Smart Key - how and where to hide a spare

dave1xyz · #1 (**permalink**) 06-28-2006, 12:34 PM

Looking for suggestions on where and how to hide a spare smart key on 2007 Camry XLE. Suggestions I can think of are:

1) hide one with the battery removed; perhaps taped to it; install battery it when needed. On my 2002 SE I used to store a spare (non-smart key) in the receiver portion my trailer hitch. Hiding the "hard" key part of the smart key system only is not sufficient as this cannot be used to start the vehicle.

2) Perhaps a unit with battery can be hidden wrapped in aluminium foil to prevent unintended radio frequency interactions.

Suggestions ?

mmarlatt · #2 (**permalink**) 06-28-2006, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave1xyz

2) Perhaps a unit with battery can be hidden wrapped in aluminium foil to prevent unintended radio frequency interactions.

Suggestions ?

Try it and let us know how if it works.

n8kwx · #3 (**permalink**) 07-05-2006, 12:26 AM

Take the mechanical key out of the smart key. Hide the mechanical key only somewhere on the outside of the vehicle.

Remove the battery from the smartkey and hide it INSIDE the vehicle.

This protects the smartkey electronics from the weather. Removing the battery disables the spare key so that you can properly lock the car and to prevent the car from being started without the "real" key.

dave1xyz · #4 (**permalink**) 09-20-2006, 08:18 PM

Resolution seems to be...

1) take the mechanical key out of the Smart Key fob and hide it outside the vehicle (e.g. in the hitch receiver). Use this to open the car doors.

2) Wrap the Smart Key fob in foil and hide it in the car (with it's battery installed although the battery is not necessary to start the car, see the user manual for instructions on starting the car when the fob battery is dead)