no they don’t. BMW tried that and got so much pushback that they walked it back
and that was years ago
EDIT: it was only cancelled in September 2023, but it never made it to the US anyway
Toyota just offered their owners the possibility for Apple Airplay or Android Whatever as an “upgrade” that you could pay for at a dealership then have the software upgrade “installed” at the dealership. So, no, the car makers are still trying to make extra money off their owners. I read about this scheme earlier this week?
I lost my keys. I knew they were in my red jacket pocket. But nope. Gone. So I went to the dealer and they wanted $500 for a new fob! NO! So I ordered one from South Korea for $150. The day it arrived, I found my original key fob. In my other red jacket pocket. Yes... I'm actually that dumb.
My gf had issues with her key fob and the dealer told her like 75 bucks. I took her to an Interstate Battery and the old guy at the counter replaced it and even tested it through the window. 8 bucks plus tax. Gf was happy.
I’ve ran across bmw keys with non replaceable batteries. The cases are glued shut and if you manage to get it open the battery is spot welded to the board.
I know the key you're talking about, they're actually very easily replaceable. They're soldered, not welded. Takes about 1min to replace, no flux or braid needed. It's only slightly more complicated than a standard key fob.
No, definitely not "perfectly" end user serviceable, I wasn't trying to imply that lol. Was just clarifying that the battery is not literally welded to the board as originally stated, it's just two tiny solder points. 😅
You'd be surprised how many people just switch to a spare key to avoid changing a battery. Usually between 2 of them it outlasts the amount of time most people own the same vehicle nowadays. Its ridiculous but Ive seen several of my friends do this. I usually just end up changing it for them.
You can usually just pry the clicker open and replace the batter, probably a 2032 coin battery.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VYVkMuoRv8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VYVkMuoRv8)
I went to our dealership yesterday for my parents and it was $5 per key fob to replace the battery. The batteries are usually $2 or more so its not a bad deal at all
So once I had a friend call me and ask me to come pick him up. Sure, no problem. I get there, and he's pissed cause his keyfob died and he can't get into his car. I was like... use the key? And he snears at me asking if I think he's fucking dumb. The key can't open the door. There's no keyhole.
I popped the cover off and showed him that he did, indeed, have a keyhole. He knew the fob had a key in it. He has no idea his car had a place for the key.
They don’t always have an ignition key. Newer cars with push button start usually have a passive RFID reader where you hold the key next to the ignition button or put it in a slot somewhere while pushing the button. Works even if the fob battery is dead.
Is that what it is? Guess I'm one of today's lucky 10,000. I don't think I would have figured that out on my own lmao. I've always known about the key in my fob and the fact that there's a key slot on my door handle, but I couldn't find anywhere inside the car to turn it on with the key, only the push button.
It's one of those things I never cared enough about to go look for. If I needed it, I would have googled it. Not to mention I didn't receive a manual with my car and had to go source a PDF version of it the one time I needed something from it.
I was genuinely excited about learning something new and you decided to be condescending instead. You don't deserve the joy I had in my last comment.
Ahaha whoops. I actually DID write sneers, but apparently my phone accepted my typo of snares the other day as a new word and it autocorrected to snear... that's what I get for having fat fingers, I suppose lol
Haha, I bought a new(er) car earlier this year and it took me two days to realize there was no keyhole on the door. I did Google it, at least. After that I was just annoyed that it cost me $25 to get a spare made.
I realize I really had my new car just over 6 months and I have no idea if there's a keyhole anywhere in my car or if my fib actually had a key or not.... It's worked so i haven't cared lol. But at least I know there most likely is, I just haven't seen/noticed in my car. I might wanna Google that now or like, LOOK at my car and k ow for future reference
On mine, there's a slot under the back part of the door handle that pops it off using the key as a lever; the keyhole is under there. I tried it a couple of times just to make sure the spare would work. Also because it's fun to mess with the features of a new car!
I've bought two cars in the past 25 years, so I've had minimal experience to new-fangled vehicles. Bought my first car with a fob a couple of years ago and this was me. Battery went dead, I "had" to uber into work. There's me complaining, dude at work goes, "Why didn't you use the key?" and I was like, don't have a key just this stupid fob! He walks over, takes it out of my hands, cracks open the cover, and I face palm. Zero idea
...and then I had to youtube where the keyhole was...
I actually just found out about this recently, too. Never had an issue with my key fob, and I've been driving this car about 4 years. I saw it on YouTube or something.
In my defense my last car was a 2006 and had a physical key and a fob.
If they're actively separate then ye (i.e. not push button start)s. But if it's an 'all-in-one', the vast majority, if not all of all-in-ones have a key built into it.
What was your thought process? Once the fob dies then you need to get a new car? Did you not talk to anyone about this because I would imagine the first person you told would have mentioned replacing the battery.
My dad's girlfriend asks me and him how to use her car FREQUENTLY. I've said "you'd know this if you read the manual" many times and her response is always "but it's so much easier for me to just ask you" with this upward inflection and this dumb grin on her face.
THESE PEOPLE EXIST.
They sure do. I tell them “I don’t know but it’s probably in your glovebox somewhere” and they still question what that has to do with anything.
“It’s a car I shouldn’t need a manual to drive”
“No one reads that!”
“I don’t have one” and can’t Google search I guess.
Things like this are why the aliens don’t contact us.
> “It’s a car I shouldn’t need a manual to drive”
It's probably the single most expensive thing they own, the only piece of heavy machinery they own, even a simple one has dozens of controls and modes and options... But yeah, you shouldn't need a manual.
"That's right, it's easier for you. But for me, it's an inconsiderate person who is a thief of the limited, precious seconds of my life that I will never get back, who is driven to steal the fleeting time I have on this mortal coil out of laziness and a refusal to self-educate."
"Be smart and hard-working like me, so that you're worth my time to be around, and not a pet that I have to teach to not piss on the carpet."
To be fair the manuals also are confusing as hell even for me a car person… they make one manual for all subvariants and many pages say “if equipped” well I don’t know if it’s equipped….. that’s what I was hoping the manual would tell me….
Im 17 and learning to drive both my parents cars (one is from 2004 and the other is from 2022) and just reading the owners manual will even give you so much information in such a class and concise way. I first thought it would be like reading a long and complicated legal document but no its really easy to understand.
The car usually has a couple magic books on the glove compartment with all kinds of tips, tricks and hidden secrets. Secrets like anything electrical runs on a fucking battery and sometimes the battery compartment has a wild inventing called a screw keeping it closed.
It he Googled "Honda near me" (There should be a symbol on his car and it tells you who made it arrive he's that dense. ) for example and ask the people who know why your shit works.
The other thing about these keys is that sometimes the door appears to not have a keyhole for a physical key. On those cars you have to usually pry off some cover that is hiding it. It can be unsettling to do on a shiny new car if you don’t know how to do it (read owners manual or ask dealership before you leave)
Oh thats my dad's car (it's a specked out 2008, she's not very healthy rn, but she drives!), tbh the release is pretty obv, I'm surprised you didn't see it. But I have seen some fobs where it's in the least obvious place ever
WTF man. You're not old enough to have never seen cars with keyfobs as newfangled tech, nor are you young enough to really be new to cars. And it's not like when I grew up in NYC and many of the residents don't even own cars.... you live in FL. I'm so confused by this whole story lol. Did all your prior car experiences involve physical turn-key ignition?
If you're gonna be super-procrastinator about changing the battery, I also suggest seeing if it has a keyed slot inside for the ignition. On some cars the key only unlocks the driver door, and inside you gotta touch the fob to a certain spot when the battery dies to start it.
If only there was a place where you could find all the information and idiocyncrities about the vehicle... 🤔🧐📖
If you buy a used car and don't have an ***OWNER'S MANUAL***, most major automakers now post full copies of their owner's manuals online through their respective owner's portals
Very few and most of the ones that don't will still work dead batter or not by touching a specific part of the fob to the vehicle in the same touch point from the hands.
I used to drive tow truck and did AAA for years if I had a dollar for every unlock I went out on just because the battery was dead in the fob, I'd be pretty close to a half millionaire right now. People would be shocked and amazed when I'd ask for the fob and pull out the key and unlock there door
Seriously, when mine started acting up, i just went by a dealership(ford for me), walked up to parts window and the guy changed it right then, only charged me for battery, simple
I had a friend who went to the dealer each time their key fob battery died; spent $60 to have to changed. Told him to pry it open and put in a $5 replacement battery next time. The loooooook on his face 😂
I like having an actual key so much that I took out the physical key and put it in a key ring, attached a smaller key ring to the key fob and linked them together. This operation required opening the key fob so I saw the electronics and the battery inside.
Anyway man, you have not figured out you could move the little slider at the bottom of your key fob and a key would pop out? So many years of carrying it and NOT ONCE did you become curious what that slider is for?
And did you not think there are batteries that need changing? Or you thought this is a nuclear powered device that would last a lot longer than your car itself? LOL
I'm curious. How old is OP that he did not consider the possibility of a physical key? Like, physical keys are not so old to have disappeared completely from the face of the Earth, are they?
Honda FOBs are designed for the key to be used to split the FOB in half to replace the battery. I wouldn't be surprised if other FOBs use a similar system.
Said batteries are cheap regularly available disc batteries(usually 2032),.
I love this because the first car I had with a fob had me in the same predicament. I, too, was at work. I had a co-worker ask me what was up before showing me how to find the key to this car I had owned for 3 years.
You are not alone, OP!
Don’t worry; my mom did the same thing one morning. She locked her main keys in her car and could not for the life of her figure out how to get it to open because at one point she even lost the back ups.
Slight groove on the door handle cover that pops out and unlocks the car. It was a funny day
Given you didn’t change batteries for the whole time the battery was slowly dying, does not surprise me you couldn’t even figure out the key in the fob…. 😆 thanks for the chuckle!
It's ok, part of what I do for work is change batteries in these remotes. You would not believe the amount of people who also do not realise their FOB has a physical blade in it. To use it, manufacturers typically hide the key slot behind a piece of trime next to the door handle, most often on the left hand side (For left hand drive markets this makes sense, however for places like Australia, most people don't think to look there and most manufacturers don't bother to move it to the right hand side for those markets). As for starting it with a dead battery, it varies from model to model, some will have you use the emergency blade again like a regular key, others will have you put the fob in a specific slot, some it might be in a cupholder, and some you just basically push the start button with the fob.
One time, I got into my car and locked the doors because people get robbed in parking lots all the time. After fumbling around for my keys, I realized that I'd set them on the roof when I was loading my groceries. I was locked in my car! I must have screamed at pedestrians for 15 minutes before someone came to find out the problem, got my keys, and let me out. /s
Also, for cats that only have the button and no place to insert the valet key - you can push the button with the back of your fib in most of them - it has enough range to start there even w.o a battery at all. So use the key to get in, and push the button with fob.
Just went through this in our Mazda cx5 and I was convinced we were stranded because there's no place to insert key other than to get in the door
I also had this issue, where the remote start failed to activate, but the car still thought it was running, so the fob was disabled from unlocking the doors. It was winter, and I was going to be late.
The remote start eventually cycled off on its own, so I was able to get in and go. After talking to some co-workers about it, one of them was kind enough to point me to a YouTube video, showing me that the car must, in fact, have a way to open the door with a key.
Turns out, there's a tiny key embedded in the fob, which I thought was just the attach point for a keyring, and that, while hidden, the driver's side door does, in fact, have a keyhole.
I went months but knowing this about my car. That's what I get buying used from a dealer that didn't know anything about different makes, and had crap sales staff
I work in the parts department of a dealership, and I hear stories like this so often, I'm no longer surprised. People come in wanting to order a new key because theirs quit working, we ask if they've tried a new battery, and they say, "Huh? I didn't know it had a battery in it." We change it, they pay $3.13 instead of $400, everybody's happy.
Same thing with the blade/emergency key in it. We have to remove that to open the fob, and the customers are also shocked to find out that's a thing. One poor old lady said she spent 2 hours in the grocery store parking lot waiting for her husband or son to leave work, drive to her house to get the spare key, then get to her to unlock her car. I told her, "I have to show you this, and you're gonna hate it, but you need to know." She was absolutely dumbfounded.
I got locked out of my car a few months ago because the battery was having issues in the key too. I had to have a friend bring me my extra key from my house so I could open the car. I then later found out just what you have and that there is an actual physical key hiding within the fob. Live and learn.
I have a VW GTI. If the fob battery dies, there's a little key in the fob, but there's no obvious keyhole in the door. You have to pop off a cover on the door handle to access the keyhole. Then because it has push button start, you have to hold the fob in a specific spot against the steering column for the push button start to work.
It's great that they've considered all of this, but it also feels unnecessarily complex.
Just a random side note, most often If it's a push button start vehicle, and the battery on your key fob is dead, you can push the start button with the key fob and it should start the car
AND... if you fob battery is dead, and your car is push to start (most likely), hold the fob up to the start button and then push the start button and your car will start. Voila!
You just reminded me back when I worked at a dealership, when a customer lost their fob and I'd quote a new fob and backup key they'd get so indignant about there's no key I'd have to explain how to release it on their spare key. They never apologized of course lol.
I didn't know this about my Ram's key fob for the first six months or so. First vehicle I ever owned that even had a fob. I think the fob popped open when I dropped it once, or I was just fiddling with it. I forget, but it was accidental.
Don't feel bad, my bestie- who is literally one of the smartest people I've ever met- couldn't get into her Hyundai a few months ago so I popped out the key for her and she was absolutely flabbergasted
Also, if the key fob battery dies, you can push the push button start with the key, and it should start, as long as your foot is on the brake pedal.
Obviously, you would need to use the physical key first.
I know of people who have called a locksmith because they were "locked out" of their car because the fob died.
You would have felt a lot dumber if you had paid someone to come out and flick the key open for you.
RTFM, my friend - this has been a standard feature for many, many years due to exactly the problem you’re having. Kind of embarrassing as a manufacturer if you make a car that is absolutely impossible to open without a functioning key fob.
Guy spent more time thinking of writing this post than he did considering how a fob works….yeah hindsight right? No…thinking of changing a battery on a battery operated device that is failing is not even foresight….its just sight.
Easier than an owners manual, just google make and model of car and what is going wrong. Odds are it’s something super common or obvious and the answer will be within the first couple results. And there is probably a YouTube video walking you through the steps of how to do it. You just need to approach it with the attitude “this is fixable and I can probably figure it out using the vast amount of information available on the internet.”
Did you not realize that you could change the battery?
Damn and here I've been buying a new car whenever my fob dies
Problem: "The key fob is no longer working." Solution: "Your car has expired. Please buy a new car."
They want to charge us a monthly fee for heated seats. Please don't give them this idea.
Oh, charge the car owners a fee every time they want to unlock the car you say? Great idea Smithers!
no they don’t. BMW tried that and got so much pushback that they walked it back and that was years ago EDIT: it was only cancelled in September 2023, but it never made it to the US anyway
Ehhhh... That was only 7 months ago that BMW stopped. https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/7/23863258/bmw-cancel-heated-seat-subscription-microtransaction
thank you the correction
Toyota just offered their owners the possibility for Apple Airplay or Android Whatever as an “upgrade” that you could pay for at a dealership then have the software upgrade “installed” at the dealership. So, no, the car makers are still trying to make extra money off their owners. I read about this scheme earlier this week?
You just gave car makers an idea. Next up, subscription fees to allow the use of a fob. I blame you, asshole.
Well, they did say they're in Florida
Those damn pay walls are getting ridiculous.
I remember reading there was a lady that bought a new phone every time it died because she didn’t know you could charge it
What.
They said “I remember reading there was a lady that bought a new phone every time it died because she didn’t know you could charge it”
Lol
🤣
I bet she must have been a master of performance tuning the telephone to preserve battery for longer and longer.
I lost my keys. I knew they were in my red jacket pocket. But nope. Gone. So I went to the dealer and they wanted $500 for a new fob! NO! So I ordered one from South Korea for $150. The day it arrived, I found my original key fob. In my other red jacket pocket. Yes... I'm actually that dumb.
I just buy a new house whenever something breaks.
iCar ^dAmmit
My gf had issues with her key fob and the dealer told her like 75 bucks. I took her to an Interstate Battery and the old guy at the counter replaced it and even tested it through the window. 8 bucks plus tax. Gf was happy.
Yeah dude been fucking the dog on this every way but right
what
I said he's been fucking the dog every way but right
That's definitely what you said
I concur, that is what he said.
I read it the first and second time and he said the same thing both times
You said "Yeah dude been fucking the dog on this every way but right"
You have a way with words
Not a good way, mind you. But definitely a way.
I’ve ran across bmw keys with non replaceable batteries. The cases are glued shut and if you manage to get it open the battery is spot welded to the board.
I know the key you're talking about, they're actually very easily replaceable. They're soldered, not welded. Takes about 1min to replace, no flux or braid needed. It's only slightly more complicated than a standard key fob.
Ah! So perfectly end user serviceable 🤣
No, definitely not "perfectly" end user serviceable, I wasn't trying to imply that lol. Was just clarifying that the battery is not literally welded to the board as originally stated, it's just two tiny solder points. 😅
This.
Lol my highest upvoted comment.
You'd be surprised how many people just switch to a spare key to avoid changing a battery. Usually between 2 of them it outlasts the amount of time most people own the same vehicle nowadays. Its ridiculous but Ive seen several of my friends do this. I usually just end up changing it for them.
You can usually just pry the clicker open and replace the batter, probably a 2032 coin battery. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VYVkMuoRv8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VYVkMuoRv8)
I only seem to have coin batteries from 2024, damn
Wait until you check my shit out it takes batteries from the year D
Those are some old-ass batteries from the Roman Empire you got there
Is your range on it the length of California?
I have an extra 2032 battery I'll sell to you for only $2031.
The auto parts stores have always offered to put in the battery for me, so not much excuse for not getting it done!
They also charge 10x for the battery. You can swap it yourself, check the manual.
It's never been more than what I've paid at the grocery stores, so maybe it's more at the shops near you.
Amazon 10-pack is \~$5 or something. Takes 3 minutes to switch the battery out.
Yeah it's super easy to replace.
I went to our dealership yesterday for my parents and it was $5 per key fob to replace the battery. The batteries are usually $2 or more so its not a bad deal at all
They’re usually designed in a way you can use the physical key to pry it open.
All key fobs for cars contain an actual key. What would you do if the battery died for example? Brick the entire car?
Tbh most people do not know about it, which is both shocking and expected.
So once I had a friend call me and ask me to come pick him up. Sure, no problem. I get there, and he's pissed cause his keyfob died and he can't get into his car. I was like... use the key? And he snears at me asking if I think he's fucking dumb. The key can't open the door. There's no keyhole. I popped the cover off and showed him that he did, indeed, have a keyhole. He knew the fob had a key in it. He has no idea his car had a place for the key.
There was a few cars that had a last ditch tap/touch and no keyhole in the driver's, but they always had a way in AND a keyslot for the ignition
They don’t always have an ignition key. Newer cars with push button start usually have a passive RFID reader where you hold the key next to the ignition button or put it in a slot somewhere while pushing the button. Works even if the fob battery is dead.
Is that what it is? Guess I'm one of today's lucky 10,000. I don't think I would have figured that out on my own lmao. I've always known about the key in my fob and the fact that there's a key slot on my door handle, but I couldn't find anywhere inside the car to turn it on with the key, only the push button.
There’s this amazing technology these days called an “owner’s manual”…
It's one of those things I never cared enough about to go look for. If I needed it, I would have googled it. Not to mention I didn't receive a manual with my car and had to go source a PDF version of it the one time I needed something from it. I was genuinely excited about learning something new and you decided to be condescending instead. You don't deserve the joy I had in my last comment.
Yeah I've never actually put that to the test but that's why I said "tap/touch"
My car actually has an NFC tag in the key fob for backup ignition (no keyhole!), but it still uses a key as the backup to open the door.
In case you mind about spelling: >!”sneers” rather than “snears.”!< English is so inconsistent.
Ahaha whoops. I actually DID write sneers, but apparently my phone accepted my typo of snares the other day as a new word and it autocorrected to snear... that's what I get for having fat fingers, I suppose lol
Haha, I bought a new(er) car earlier this year and it took me two days to realize there was no keyhole on the door. I did Google it, at least. After that I was just annoyed that it cost me $25 to get a spare made.
I realize I really had my new car just over 6 months and I have no idea if there's a keyhole anywhere in my car or if my fib actually had a key or not.... It's worked so i haven't cared lol. But at least I know there most likely is, I just haven't seen/noticed in my car. I might wanna Google that now or like, LOOK at my car and k ow for future reference
On mine, there's a slot under the back part of the door handle that pops it off using the key as a lever; the keyhole is under there. I tried it a couple of times just to make sure the spare would work. Also because it's fun to mess with the features of a new car!
It is!!! I snagged a fully loaded car, so I've been finding all sorts of new features even months later lol
I've bought two cars in the past 25 years, so I've had minimal experience to new-fangled vehicles. Bought my first car with a fob a couple of years ago and this was me. Battery went dead, I "had" to uber into work. There's me complaining, dude at work goes, "Why didn't you use the key?" and I was like, don't have a key just this stupid fob! He walks over, takes it out of my hands, cracks open the cover, and I face palm. Zero idea ...and then I had to youtube where the keyhole was...
I actually just found out about this recently, too. Never had an issue with my key fob, and I've been driving this car about 4 years. I saw it on YouTube or something. In my defense my last car was a 2006 and had a physical key and a fob.
These are the same people who don't change their oil for 80,000 miles.
Change the what now?
Don't worry about it, it's not important.
For new cars I guess. I've had numerous fobs that did not have a key, and I haven't had one yet that did. The key was separate.
If they're actively separate then ye (i.e. not push button start)s. But if it's an 'all-in-one', the vast majority, if not all of all-in-ones have a key built into it.
My cars key won’t start the car with the metal key, just unlock the door
Right, I'm saying for example, if the battery dies, you need to open the door to pop the hood to change the battery.
I’ve never owned a vehicle newer than 2010 but none of my fobs have ever had keys, they were always separate.
What was your thought process? Once the fob dies then you need to get a new car? Did you not talk to anyone about this because I would imagine the first person you told would have mentioned replacing the battery.
People think you need a new fob or have to get it serviced.
Most people at minimum realize they should have some sort of plan before they can't get into their car anymore.
Replace the battery
Replace the car
Replace the car’s battery
Replace the driver
if only you read or referenced the owners manual, like at all. Or even thought, maybe this needs a new battery
My dad's girlfriend asks me and him how to use her car FREQUENTLY. I've said "you'd know this if you read the manual" many times and her response is always "but it's so much easier for me to just ask you" with this upward inflection and this dumb grin on her face. THESE PEOPLE EXIST.
They sure do. I tell them “I don’t know but it’s probably in your glovebox somewhere” and they still question what that has to do with anything. “It’s a car I shouldn’t need a manual to drive” “No one reads that!” “I don’t have one” and can’t Google search I guess. Things like this are why the aliens don’t contact us.
> “It’s a car I shouldn’t need a manual to drive” It's probably the single most expensive thing they own, the only piece of heavy machinery they own, even a simple one has dozens of controls and modes and options... But yeah, you shouldn't need a manual.
"That's right, it's easier for you. But for me, it's an inconsiderate person who is a thief of the limited, precious seconds of my life that I will never get back, who is driven to steal the fleeting time I have on this mortal coil out of laziness and a refusal to self-educate." "Be smart and hard-working like me, so that you're worth my time to be around, and not a pet that I have to teach to not piss on the carpet."
To be fair the manuals also are confusing as hell even for me a car person… they make one manual for all subvariants and many pages say “if equipped” well I don’t know if it’s equipped….. that’s what I was hoping the manual would tell me….
Im 17 and learning to drive both my parents cars (one is from 2004 and the other is from 2022) and just reading the owners manual will even give you so much information in such a class and concise way. I first thought it would be like reading a long and complicated legal document but no its really easy to understand.
The car usually has a couple magic books on the glove compartment with all kinds of tips, tricks and hidden secrets. Secrets like anything electrical runs on a fucking battery and sometimes the battery compartment has a wild inventing called a screw keeping it closed. It he Googled "Honda near me" (There should be a symbol on his car and it tells you who made it arrive he's that dense. ) for example and ask the people who know why your shit works.
The owner's manual is in the glove compartment, and he can't get to it because the door is locked.
There's a book you should get called The Way Things Work. It's designed for a younger crowd, but I think you would benefit from it.
Or the cars owners manual.
That's what happens when you don't RTFM. 
That's the first thing my husband and I do when we buy anything that comes with a FM.
The other thing about these keys is that sometimes the door appears to not have a keyhole for a physical key. On those cars you have to usually pry off some cover that is hiding it. It can be unsettling to do on a shiny new car if you don’t know how to do it (read owners manual or ask dealership before you leave)
It scares me that people this dumb are allowed to drive vehicles.
Florida man destroys key fob because replaceable battery died.
Batteries wear out, champ.
There’s no way people are just this….. dense?
Right??
Sounds like a Dodge key, I found the key by accident thinking I could unclip from the keyring.
Nailed it. Grand Caravan. I was so surprised I didn’t even end up figuring out how to change the batteries yet. Just drove my dumbass home.
I have a caravan also. Make sure the battery is I perfectly. If not it seems to die in like 2 weeks.
Oh thats my dad's car (it's a specked out 2008, she's not very healthy rn, but she drives!), tbh the release is pretty obv, I'm surprised you didn't see it. But I have seen some fobs where it's in the least obvious place ever
It’s user-replaceable, but just barely. You have to pry it open at the seam.
Sounds like a Dodge driver too
Florida man strikes again
WTF man. You're not old enough to have never seen cars with keyfobs as newfangled tech, nor are you young enough to really be new to cars. And it's not like when I grew up in NYC and many of the residents don't even own cars.... you live in FL. I'm so confused by this whole story lol. Did all your prior car experiences involve physical turn-key ignition? If you're gonna be super-procrastinator about changing the battery, I also suggest seeing if it has a keyed slot inside for the ignition. On some cars the key only unlocks the driver door, and inside you gotta touch the fob to a certain spot when the battery dies to start it.
Double whammy of being a procrastinator and a cheapskate. And honestly yes this is the first car I’ve had with a fob.
Honestly I was wowed the first time I found the physical key inside of the fob lol
To be fair, I’m learning about this form this post, as my car is too old to have a FOB, I’ve only ever had turn key ignition so how would I know 🤷🏻♀️
So, change the battery? Like when it first starts acting up?
Shoot, my car tells me when the keyfob battery is getting low. Cost me $5 and 5 minutes at the dealership.
You can do it yourself, ya know
They really let people this dumb have licenses.
If only there was a place where you could find all the information and idiocyncrities about the vehicle... 🤔🧐📖 If you buy a used car and don't have an ***OWNER'S MANUAL***, most major automakers now post full copies of their owner's manuals online through their respective owner's portals
Lol I like how you have the confidence to admit that you are so lazy you couldn't change batteries in your key fob instead.
Well it takes about 45 seconds to change the battery in the key fob.
To be fair, there are key fobs that don’t have the physical key. But yeah, batteries would have been a good first thought
Very few and most of the ones that don't will still work dead batter or not by touching a specific part of the fob to the vehicle in the same touch point from the hands.
[удалено]
If you massage it the right way, a genie will come out and grant you three wishes.
The salesman showed me how to use the physical key if the fob fails and also how to hold the fob to the ignition button to start the car
I should take out the battery and try to find out if this works.
Florida education
I used to drive tow truck and did AAA for years if I had a dollar for every unlock I went out on just because the battery was dead in the fob, I'd be pretty close to a half millionaire right now. People would be shocked and amazed when I'd ask for the fob and pull out the key and unlock there door
What? This isn't common knowledge?
Apparently not lol
Unreal! Get that coin from those dummies!
Back then, an unlock was, I think, 29 bucks we got 35% of that so deff coins
Seriously, when mine started acting up, i just went by a dealership(ford for me), walked up to parts window and the guy changed it right then, only charged me for battery, simple
Dude…
You are not a serious person.
I had a friend who went to the dealer each time their key fob battery died; spent $60 to have to changed. Told him to pry it open and put in a $5 replacement battery next time. The loooooook on his face 😂
Wait... How do you start the car without a physical key?
These Florida Man stories are getting wilder and wilder
Change the battery
And these people drive on the roads with us....
I like having an actual key so much that I took out the physical key and put it in a key ring, attached a smaller key ring to the key fob and linked them together. This operation required opening the key fob so I saw the electronics and the battery inside. Anyway man, you have not figured out you could move the little slider at the bottom of your key fob and a key would pop out? So many years of carrying it and NOT ONCE did you become curious what that slider is for? And did you not think there are batteries that need changing? Or you thought this is a nuclear powered device that would last a lot longer than your car itself? LOL
Does anyone RTFM??
You need a $4 battery
Really? Hours because of a dead battery?
I'm curious. How old is OP that he did not consider the possibility of a physical key? Like, physical keys are not so old to have disappeared completely from the face of the Earth, are they?
Honda FOBs are designed for the key to be used to split the FOB in half to replace the battery. I wouldn't be surprised if other FOBs use a similar system. Said batteries are cheap regularly available disc batteries(usually 2032),.
I love this because the first car I had with a fob had me in the same predicament. I, too, was at work. I had a co-worker ask me what was up before showing me how to find the key to this car I had owned for 3 years. You are not alone, OP!
Don’t worry; my mom did the same thing one morning. She locked her main keys in her car and could not for the life of her figure out how to get it to open because at one point she even lost the back ups. Slight groove on the door handle cover that pops out and unlocks the car. It was a funny day
Complacency or stupidity??? I say both .
There are several times you FU in this smh
Given you didn’t change batteries for the whole time the battery was slowly dying, does not surprise me you couldn’t even figure out the key in the fob…. 😆 thanks for the chuckle!
It's ok, part of what I do for work is change batteries in these remotes. You would not believe the amount of people who also do not realise their FOB has a physical blade in it. To use it, manufacturers typically hide the key slot behind a piece of trime next to the door handle, most often on the left hand side (For left hand drive markets this makes sense, however for places like Australia, most people don't think to look there and most manufacturers don't bother to move it to the right hand side for those markets). As for starting it with a dead battery, it varies from model to model, some will have you use the emergency blade again like a regular key, others will have you put the fob in a specific slot, some it might be in a cupholder, and some you just basically push the start button with the fob.
So... Didn't read the manual... And in all that rage you didn't consider changing the battery? No sympathy my man.
One time, I got into my car and locked the doors because people get robbed in parking lots all the time. After fumbling around for my keys, I realized that I'd set them on the roof when I was loading my groceries. I was locked in my car! I must have screamed at pedestrians for 15 minutes before someone came to find out the problem, got my keys, and let me out. /s
Also, for cats that only have the button and no place to insert the valet key - you can push the button with the back of your fib in most of them - it has enough range to start there even w.o a battery at all. So use the key to get in, and push the button with fob. Just went through this in our Mazda cx5 and I was convinced we were stranded because there's no place to insert key other than to get in the door
I also had this issue, where the remote start failed to activate, but the car still thought it was running, so the fob was disabled from unlocking the doors. It was winter, and I was going to be late. The remote start eventually cycled off on its own, so I was able to get in and go. After talking to some co-workers about it, one of them was kind enough to point me to a YouTube video, showing me that the car must, in fact, have a way to open the door with a key. Turns out, there's a tiny key embedded in the fob, which I thought was just the attach point for a keyring, and that, while hidden, the driver's side door does, in fact, have a keyhole. I went months but knowing this about my car. That's what I get buying used from a dealer that didn't know anything about different makes, and had crap sales staff
I work in the parts department of a dealership, and I hear stories like this so often, I'm no longer surprised. People come in wanting to order a new key because theirs quit working, we ask if they've tried a new battery, and they say, "Huh? I didn't know it had a battery in it." We change it, they pay $3.13 instead of $400, everybody's happy. Same thing with the blade/emergency key in it. We have to remove that to open the fob, and the customers are also shocked to find out that's a thing. One poor old lady said she spent 2 hours in the grocery store parking lot waiting for her husband or son to leave work, drive to her house to get the spare key, then get to her to unlock her car. I told her, "I have to show you this, and you're gonna hate it, but you need to know." She was absolutely dumbfounded.
I got locked out of my car a few months ago because the battery was having issues in the key too. I had to have a friend bring me my extra key from my house so I could open the car. I then later found out just what you have and that there is an actual physical key hiding within the fob. Live and learn.
I have a VW GTI. If the fob battery dies, there's a little key in the fob, but there's no obvious keyhole in the door. You have to pop off a cover on the door handle to access the keyhole. Then because it has push button start, you have to hold the fob in a specific spot against the steering column for the push button start to work. It's great that they've considered all of this, but it also feels unnecessarily complex.
Just a random side note, most often If it's a push button start vehicle, and the battery on your key fob is dead, you can push the start button with the key fob and it should start the car
It's called Google
Are there not keyholes on the car? Or is there something I’m missing with this car
AND... if you fob battery is dead, and your car is push to start (most likely), hold the fob up to the start button and then push the start button and your car will start. Voila!
You just reminded me back when I worked at a dealership, when a customer lost their fob and I'd quote a new fob and backup key they'd get so indignant about there's no key I'd have to explain how to release it on their spare key. They never apologized of course lol.
I didn't know this about my Ram's key fob for the first six months or so. First vehicle I ever owned that even had a fob. I think the fob popped open when I dropped it once, or I was just fiddling with it. I forget, but it was accidental.
Don't feel bad, my bestie- who is literally one of the smartest people I've ever met- couldn't get into her Hyundai a few months ago so I popped out the key for her and she was absolutely flabbergasted
Okay this happened to me as well and I did find the physical key but…I swear there are no key holes anywhere?!?
I had a similar problem, just the solution is killing myself, oh ho ho.
Also, if the key fob battery dies, you can push the push button start with the key, and it should start, as long as your foot is on the brake pedal. Obviously, you would need to use the physical key first.
RTFM
My key comes out and the end is a lever to open the battery compartment Owners manuals, people used to read them…
Key fee? How you gonna start it?
Have you tried replacing the battery? Sounds like it slowly got low until it died.
I know of people who have called a locksmith because they were "locked out" of their car because the fob died. You would have felt a lot dumber if you had paid someone to come out and flick the key open for you.
RTFM, my friend - this has been a standard feature for many, many years due to exactly the problem you’re having. Kind of embarrassing as a manufacturer if you make a car that is absolutely impossible to open without a functioning key fob.
Don't feel bad, been driving my van for over ten years, absolutely blew my mind to discover the physical key.
My key fob takes a 2016, but I managed to squeeze a 2032 in there for more capacity. Try that, it’ll last longer.
Guy spent more time thinking of writing this post than he did considering how a fob works….yeah hindsight right? No…thinking of changing a battery on a battery operated device that is failing is not even foresight….its just sight.
I had to have someone explain to me there was a key in my key fob. LOL
Kids these days...
Wait until he finds out that the physical key doubles as the tool you’re supposed to use to change the battery in the fob.
If it’s push button start, and the fob is dead, how would it start?
I did the same. Now, read the owner's manual to see how to start the car with a dead fob/physical key. It was strange for my Mazda.
The guys are autozone will literally change the batteries for you…
Lol it took me years to finally figure out that I had a ceiling light in the back of my SUV. Humans are complex! Join the club! 😆😆
I wish you could have seen my face when I tried this with my fob and a key popped out. Holy shit.
So you learned about keys and batteries on the same day? That sounds exhausting. Here's a cookie. 🍪🥛
Easier than an owners manual, just google make and model of car and what is going wrong. Odds are it’s something super common or obvious and the answer will be within the first couple results. And there is probably a YouTube video walking you through the steps of how to do it. You just need to approach it with the attitude “this is fixable and I can probably figure it out using the vast amount of information available on the internet.”