[AtheK]

Hi All,

While browsing through instagram i came across this product as a targetted ad ofcourse, and thought of sharing it with the car lovers here.

They basically claim to program and upgrade any key that has a start stop button with a touchscreen key. I have not been able to gather much information about the fact if they help to program anything more then that, except that you can replicate the fuctions your current key does.

This had me intrigued and I checked for some videos, was able to find a short video on youtube for Mg, looks like it only locks and unlocks the car. Looks very premium though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LncMC7DPN08

Looks very interesting and I am thinking if I should get this done for my new MG Hector. I see many videos of something similar on youtube by different manufacturers as well.


Here is the Link to the website with several options.

Saw one with MG logo, it is pretty expensive though at almost Seventeen thousand rupees and cheapest being 12 thousand rupees.



Please do share your views if someone has got it done already for there car and how was the experience.

PS: I am not affiliated to the site in any manner. Mods please merge the thread if a similar thread exists.

[Gotham]

I also saw their ads on Instagram and interestingly came across this video today which gives a detailed insights on how this works. Looks interesting & fascinating

https://youtu.be/YHQkx4zZ8Xs

[GTO]

I'd be concerned about how fragile an after-market touchscreen key can be (if you drop it), as well as its long-term durability (with daily use).

God help you if it stops functioning when you are out on a road-trip. IMHO, some things are best left to OEM fitment only. The smartkey is perhaps one of them.

That being said, kudos to the after-market and its vendors for coming out with such cool stuff. I can see how many car owners would be tempted.

[Gotham]

Originally Posted by GTO

I'd be concerned about how fragile an after-market touchscreen key can be (if you drop it), as well as its long-term durability (with daily use).

That being said, kudos to the after-market and its vendors for coming out with such cool stuff. I can see how many car owners would be tempted.

It's a cool party trick to show off , I wouldn't dare use either of the original keys to convert , rather have a 3rd key made & have that converted & use that occasionally. These mods gives me confidence soon such keys will be become standard norms from most car makers and could be offered only in the Top Trip. Over the last 5 years we have seen enough luxury features from BMW / Merc / Audi make its way to Maruti so this wouldn't be too far fetched to expect

[AtheK]

Originally Posted by GTO

I'd be concerned about how fragile an after-market touchscreen key can be (if you drop it), as well as its long-term durability (with daily use).

God help you if it stops functioning when you are out on a road-trip. IMHO, some things are best left to OEM fitment only. The smartkey is perhaps one of them.

That being said, kudos to the after-market and its vendors for coming out with such cool stuff. I can see how many car owners would be tempted.

They have a fail safe mechanism is what I have understood, there are physical buttons which are powered by independent battery. So even if you drop the keyfob or run out of charge you can use physical keys to open the car, and apparently battery lasts more then a year, I am guessing it will be the same battery that we get with our keys.

They did give it a thought and looks like not a half baked product, but yes long term durability needs to definitely be considered. I am myself tempted, and luckily for me I always will have the car key on my mobile with the new MG hector.

[amitgupta]

Frankly I fail to see the point of touchscreen here on the key if all it does is lock/unlock & open/close the boot of the car. All that can be done with the regular key fob as well. ₹15k for a touchscreen key which does only what an existing key fob would do. If the touchscreen key added more functionality to the car, like the forward/reverse that BMW has or some other features, then it would make more sense as a good utility.

I'm someone who believes functionality of a tool is what makes it good rather than non-functional flashy paint on it. At this point the touchscreen key just seems like a gimmick to me.

[AtheK]

It indeed is a gimmick and at this point and just a style statement. In current modern cars you don't even need to take the key out to lock or unlock the car. This is only that added accessory which gives you a bit of feel good factor, for which there is a big market.

I would have considered if the price point was around 5-6K, but at 15K it is indeed very expensive. Again I am not sure and some one will need to talk to these guys, but this might add some added features since it will connect to OBD port of the car, depending on what all can be done using OBD interface this has that potential in near future.

[revsperminute]

Ask anyone with the BMW display key and they’ll tell you how they have stored it nicely in their home safe. And that’s German OEM quality. The product being discussed here is an aftermarket Chinese imitation of the same.

Save your money Sir, some things are better left the way they are.

[vredesbyrd]

Let me just say that if I had a G30 530d, the first thing I would do is return the touchy-feely key and request them to give me a regular replacement.

Adrenox app is good enough for my IoT nonsense needs. I don't need a third phone.

[cefiljoseph]

Originally Posted by GTO

I'd be concerned about how fragile an after-market touchscreen key can be (if you drop it), as well as its long-term durability (with daily use).

God help you if it stops functioning when you are out on a road-trip. IMHO, some things are best left to OEM fitment only. The smartkey is perhaps one of them.

That being said, kudos to the after-market and its vendors for coming out with such cool stuff. I can see how many car owners would be tempted.

Second this, it's best to not tamper with the factory keys. I wouldn't trust anyone other than the manufacturer for something safety related like programming a key. We have the least idea of such third party organisation's data collection motives or security policies. Also, there's some charm in appreciating your car for what it is and not making it into something it isn't with such upgrades.

[Dry Ice]

At this rate, a plain key will become a feature at some point!

Why are people trying to shove screens everywhere? Whatever happened to don’t fix it if it ain’t broken?

[AtheK]

Guess this has to be just seen as an accessory and not to be read too much into it, there are pleothera of other accessories out there which sell as per person taste. If we had to keep everything how manufacturer wanted us to then we would have never needed accessories.

This might not be for everyone but at the same time it might entice a lot of others who would want something like this, this should probably be seen as stand alone accessory and not to be compared to what we anyway get from manufacturers.

[greenhorn]

I'd seen Autobahn offer one for a while now. Did not realize this was that popular
https://autobahntechnologies.com/pro...rt-key-2-inch/

[Sedate driver]

Originally Posted by AtheK

Guess this has to be just seen as an accessory and not to be read too much into it, there are pleothera of other accessories out there which sell as per person taste. If we had to keep everything how manufacturer wanted us to then we would have never needed accessories.

This might not be for everyone but at the same time it might entice a lot of others who would want something like this, this should probably be seen as stand alone accessory and not to be compared to what we anyway get from manufacturers.

Even as an accessory it does not add any value. In MG Hector, the key fob need not be taken out from your pocket and used, if the approach lock / unlock feature is enabled. I seldom use the key fob for opening or locking the car and this feature is immensely helpful especially when you have something in your hands.

[Chhanda Das]

Oh no, not these again.

I distinctly recall seeing these years ago on Aliexpress and the hefty price tag of INR 3200 with shipping in 2017 didn't seem worth it either at that time or now especially for a party trick like this. Additionally, there was a bit of soldering involved with the printed circuit board of the car's key which discouraged me further. Also, replacement batteries were hard to get and the batteries apparently died within 6 months to 1 year if the recommended charging pattern of charging every 3-5 days was followed. I would rather have my car's stock key usable for around 3-3.5 years than be frequently locked out of the car because I forgot to charge the key

Here is how a typical conversion looks like :-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aYebxvVQOQ