What do you do when

buzyg · Post by **buzyg** » Sat Mar 04, 2017 9:02 am

As an accomplished expert in losing keys, l can confirm that what you do is call the other half. Then wait until after midnight, when your daughter will turn up. (Other forms of offspring are available) She will then explain that mums car broke down, in the pi%%ing rain, on her way to rescue you.

DMC63 · Post by **DMC63** » Sat Mar 04, 2017 9:49 am

Smartbear wrote:
DMC63 wrote:Doesn't it come with 2 keys and the plastic emergency key? Don't tell me it's an E89 If it is there should be a starter handle in the boot.
Change the record, you're getting tedious now
Rob

Sorry Rob, can't help it... I don't get out much

I've stuck a post-it note to my mac screen. "Don't mock E89" Hopefully this should help

: Screen Shot 2017-03-04 at 08.47.55.png (292.32 KiB) Viewed 733 times

Smartbear · Post by **Smartbear** » Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:12 am

I don't mind a bit of good natured banter but all you seem to do is berate other members pride & joy.
Your car seems to be the ultimate zed incarnation & everything else is rubbish going by your posts? How many e89's have you driven?
We're all entitled to our opinions, but try not to offend half the forum with them.
Perhaps if you tried an e89 it might let you appreciate what they offer, if you're going to shepshed this year & I bump into you il take you out in my 18i

Rob

willgill · Post by **willgill** » Sat Mar 04, 2017 7:34 pm

Z4Rick wrote:
willgill wrote:If you are insanely pessimistic or not confident in your retention capabilities then yes this is a good plan of attack
I am crossing the country this summer - about 6,000 miles all told, and the wife will be with me, so i will definitely hide the spare somewhere under the car - insanely pessimistic or not!

Thanks for giving this clarity for me. This question comes up from a near miss last week when I dropped the fob getting out of the car and had parked over a stormwater drain.....it landed with about 2mm of the fob hanging over one of the holes in the grate! Safe to say I was a little tense as I picked it up. I used to give my wife a hard time since her key chain has about 20 keys hanging on it along with a goofy toy of some kind, and weights about a pound. She even has keys on there from our first house which we sold 22 years ago. She calls it a "weaponized" keychain. But HER keys would never have fit through one of those grate holes!

I will now make it a habit to put the fob in my pocket BEFORE disembarking!

amazing what context adds to a topic, I'd lead with that in future - but yes of course take both fobs

Z4Rick · Post by **Z4Rick** » Sat Mar 04, 2017 8:17 pm

willgill wrote: I'd lead with that in future

Well I didn't want the list laughing at the idiot in their midst so much that they failed to answer my question!

Actually, on reflection, I would think the loss of a fob is far more of a problem than simply losing a key. Without the fob - or its hidden key - the doors are hard to open without breaking glass, then you have to contend with a locked transmission that won't come out of park, so the car is harder to tow. Even hiding a spare fob has issues. The battery must be removed so the car doesn't think you are about to start it up all the time with it being that close. Still, I think a hidden fob is the way for me to go. I get an oil change next week and that will give me a chance to find an easy spot to secure it.

ronk · Post by **ronk** » Sat Mar 04, 2017 8:44 pm

Hidden keys / fobs are all well and good unless you are unfortunate enough to have car stolen!
The insurance normally insist on returning two sets of keys!

Nictrix · Post by **Nictrix** » Sat Mar 04, 2017 11:03 pm

Z4Rick wrote:
willgill wrote: I'd lead with that in future
Well I didn't want the list laughing at the idiot in their midst so much that they failed to answer my question!

Actually, on reflection, I would think the loss of a fob is far more of a problem than simply losing a key. Without the fob - or its hidden key - the doors are hard to open without breaking glass, then you have to contend with a locked transmission that won't come out of park, so the car is harder to tow. Even hiding a spare fob has issues. The battery must be removed so the car doesn't think you are about to start it up all the time with it being that close. Still, I think a hidden fob is the way for me to go. I get an oil change next week and that will give me a chance to find an easy spot to secure it.

Are you thinking this through properly?
If your car has comfort access and you store your key on the car,all it takes is for someone to try the handle and it will open. Then if they get in all they have to do is press the start button and your car is gone.

Z4Rick · Post by **Z4Rick** » Sat Mar 04, 2017 11:20 pm

Yeah, I thought of that. A plastic pill bottle will allow me to take the battery out of the fob and store it in the same bottle. The car shouldn't recognize an unpowered fob....I think.....

Nictrix · Post by **Nictrix** » Sat Mar 04, 2017 11:37 pm

Z4Rick wrote:Yeah, I thought of that. A plastic pill bottle will allow me to take the battery out of the fob and store it in the same bottle. The car shouldn't recognize an unpowered fob....I think.....

But then is there a possibility that the fob might need coded back to the car if the battery has been out too long?
Just be a bit more careful with your key, or attach a large keyring to it that you will notice if you drop it, its too big to go down a drain, it could glow in the dark and beep when you whistle for it.

You are also advertising on the internet that you are going to keep a spare key with your car!!

Z4Rick · Post by **Z4Rick** » Sun Mar 05, 2017 2:40 am

Nictrix wrote:
Z4Rick wrote:Yeah, I thought of that. A plastic pill bottle will allow me to take the battery out of the fob and store it in the same bottle. The car shouldn't recognize an unpowered fob....I think.....
But then is there a possibility that the fob might need coded back to the car if the battery has been out too long?
Just be a bit more careful with your key, or attach a large keyring to it that you will notice if you drop it, its too big to go down a drain, it could glow in the dark and beep when you whistle for it.
You are also advertising on the internet that you are going to keep a spare key with your car!!

All good points, Nictrix, but I may have a better solution, but I'll have to try it first. I take the spare fob and remove the key which I can keep in my wallet. Then the fob, with the battery removed would be stowed in the glove box, (with the battery). I could use the key to gain entry, repower the fob, and drive on! This assumes the fob does not need recoding after a long spell unpowered - which should be easy to learn from the dealer, but I suspect it will hold its coding. Since I have a replaceable battery, and have changed that battery before, I do know it tolerates being without power for a short time, so I suspect it is not a problem going unpowered for a longer period. If my original fob is lost and the key in my wallet is lost too, then its a good bet my pants are with them both and I probably have bigger problems than a lost key.... As far as advertising on the internet that my car has a fob in it.....well, I'll just take that chance. (But I WILL send the cops to your house first!)

I will say that this comfort access option allows driving without the fob in the dash - I generally leave the fob in my pocket. I absolutely LOVE this feature. The car recognizes my approach, turns on some lights, the fuel pump charges, the mirrors unfold and I touch the door handle and it opens. When I leave the car for 120 seconds with the fob in my pocket, the doors lock and the mirrors fold, (Thank you Carly!) So for a day of running around, I usually never take the fob out of my pocket, (so I really shouldn't ever lose it!) But, after many years in Scouting, I am programmed to always "Be Prepared", and I owe this bit of obsessive behavior to Lord Baden-Powell. Between him and British Leyland roadsters, my life was forever altered by the British!

Nictrix · Post by **Nictrix** » Sun Mar 05, 2017 8:55 am

I have comfort access in my X6 and 99% of the time I still put the key in the slot before starting it.
I like knowing exactly where the key is.

PerryGunn · Post by **PerryGunn** » Sun Mar 05, 2017 10:26 am

buzyg wrote:As an accomplished expert in losing keys, l can confirm that what you do is call the other half. Then wait until after midnight, when your daughter will turn up. (Other forms of offspring are available) She will then explain that mums car broke down, in the pi%%ing rain, on her way to rescue you.

Z4Rick · Post by **Z4Rick** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:54 am

For what it's worth, this scheme of mine works. The service manager at my dealer assures me the fob without the battery will not lose its coding. I took my spare fob, removed the key for my wallet and placed the fob and its battery in a ziploc bag in the glove box. I locked the car with my primary fob, put it in the house, (90 feet away), then used the key to open the driver door and assembled the stowed fob. Car fired right up. Problem solved. Now I won't have to call the wife if I ever lose my fob....which, of course, will never happen now that I have taken measures, but I feel better anyhow.....

PerryGunn · Post by **PerryGunn** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 7:23 am

Z4Rick wrote:For what it's worth, this scheme of mine works. The service manager at my dealer assures me the fob without the battery will not lose its coding. I took my spare fob, removed the key for my wallet and placed the fob and its battery in a ziploc bag in the glove box.

So now, if any scroat breaks a window or pops the door lock to rifle your glove box, they'll find the key and be able to take the car as well... and, if that happens, you may find that the insurance won't pay out as you've left the key in the car

David-H · Post by **David-H** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 7:43 am

PerryGunn wrote:
Z4Rick wrote:For what it's worth, this scheme of mine works. The service manager at my dealer assures me the fob without the battery will not lose its coding. I took my spare fob, removed the key for my wallet and placed the fob and its battery in a ziploc bag in the glove box.
So now, if any scroat breaks a window or pops the door lock to rifle your glove box, they'll find the key and be able to take the car as well... and, if that happens, you may find that the insurance won't pay out as you've left the key in the car

They'll surely only find the fob, as the key will still be in his wallet? Will the fob alone start the car?

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