothers Olds mini van with almost 400K on it the all the locks still work. Not sure what happened to your Suburban.

Don

[Bedlam]

Pretty soon it may be illegal to work on our own trucks:

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/04/20/automakers-gearheads-car-repairs/

[srt20]

I haven't read all the posts, but if I have my key fob in my left front pocket, and lean in the open drivers door to push the start button to acc. It will not work unless I sit in the seat.
2014 Durango

[Bedlam]

I have worked with technology daily and made it my hobby for over 40 years, so I understand much of the underlying technology in new automobiles. Yet, I avoid purchasing most these "advancements" due to the cost of troubleshooting and repairing these once the vehicle is outside of warranty. It's not just the cost of replacing failing equipment, but the cost of diagnostic tools required to isolate errors or paying someone to troubleshoot that owns these specialized tools. If the repair requires updating software or copying configurations to new modules, it pretty much precludes repairs at home.

I typically keep vehicles long after the warranty has expired, so being able to repair and maintain them is a consideration at the time of purchase. This is why I prefer the Tradesman and XL trim levels. I don't discount the convenience or comfort factors of the new technology and would most likely buy more of it if I turned over vehicles more often and was supported by the warranty through the majority of my ownership.

[Bluhorn]

I am glad we cleared up the fact that we need to move the key away from the vehicle to disable the feature while camping. Nice catch.
It is a neat feature though,and these vehicles are Smarter than me. My wife bought a new 2015 Chrysler 200C. Very impressive. Still learning the bells and whistles. My Son sold me his 1993 Dodge D-250 Diesel. Nice truck. No bells and whistles. I push on key fob, nothing happens. Wont even open door when I grab door handle. Something must be broke.......Damn Dodge.

[BenK]

It is a 1996 and wore out last year...18 years worth

Back in 1996, that alarm was the best of the best...replaced the OEM keyless fob

I'd like to see how yours holds up in 18 years...

There was also another system with proximity sensors, but didn't like their other features as much

Am happy with the choice and service...it lasted more than you folks will keep your trucks

Novelty stuff that will become common and yawning at these LAGS like power Windows, etc...

Don't mind the deragatories...an happy with my choices...

[Perrysburg_Dodg]

OK so a bunch of retarded journalist can't remember to give each other the prox remote and the one writing the story shows us how stupid he and has wife are :@ :h all right! Lets tear his story apart shall we.

First, the same thing would happen even with a keyed system. If they were to stupid to remember to hand over the Fob do you really think they would remember to hand over the Key and Fob? I don't think so.

Second, he says his wife attached the Fob to her purse and it just happened to fall off and drop between the seats?! OK lets say that did happen, so we should scrap this system because she can't find the Fob SHE lost? OK then, sounds like a plan to me.....NOT!


Third, ANY system can be defeated, no matter how simple or complex it is. Just takes longer on the more complex systems then the old school systems.



Ben, so your complaint is YOU bought a cheap aftermarket system and now your locks wore out (again :@ :h) Or was it YOU were to cheap to spring for the system that unlocked the doors individually?

Guess you should have ordered the factory system that unlocks the drivers door with the first push and then the other doors with a second push. Maybe you would like to go back to the stone ages but most of us like the new technology.

My Ram has the proximity system and I can set it up to unlock just the drivers door or all four doors at the same time, it's up to me.

Don

[BenK]

Hannibal wrote:
snip...

I programmed mine to only unlock the driver's door. Should be in your owners manual. One thing is for certain, mine won't be stolen with just a screwdriver.:C

My alarm has the provisions for opening each door by itself, but at that
time the $60 bucks for each relay/labor was not worth it to me

It still can open all four doors, but now use the key for the drivers
door.

IIRC, +$100 bucks for each door lock (part and labor), but my mechanic
just charged me $100 for all four and I supplied the parts from one
of Burbman's parts post

[BenK]

jus2shy...

Good article and totally agree

Only a matter of time for the bad guys to figure this stuff out and truly made
easier than one would think

The first RF key fobs employed a single code and the baddies just recorded it for
use later

Then random code generators...but there is a constant within that code...otherwise
the alarm in the vehicle would not recognize that random code... The baddies
still have a tough time with that, but if they sit and record enough sessions,
they could then crack the constant

These new fobs are not different enough, yet

This stuff is only GREAT for keeping 'us' honest folks out...the real bad folks
can get in...given enough time...and if you make that tough...I've read where
some baddies will just light a flare, break the window and toss it in...

Again, novelty for now...along with now up there with the exotics and high luxury vehicles...

Am old enough to remember when a neighbor was the first to have AC...WOW what
will they think of next!?! :R

Ditto when dad came home with the neighborhoods 1st COLOR TV !?! :B
Had 'friends' I never knew I had coming over to watch Disney...

[jus2shy]

jus2shy wrote:

BenK wrote:
I no longer use any automatic door unlocking from my various alarms...use the
key most times and the fob when have guests

I keep my vehicles a loooong time and the fob unlock wore out all four door
locking mechanisms. Just replaced all four on my Sub last year

The Mini Van's passenger 'some' times works and the rear hatch just last week
kinda sorta 'tought' about unlocking...

If you keep your vehicle just a few years...not a problem

The novelty of what the exotics and high lux cars have will soon wear
off and nothing more than power windows, power seats, heated seats, etc

Wonder where the theives are in their process of figuring out HOW2 by-pass these
things...

Oh, they're there with some creative methods for certain vehicles: Jalopnik linky. Another reason why I don't like the idea of them.

Arrgh, I just realized I posted the wrong link. Her's what I meant to link to: Jalopnik on how a signal is hacked

[Hannibal]

BenK wrote:
I no longer use any automatic door unlocking from my various alarms...use the
key most times and the fob when have guests

I keep my vehicles a loooong time and the fob unlock wore out all four door
locking mechanisms. Just replaced all four on my Sub last year

The Mini Van's passenger 'some' times works and the rear hatch just last week
kinda sorta 'tought' about unlocking...

If you keep your vehicle just a few years...not a problem

The novelty of what the exotics and high lux cars have will soon wear
off and nothing more than power windows, power seats, heated seats, etc

Wonder where the theives are in their process of figuring out HOW2 by-pass these
things...

I programmed mine to only unlock the driver's door. Should be in your owners manual. One thing is for certain, mine won't be stolen with just a screwdriver.:C

[Hannibal]

Good article! It proves that journalists are morons. :B