What do you do when
- Thread starter Z4Rick
- Start date
But then is there a possibility that the fob might need coded back to the car if the battery has been out too long?Z4Rick said:
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!!
Nictrix said:But then is there a possibility that the fob might need coded back to the car if the battery has been out too long?Z4Rick said:
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!
By the seaside...
:lol:buzyg said: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.
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.....
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 carZ4Rick said:
They'll surely only find the fob, as the key will still be in his wallet? Will the fob alone start the car? :?PerryGunn said: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 carZ4Rick said:
The fob is the key, the key part that the op is talking about is the manual one for just opening the door.DLH said:They'll surely only find the fob, as the key will still be in his wallet? Will the fob alone start the car? :?PerryGunn said: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 carZ4Rick said:
"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 "
PerryGunn is right, of course, and his comment got me thinking.
I found that in the UK, only 38 of 145 offenses against BMWs, per 10,000 cars, is a "Theft of", and only 6 are Z4s. (.06%). (http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/crime/bmw) In the US, the NHTSA says, (https://one.nhtsa.gov/apps/jsp/theft/theftRates.htm) that 2% of the 1982 car production rate in 2013, or 4 Z4s, were stolen, but that is the highest rate for Z4s in their database! For every other year, the rate was below 1%! In fact, their entire database for theft of ALL BMWs is 2.86% of production. By any standard, theft of the Z4 is damned rare! SO, I would postulate that if theft of your Z is your primary fear, my scheme for re-animating a Z4 when your fob is lost is, perhaps, not the best choice.
In my case however, I live in a very rural area, keep my Z in a locked garage, don't drive it 3-4 months of the year, and spend a great deal of my time mucking around boats and marinas. That last bit is crucial for me. In ten years of being an instructor of racing small sailboats, I have fallen overboard, or off of a dock 3 times. I have also lost one pair of sunglasses, a cell phone and keys a total of 4 times. It is a likelihood that I am a far greater risk to my fob disappearing than theft of my car is. I am very happy to accept the risk of theft over my own ineptness any day.
As Clint Eastwood in the role of Dirty Harry famously said, "A man has to know his own limitations."
PerryGunn is right, of course, and his comment got me thinking.
I found that in the UK, only 38 of 145 offenses against BMWs, per 10,000 cars, is a "Theft of", and only 6 are Z4s. (.06%). (http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/crime/bmw) In the US, the NHTSA says, (https://one.nhtsa.gov/apps/jsp/theft/theftRates.htm) that 2% of the 1982 car production rate in 2013, or 4 Z4s, were stolen, but that is the highest rate for Z4s in their database! For every other year, the rate was below 1%! In fact, their entire database for theft of ALL BMWs is 2.86% of production. By any standard, theft of the Z4 is damned rare! SO, I would postulate that if theft of your Z is your primary fear, my scheme for re-animating a Z4 when your fob is lost is, perhaps, not the best choice.
In my case however, I live in a very rural area, keep my Z in a locked garage, don't drive it 3-4 months of the year, and spend a great deal of my time mucking around boats and marinas. That last bit is crucial for me. In ten years of being an instructor of racing small sailboats, I have fallen overboard, or off of a dock 3 times. I have also lost one pair of sunglasses, a cell phone and keys a total of 4 times. It is a likelihood that I am a far greater risk to my fob disappearing than theft of my car is. I am very happy to accept the risk of theft over my own ineptness any day.
As Clint Eastwood in the role of Dirty Harry famously said, "A man has to know his own limitations."
Oh yes, I missed the 'removed the key for my wallet'DLH said:They'll surely only find the fob, as the key will still be in his wallet? Will the fob alone start the car? :?PerryGunn said: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 carZ4Rick said:
but you only need the fob for keyless startronk said:BMW assist subscription every year and don't worry.
As individuals we will never cover every base.
Yeah, I checked on that. $200/year seems pricey...and then I read this:
"SPECIAL NOTE: After December 31, 2016, the on-board cellular technology used for delivering numerous BMW ConnectedDrive / BMW Assist features will no longer be supported on most 2013 and earlier vehicles." (http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/Explore/BMWValue/BMWAssist/2013andearlier.aspx)
I, of course, have a 2013
Have you never heard of dry boxes?Z4Rick said:
When I used to go diving I would put my car key in a dry box and clip it inside one of my drysuit pockets.
Did around 200 dives like this and never lost my keys.
You can also get keyrings that float in case you drop them in the water, Im sure if you spend time around boats and marinas though you must have heard of these.