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Smart Key


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I suppose I could just consult my manual, but considering I'm at work, maybe one of you could give me the quick answer.

I vaguely remember my sales person telling me (when I bought the car) that if the smart key is removed from the car, the car won't operate.

Is that true?

If it is, I tried it out the other day and it did not work with my car.

I had the key in my pocket and I told me wife to take the car for a spin (better she gets stuck somewhere than me - lol).

She drove around my neighborhood and the car had a message of "no key detected" but she continued to drive it for at least 10 minutes without it shutting down. She was never more than a mile from my home (and me) with the key.

Is this how the smart key is supposed to operate?

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That is what I've noticed also. As long as the key is in it when you try to start it, it will run until you turn the car off. Then you won't be able to start it again unless you have the key.

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Yes, as you were obviously near the car when your wife started it. The vehicle still detected the smartkey and allowed the vehicle to start. Once your wife drove out of range of the key, the "key not detected" light comes, but it doesn't kill the engine. If she turned off the car, then the vehicle will not restart because no smartkey is detected. It wouldn't make sense to kill the engine while driving as that would cause other serious situations. Besides would you like that to happen if your battery got weak or died while you were driving and the car just suddenly died?

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Besides would you like that to happen if your battery got weak or died while you were driving and the car just suddenly died?

Certainly not, but can't there be some happy middle ground.

My greater concern came up when my secretary told me her husband had left his car running (not pressing the button) to shut if off and went to a friends house while the car remained running on the street.

Because he had his "smart key" in his pocket, he had just assumed the car was off (as it would be with a normal key). Meanwhile, it was sitting on the street just humming along. A car thiefs dream.

Luckily it did not get stolen.

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assumed

Thats the key word right there. Assumptions can make people do stupid things. Sometimes you have to think and take control rather than let a piece of silicon think for you.

Curious why he didn't hit the button, since in a normal car he would have reached up to turn the key and taken it out. That movement is pretty much habit after all these years, almost like its built into our dna. :D

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Curious why he didn't hit the button, since in a normal car he would have reached up to turn the key and taken it out. That movement is pretty much habit after all these years, almost like its built into our dna. :D

You're exactly right, only, you actually have to "retrain" yourself not to do this and I can totally understand how someone can leave without pressing the button. I've done it myself, only I've never actually left the vicinity of the car.

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The Smart Key issue brings out a related Question...Is there an alarm system like the SPAL anti-carjack system that will work with the lexus. Hate to think that someone could jerk you out of the seat and drive off with car and the car would continue to run until they get it to the chop shop. Any thoughts? :huh:

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Curious why he didn't hit the button, since in a normal car he would have reached up to turn the key and taken it out. That movement is pretty much habit after all these years, almost like its built into our dna. :D

You're exactly right, only, you actually have to "retrain" yourself not to do this and I can totally understand how someone can leave without pressing the button. I've done it myself, only I've never actually left the vicinity of the car.

You can understand how a person can walk away from a running car, and not realize it needs to be turned off? I realize the engine is quiet, but not that quiet. Very good point on "assuming"--why on earth would you just walk away from a running car and "assume" it will shut off without testing that theory out. Retraining yourself shouldn't be that hard--you park the car, reach up for the conventional key, it's not there, and you push the button. Very similar to when I drive my wife's Pilot--I reach down to the console for the gearshift, but it's not there; so, I then reach up to the steering column instead.

If you forgot something in your house, and ran in to get it, and left the engine running with a conventional key, it's not any different than with the smart key--it just happens to be in your pocket rather than in the ignition. I'd be annoyed if the car just shut off if I did this, in part because I do it a lot. I see people do that all the time at Starbucks or 7-11. In fact, you're better off in the Lexus, because once they shut the car off, they can't restart it; but if you left your conventional key in there, they can start and stop it as many times as they want.

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  • 1 month later...
what bout....if your car is unlocked and you walk away from it.....shouldnt it automatically lock after a certain time and distance away?

It wont do this? Do you really want it to automatically lock every time you walk away from the car. I originally thought it would do this--what a PITA that would be when it was parked in the garage at my house, or in my driveway. If I just want to go get a cd or package out of the car, I have to make sure I have the key with me? I'd hate that.

To xriddle--certainly you can lock the doors with the car on. I never tried it with the remote, but (1) you could use the door button, or (2) the LPS setting automatically locks the doors when you put the car in drive, for it's std setting.

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I think you can jump in and start it up then hop out and lock the doors via remote/button.

I think many people that live around snowy area's do that to warm up their IS's engines.

I still think it's comical that when you open the door by using the emergency key the alarm keeps going off until you start the car :P

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Huh? I must have missed that advice somewhere along the way. I'm not sure that warming or not warming has any benefits. What are the reasons that warming up a car at idle can be detrimental?

I am a firm believer that frequently turning the engine on and off is bad as there is no oil pressure when the engine first starts to turn. And of course not fully bringing a vehicle up to temperature can allow moisture to build up in the exhaust etc... However the warming up thing has escaped me.

Just curious.

Regards,

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Believe it or not, I am familiar with that thread but I kind of disagree. Most of the votes for no warm-up are from people in warm climates like Florida, Texas etc… but most people do let the car warm-up for a short period of time. The thread is jaded in my opinion. I think they are mixing up cold winter warm-ups with extended idling or parade duty.

It basically converges to the issue of not completely warming up a vehicle. If the oil doesn’t reach its full operating temperature then the moisture is not removed and the detergent properties of the oil are hampered yada, yada, yada.

The vehicles owner’s manual states that you shouldn’t warm up a vehicle because it is a waist of gas and there is a potential to create a carbon monoxide hazard in the air. The engine does not care much.

I guess we hijacked this “Smart Key” thread and beat a dead horse in the process………..Kick !Removed!!!! :lol:

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Regardless if you agree or not ... some of us dont have a choice but to turn the car on to warm it up or melt 1 inch of ice off the windows. I can confirm that you CAN NOT start the car, walk away, and use the remote to lock the doors .... they don't lock. Anyone know if its possible.... Can the manual key be used for this?

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Regardless if you agree or not ... some of us dont have a choice but to turn the car on to warm it up or melt 1 inch of ice off the windows. I can confirm that you CAN NOT start the car, walk away, and use the remote to lock the doors .... they don't lock. Anyone know if its possible.... Can the manual key be used for this?

The inside of the door has a lock button. Use that.

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Kinda tough to reach that when you've gotten out of the car and walked away from it as in the scenario being discussed.

You have to get in the car and put your foot on the brake to start the car--lock the door with the button before you get out.

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