I learn a lot of stuff that is not obviously “useful”.
I learned something “new” and useful today: a keyfob with a dead battery or no battery, will still start my car.
The car keyfob I had been using - failed, due to the battery.
Therefore, I switched to the “other” keyfob.
I took the old battery out of the non-functional keyfob. That was… 6+ months ago. Or longer? I don’t really remember.
Recently, I picked up the fob WITHOUT a battery, by mistake, and left the house for an errand.
(Forgetting there was NO battery in the fob.)
I had to touch the “start” button with the keyfob, to start the car. The fob did not operate the door locks etc.
I realized I had the “dead battery” fob, but just went on with the errand - no big deal.
I used the manual key thing, while out on the errand, and just touched the fob to the Start button to start the car.
I figured the battery was just too weak to operate the start button from a meter away.
A few months ago, I had picked up a couple new 2032’s and, today, got around to inserting one into the fob that did NOT have a battery.
When I opened the fob… no battery!
I remembered that that fob HAD STARTED THE CAR…
I took the fob (sans battery) to the car and verified that touching the fob (sans battery) would indeed start the car.
I’ve owned Toyota hybrids for 13 years. I never knew that the fob - sans battery - would start the car.
In the past, I’ve fretted that a dead fob battery would strand me. Now, that stressor is mute.
ralph