Old people and keyless cars

In reply to drainoil :

My 14 year old Lexus fob was 31$ on eBay. I sent them a picture of my key, and they cut it. I don't understand, but it worked.  

alfadriver said:

In reply to codrus :

What cars stop in park?  All the start-stop cars I drive (all one brand) run in neutral or park. And there are lights when you open the door on an on car. 

Not to mention they beep and make noises when you open the door and the car is still running.

In reply to JoeyM :

Blame it on the British. 

For decades you would get in your MG, Jag,  Rolls Royce or whatever. 

Stick in the key and turn it. While the fuel pump was filling up the carburetors you would pull out the choke, release the hand brake,  

Then push ( or pull) the starter button ( or knob) 

In reply to frenchyd :

For a long time, you started American cars with a button on the floor that mechanically engaged the starter solenoid.  Fancy cars mounted the button under the clutch, so to start you just pushed the clutch all the way down, and then pushed extra hard to engage the starter.

I have only seen this setup on 6v cars.  The newest car I've personally seen with it was a '50... I'd like to say DeSoto.

fasted58 said:

Traditional tech is good enough.

Why you need newfangled stuff?

I've never cracked the screen on one.

Appleseed said:

fasted58 said:

Traditional tech is good enough.

Why you need newfangled stuff?

I've never cracked the screen on one.

I have one that still works very nicely.

Girlfriend's daughter left her car running, at school, once. Yeah, it has keyless pushbutton start. And yes, she's a bit of an airhead... 

I liked it on the rental Altima I had.  You could just lock the doors and leave the car running while dipping into a mini-mart.  Really nice on 90+ degree days.

It's mildly annoying that the fob in my Hyundai doesn't allow that, but I understand we've gotta protect people from themselves to an extent.

In reply to Tactical Penguin :

One interesting feaure of my Volvo is that you can't lock the doors with the door open and the engine running.  And the power unlock button doesn't work with the alarm set (key out, doors locked and closed).

They made it really hard to lock the keys in the car with the engine running, and made it hard to break in by unlocking the doors with a stick through a window seal.

In reply to Knurled. :

With Nash, you pulled the column shift towards you in neutral, feel a stop and pull a little more to engage the starter.

Fancier American cars had a push button starter on the dash. Packards, Lincolns, etc. We've come full circle.

If you really want something fun have one of these installed, we have a couple cars with them:

In reply to Knurled. :

My '50 DeSoto started with a key.

I service a 55 Buick with a nailhead, and the starter cranks when you floor the throttle, for some damn stupid reason.

In reply to iceracer :

Might have been a Plymouth, then.  It was definitely a Chrysler product.  Had a flathead six that was the smoothest amd quietest engine I have ever experienced.

I got to be the one to drive it because I knew how a three on the tree worked.  (Having driven a '59 Rambler ten ysars earlier, shuffling it in a parking lot)

Because it is a simple and lightweight car. Fiat never bothered to include a fob on my Abarth. I still need to insert the key and twist it to start. +1 for the Italians!

Knurled. said:

In reply to iceracer :

Might have been a Plymouth, then.  It was definitely a Chrysler product.  Had a flathead six that was the smoothest amd quietest engine I have ever experienced.

 

I got to be the one to drive it because I knew how a three on the tree worked.  (Having driven a '59 Rambler ten ysars earlier, shuffling it in a parking lot)

When I was 5 or 6 my Grandpa had a late 40s or early 50s Plymouth for a work car he let me play in until the day I found the starter button on the floor :]

I can't believe anyone on this site would want one of those keys with the giant fob built in.  How do you put more than one car key on a ring?

This is how much I hate them:

And that was just a giant plastic head with an RFID thingy in it (that is now taped to the inside of the steering column plastic.)  That's a dozen tiny drilled holes, tapped, screwed, then the screws cut off so I can get a flat key that plays nice with its neighbors.   

In 30 years and a hundred plus cars I never lost a key because they were on a ring in my pocket. Now that everything needs a giant fob I can't stuff all that stupid plastic into my pocket anymore and I have to have an entirely different set of keys for every car. Running late for work and find a low tire? Back in the house to try and find the keys for something else. Need to shuffle cars to get something out? Strap on a backpack so you can carry all the keys. Drive your classic car to work? Can't get into your locker because you only have 2 of those keys and they are on the rings with your normal daily drivers.

If someone wants to carry around all those remotes, good for tham. I just want the option of a simple key.

My B6 Passat has a really neat setup.  It has a fob.....and only a fob, but you have to insert the fob into a socket on the dash where it then becomes a push button starter.  It doesn't dangle down or rattle.  It doesn't have tumblers to wear out.  It just works.

oldopelguy said:

I can't believe anyone on this site would want one of those keys with the giant fob built in.  How do you put more than one car key on a ring?

That's the point...you don't need to.

I like putting the FOB in my pocket, and never having to take it out to open the doors, the trunk, or start the car. 

I find it convenient.

z31maniac said:

I like putting the FOB in my pocket, and never having to take it out to open the doors, the trunk, or start the car. 

I find it convenient.

Keyless start makes no sense without keyless entry and vice versa. Current Miatas and VW Sportwagens (and I'm sure many others, but I can vouch for these) have it right. As long as you have the key on your person, you can pop the trunk, open or lock the doors with a touch, get in and drive. The key stays in your pocket or purse. We have four cars in the Flyin' Miata fleet like this, and it was easy to impose a little bit of key discipline on the staff by having a key board for the fobs. The fobs themselves are about the size of a Matchbox sized supercar, easy to slip into your pocket.

Also, I haven't met a keyless entry car that will let you leave a fob in the car and try to lock it without complaining mightily. That's a matter of implementation, not a baked-in problem with the technology. I once tried to lock my keys in the trunk of a Nissan somethingsomething and it simply wouldn't latch the trunk until I figured out why. Had I done that with a 1990 Miata, I'd be disassembling the rear of the car to get into the trunk (voice of experience here).

I can see how you could get out of a car and try to walk away when it's running with modern levels of NVH control or an auto stop/start. However, the car will probably get all excited about this trick. I know the Miatas are very concerned about the key walking away when the engine is running and will make a ruckus. Again, this is implementation.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

And all that implementation can fail at some point due to heat or humidity or plain old entropy. 

In reply to Knurled. :

1959 Buicks still had the floor button starter.

In reply to Knurled. :

Must have been older.  My '46 Plymouth used a key also.

 agree on the smooth six.

TurnerX19 said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

And all that implementation can fail at some point due to heat or humidity or plain old entropy. 

I believe what you're trying to imply is that electronics can have problems. Unlike steel keys and ignition switches, which will never fail at any point. Oh, no, hang on, let me check my old cars here. Nope, looks like ignition switches and steel keys are not immune.

I love keyless entry. I also love not having to take anything out of my pocket to start a car. 

I hate the gigantic key fob. I wish more would offer the key-card, like this: 

Really would love that one—just leave it in my wallet and forget about it. But as it is I get a clunky fob that takes up too much space.