Car Keys

BTW I do like the idea of a “dumb” key that can just unlock the door if you lock a primary key in the car.

For modern cars you can get transponder key blanks off eBay for less than $20 (and sometimes less than $10). These are essentially valet keys with an uncut blank and an un-programmed transponder, but no keyless entry device. Here’s an example.

Or, there are blanks with keyless entry shells without the guts, like this one.

I think it would cost another few bucks to have a locksmith cut the blank to work in your door locks. It would cost additional to have someone program the transponder to work with your car’s security system, or you could do it yourself (tons of guides online). Or you could just hack off the transponder part and have the key be more in line with what the OP was proposing. I’d still want a little nub of plastic to give me leverage on opening doors.

One thing I noticed is that, even if the item is advertised to work with a specific make/model/year, the key blank may not be compatible. For instance, my key blank is stamped “V” but I can only find blanks with stamps “S” or “F” on eBay. So caveat emptor.

Once I put my pack in car, closed door, pack pushed against door lock button and locked car, I had to break window to get in…

Frank,

"BTW I do like the idea of a "dumb" key that can just unlock the door if you lock a primary key in the car."

My Honda dealer will make dumb keys that only open the car door. They weren't very expensive. That's where I got the headless key shown in photo. Beheading and hole drilling was done by me.

Jerry,

I feel your pain. I've been experimenting with options as follow-up to this thread and just discovered that my car will automatically lock all doors within about a minute after I exit the vehicle. So I must train myself to keep a key with me when exiting and closing doors. I don't want to experience a "Jerry".

Your car locks itself a minute after you leave vehicle???? Amazing!!!

I do get "dummy keys" made for my car from time to time, usually at Lowe's or somewhere when I'm there for something else. (Useful for leaving the windows partially down, fan and radio on for the dog when I had one.) One time I was told that using a plain key (which didn't have the proper transponder) would "do $10,000 dollars worth of damage" to my car, and another time I was told "your car will blow up". After convincing the person to make the key anyway, neither of those things happened of course.

Reminds me of when my wife and I went to Hawaii. The locals told us not even worry about locking the car doors, it would just make the thieves think you had something in there worth protecting. Then, they busted out the window and went through your stuff. Instead, they said to take all of your belongings with you, unlock the doors and roll down the windows. That was the universal sign to the thieves that you knew how things worked and to move on to the next tourist. Sure enough, most pull offs we stopped at for tourist stuff had TONS of broken window glass.

Ryan