Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Key is Smarter than I am ...




So the new car comes with what they call a "smart key." A rectangular bar with a worm-track machined in it, and three buttons on the plastic part. Locks doors and trunk, unlocks them, rolls windows up and down, and can be programmed to do other things, like put the top down while I'm not in it, like that.

Got two of them. Don't lose 'em, they said, because it costs a hundred and fifty bucks to replace one, and has to be shipped from England ...

But here's the part that really told me it had been a while since I got a new car: I asked the guy, so how do you get it open to change the battery? No screws visible. And the answer is, you don't need to. The battery is a rechargeable -- and the car charges it when it is in the ignition. Should last ten years, at least ...

Man. Here we are, living in the future!

2 comments:

Todd Erven said...

Did they give you the backup plastic key? That thing blew my mind!

Sales guy: "Put this in your wallet."
Me: "Why?"
Sales guy: "So you never get locked out of your car...ever."
Me: *Mind blown*

Dan Gambiera said...

Now the keys, not to mention the cars, are smarter than most drivers. Maybe we can let the cars drive themselves and keep the (stupid, insane, drunken, testosterone-crazed, pick your favorite) humans off the road