What's the point in (glitchy) keyless entry?

[Guyzer]

Hi all,

For a while I have been wondering about keyless entry/start and why it is sold as superior to just a key with remote entry. I'm not very technical or a forum regular, but if anyone has time and thoughts I'm curious.

I got mine as part of a 2015 vrs tech pack without particularly wanting it. I quickly found you don't actually control entry like if you have to press the fob. Someone touching or standing near me can often open the car door, which is not exactly a positive safety or security feature. I once dropped my wife off somewhere in traffic before realising she was the one carrying the key leaving me with an embarrassing 'key not detected' problem. That's a reflection on me perhaps, but still, the system makes it possible. And half the time, especially at servos, I can't tell if the engine or electrics are on or off. (As I said, not technical.)

But it was only yesterday this all became a real issue. One fob had for a while been letting me in and starting the car, but the remote click entry function wasn't working. I told the dealership service manager that the low batt light has not been on and it is malfunctioning. He said it was the battery and repeated that when he rang up to tell me my car was ready after scheduled service. But, it wasn't the battery. They'd assumed that and left it to the end to pop one in. And when they realised they tried to recode the key but that didn't work.

So now having to wait up to six weeks for a coded key to be delivered from Europe (which totally stuffs up me and my wife's routine of leaving the car for each other to pick up with each other's keys), I'm just wondering. The Rapid they gave me as a short-term loan car has a working key. Could the idea catch on? As far as I can tell it lets me open with the actual key OR pressing the fob, and start the damned car regardless of any code and drive it without depending on some electromagnetic connection.

So what's the advantage of keyless compared to fob and key? Something to do with alarms, immobilisers? A sense that pushing a button is more convenient than turning a key?

[Ozsko]

The only advantage is that you can leave the key in your pocket and never have to use it or for someone who puts their key in a handbag they never have to dig it out. If that person was in and out of the car a lot, say a company rep I can see they would be all for it but it does not do much for me. On the other hand I had to drive my wife's car the other day and some of the stuff I take for granted caught me out like releasing the hand brake (I forgot), having to actually turn insert the key and start it was a bit strange as I just jump in the car and press a button, I even had to turn the lights on at night!

[puhleese]

You are right, a 'glitchy' faulty kessy key is no good to anyone. I have kessy systems in my cars for the past five or six years and never had any problems other than batteries going flat but the cars have given me plenty of warning to replace the batteries. Seems as though you weren't fortunate enough to get three kessy fob keys with your vehicle like I did.

[Fred Nurk]

Apart from the obvious 'progress is better' there's probably less actual benefit in a physical key arrangement these days. Its been a while since a key is just a 'key', most vehicles have had a secondary electronic means of verifying the key's function apart from a lock barrel for at least a few years now. In my old '99 Camry, I could get the key blank cut at a locksmith to open my car door, but I still wasn't going anywhere without 'coding' the car to the key.

Mandatory immobilisers have meant that the days of prying the lock barrel with a screwdriver are long gone, nowadays they steal the key first.

There are probably arguments both ways, for a KESSY style option where the 'key' never leaves your pocket but is prone to the issues you identified, or a passive arrangement (Prius had a key at one stage that 'docked' with the car like a key barrel) that leaves you with more of a risk of leaving the keys unattended in the car, but is far less prone to a 'flat remote' battery.

Its much harder to lock your keys in the car with remote entry. Its also way harder to unlock the car if the remote battery fails, and that is probably the aspect where a key and lock barrel might shine. Of course, there's also the chance that if your car battery gets flat enough, you can't open it either.

[Jondalar]

I've had KESSY for almost 2 years now, love not having to take the key from my pocket, also love not trying to find the key hole in the ignition. Only issue I've had is that both the batteries died within 2 weeks and there was no warning at all from the car. Fortunately I bought more than one battery. At least our cars are smart enough to kill the ignition if the key leaves them unlike some other makes I've heard of...

[puhleese]

I had a rental superb that had a normal key and truly it was an absolute pain of a night trying to get the key into the keyhole to start the car especially since both my own cars are kessy. I would guess that the Octavia key would be just as painful. I couldn't given a choice go back to a key operated vehicle. To each their own of course

[Spinifex]

........ I can't tell if the engine or electrics are on or off. (As I said, not technical.)......

I really don't mean to sound condescending or rude with this comment... but you don't need to be technically-mided to identify that your engine is switched off, by looking at the tachometer or other gauges reading zero.

Although - in fairness - I HAVE seen a BMW left running in a shopping centre carpark.... no kids or pets inside to justify keeping it running.... and was just idling away there for at least an hour. Presumably the driver THOUGHT they had switched the engine off and jumped out & locked the car to go shopping.... leaving it running.
So you're certainly not alone there, but again in fairness, if a driver can't identify they've turned the engine off before leaving the car, they shouldn't have a licence.

The KESSY key is like all other "modern knick-knacks" in a car.... do we REALLY need cupholders? No.... if we aren't supposed to be distracted by a mobile phone while driving, then perhaps we shouldn't be distracted by spilling boiling hot coffee in our laps either.

It's meant as an extra convenience, not a necessity.

In terms of the security feature you mentioned, whereby anybody can open a door, as long as you're standing close enough to the car with the KESSY, for it to register and unlock.... well depending on your model car, there should be settings in the car menu/infotainment system, so that ONLY the drivers car door unlocks by KESSY, or ONLY the driver/front passenger.... or ALL doors.

If you set it to anything other than ALL DOORS, then you need to press the unlock button on the keyfob, OR the unlock button in the dashboard, to unlock the other doors... so it's quite safe if you mark your settings correctly.

Hope that helps

[woofy]

I much prefer it over the older type in my last Skoda, I hate having to dig out keys. Even my front door now has a keypad and can be opened using Siri. I get annoyed when I have to use keys anywhere now. Sounds like you are having more trouble than usual, but at the end of the day you can do as advised above, set the door open to just the driver (even the old style did that) and its linked to your keys tw, my wife hated that so hers was set to open all doors. And you can open it the regular old way. Obviously starting it you have to go keyless. Forgive me if I'm wrong but the car screams if someone gets out with the key though, at least mine does. And to have someone else open it you have to be within a foot of the car.