New Prius tomorrow, how to disable SK feature?

It's probably nothing. Some people go for months without noticing normal stuff on a Prius, and then are alarmed when suddenly they do. Or, it could be that rust has formed on the brakes and they're sticking a bit. Try braking rather harder than usual a few times and see what happens.

 

Having to actually take the key out of your pocket, how passe'.

Seriously though, there is one slight issue I have with the SKS. Pushing the black button is so easy and such a minor thing, I often find myself, when out of the car and in some place I have driven to, wondering, trying to remember, if I actually did press the button or perhaps forgot and left the car unlocked. I think with my last car and always pressing the LOCK on the Remote, that stuck in my memory better. With my Prius, I often cannot specifically remember if I actually pressed the black button on the door.

 

How about some bad news? It appears you are not the only one under this impression.

I am out of town on travel this week, and I've rented a Prius. I drove straight from the airport to the hotel, so I didn't have to enter a locked car -- the key fob was in the dashboard. When I arrived at the hotel, I picked up the key fob, closed the door, pushed the button and . . . heard nothing. The key fob didn't work! The SKS had been turned off. I turned it on. Nothing changed. I bought a new battery and replaced the old one. Nothing changed.

When I called the rental car company, the guy said -- "Oh, it's OK. It is a proximity sensor. Just walk away from the car, and it will automatically lock."

Ouch!!

 

Steering wheel Club: Yes.
Autolock: Nope. Mine doesn't fit. The brake column is too wide for it to properly go into the slot/groove. I'm limited to using it on my other car (Nissan 350Z). I bought many years ago so I do not know if they've got wider version now.

 

Maybe someone else could answer this but if one does not have the SKS key in hand is it possible to "hotwire" the Prius somehow? I was under the assumption that autos with a RFID chip built in the chip (as many do have nowadays) would simply not start unless the chip was sensed by the ECU of the auto.

And if the Prius or any other car that utilizes an RFID chip in the key was virtually impossible or extremely difficult to start without the RFID chip present, I couldn't see the need for a steering wheel and/or brake lock.

Rick
#4 2006

 

You do realize that defeating a club or brake lock is child's play for a serious car thief. If the immobilizer doesn't stop them, your after-market lock isn't going to either.

Seriously, the only reason to use one of these devices on a Prius is to dissuade some casual kid from breaking into your car. They may look inside and see the device and decide it's not a good car for a joy ride. A window sticker might work as well, but they probably can't read anyway.

Tom

 

The security system is not yet known to be cracked. "hotwiring" requires either some sophisticated equipment for interrogating the fob or breaking in and replacing the immobilizer. Joyriders will not bother with either one, so the club would be useless. Pros would do the second or haul the car onto a flatbed, and again the club is useless. The club would stop someone who stole your fob; is that likely to happen?

 

It would seem to me that after dragging a Prius onto a flatbed tow truck, the next easiest way of stealing it without access to the Keyfob would be to have a spare Transponder ECU and Keyfob available. Of course, this wouldn't be particularly practical, mainly because you need to power up to IG-ON and leave the car for 30 min as part of the procedure to program the ECU. People might also get suspicious since you would have to take apart a fair amount of the instrument panel to install the new ECU.

The next easiest way is to intercept the keyfob transmissions from less than 3m away and then decrypt the code and then clone the code somehow. This also seems inconvienient to me. Not to mention the specialized knowledge that it requires. Someone with this level of computer skill would probably rather steal your credit card numbers and buy a Prius for cash.

 

Some have reported that. With variability in pumps and nozzles it's hard to say. No harm in trying (but please don't top off; that increases hydrocarbon pollution and poses some risk of damage to the fuel system).

 

I will typically semi-topoff. That is I usually go to at least the next dollar. Maybe more, (if it stopped at like .87, for example), but usually not. Does this sound to risky regarding damage or is that more for folks who fill it until you can see the gas under the nozzle hole?

 

Here's another nice feature about the smart key...my daughter used my car and when she came back home, left the key in the console. I got in it to drive to work the next morning, got out, pushed the black lock button...and the car beeped at me. Tried it again...it beeped again. Reached in my pocket for the key fob...no key. Searched around and found the key in the console....the SK system won't let you lock the keys in the car. I tested it at home (where I had a second set of keys) and manually locked the doors from the inside (with the key still in the car). It beeped and unlocked the doors.

 

As a new owner, the first time you do this you will hear the long beep and go "Now what? What's wrong with this stupid car?" When you eventually realize that it saved you from locking the keys in the car you feel kinda stupid.

Tom