Why You Dont Want a "Smart" Key!

[JustPassinThru]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

What about the ECHO ?

Maybe some.

But the crack crowd hasn't made the connection. Nor are there mobs just WAITING for a Yaris four. A Chevy small-block V8, every kid with a Kmart wrench set wants one. Not so the Yaris or Echo parts.

The crackhead car thieves cater to the pistonhead Saturday-night parts crowd; and we just watch and shake our heads.

[Kal-El]

It can cost as much as $400 to replace a smart key. IMO, that is the major downside to them.

I don't agree with the article's example as being a deal breaker on having smart keys. That's an unusual problem and there are plenty of ways to handle such a situation. People have had to manage valuables for many years when going to the beach. This is nothing new. They sell waterproof pouches, for one thing.

When I worked at a dealership , I dealt with smart keys. Hugely convenient. Stays in your pocket. Got your hands full? No problem.

But yeah, it's a potential cost issue if something goes wrong. Especially losing them.

[why?]

Originally Posted by yougojay

Statistics - The more stuff you have on a car, the more there is to break. Got an extra key fob for our 2003 Trailblazer after we purchased it, dealer only of course, it was about 100 bucks or so if I remember correctly. thankfully, it worked...!
I swear I am still so enthralled with this car & it all has to do with its size & simplicity. Crap, I have it shammy'd in 5 minutes, spray waxed the next day in 10 minutes or less. I actually played with the tilt wheel today, almost forgot it had one
Love the crank windows, I pull in the garage and turn off the car, then don't have to worry about having it running to roll the window up!
A LOT of folks keep their vehicles only a few years, then trade up again. Try to keep some of these makes & models for 5 or 6 years, or 50,000-60,000 miles, things start to go wrong, and they usually do right after the darn thing goes out of warranty. I wonder how much a regular Yaris key is at the dealer, gonna have to find out. I'm sure it isn't 100 bucks

mine charged me $7. Then I went to lowe's and made a bunch more for $3 each. And thankfully I stopped losing them, although locking the last one in the car in the garage where I was living was embarrassing.

[matti]

I hope I'm wrong, but I think when it's time for me to get a new car, I don't think I'll be able to get one w/o power windows and some stupid 6" x 6" video display.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by why?

mine charged me $7. Then I went to lowe's and made a bunch more for $3 each. And thankfully I stopped losing them, although locking the last one in the car in the garage where I was living was embarrassing.

That sounds right. I had it in my mind that It's been well under $20 when I've had to do that (even when I didn't have a key to give the dealer and just gave them the VIN and showed ID).

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by matti

I hope I'm wrong, but I think when it's time for me to get a new car, I don't think I'll be able to get one w/o power windows and some stupid 6" x 6" video display.

. This is one reason that (if Kal-El is right about the 2015 model year and if the hand crank windows carry over) I'll probably get a 2015 3-door L 5-speed with hand crank windows, even if I have wear left on my current Yaris (I'll keep both if I can put big stone pavers next to my driveway to create additional space...as one of my neighbors did).

[yougojay]

Originally Posted by why?

mine charged me $7. Then I went to lowe's and made a bunch more for $3 each. And thankfully I stopped losing them, although locking the last one in the car in the garage where I was living was embarrassing.

Cool - now you have a bunch of extras. Better safe then sorry

[NEexpat]

It's my belief that all this "stuff" smart keys etc are as much about security/anti theft as they are about marketing.

Points of difference, the actual things that differentiate brands. When one does something they others don't want to get caught out, so they all offer it. It is these points of difference they all push and promote, foot activated lift gates, hands off parking assist etc. When they all offer comparable product those ads go away then they are left to build their intangible points of difference.

I bought my Yaris, because of reliability, then fuel efficiency and cost of the car. Now there are some that will argue that reliability is more perception, of course there is statistical data to prove it is not. Who repeatedly gets the highest rankings in reliability polls, Toyota and Honda, however I have seen Hyundai advertising their reliability ratings of late.

So once a car company adds "smart key" technology, they all will so as to remove that POD.

So while you may not want a smart key and it's technology, unfortunately in the future you may get to have that choice.

*My friends in the golf club business always tell me when they are rolling out this years new line of clubs with the newest bestest technology, we don't sell golfs clubs, we sell hope.

[yougojay]

Originally Posted by NEexpat

So while you may not want a smart key and it's technology, unfortunately in the future you may get to have that choice.

*My friends in the golf club business always tell me when they are rolling out this years new line of clubs with the newest bestest technology, we don't sell golfs clubs, we sell hope.

This is so true - you can hardly find a car that doesn't have all this techie stuff included already, and can't order a particular model without it. That's why I think I really love this Yar Yar, 'cause it's simple and gadget-free. I feel like I got in 'just under the wire' buying this car, as soon you won't be able to by a 'Basic' car to get you from Point A to Point B.
Your 'thank you' post was really cool - this forum is so helpful, and makes you believe you can 'do it' - EX: Change your bulbs, tranny fluids, add a sway bar, etc., with confidence. I know all I can do is continue to post & be of help if I can, or share my experience with a particular matter.
The 'modders' here are a lot of fun, love all the after-market wheels and accessories & whatnot. CTScott's adventures and help are out of this world, what a gracious person he is.
I didn't even mind driving up the highway to get some lotto tickets in the rain, I can see the wax bead up on the car when I got home, even that is rewarding

[NEexpat]

^Thanks mate.
And you're quite right there are issues that when they arise I'll know what to look for, and decide whether it is something I'd want to tackle on my own or not. All because of this forum.

[nevplus]

Originally Posted by Kal-El

It can cost as much as $400 to replace a smart key. IMO, that is the major downside to them.

I don't agree with the article's example as being a deal breaker on having smart keys. That's an unusual problem and there are plenty of ways to handle such a situation. People have had to manage valuables for many years when going to the beach. This is nothing new. They sell waterproof pouches, for one thing.

When I worked at a dealership , I dealt with smart keys. Hugely convenient. Stays in your pocket. Got your hands full? No problem.

But yeah, it's a potential cost issue if something goes wrong. Especially losing them.

i have a 2k8 vitz rs the jdm one and it has the smartkey and i love it , i like not having to use the key it is very convenient.. i actually bought my car because of all the bells and whistles that one usually wont get in a small car.. the paddle shift and the push to start etc.. i go to the beach fairly often (i live in barbados) and i just remove the actual metal key part from the rest of the fob and lock the car with the metal key.. maybe the us market keys are different?

[DebbyM46227]

Originally Posted by JustPassinThru

It's Escalades and Navigators and DeVilles that need the Smart Keys. Now, I'm not sure why anyone needs Escalades and Navigators and DeVilles...that's another issue.

The drug dealers need those to show how successful they are.

[yougojay]

Originally Posted by DebbyM46227

The drug dealers need those to show how successful they are.

[Kar98]

Originally Posted by matti

I hope I'm wrong, but I think when it's time for me to get a new car, I don't think I'll be able to get one w/o power windows and some stupid 6" x 6" video display.

Best hurry up, because the feds just made rear view cameras and displays mandatory by 2018.

[jambo101]

Getting the key to flash the lights on the car is handy for finding the car at night when theres probably 50+ cars parked on the street.

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by Kar98

Best hurry up, because the feds just made rear view cameras and displays mandatory by 2018.

$30,000 Yaris anyone?

207 backup deaths a year now and about 1/3 of those involve the FRONT wheels. (kids run into the car usually)

And since the kids run into the wheels the camera isnt going to see them.