leftoverture Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 (edited) Anyone else have an issue like this? My key FOB works perfectly every where except at a couple specific gas stations. Both of them are Holiday gas stations. If I pull up to the pump at either of these, the signal from the FOB to the car is blocked and I will get the "no key found" message. I know it is not anything to do with the car or the FOB. It definitely is something with these gas stations (which I obviously no longer use). Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. Edited November 24, 2020 by leftoverture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
17MKZ3.0TT Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 I haven't, sorry I can't help beyond that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R2D2 Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 There are other signals that can act as EMI or RFI and mask the fob frequency. It doesn't just happen at gas stations. Getting your fob closer to the center console cup holders will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftoverture Posted November 24, 2020 Author Share Posted November 24, 2020 4 hours ago, R2D2 said: There are other signals that can act as EMI or RFI and mask the fob frequency. It doesn't just happen at gas stations. Getting your fob closer to the center console cup holders will help. Yes, when it happens we have to pull the cup holder liners out and lay the fob in the designated spot. Of course...the first time it happened we did not know about that spot. It was really bad, too, because I didn't know why it wasn't working so I naturally tried to get out of the car and check under the hood but every time I opened the door it set off the alarm. So there we were at Holiday trapped in the car. Couldn't find anything about it in the owner's manual. We finally called a tow truck and just as he got there my wife found something about putting the key in the cup holder spot on-line. Started right up and we sent the tow truck away. We replaced the batteries in the fob thinking that would help but next time we went to a Holiday gas station it happened again. So now we just don't go to Holiday any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramf411 Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 Perhaps the gasoline station is employing a signal jammer meant to discourage use of cellphone during fill up and so happens to include the frequency where the keyfob is transmitting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftoverture Posted November 24, 2020 Author Share Posted November 24, 2020 5 hours ago, kramf411 said: Perhaps the gasoline station is employing a signal jammer meant to discourage use of cellphone during fill up and so happens to include the frequency where the keyfob is transmitting. Interesting theory except we used my cell phone to call the tow truck the first time while my wife was searching the Internet on hers. My theory is that Holiday uses an unusually large amount of neon light at their stations and this might create some interference on our fob's frequency. But I don't know if that is possible or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted November 24, 2020 Share Posted November 24, 2020 7 hours ago, leftoverture said: Yes, when it happens we have to pull the cup holder liners out and lay the fob in the designated spot. Of course...the first time it happened we did not know about that spot. It was really bad, too, because I didn't know why it wasn't working so I naturally tried to get out of the car and check under the hood but every time I opened the door it set off the alarm. So there we were at Holiday trapped in the car. Couldn't find anything about it in the owner's manual. We finally called a tow truck and just as he got there my wife found something about putting the key in the cup holder spot on-line. Started right up and we sent the tow truck away. We replaced the batteries in the fob thinking that would help but next time we went to a Holiday gas station it happened again. So now we just don't go to Holiday any more. A good illustration of why it's so important to read the OM with modern cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftoverture Posted November 25, 2020 Author Share Posted November 25, 2020 5 hours ago, drolds1 said: A good illustration of why it's so important to read the OM with modern cars. We never did find anything about it in the OM. My wife found something on the Internet...that's the only way we figured it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, leftoverture said: We never did find anything about it in the OM. My wife found something on the Internet...that's the only way we figured it out. Pg. 140: The system does not function if: The key frequencies are jammed. The key battery has no charge. If you are unable to start the engine, do the following: Remove the rubber covering (A) in the cupholder. With the buttons facing upward and the unlock button facing the front of your vehicle, place the first intelligent access key into the backup slot (B). With the key in this position, press the brake pedal, then the START button to switch the ignition on and start your vehicle. Edited November 25, 2020 by drolds1 leftoverture and R2D2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftoverture Posted November 25, 2020 Author Share Posted November 25, 2020 Cool. I guess when we were trapped in the car with the alarm going off we missed that. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbf2530 Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, leftoverture said: Cool. I guess when we were trapped in the car with the alarm going off we missed that. Lol. Hi leftoverture. I find it helpful to hold surprise, once a week live-fire exercises. It improves performance under pressure. ? Good luck. Edited November 25, 2020 by bbf2530 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftoverture Posted November 25, 2020 Author Share Posted November 25, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, bbf2530 said: Hi leftoverture. I find it helpful to hold surprise, once a week live-fire exercises. It improves performance under pressure. ? Good luck. Ha! I used to be a competitive pistol shooter so I know about being under pressure. When this first happened to us, it was about a week after we had bought the car. We had no idea why the car wouldn't start, and thus didn't even know what to look for in the OM at first. We then saw the "no key found" message and started trying to find something about that. But we didn't find it in the OM before my wife found something on the Internet. I know now....3 years later....that when you are in a spot where the fob signal is blocked and turn the car off, it actually flashes a message right then, too. That is how I caught it the 2nd time it happened. Frankly, I'd be happy to go back to the old put a key in the ignition days. Edited November 25, 2020 by leftoverture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drolds1 Posted November 25, 2020 Share Posted November 25, 2020 In my last rental car (pre-pandemic), the fob battery died. That's fun, especially when you need to get back to the airport. No OM to consult for the emergency starting procedure. They never leave it in the glovebox. Thank goodness for YouTube! When all else fails, there's a universal method that might work in some cars: hold the fob up against or next to the Start/Stop button and give it a go, Robert Iggy Cerami and leftoverture 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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