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The lost key fob and the ranger who found it

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On the very first night, i tried to hook the keyfobs on our keychains but they would not fit. That left those fobs in my shallow pocket. During the excitement of that night, i must have dropped one of them in the back seat of the car.

I searched high and low that night, including the interior of the car. I finally gave up.

A month and a half later, i get a persistent message on the screens , "Key battery needs replacing". I decided to stop by the Rockville, MD service center to have them take a look and to program a new key fob for me. The guys were great. They even gave me a discount when i told them that the reason the fob was lost is because i could not put it on the key chain soon enough.

Pete, the ranger/technician, gave me a new battery for my remaining fob, and programmed a new fob for the car. The "replace key battery message" persisted in spite of all that. Pete was puzzled, he scratched his head a few times and then looked at me. "that lost keyfob could be in the car now could it", he said.

Now i thought to myself, on the downside i am an idiot, on the upside i get my fob back and save $230.00. I said go ahead and look. He empties the car and sure enough the fob is just below the back seat in the trunk area. It must have been hidden in the backseat and the driving shook it out.

We all had a laugh, I thanked Pete for the wonderful job he did and the wonderful customer service he provided. See, after finding my error, he still treated me with respect. He even installed my front license plate and bracket for me.

Actually, both Nathan and Pete were great.

Hats off to the service guys in Rockville, MD. This was my first experience as i have not needed anything else until now.
 
Fun story!..., but: would the keyfob being in the car have left the car unlocked all that time?

Or, at least if someone had broken in, the start button probably would have worked?

Lucky they found it before someone tried to take your car!
 
I never felt sure that the car was ever locked.

When i clicked the top of the fob, the handles retracted but if you pressed them they opened.


That's wild: your Model S was unlocked, for over a month, and could have been driven away by anyone who knew enough to push on the handles? You must not live in the Bronx. Not that I have anything against the Bronx, mind you.
 
Fun story!..., but: would the keyfob being in the car have left the car unlocked all that time?

Or, at least if someone had broken in, the start button probably would have worked?

Lucky they found it before someone tried to take your car!

I done this before and the guy that washes the car found it. So here is what happens when you have one key fob lost in the car.

1) When you leave the car with the other fob, the car handles retract and the car looks like it is off, but it isn't locked.
2) You can lock the car using the second fob.
3) When you return to the car, the car will NOT automatically unlock and extend handles and you will have to unlock manually with the second fob.

If #3 is happening to you, then you probably have a your first fob lost in the car.
 
...
3) When you return to the car, the car will NOT automatically unlock and extend handles and you will have to unlock manually with the second fob.

If #3 is happening to you, then you probably have a your first fob lost in the car.

Hasn't that been a somewhat common complaint? Maybe that has happened a bunch of times, and people (mistakenly) blame the car...
 
I done this before and the guy that washes the car found it. So here is what happens when you have one key fob lost in the car.

1) When you leave the car with the other fob, the car handles retract and the car looks like it is off, but it isn't locked.
2) You can lock the car using the second fob.
3) When you return to the car, the car will NOT automatically unlock and extend handles and you will have to unlock manually with the second fob.

If #3 is happening to you, then you probably have a your first fob lost in the car.



This describes my experience exactly. I always locked it with the available keyfob just in case. I also used the app to lock it. I always thought that the handles not presenting was a bug, so i was waiting for a fix someday.

Now the car behaves normal and i find it so great that the handles present themselves promptly.
 
I done this before and the guy that washes the car found it. So here is what happens when you have one key fob lost in the car.

1) When you leave the car with the other fob, the car handles retract and the car looks like it is off, but it isn't locked.
2) You can lock the car using the second fob.
3) When you return to the car, the car will NOT automatically unlock and extend handles and you will have to unlock manually with the second fob.

If #3 is happening to you, then you probably have a your first fob lost in the car.

Great post. BTW, thanks for the time you spent showing the MS. Sorry I was so sick at the time.
 
Our only criticism of the FOB from our delivery yesterday -- the holes are so small you can't fit it on a regular key chain. Our delivery specialist said we could buy something on Amazon to fit through the hole (the plastic contraption we saw on Amazon is Fugly). Seems like Tesla could splurge an extra few cents to have a ring that fits through the key off the bat. No doubt the OP to this thread would have benefited from that.
The key fob is reasonable. Toyotas key fob is $480 !:scared:
 
These, or similar would probably be perfect for the job. I use them for micro-USB thumb drives.

Amazon.com: Cell Phone Strap Black/ Silver Tone Split Ring (10): Home Kitchen
Amazon.com: Cell Phone Strap Black Braided With Silver Tone Ring (10): Home Kitchen

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Keep in mind that they're sent from Hong Kong via slow boat, so they take a couple of weeks. But you can't beat the price and you get ten of them to pass around to friends & family.

I agree that Tesla should buy a case of them for $100 and include them with they fobs.
 
You can buy those lanyard thingies at Michael's if you don't want to wait. I think I bought a pack of 6 for like $2. I just carry one key now. Keep my house key in the car (because when the power goes out it is hysterical to see how many people can't get into their homes because their garage door openers are dead). I also keep my work keys in the car, and all my 'little used keys' like my friends' house keys, my roof rack keys, my parents' house keys. Works out pretty well.