First tip:
The rubber membrane covering the buttons on my (in the key head) key FOB wore through to the extenet that one of the little rubber buttons fell out. The replacements were quoted at $160 each. I bought some RTV silicone silastic and a popsicle stick, buttered a layer on the key, and it worked perfectly. The density is even such that the conacts under the missing button are now functional again…I’ve created a new button!
Having locked my keys in my car once despite all the systems to prevent doing so, I started carrying my valet key in my pocket with my change as a spare. Lost it. Again, it’s encrypted and overpriced. On a whim today I had a physical copy cut of my regular key to see if it would unlock the door, recognizing that it would not start the car. It works! Now if I lock my keys in again I’ll be able to open the car and get them!
The second tip won’t work on vehicles with more sophisticated security systems, but for most it will. The first tip will work for anyone.
Good idea, the same mountain bike. Too bad CarTalk won’t create a Helpful Tips section…so that, this tip won’t be washed away by a flood of new posts.