A Prius “Key†Question

bbq,

Sorry for not having the time to pull together the links about this topic. For most of us, it's a non-issue. You will be very unlikely to get a dealer to budge on adding a third fob with the purchase, due to the costs, but hey, when they need to close a deal, who knows.

That said, there are plenty of places where you can get the fob outside of a dealer, but all with varying levels of success. Personally, I have ben fortunate enough to not have (yet) lost a fob, but based on the costs, I would not have an extra one sitting around.

 

There are other threads about getting spare fobs, but the general consensus is that it costs several hundred dollars for the fob and the labor to program it. Having a spare key isn't a bad thing and if you can get the dealer to throw one in then more power to you. Maybe even offer to pay the $200 or so for the fob and have them throw in the labor or something.

However, once you have the spare fob actually carrying it with you might be difficult... it's certainly not something that would easily fit into a wallet, so I'm not sure how you would actually carry it. Just throwing it in your pocket with your other keys kind of defeats the purpose.

I did see someone posted a picture of a lexus fob that was about the size and shape of a credit card and some people speculated that a toyota dealer may be able to pair that with a prius... if that can be done, then that would definitely be more wallet friendly, but unless it's a lexus/toyota dealer then I doubt they would be able to get the lexus card (and even if you can get one I don't know that anyone has tried to actually get it to work).

 

I had the dealer include the programming with the purchase of the car. I paid for the fob at a discount and the door key was cut at the Lexus dealer (not affiliated with the Toyota dealer) and cost me $27.00.
I have the fob wrapped in foil and in a pouch in the spare tire well. the door key is hidden behind the front license plate in the bracket. Be sure you protect it from the elements as it gets gunk all over it otherwise.
If I lock myself out, or lose the fob I can get into the car with the key and get the fob out.
The dealer told me that if you lose one it is no big deal to get another one. If you lose both, it is over $1000 because of all the programming and new fobs.

 

no big deal meaning $2-300.

 

Why would the fob be scared? Are you that bad of a driver?



Tom

 

... or you could do like an acquaintance of mine, whose (2nd gen) Prius is so filled with crap that her car alone could entitle her to be on an episode of "Hoarders." Apparently her key fob is 'somewhere' in the car, but she has no idea where it could be and hasn't seen it for a couple years. That car is literally filled to the brim with all kinds of crap...there's even old newspapers on the driver's side floor which she merely kicks away so she can get to the pedals. So she never locks the car.

I'm not advising this, btw.

 

Nice idea for those who need to hide a key.........You could always get one of those magnetic key holders to keep the hidden key in to. Not the fob,,just the key.

 

She's in for some trouble when the fob battery finally dies!

 

Greetings and welcome!!

I wouldn't buy a G3 without having the dealer 'throw' in a third fob as a part of the deal. Whether or not you wind up paying (extra) for it will be a function of your negotiating abilities and the desire of the dealer to move a unit.
Gas prices are in the news, and Priuses are starting to move off the lots again---but there's always a dealer out there who will budge a little more than the others to move a unit....even if you live in an area where car sales are fairly good.

My (company) G3 had a spare key/fob in a key vault located on the port side aft. If I were to drive a Prius as a personal vehicle I would tie-wrap a key to some undisclosed exterior fitting, and hide the fob itself inside the vehicle....since loosing the fob (or getting it stolen) can be an expensive affair if its mate is a couple of states away.

You can get a fob and have it programmed by the dealer for a few hundred bucks, and there should be enough wiggle room in a $25,000 car to have that negotiated into the price of the car.
You may also want to consider getting the reverse beeper disabled. Just a thought....

Good Luck!

Edit: If you do not get a third fob at the time of purchase, you ARE still able to get a used one on eBay and get it programmed to work for your new G3. I've also seen uncut keys. I don't have time to dig out all of the related posts, but it can be done.
Unfortunately, if you live in fly-over country your local locksmiths will probably not be up to the task of reprogramming a used fob---so you're probably going to be at the tender mercies of the dealer in either case.

 

"I have the fob wrapped in foil and in a pouch in the spare tire well. the door key is hidden behind the front license plate in the bracket. Be sure you protect it from the elements as it gets gunk all over it otherwise.
If I lock myself out, or lose the fob I can get into the car with the key and get the fob out."

This is a good solution. It has always concerned me to lose a fob. And you know it would happen in the middle of Nevada somewhere, two hundred miles from the nearest dealer in the middle of the night in an area with no cell service. The expense is bad enough, but the hassle of getting the car towed and wasting what could be as much as a day to get new fobs is the biggest hassle. I would probably hide it somewhere other than on the license plate, however, since that would be the first place a crook would look. Hiding it somewhere else can be difficult, however, since the underside of the car has a plastic windshield that prevents most hiding places.

 

I'd recommend removing the battery from any fob that's going to be stored for a long time. That way you don't have to wrap it in foil, and the battery can't destroy the fob when it corrodes due to age.

 

As a relatively new 2011 Gen III owner, I have some observations.

1) I almost never take the Prius key fob out of my pocket.

2) It sits in my left pants pocket all the time, while the rest of my keys are either in my right pocket or clipped to the belt loop.

3) With the rubber cover on the fob, it will not easily fall out of my pants pocket.

4) I am the principal driver -- if my wife wants to take it out, she gets the spare fob from the key safe in the house, or borrows mine.

I would find it difficult to justify the cost of a 3rd key. While I could hide the fob somewhere in the vehicle, I'd be hard-pressed to find a secure spot for the key that wouldn't require that I crawl under the car. It's not worth it to me.

If I am ever out and lose the fob anyway, I'll just have my wife bring the spare.

Shawn

 

We don't have front license plates in North Carolina. And, in Charlotte, the rear plates are sometimes stolen from cars. Is there any other good place to hide the key that wouldn't require crawling underneath?

 

My thoughts also.

bbqnosher, I just went through this (3rd & 4th fob) on the same vehicle you plan to buy. You can add *new* fob (OEM & never programmed) with Toyota Techstream & a Mongoose cable ($495). Parts.com sells the fob OTD for $215, no key. If you want a key, eBay has blanks for $9 OTD, cutting varies.

Dealer charges are highway robbery on all accounts - keys, fobs, and programming. Ask or search the forum for prices paid. I only bought a cut key, and got jammed $99.

Used, previously programmed fobs on eBay go from $40 to $120. However, the only way to make it work is with Techstream and a re-seed - either through the dealer or a certified locksmith. There are other locksmith programs that can do it, but I have no experience with them. I spent $870 to be able to do it myself on Toyota and Lexus. I was curious, and did so on principle. At dealer pricing, three programmed fobs (or two with cut keys,) will have cost close to what I invested.

Get the car, and PM me. I'll spend some time with you. All the information is on this site.

 

And now, with that detailed information posted in public, so can anyone else who knows where to find your car. Perhaps a new hiding place for both should now be more towards the top of your "to do" list.

 

I still try to put a key in the "missing" ignition when I get in my Prius...

 

It shouldn't be too long before you start leaving the keys to other cars in your pocket and instead reach up to press the missing start button.

 

I know this thread is long abandoned but I read it before I bought a '17 Prius Prime. Perhaps other noobs are also concerned about having a giant key to deal with instead of an old style ignition key. Today I tried: remove battery from fob, use mechanical key to open, put unpowered fob to start button and go. On the middle dashboard display it pops up the message, "Key not detected. Check key location." You can close the pop up but it comes back in 5 seconds.
I was hoping to carry the mechanical key and leave the unpowered fob hidden in the car. I think the pop-up is too annoying for this to work for me.
Next test: faraday cages!

 

The shielding pockets work fine; that's what I have my spare key in and although it is just a couple of feet from the ignition, no thief would be able to start the car.

So are you thinking that you would carry your mechanical key and then take out the FOB from the shielding pocket each time you wanted to start the car? That would work, although I would find it to be a hassle.

If this really bothered me, I'd wire a timing circuit or switch to the key FOB battery and have a hidden button/switch in the car to activate the FOB. Easier than taking it out and replacing it every time.

Or I'd invest in pockets and carry the FOB!