Where to leave the fob

Try it and see what happens- please report back to the rest of us. The aluminum foil may drain the battery in the fob. My fob battery went dead in 6 months(kept far away from car at night, but carried next to a cell phone(turned off) and PDA). Another Prius(2008) owner said that he had the proximity feature turned off and his battery is still strong after 2 years. Anyone know how to turn off the proximity feature of the fob(must then use button to unlock; touch fob to Power Button to start)

 

What would happen if you took the batter out of the fob before you left it in the car?

 

You can remove the battery as Octavia suggests, instructions in the owner's manual, pgs 460 & 461.

I have carried my extra fob in the car for months now with no problem. I have it wrapped in foil then I put it in a small metal can just to be extra sure.

 

If you live in a state (like FL) that has certain tollways that are free for Hybrids, they will send you a free electromagnetic shielding bag that you can store your pass in to avoid it being charged when you are on those highways. That should work for the fob. If you don't, ask someone who does and doesn't need theirs. They are made out of that reflective metallic paper and are quite flexible. They mail them to you in a regular envelope. They are probably available online.

 

The foil trick works and is commonly done by surfers and others who can't carry a fob. It is mentioned in several threads on this site.

Tom

 

Let us not forget when your wife goes to retrieve your car at the Airport, she can take the Mechanical Key out of her FOB should there be any issue opening the door......

I doubt she would have a problem though...

And as Qbee42 and other stated, wrapping the key in foil, and placing in a metal tin (Such as a altoids mint can) usually does not allow the SKS signal to be picked up by the ignition...

Good Luck and let us know how this worked out. I would suggest your wife doesn't leave your FOB in the car while your away...so as not to drain the 12 V Battery. Make sure she starts your car weekly for 15 minutes...to be safe...

 

Capt Pat, if it's not too late, you might be able to get the shielded E-Z pass bag mentioned by Joe166 at one of the MD E-Z Pass service centers.

Priusgirlygirl, it looks like they're having the annual debate in the assembly on extending the use of HOV lanes another year. I saw an article on Fredericksburg dot com (haven't posted enough to add links yet) that says things are looking good so far, but some folks want to eliminate the benefit on I-66. In case they grandfather certain roads the way they did with I-95/395 back in 2006, you might want to get the clean fuel plates soon.

 

If the legislature remove the clean fuel exemption, I won't vote for the incumbent and anyone else in that party. All the judges, school board, etc will have to go.

 

Thanks Capt. Pat! Good to know aboutthe EV recharging stations! Didn't know that! :cheer2:

 

I carry my cell phone and my fob on me during the day every day. Does it mean that my fob will be drained more quickly? What do other people do?

 

I keep them in separate pockets: my keys on the left and my cell phone on the right.

The fob battery is not very expensive, so it's not a big deal if you run it down.

Tom

 

OK .... I've not yet done this .... but my salesman in San Diego on 12/31/09 told me that you put the fob in the small 8x10" compartment on the left side (driver's) of the storage area (above the spare tire) and that area will not pick up the signals. He mentioned this as a way to use the manual key to lock the doors and go for a swim with the metal key in your possession. Obviously, you would take the key portion with you on your trip, and the fob would stay in this small cargo area.
If you try it, let me know if it works!
Bart in SoCal.

 

Re: Where to leave the fob/canoe shuttle?

I tried Bart's method below and it didn't work in my 2010. It displayed the same message ("key detected in vehicle") and sounded the same warning tone as when you leave the second fob in the car.

I want to pay a canoe outfitter to drive my Prius where we'll take out downriver. (It's always nice to have your car waiting for you when done canoeing, rather than waiting for the outfitter to show up, which can take hours.)

Is my only option to show the outfitter how to wrap the fob in foil and place it in a metal box before locking the car at the takeout? I don't feel totally confident relying on the outfitter's memory to keep my car from being stolen...

 

Re: Where to leave the fob/canoe shuttle?

The outfitter doesn't need the fob to drive your car, so don't give it to him. Once you start your Prius he can drive it as far as necessary. He won't be able to restart once he powers down.

Tom

 

You can leave the fob in the car and lock everything with the mechanical key. It will use up some of the battery in the fob, but I doubt you'd be able to notice the difference for occasional use. All the aluminum foil / metal box accomplishes is saving some battery power.

Leaving the fob in the car is obviously less secure than taking it with you. But if you lock the doors with the mechanical key, that should generally be adequate security unless you're in NYC (is it true that you can lose your hubcaps while waiting at a stop light?).

I'd recommend getting a duplicate mechanical key. You'll have to go to a locksmith who has laser key cutting equipment. Or you could use a service like www.keyfast.info . They can cut laser keys from a picture or code number of the original for about $50. The duplicate can be an ordinary car key - it doesn't have to be the miniature key like the one in the keyfob.

With 2 extra keys, you could have the person who ferries your car to the destination lock the real keyfob inside the car. They could then return their mechanical key to you later (by mail or whatever). You arrive at the locked car, and get into it with your mechanical key. Then just use the normal keyfob.

 

How 'bout taking the CR2032 out of the fob, so its smartkey and
remote-clicker don't work? You can still start by putting the
fob in the dash slot [gen2] or holding it near the power button
[gen3] but it won't let the car start unless you a> find it and
b> perform specific actions. Then you can hide it just about
anywhere, foil or no foil.
.
_H*