I Accidentally the Car Keys

[canyonwalker]

The other day I washed my car key. Big deal, right? Yes, big deal, because as with most cars manufactured since, what... the late 90s?... it's got an electronic key fob in addition to a physical key. Metal-only keys are old school.

"Oh, shit," I thought as I pulled my pants out of the clothes washer and felt the key fob's distinctive shape inside a pocket. Putting electronics through the washing machine usually kills them. Not only is the battery often toast, but the small circuits inside can be shorted, broken, or corroded. And car manufacturers do not sell replacement key fobs cheaply.

I opened the plastic case of the fob to assess the damage. It was hard to open; I couldn't get it with a fingernail and had to switch to a screwdriver. That was a good sign; the case was sealed surprisingly tightly.

Even better, once I got the fob open I saw there was a thin plastic gasket sealing between the top and bottom halves of the case. A tight fit and a gasket in good shape... even after 10 years of use? Things were looking good.

The truth would be clear when I tried to unlock the car. I drove for an errand today and... the transmitter worked perfectly. Problem averted!

Comments

[stinaleigh]

My brother had a fob that got lost in my backyard snow one winter and was fine when we found it the next spring.

[canyonwalker]

Wow, that sounds pretty sturdy. I wonder if maybe automakers have made fobs more durable since earlier generations. The first fob I owned was with a 1998 model car I bought used in 2005. That fob was fragile and wouldn't even work 100% reliably under normal use. Of course, maybe the problem was the original owner beat the snot out of it; I don't know.

[stinaleigh]

It was a Nissan one. I think it might have been his Altima (he used to work for them so got a new one every year through company lease).