Thanks for pointing that out. I was thinking that little piece wasn't really meant for that. Good to know.
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Buying $150 Key fob for wife, worth it?
- Thread starter loanchau2k
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- key fob
Thanks for pointing that out. I was thinking that little piece wasn't really meant for that. Good to know.
I think the keyfob is absolutely worth it. I love the way it looks. Don't get the cover from Tesla though. It doesn't have any symbols on it and it is kind of difficult to find where the buttons are when it's on. There are other companies with covers with labels on them. I love the way the fob looks and works. I never have to worry about it not working or my phone putting the app to 'sleep' in the background and my car doors not opening when I want or need them to.
As long as you can tell the front of the fob from the back no need for symbols - front has the button for the front trunk, rear has the button for the rear hatch and the middle is for lock/unlock.
dhrivnak
Active Member
Yeah, but it's not so easily distinguishable where the buttons are when you have the Tesla leather cover on the key, which is what I was referring to.
Aluminum protective case? There's an aluminum protective case for the Tesla keyfob? I have the Tesla leather thing that you slide your key into.
@StarLog , I think the key fob is better since she opens frunk a lot, the key fob is very good for that. Just press the button.
ChrgdTeCHick
Member
Female's perspective here: I have a S with key fobs and just test drove a Y overnight with a key card.
I didn't have the app set up for the Y, so I can't comment on connectivity issues. However, I use a Pop wallet on my phone, so I'd just keep it in there and there would be no issues either way. So if a concern is carrying a card on top of everything else, that's one solution (but a key fob would be extra too)
However.... I will say that I use my key fob 99% more than the app. I use the app to preheat some mornings, that's about it. The key fob is just very convenient. I use a small S clip and keep it in my pocket hooked on my belt loop. Couple things:
- When I walk up to the car the handles extend (although irrelevant for the Y) and unlocks the car (I think the app unlocks the Y at walk up? Not sure) No need to do anything but just walk up. If the app does this, then you'd have to have your phone on you when walking up, which may be the case most time, but it's surprising how often I find myself walking up to it with just a key fob.
- I open the frunk and trunk while walking up by simply pressing the button in my pocket (with the way I have the S clip hooked to my belt loop, I know the button closest to the loop is the trunk, opposite frunk) When I test drove the Y, I found myself looking for that key fob multiple times to open the trunk prior to getting near it, and I quickly learned how not having it would be an inconvenience. Hands were full to where app wouldn't have been useful, but pressing the button would have been possible even with hands full.
This is coming from someone who uses tech/automation/apps for everything, which appears to be opposite of your wife as she's a "non-tech" person as you state, and I'd prefer a key fob. Is it worth $150 for that … that I can't say. I'm not sure I'd spend $150 for it once I get my Y and just get used to not using it.
I didn't have the app set up for the Y, so I can't comment on connectivity issues. However, I use a Pop wallet on my phone, so I'd just keep it in there and there would be no issues either way. So if a concern is carrying a card on top of everything else, that's one solution (but a key fob would be extra too)
However.... I will say that I use my key fob 99% more than the app. I use the app to preheat some mornings, that's about it. The key fob is just very convenient. I use a small S clip and keep it in my pocket hooked on my belt loop. Couple things:
- When I walk up to the car the handles extend (although irrelevant for the Y) and unlocks the car (I think the app unlocks the Y at walk up? Not sure) No need to do anything but just walk up. If the app does this, then you'd have to have your phone on you when walking up, which may be the case most time, but it's surprising how often I find myself walking up to it with just a key fob.
- I open the frunk and trunk while walking up by simply pressing the button in my pocket (with the way I have the S clip hooked to my belt loop, I know the button closest to the loop is the trunk, opposite frunk) When I test drove the Y, I found myself looking for that key fob multiple times to open the trunk prior to getting near it, and I quickly learned how not having it would be an inconvenience. Hands were full to where app wouldn't have been useful, but pressing the button would have been possible even with hands full.
This is coming from someone who uses tech/automation/apps for everything, which appears to be opposite of your wife as she's a "non-tech" person as you state, and I'd prefer a key fob. Is it worth $150 for that … that I can't say. I'm not sure I'd spend $150 for it once I get my Y and just get used to not using it.
Well, my wife is a non-tech person. So far, the MY Bluetooth works ok with her iPhone. But I don't know what is the failure rate in the real world. Anyone has connection issues with iPhone please chime in. I do know she can use a card-key in case the Iphone fails. But is worth it to buy $150 to have a better experience?
LOL, I know the question "worth it" depends heavily on your bank account and how much you are willing to spend. But just want to get the general senses
Thx guys
I do occasionally have issues with the car not recognizing my key phone. I'd say it's about 98% reliable. So when I'm going for a run, at, say, the local park, I also take my card key. That way, I have a backup and I don't wind up stranded. That has saved me one time.
Well, my wife is a non-tech person. So far, the MY Bluetooth works ok with her iPhone. But I don't know what is the failure rate in the real world. Anyone has connection issues with iPhone please chime in. I do know she can use a card-key in case the Iphone fails. But is worth it to buy $150 to have a better experience?
LOL, I know the question "worth it" depends heavily on your bank account and how much you are willing to spend. But just want to get the general senses
Thx guys
I have occassionally had some "failures" with both my work iPhone and my personal Android phone.... each time, the "failure" has been rectified by standing next to or sitting inside my car and waiting 7-8 seconds (feels like an eternity...) while I fumble to open the tesla app and wake up the car. With the app open and running on the phone in question? The car has never failed to recognize the bluetooth from a phone actively running the tesla app with the bluetooth connection on.
For a while I felt like a car update bungled my phone connection for a bit. I removed my "phone as key" and reinstalled all three phones (both of mine and my wife's) and things went back to working as-intended for several months.
I've recently had a problem which I believe is associated with assigning my personal phone as "preferred device", and with the assigned-as-preferred device in-range for bluetooth (sitting on my basement counter awaiting my return from work) and with my (not-preferred-device) iPhone in my pocket, my Tesla won't acknowledge that I'm sitting in the car, with a valid phone-as-key on me, and let me put it in reverse and back out of the driveway without first getting my work phone out of my pocket and opening the Tesla app... I recently *fixed* this by just assigning my work phone as the "preferred device" as my work phone is usually either ON-and-in-hand or OFF (and therefore not visible to confuse the Tesla).
These experiences might be unique-to-me and not applicable to you... IMO it's been mildly annoying at times, but fairly easily fixed with a 5-10 second delay/annoyance, and I wouldn't personally pay $150 (or allocate the space within my pants pockets) for the fob... "JMO and as always, YMMV."
ChrgdTeCHick
Member
Hi OP, curious if you ended up getting they keyfob? I get my Y this weekend. Going to go without it for a while and see if I fumble around for it too often, or not often, to make my decision.
NOT the OP, but after 3 months, KeyCard in wallet is the easy backup. Cheap, every family member (4) has one.
YMMV...
YMMV...
WeooooooHuh
Member
love my keyfob. makes it easier walking up to the car and just opening the doors without having to fumble with my phone. I've had the X and really miss self presenting doors so this is the closest thing to it 
theganjaguru
Guru
It may be worth it. Phone key is buggy and works about 50% of the time for me, so its not convenient to have to dig into my pocket, unlock the phone and open the app.
If your wife is not a technical person, I’d consider it for her given inconsistencies in phone key working well.
I have taken all posted steps to fix this and it still works half the time.
Steps taken:
If your wife is not a technical person, I’d consider it for her given inconsistencies in phone key working well.
I have taken all posted steps to fix this and it still works half the time.
Steps taken:
- Allow app to run in background enabled
- ninstalled app and removed phone key from car.
- I have provided Tesla service with dates/times of lock outs.
