Push-button-to-start ignition...like it?

[tsupersonic]

I have push button start... I hate it. I hate it because of the strong parasitic draw on the battery. Having a "smart key" or anything like that is very hard on car batteries, especially if you don't drive 15K miles a year.

I haven't had a problem in the three cars that have had this system and I drive <8k miles annually...

 

[cbrsurfr]

My Evo has something in-between push button and key. It's their key-less fast system but instead of a button there is a dummy cover over the keyhole on the column that will unlock if the key is near. You just start it like a normal keyed car but don't physically put a key in. Weird.

No draw problems with the car sitting either. I have less than 600 miles on it this year and I don't use a trickle charger or anything.

 

[nOOky]

I'm so used to leaving my keys in my car and just using the door keypad that I don't have to worry about forgetting my keys etc. because they are always hidden in the center console.

The only time I take them with me now is if I want to use the remote start fob which I leave attached to the smart key key ring.

When I get in the wife's car I find it tedious to have to turn the key to start it lol I've gotten lazy.

 

[Subyman]

I've had cars with both and I really don't care. I guess if you had a huge key chain it might be nice to lay the keys down instead of having them dangle.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Hell, my motorcycle has keyless start. I just toggle a switch on the right handlebar controls to turn the electronics on and prime the fuel pump, and then press the start button and it fires right up. I just need to have the key fob in my pocket.

There is a code I can punch in to start the bike without the key (if the key and bike aren't reading each other) but you have to access it through the menu system on the dash and you have to know the code obviously. I've never had to do this yet though.

Every vehicle I own currently has keyless entry and keyless start.

 

[tortillasoup]

I haven't had a problem in the three cars that have had this system and I drive <8k miles annually...

Well, I don't know what you consider an "issue" but when your car battery gets drained from 12.7V to 11.9v over the course of 6-9months on a new battery, I consider that an issue. Does the car crank over at 11.9V? Sure but in that condition, it doesn't have much long to live and it's very hard on the alternator to drive with a severely discharged battery.

How much life do you get out of your batteries before you replace them? Basically, with my pushbutton start vehicles, I have to check the battery voltage once a month otherwise the batteries go bad within a year. I drive probably 5K miles or less per year.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Well, I don't know what you consider an "issue" but when your car battery gets drained from 12.7V to 11.9v over the course of 6-9months on a new battery, I consider that an issue. Does the car crank over at 11.9V? Sure but in that condition, it doesn't have much long to live and it's very hard on the alternator to drive with a severely discharged battery.

How much life do you get out of your batteries before you replace them? Basically, with my pushbutton start vehicles, I have to check the battery voltage once a month otherwise the batteries go bad within a year. I drive probably 5K miles or less per year.

I probably ride my motorcycle about that many miles per year and it has keyless start. One thing they say not to do is leave the key in close proximity to the vehicle because if you do they are always talking to each other which will deplete the battery in both the key fob and the vehicle (although, I can't imagine a key fob depleting a car battery).

If you find yourself not using the vehicle for long periods of time I would recommend a battery tender. I have one for my motorcycle and plug it in every few weeks just to make sure the battery is fully charged. I'm coming up on 2 years and haven't had any trouble with the battery.

And motorcycle batteries are much smaller than a car battery.

What kind of car is this anyway?

 

[Denly]

I prefer the old school key in ignition because the keyless push start thing do it differently with every manufacture, everytime I have to move the car for a frd it took me a while to figure it out to start the car.

 

[tortillasoup]

I probably ride my motorcycle about that many miles per year and it has keyless start. One thing they say not to do is leave the key in close proximity to the vehicle because if you do they are always talking to each other which will deplete the battery in both the key fob and the vehicle (although, I can't imagine a key fob depleting a car battery).

If you find yourself not using the vehicle for long periods of time I would recommend a battery tender. I have one for my motorcycle and plug it in every few weeks just to make sure the battery is fully charged. I'm coming up on 2 years and haven't had any trouble with the battery.

And motorcycle batteries are much smaller than a car battery.

What kind of car is this anyway?

While a motorcycle has a smaller battery, I'm sure the smart key system is far less sophisticated and takes far less power. But you did say yourself that you put your battery on a tender which is what I do as well. Lexus and Toyota that has a smart key system has this issue. Disabling the smart key system (if possible) helps tremendously.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

I prefer the old school key in ignition because the keyless push start thing do it differently with every manufacture, everytime I have to move the car for a frd it took me a while to figure it out to start the car.

Keyless start is actually fairly standardized on all cars that have it. Have the key in range (usually pocket) foot on brake, in park, press button.

 

[Subyman]

I went to move my friend's S2000 a few days ago and it took me about a minute or two to figure out what was going on with it. It has a normal key. I put the key in and turned it. The lights came on and such. Then I tried to turn it further to start the car and it wouldn't budge. I then rocked the steering because I thought it might be locked. Then I pushed the clutch a few times to make sure it was being registered. Then I pushed the clutch AND the brake and tried. Nothing. Finally I noticed it had a button to start it.

So, normal key AND push to start. Pretty stupid lol

 

[NutBucket]

That was the hotness back when that car was intoduced; the truly keyless systems weren't widely available yet.

 

[KIAman]

I have 1 car push button and 2 cars without. To me, it doesn't really matter although I do think for people who like to put 10lbs of crap on their keychain might want to go with push button starters so the weight doesn't have to hang from the ignition.

 

[ItsMeeYourDaddy]

I like my moms Merc. CLS coupe push to start that I actually bit the bullet and bought two push to start kits to put in my Super duty and Toyota 4runner. Its the little things that make the biggest differences in any vehicle and honestly this is the best.

 

[OverVolt]

You get used to it. Its kinda nice.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Like the convenience. Would not want one. I want to physically be able to turn the car off, not have to wait for electronics to do it for me.

 

[Dogecoins]

I like the way GM did keyless ignition on the 08-14 CTS:

The ignition is a permanently mounted key shape that operates like a key.

 

[gus6464]

I don't know about other push start cars but my Prius gives out a warning on the dash when the battery on the key fob is running low.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[NutBucket]

Most proximity keys work via RFID which requires no batteries. One would be needed for the buttons on the remote to work, however.

My coworker has a '03 or so Z3 and while it doesn't have keyless ignition it does have a rechargeable battery in the fob that charges while the key is in the ignition. Naturally the battery finally stopped holding a charge so he was replacing it (note the fob is supposedly "non-serviceable").

 

[OverVolt]

Cars are meant to be driven. Sitting is probably the worst thing you can do to a car.

What ethanol does after a month or so to the fuel system. Blech.

Cars need regular car washes, oil changes, highway trips, and getting all the parts up to operating temperature on a regular basis to prevent corrosion. Unless you are garaging it in a temperature controlled environment.

 

[tortillasoup]

Cars are meant to be driven. Sitting is probably the worst thing you can do to a car.

What ethanol does after a month or so to the fuel system. Blech.

Cars need regular car washes, oil changes, highway trips, and getting all the parts up to operating temperature on a regular basis to prevent corrosion. Unless you are garaging it in a temperature controlled environment.

Unless you have acid rain/salt on the roads, I say less washing the better. I have two vehicles, one that was washed regularly and another that is almost never washed, both exactly the same age. The one that is almost never washed has paint that looks brand new despite sitting in the sun since 2006 while the other vehicle also same age looks like hell despite it being washed regularly. Even went to a 'touchless' car wash and it seems to have hurt more than it helped. I guess it just depends on how it was taken care of but I say, unless you're babying it, touch it less frequently because a lot of car washes damage the clear coat.

As for the Ethanol E10 fuel, if the car is designed to handle the fuel, it's sort of irrelevant how long the car is parked because either way, it's going to be exposed to that fuel internally. I sort of disagree on the cars need to be driven part because what people consider "driven" I consider hell on a vehicle. City driving is very hard on a vehicle so lots of little short trips would be way worse than just parking it for like a year.

 

[RockinZ28]

Bought a new car Saturday before last. Keyless start is so much better. Nice to finally have it on my personal vehicle. Not only that, but door handles that lock/unlock by touch, so never even have to take the key fob out of my pocket.

Now I dislike all keys, and bought an electronic keypad deadbolt for my house. So don't have to carry any keys on me, just have a set for home/work in the center console if needed.

 

[Londo_Jowo]

I had a 2016 VW Jetta rental for a few weeks recently that sported the push-button-to-start ignition. Hated it. I had to take the keys out of my pocket when getting into the car anyways to unlock the doors, so using a push button seemed pointless and only made me worry I set the keys somewhere in the car and not back in my pocket (which I did a few times.)

And without needing to take the keys out of the ignition, a couple times I left the car running when getting out. Perhaps it's just the 'breakin period' of getting used to something different (or my ADD), but I much prefer the traditional key-in-ignition method.

I love it, never have to pull the key fob out of my pocket. Lock the doors touch the top of the handle. Unlock driver door grab the handle, wait a second then open the door. Want to unlock all doors grab the rear passenger door, wait a second and all doors unlock. Want to open the trunk push the button on the right side.

Car will not lock with the key fob in the car

 

[gus6464]

I just realized that the Prius smart key has some sort of NFC chip inside the key fob that still allows you to turn on the car even if the key fob is completely dead. You basically just touch the back of the fob to the start button and the car lights up.