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Dead key card

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To add a data point to this old post, I've had my key card in my wallet for 5 years. I keep my wallet in my back pocket. Never once, have I had to use the card for an emergency and I never valet my car, but I keep it there just in case there is a problem with my phone. Last time I had to use the card was about a year ago when I replaced my phone and had to set it up as a key.

This past weekend I was staying at a wilderness lodge where there was no cell reception and I was required to valet park. The key card would not open the car. It was slightly cracked in the upper right corner (not as bad as the other photo in this thread) in the exact place where the chip and the antenna supposedly meet. The valet let me park it myself, so no big deal. However, if my phone was lost/broken, I would have had no way to start the car since there was no reception. The only way to open it and start it would have been with a working card or a phone with the Bluetooth key already set up. Both of those were hundreds of miles away.

The important lesson learned was make sure the key card is working before going to a location where there is no reception. I'm also going to consider hiding a second key card in the car somewhere. Even if I had to break a window to get in and retrieve it, that would probably be better than being completely stranded.
 
So I also carry a keycard in my RFID-blocking wallet. But I also have a backup to that:

keycard_in_case.jpg

It's tacked onto the inside of my phone's holster with a couple of tiny dabs of superglue. If I need to use it because the phone key is kaput, I can just simply wave the whole thing in front of the B pillar.
 
So I also carry a keycard in my RFID-blocking wallet. But I also have a backup to that:

View attachment 928400
It's tacked onto the inside of my phone's holster with a couple of tiny dabs of superglue. If I need to use it because the phone key is kaput, I can just simply wave the whole thing in front of the B pillar.

With a broken key card in my wallet, my main concern was what would have happened if I lost my phone? Yes, very low chance of that happening, but having a key card in the phone case wouldn't have helped in that situation.
 
So I also carry a keycard in my RFID-blocking wallet. But I also have a backup to that:

View attachment 928400
It's tacked onto the inside of my phone's holster with a couple of tiny dabs of superglue. If I need to use it because the phone key is kaput, I can just simply wave the whole thing in front of the B pillar.
Are you not concerned if you lose or someone steals your phone when you're out-and-about, then you won't be able to get into your car since you no longer have your phone key or card key?

And if the person who finds your lost or stole your phone knows where you parked, they will able to steal your car\items inside.

I cringe each time I see someone have their ID, CC, key card clipped\attached on their phone.

I used to believe vehicle theft was unlikely until I realized we're a social media trend away from Tesla Boyz. Since hacking the Tesla is harder, they steal people's phone and take the owner's Tesla for a joy ride that don't enable PIN to drive.


I personally keep my wallet in my front pocket (back pocket is easy for pickpocket)
Do not have a physical garage remote inside the Tesla
Do not leave a house key inside the Tesla
Registration and insurance card that has my home address inside the glove box (PIN locked)
PIN to drive enabled
 
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Are you not concerned if you lose or someone steals your phone when you're out-and-about, then you won't be able to get into your car since you no longer have your phone key or card key?
No. As I said, I normally have two keycards on me; the one in my wallet (which, yes, could also be stolen from me or forgotten at home) and the cell phone holster (which usually is on me when I'm out of the house). I'm not paranoid about losing my wallet or phone or having either one stolen or lost. In my 55+ years of carrying either one of those items, I've not lost or had one stolen. With the Tesla, if I'm locked out because of no working "key", then I can simply call my wife or daughter and have them unlock the car remotely.

Yes, I have been a victim of a car break in. Once when a pair of Recaro seats were stolen out of my 1971 Capri and another time in Australia while driving a rental station wagon. And just recently I had a guy open up my wife's Honda Ridgeline while it was in our driveway using what I assume was some sort of relay device and also while we were home (I was awake). There's not much one can do to make a vehicle 100% impenetrable.

PIN to lock the glove box is not really a deterrent. A simple crowbar is enough to open it if the thief wants in. PIN to drive is much better to prevent the vehicle from being stolen but it doesn't make a difference for the smash-and-grab types.

I mounted a keycard in my phone holster since it's easier for me to wave the whole thing in front of the pillar, than it is to dig out my wallet and remove the keycard (remember; I have an RFID-blocker wallet). I also have a fob (first generation, non-passive) I carry. It has a house key on the keychain. Should I also be worried because if I lose it, some thief can just walk into my house?