Anyone else have keyless ignition/push button start

[barkley]

with our keyless/push button ignition the car emits a chiming sound if the driver exits while the vehicle is still running. it will continue that chiming for a period of time but has an automatic timer such that if the car absent the fob is running it automatically turns off. this has happened a few times when I've stayed in the car while dh is in a store. unless I have my fob on me the car chimes over and over then it's off.

 

[bcla]

Oh no! Were you far from home?



Ok, that is good that there are warning signs ahead of time. I just did some more reading on it, and one article said that if the battery goes completely dead before you replace it, you have to take it to a dealer to get re-programmed?? But then wouldn't you need to reprogram after removing the battery even before it goes completely dead, because it would be completely shut down without a battery in it during changing? Not sure if I'm explaining that correctly

They should recover. However, a lot of electronics use capacitors to maintain an electronic state for at least the time it takes to change the battery. I had a clock radio with a feature where it would maintain the time for several hours even if the power went out. That’s not unusual.

 

[Klayfish]

Aren't the cars with the key fob and push start harder to steal?

No, not at all. If a thief wants your car, they're taking it.

 

[bcla]

I would think so, but as I was researching all of this this morning, I did see something about some sort of device that would allow thieves to duplicate the frequency of the remote? Not sure how common this is https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/style/keeping-your-car-safe-from-electronic-thieves.html

Maybe a remote, but the keyless systems are different. They would be using systems more like rolling codes with garage door opener remotes these days. The article doesn’t mention actually copying the remote, but using brute force to open the door. Even if the car could be started once, it’s kind of hard to repeat it with any consistency. But all they have to do with the door is get it open once to steal the contents of a car.

 

[frostedpink]

I have push button start too. I hate how when I use the remote starter the car turns off once I open the door. So annoying

 

[bcla]

Replaced ours at The Battery Store - for about 5 bucks - I wouldn’t trust batteries from the Dollar Store...

The best are Maxell. They leak far less than other brands. They’re pretty cheap in bulk. I’ve bought from this seller on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Maxell-CR2032-lithium-batteries-authenticity/dp/B00KHWTAHA

20 for less than $7 including shipping. Their 5 pack price is about $4 so I’d go with more.

I have a lot of things that use them, including an electronic scale. I handed a 5 pack to my renters for the garage remote. My car remote uses them. For a keyless fox that starts the car it might need to be replaced fairly often. Maybe keep some in a car although heat might not be very good. Still most people keep them in a pocket where it gets pretty warm.

I’ve rented a car with one once. I couldn’t find it while I was at a gas station and kept on looking. I could start the car, but couldn’t figure where it was. Finally found it under the floor mat.

 

[shoney]

If i leave the car while it is running the Bells go off to let u know

 

[neverlandsky]

I have push start. 2011 Altima. Depends on the climate. Living in the desert I changed the remote batteries often 3-6 months. Gives you plenty of notice on the dashboard stating the battery needs to be replaced in the remote. Since moving out of the desert it’s been almost 2 years since last battery change. Since owning the car only 2 car battery changes, routine maintenance/repairs. Will say there’s a time limit with the carbon monoxide senor. Had to have that just reprogrammed last year, right when the car hit 6 years old from manufacturer date.

 

[mnrose]

I've had push button start vehicles for over a decade now. And, with ours at least, it's IMPOSSIBLE to leave it running. My key is in my purse, and if I forget to turn it off, it immediately starts screaming at me (well, beeping actually) when I attempt to exit the vehicle (open up the driver's side door). That's my clue that it is still ON, and not off.

We've had to change the key fob battery every few years. No biggie. You'll know it's time. And, with ours anyway, there's the possibility of removing a physical key from the fob to open the door and start the car. Never had to do that. It gets "weaker" and suddenly, it takes longer to get it to lock, etc. Then, you know to replace the battery.

 

[bcla]

A few years ago I borrowed my brother in law's car and that had one of these things. I wasn't sure exactly what to do though, such as the accessory mode just to listen to the radio. I remember back in 2015 we were in British Columbia waiting for the ferry back to Washington, but I had to fiddle around with it to get the radio on. I think it was something like a short press instead of pressing it for a few seconds.

There should also be an emergency key that pulls out of the fob. Each one is different, but the keys tend to be little stubby things. And you'll need a tool to pry off the cover.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I have it on my Altima. It took me so many times pushing either the radio button or air conditioner button and not knowing why the car would not start. I am learning better now.

 

[MillauFr]

No, not at all. If a thief wants your car, they're taking it.

Of course but aren't they harder to steal?

 

[bcla]

Of course but aren't they harder to steal?

There are a lot of things that are harder to steal these days. I remember when the Honda Civic/Accord and Acura Integras were on several most stolen car lists. Then when they switched to the RF transmitter in the key it became harder. I have some ordinary keys copied. They can open the door but won't start the car. And if I try to open the trunk without the alarm shut off first, the alarm goes on.

That doesn't mean that there aren't as many break-ins just to smash and grab. But it's a lot harder to drive away with a car these days.

 

[gottaluvPluto]

Aren't the cars with the key fob and push start harder to steal?

No, I read somewhere that they were easier to steal/hack into.

 

[Klayfish]

Of course but aren't they harder to steal?

Not necessarily. See below.

There are a lot of things that are harder to steal these days. I remember when the Honda Civic/Accord and Acura Integras were on several most stolen car lists. Then when they switched to the RF transmitter in the key it became harder. I have some ordinary keys copied. They can open the door but won't start the car. And if I try to open the trunk without the alarm shut off first, the alarm goes on.

That doesn't mean that there aren't as many break-ins just to smash and grab. But it's a lot harder to drive away with a car these days.

The Accord and Civic are still at the top of the stolen car list, but they're older models. Switching to RF or similar technology effected all cars, not just Honda. The only difference between push button cars and traditional key cars really is just a matter of if the initial mechanism to try to start the car is done by pressing a button or inserting a physical key. Pretty much all cars have some type of coding that much match up for the car to start. How sophisticated it is can depend on the type of car. If anyone remembers, many years ago, GM had little chips on their keys. There were a limited number of chip frequencies. So in theory, if you got every chip, you could steal a car if you could defeat the ignition...which wasn't exceptionally hard. Now, it would take a pretty sophisticated thief to steal a modern car quickly...unless they have a tow truck (which is how many cars are stolen now). That will hold true if it's a car with a key or a push button. It really doesn't make much difference. But there are some very highly organized and sophisticated theft rings out there. Hence why I said if a thief wants your car, they're taking it. The modern technology does wonderful to deter the person looking for a quick joyride (I remember when I first got into the auto world, I was shown how to steal a Chrysler in less than 30 seconds...and I did it...in a test environment of course).

The "hot wiring" stuff you see in the movies is Hollywood fantasy. Even in the old days ('80s), just breaking off the lower column cover and touching wires wasn't enough...you'd still have to defeat the steering column lock, and often a shift lock.

 

[ronandannette]

We acquired an old Prius, I started driving it a couple of weeks ago because my car broke.

I have left the engine running a couple of times. Yep.

Since then, I have been more careful with making sure I press that button to turn off the car.

I'm wondering if electric/hybrid engines are quite a bit quieter than regular ones? There's no way you could not know my Juke engine is still running, including the dash lights and radio stay on until the engine is disengaged. Now OTOH, when I was adapting to the vehicle when it was new, there were several hairy moments when I turned the engine off while driving instead of hanging up a phone call on my bluetooth, but that was a "me" thing...

 

[tvguy]

I was at spring training in Phoenix last month and more than once during a game the PA announcer came on and described a car in the parking lot, gave the license plate number, and said "your car is running" Understandable since a whole bunch of cars in that parking lot were rental cars and people didn't realize they hadn't shut them off.
A co-worker has a new Lexus and our guard found it running in the parking lot. Co-worker was 100 miles from work on assignment, but he has a remote start/stop App on his phone, so he turned it off VERY remotely.

We'll see, my daughter just bought a car yesterday with a push button start.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I'm wondering if electric/hybrid engines are quite a bit quieter than regular ones? There's no way you could not know my Juke engine is still running, including the dash lights and radio stay on until the engine is disengaged. Now OTOH, when I was adapting to the vehicle when it was new, there were several hairy moments when I turned the engine off while driving instead of hanging up a phone call on my bluetooth, but that was a "me" thing...

I think so. I have to squint to see the tiny READY sign on the dash.

You don't hear bells going off IF THE KEYS ARE STILL IN THE CAR.

 

[bcla]

Not necessarily. See below.



The Accord and Civic are still at the top of the stolen car list, but they're older models. Switching to RF or similar technology effected all cars, not just Honda. The only difference between push button cars and traditional key cars really is just a matter of if the initial mechanism to try to start the car is done by pressing a button or inserting a physical key. Pretty much all cars have some type of coding that much match up for the car to start. How sophisticated it is can depend on the type of car. If anyone remembers, many years ago, GM had little chips on their keys. There were a limited number of chip frequencies. So in theory, if you got every chip, you could steal a car if you could defeat the ignition...which wasn't exceptionally hard. Now, it would take a pretty sophisticated thief to steal a modern car quickly...unless they have a tow truck (which is how many cars are stolen now). That will hold true if it's a car with a key or a push button. It really doesn't make much difference. But there are some very highly organized and sophisticated theft rings out there. Hence why I said if a thief wants your car, they're taking it. The modern technology does wonderful to deter the person looking for a quick joyride (I remember when I first got into the auto world, I was shown how to steal a Chrysler in less than 30 seconds...and I did it...in a test environment of course).

The "hot wiring" stuff you see in the movies is Hollywood fantasy. Even in the old days ('80s), just breaking off the lower column cover and touching wires wasn't enough...you'd still have to defeat the steering column lock, and often a shift lock.

My dad had one. It was something like matching one of 15 resistor values. That was about as basic as you could get. All it took was a multimeter and an insert to "program" a replacement key.

http://www.lockmasters.com/site/pdfs/TT4002 Vats Overview Article.pdf

The Honda keys RF tag is a little bit more complicated, but they can be cloned by reading the key's RF transmitter. The new ones are far more complicated using rolling codes where it basically makes little sense to try and monitor what's going on. Guessing the algorithm is next to impossible, although some of the older, simpler ones seem to have thieves who used brute force to guess the response, but that was just to open the door.

 

[rwdavis2]

My fob has a key inside that will open the door. If you hold the fob next to the on/off button it will start even with no battery. 2018 Honda Odyssey.

I think that's how our Highlander works as well. Much like a Magic Band I'm guessing.