Lost all keys...

Any ideas how to not lose my glasses? I regularly put them down somewhere, and then need them to find them...

 

They make devices you can put on your glasses to track them. My daughter has it on hers. She loses her glasses ALL THE TIME.

 

Mine stays in my watch pocket all the time.

It has gone through the wash twice (different FOBS).
It's a good thing that our washer is a "water conserving" model and they both survived their "swim".

 

Habits are very powerful and useful things.
I ALWAYS put mine in my shirt pocket......or hang them from my collar if no pocket......except when taking a shower or going to bed.
That way they NEVER get misplaced.
But it took a while to "train" that habit.

My wife has a different solution.
Almost EVERY drawer in the house has a pair of cheap reading glasses in it........so she is never much more than arms
length away from them........and where she laid down the last pair doesn't make much difference.

I do kind of get a laugh when she comes up with an extra pair and can't find out which drawer they came from though.

 

I roll like your wife. Walmart readers everywhere.

 

Hey Rob, can you clarify about this? I also lost my only key and have Techstream and a MVCI cable, was able to reseed and reset all old codes but I can't seem to pair the brand new key fob. When I place the key on the passenger seat it keeps failing to complete the registration.

 

When you say that reseed was successful, does that mean that Techstream will tell you that there are zero fobs registered? Once the registration count is zero, it is not necessary to have a "validation" keyfob to enable registration. The first keyfob (new or not) gets the car ID set into the keyfob. Once there is a matching car ID, the keyfob ID can be registered with the car.

I've only observed an "all keys lost" reset on a Gen2. I've heard that Gen3 needs more frequent wakeups. You might try using another person to constantly press/release the door light switch while you pay attention to the rest of the process. Maybe the keyfob needs to be held next to the Power switch to allow the car ID to be programmed into it?

My knowledge of this stuff is from 11 years ago on Gen2, and about 7 years ago for Gen3. Quite which rain dance actually worked has grown rather fuzzy since then... Timing is critical and nothing worked the first time. But I think I got the essence of what did eventually work.

There have been mini VCIs that had problems with the key registration protocol. My experience is with a Drew Mongoose. You may end up having to go to a shop with the Toyota approved device, or perhaps a locksmith with similar equipment.

 

Remove the door lock cylinder. The key code is there. On Toyotas with only one mechanical door lock, it will be that cylinder. On multiple doors with mechanical cylinders, it will be the passenger door cylinder.

 

As I recall, replacing the lock cylinder and 2 mechanical keys can be cheaper than having a locksmith cut a new key. Worth checking.

 

Hey, so if you have the drewtech product I'm guessing you can make copies of sks and non sks keys as well as erasing all keys stored and making a new master key? I'm asking because I'm in the process of purchasing the drewtech product just want to make sure I can make copies and new masters for gen 2 prius. My only use for it would be all key programming features and TPMS programming.

Thanks

 

I'm not familiar with Drewtech products, but to erase all the keys and program in new ones, you need a specific level authorization. The software will ask for it.

 

I actually dug deeper into my questions and figured out that drewtech mongoose official indeed is the best option given it can be 500$ for it. I have a lot of use for it so it makes more sense to buy it where as I think some folks might think it's too much. All other options seem like sad lessons learned from others in here. Thanks again for taking the time to respond though

 

I personally use a mini vci cable with techstream for $25 and it's served me quite well. As for programming keys, unless you're a professional in the industry, you won't be able to get the authorization code to do it (of course you may buy it online)

 

I've been told that and I guess there is a way to learn to do it but requires a bit of patience. I've already learned everything I'm referring to I just don't have the right hardware.

The mini vci has been very beneficial in terms of doing my own repairs and checking codes but to get the whole experience especially with programming used keys and tire pressure sensors you need to go with the drewtech mongoose official and do a bit of researching to have it all down.

It's not easy but for most people that don't really need it a lot I can see them just giving up halfway through it. I need it a lot so it was worth the headaches and nightmares. lol

 

Only the fob is electrically made it to the car. The physical key inside the fob is not. If the physical key was all that's needed, you could have two options. One, have a locksmith custom cut a physical key. Two, Ask the dealer to replace the door cylinder. In the US the door cylinder cost $100 and you get two physical keys with it. The Labor cost would vary according to your location, but at least you could physically access the car.