Hello all,

As the title suggests, I have two keys for my Octavia but only ever use one. I had occasion to enter my safe yesterday and saw the spare key sitting there looking at me.

Which got me thinking. Apart from ensuring that the key fob battery is changed often, so as not to leak, should I be using the spare key so that the car doesn't 'forget' the key code?

Thanks in advance.

FP.

I've had my Octavia for two years, my 2nd key has been used about 3 or 4 times......when it's been in for a service. I don't think the car can forget the key through lack of use.

Surely the keys are coded to the car and as such will be identical so the car won't know any different.

I've never seen button cells leak, go flat yes but leak like domestic dry cells... never.

Wife has a mk5 golf and lost her only key last year so it was main dealer job to get a new key. It was all ordered and paid for when guess what, the old one turned up. Annoying, but hey ho we now had a spare and also saved any issues of having to recover the car to the dealers. When she went in to get the new key coded they did advise her to alternate occasionally between the keys.

Personally I'm with the post above, I think they're hard coded and won't forget, but that was the advice from vw.

Wife has a key and so do I until I have to give her mine because she can't locate hers in the bowels of her handbag and is late having spent too long drying her hair!

 

Sound familiar?

 

Either way I get the blame for having "hidden" the key surrupticiously  (can't be bothered to spell check that one) in her bag.

 

In the past when we had his and hers cars I used to change keys when the clocks changed, but now we jump into the most suitable car for the job - they're all "her" keys (as she normally manages to drop and scuff them); I merely dispense, locate and repatriate them.

Surely the keys are coded to the car and as such will be identical so the car won't know any different.

I've never seen button cells leak, go flat yes but leak like domestic dry cells... never.

yes the keys are coded to the car but they're not identical. They have their own ID in the system

yes the keys are coded to the car but they're not identical. They have their own ID in the system

 

Interesting. What is the purpose of the two keys not being identical?

On L&K trim you can set the seat, mirrors etc to the key as it then knows who has got in the car....one person 5ft tall and the other 6ft 6in.......all that is done for you. 

Interesting. What is the purpose of the two keys not being identical?

 

Lose one, you don't have to replace both.

Interesting. What is the purpose of the two keys not being identical?

 

 

On L&K trim you can set the seat, mirrors etc to the key as it then knows who has got in the car....one person 5ft tall and the other 6ft 6in.......all that is done for you. 

 

As ^ but not just L&K.

 

When settings are input, to say Maxidot, these are stored in the key that's in the ignition at the time. Hence different keys for different drivers.

Interesting. What is the purpose of the two keys not being identical?

 

 

It's just how the systems were designed. It's same for other car manufacturers as well. When transponders were 1st used for immobs they had to put a chip n each key, each chip has it's own ID.

 

When cloning was introduced quite a few years ago it meant that you could just go to Timpons etc & they'd cut you a blade & clone the chip. This means that you would have 2 identical keys, such as both key number 1 in the system. The downside is if the system decides it doesn't like key number 1 anymore you end up with 2 useless keys.

 

Not all transponders can be cloned. The main 1 being VAG 48 chips. Whoever cracks that will make a serious amount of money

As ^ but not just L&K.

 

When settings are input, to say Maxidot, these are stored in the key that's in the ignition at the time. Hence different keys for different drivers.

Keys were manufactured with their own ID's long before Maxidot came out. Maxidot just uses the fact that keys have their own ID's so it's not really the reason why keys have their own ID's

Some very interesting points here.

Thanks for your replies chaps.

FP.

Keys were manufactured with their own ID's long before Maxidot came out. Maxidot just uses the fact that keys have their own ID's so it's not really the reason why keys have their own ID's

 

I'll assume you misread my comment, I never said Maxidot was the reason, I simply used that as an example. I never mentioned anything about ID's.

If you read again carefully, this time leaving out the reference to Maxidot, you'll see I correctly answered the question "What is the purpose ...." = different keys for different drivers.

Edited 11 December, 201312 yr by ProfesorDeBuceo

Going back to OPQuestion, I see no reason to alternate the keys at any time.

Now if you have a Freelander 2 then yes you do as the fob is charged via the car slot.

But as the key is a standard blade with an chip in, for the the imobilser and a rolling code system for remote lock/unlock operation.

I personally see no reason to do any swapping around of keys.

Nope never have swapped to using the spare.

I have lost sleep over this too.

Just tried mine, been in the drawer for 3.5 years, opened the car and started it no problem. However would not then lock the car and will neither lock nor unlock it now but still starts the car :wonder:  so not sure what's going on there. light flashes on the remote so I taker it's sending the signal out.

the light is there to show that there's power getting to it. A remote may be faulty & not sending a signal but the light still flashes when the buttons are pressed.

As you've got 2 keys you can try doing the manual resync procedure. If you get stuck & it doesn't work then i'm only in Upper Cumberworth & have VCDS

Craig

Just tried mine, been in the drawer for 3.5 years, opened the car and started it no problem. However would not then lock the car and will neither lock nor unlock it now but still starts the car :wonder:  so not sure what's going on there. light flashes on the remote so I taker it's sending the signal out.

After being untouched for 3.5 years it worked once with the last bit of umph from the battery and is probably a flat battery now, the led will illuminate off a lemon as it pulls virtually no current.

Stick a new battery in and try again or re-sync the key as it may have got out of sync with the rolling code thing

the light is there to show that there's power getting to it. A remote may be faulty & not sending a signal but the light still flashes when the buttons are pressed.

As you've got 2 keys you can try doing the manual resync procedure. If you get stuck & it doesn't work then i'm only in Upper Cumberworth & have VCDS

Craig

  

After being untouched for 3.5 years it worked once with the last bit of umph from the battery and is probably a flat battery now, the led will illuminate off a lemon as it pulls virtually no current.

Stick a new battery in and try again or re-sync the key as it may have got out of sync with the rolling code thing

Thanks guys, you're probably right, have just stuck it back in the drawer for now, but when I get round to it I will stick a new battery in and try the resync.

Craig, I also have vcds but have not tried syncing key fobs yet.

if you've got VCDS then it's very easy to resync fobs

if you've got VCDS then it's very easy to resync fobs

Thanks Craig.

no probs, again if you ever get stuck or are unsure you're more than welcome to get in touch

  

Thanks guys, you're probably right, have just stuck it back in the drawer for now, but when I get round to it I will stick a new battery in and try the resync.

Craig, I also have vcds but have not tried syncing key fobs yet.

 

As the other key is still working after the same time period the moral of this story seems to be that if you don't use the spare key occasionally then the battery is likely to go flat quicker.