Comfort Key (keyless enrty)

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Sorry guys another question. Having never had a car before with keyless access, I'm debating if this option is worth the £425 Audi are asking for it ? For those of you that have it, how does the locking / unlocking actually work and what are the keys like (i.e. do they still have a pop up blade for emergency use ?)

Also, how do things like convineience headlights (leaving home lights) work with this. With the standard locking, as soon as you press unlock on the keyfob the Autolights come on (if you have them), but on the comfort key, when how do the lights know when to switch on or is there a button on the key (anyone have a picutre of the comfort key by the way) ?
 
Hi there. We have this on our kuga that we are trading in for a sportback. It's really great but not worth £425 imo to be honest. I would think if you had babies it'd be fab and you might get value from it - hands are normally full etc. but apart from that it's a luxury I would say. Get it if you can afford it or can't think what else to spend the money on!
 
I would take it just for having the start button. I have always disliked keys sticking from the steering column ready to crush your knee and 425 seems a very reasonable price for being able to still have a kneecap after a car crash.
 
Crush your knee? Do you mean in a crash? FWIW, the A3 has a knee airbag for the driver anyway.

Personally I don't see the point in keyless entry at all. As I've described elsewhere on here, the system when leaving the car is actually more cumbersome than using the standard remote fob. As for having the keys in the ignition slot, with keyless entry you just need to find somewhere else to put them. Women may keep them in their purses but us blokes will just have them in their pockets and I don't want them there when driving, digging into my leg every time I go round a corner, so I'll need to take them out anyway and then find somewhere to put them where they don't rattle around. The ignition is actually a good place to keep them! :)
 
synthdood said:
I would take it just for having the start button. I have always disliked keys sticking from the steering column ready to crush your knee and 425 seems a very reasonable price for being able to still have a kneecap after a car crash.
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I'm old enough to remember when my original Mini had a rubber button on the floor to start the engine. Key into the ignition on the dash, not on the steering column and then press the button on the floor. Nothings is new!

I agree with Vertigo1. I have all my keys on one key ring, house and car and the ignition is a good place to put them when I'm driving. At least that way I don't leave my house keys indoors when I go out in the car and I always know where they are.
 
I've got to disagree with the replies so far. I've currently got keyless entry (although admittedly the Ford implementation of it), but would spec it again in an instant! The system isn't at all cumbersome, and works perfectly. The only downside, which the OP indentified, is that you cant benefit from the lights coming on when you unlock the car (although you still have lock/unlock buttons on the fob if you need them). From what I've seen of the Audi implementation, you still get the lights remaining switched on for a period when locking the car (if you've got the option set).
 
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Thanks for the differeing views guys, nice to have both pros and cons.

For info, I was speaking to the company that provides us with our pool and hire cars today (as they gave me a new 3 series BMW for the day for a business trip as I opted out of the company car scheme some years ago), and the guy who collected it asked what I thought about the keyless ignition. Told him the only problem was finding what I'd done with the key after stopping and where I left it when existing the car. He then told me an interesting story, that one of their other BMW's (a 5 series) was on loan to a client, and he accidentally left the keys on the side in his garage. As it was keyless entry and start, he never even thought about where the key was, and proceeded to dive off (with the key still in the Garage). Now I thought that once you were out of range the engine would stop, but apparently not. As the driver then went to a Petrol station, stopped the car, then when he returned couldn't restart the car as he obviously didn't have the key !

Wonder if this is true and if so, how common this actually is ?
 
You couldn't do that with the ford system, unless you were deaf and blind. There are visual and audio alerts as soon as the key leaves the radius of the car if it's 'on'.
 
I love the system. It means that I can have the keys in a coat or a bag or anything and not worry about digging them out before getting to the car. If you want to use the welcome home lights then you do need to push the fob before you get to the car but after getting out and locking it they are the exact same.

If you drive away from the keys then you get a message on the dash, I had this just from starting the car and getting out to scrape it!

Lastly, I was always worried that I might lock the keys in the boot since opening just the boot from locked means that the car re-locks as soon as it's shut. I found out that this isn't possible and the boot just refuses to stay shut! Haha. Ooops.

On my car it was a £550 option I think but I ticked it straight away after having it on the car before. Just so much easier I find. :)
 
I've had 2 cars with it now (one being my current A1 so probably not too dissimlar to the A3 one) and I must admit while it is good I'm not sure it is worth the money. In fairness I asked my Audi salesman if he thought it worth the money and he said no, I still had it anyway as I'd had it before and liked it. Sometimes I find my leg needs to be practically touching the car before it auto unlocks as I put my hand through the door handle and does catch me off guard sometimes when I go up to it quickly and expect it to open as I pull the door, only to find it doesn't and curse the technology under my breath :p

As one of the guys said leaving the keys in your pocket I find to be a nono as it just ends up digging in my leg, so I tend to keep it in the cup holder space, which when going through a drive through just gets in the way.

Definately has its useful moments though, when my hands have been full and I've needed to quickly get something in the boot I've been able to just walk up to the boot and get the stuff put in there quickly then jump into the car. Or if its been burried in a coat pocket and its raining and I didn't want to dig it out and possibly drop the contents all over the floor I can quickly just jump into the car save getting soaked which is great.

On balance its a great piece of kit but I think on my next car I won't be choosing it if its an option as I think id rather put the money towards something else.

A decisively indecisive point of view :p
 
ChrisJL said:
A decisively indecisive point of view :p
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I'm not sure it is! LOL!

I have ordered it, having experienced it a few years go on my wife's Clio.
It's very convenient and I like the keyless start which I think is the main feature of it!
 
I've ordered it on my A3 (delivery end of March). One thing no-one has answered is OP's question about a backup blade key - does anyone know?
 
I'm pretty sure there's an emergency key hidden inside the fob.
 
Had keyless entry on a new Renault Megane I rented in Portugal, after a week of keyless entry I was loving it and not looking forward to going back to a key when I got home :) but then again it was particularly useful when dumping a surfboard in the car like others have mentioned if holding something, if you can afford it, do it!
 
Vertigo1 said:
I'm pretty sure there's an emergency key hidden inside the fob.
Click to expand...

my A1 is the standard key, it just you can open the car and start it without taking it out of your pocket. Still has the normal flip key as backup.

The key is for opening the door to the car, there is still no ignition barrel in the car. Apparently should the fob die you open the door with the key and then simply hold the key in position as if you were starting the engine (with the key folded back in) and the chip in it is close enough to the immobiliser chip to pick it up and allow you to start the car with the push button.

Probably the same or very similar in A3 ?
 
ChrisJL said:
my A1 is the standard key, it just you can open the car and start it without taking it out of your pocket. Still has the normal flip key as backup.

The key is for opening the door to the car, there is still no ignition barrel in the car. Apparently should the fob die you open the door with the key and then simply hold the key in position as if you were starting the engine (with the key folded back in) and the chip in it is close enough to the immobiliser chip to pick it up and allow you to start the car with the push button.

Probably the same or very similar in A3 ?
Click to expand...

Cool. Yeah the backup ignition procedure is the same - I remember reading that in the manual when I sat inside a showroom car recently.
 
I have keyless entry on my current car (Mazda 6). I LOVE it! Ok this is from a girls perspective so I don't expect many of the guy's to appreciate the need for keyless entry. No more struggling to find my car keys in the bottom of my handbag while the heavens are throwing all manner of cold and wet weather at me. Pressing the button to lock the door becomes second nature, and the luxury of just being able to open the door when I get back is fantastic. Needless to say but I have ordered it for my A3.
 
I think it's actually very different from a woman's perspective vs a man's. As you say, women tend to just leave their keys in their handbags, in which case keyless entry is actually really useful. Blokes however, tend to have their keys in their pockets which means firstly they're easy to get to anyway and secondly, you don't tend to want to leave them there once driving as they'll dig into your leg, so you need to get them out anyway and then find somewhere to put them. I'd contend keyless entry is far less useful for men :)
 
Exactly, Vertigo, unless of course it's a chap with a manbag. :blink:
 
a car w/out keyless access seems a bit pre-2010 if you ask me, i got it on my order, practical when going shopping etc got lots of bags, not needing to dig in pocket for keys.
 
I can't understand everyone who likes keyless entry saying things like "easier when I have my hands full" etc, if that's the case how do they open the doors with full hands?????
i can feel the key in my pocket and press the button while it is still in my pocket, hey presto, door unlocks. As for putting a key in a barrel and turning it, that's almost as tedious as having to turn the round thing in front of me when I want to go round a corner, or use my leg muscles to push on the brake when I wish to slow down or stop.
And let the abuse commence, lol.
 
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Each to their own!

It would be a really boring place if we all thought the same and selected the same options!
 
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for me the advanced key was the 1st option i looked for and chose
everyone has their own opinions on this but i have had this option on my previous 2 vehicles

when i approach the vehicle ill either have my keys in my hand or in my pocket.
i have 2 options.
The keyless entry key fob will have the same buttons on as a standard key fob, open doors, lock doors or boot

i either press the button on the key fob to unlock the doors, enter the car then press the start button to start the engine or i
approach the car with the key fob in my pocket and press the button on the door handle to unlock the doors enter the car then press the start button to start the engine

the same goes when leaving a vehicle. 2 choices

lock the vehicle by pressing the button on the door handle after u have closed the door or press the door lock button on the key fob. simples

everyone to their own
 
My problem with keyless access to my car is that it would also need to act as keyless access to my house. My house key is on the same key ring and my car key and I'm sure I would go out, shut the front door, and go out in the car only to come back and realise my house key was still in the house. At least I cannot do that with my 'old-fashioned' key.
 
if you had your house key on the same key ring as your keyless fob you wouldnt have this problem,
 
h5djr said:
My problem with keyless access to my car is that it would also need to act as keyless access to my house. My house key is on the same key ring and my car key and I'm sure I would go out, shut the front door, and go out in the car only to come back and realise my house key was still in the house. At least I cannot do that with my 'old-fashioned' key.
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My keyless fob is on the same keyring as my house keys too. I wouldn't be able to get in the car without having them with me. Problem resolved. My current car was purchased as an ex demo. If the keyless access hadn't been there I probably wouldn't have added it to a new car build. Having had it I would now miss it.
 
I wonder if it warns you if the key goes out of range whilst the car is running?

There was a case documented by one of the car magazines a while back, when keyless entry first appeared, where two drivers swapped cars. The cars were left running as each driver just hopped out and into the other car. Of course the driver of the car with keyless entry had the key in his pocket and forgot to give it to the other driver. The first he knew of this was when he was 100 miles away and realised he didn't have the key and thus, if he stopped the engine, he'd never be able to start it again!

Lovely little oversight there which I'm sure they've thought of these days by sounding some kind of loud alarm if you drive away from the key :)
 
I can't comment on the audi as I don't have mine yet but I'm driving a company BMW 3 series and the other morning early hrs I started the engine to defrost the car and as I left the vehicle to lock the house up the car horn started bleeping, obviously I had the key fob still in my pocket and was out of range,
 
The Mazda does bleep if you leave the engine running and try to take the key out of the car. Not sure about the Audi but I am sure it has something similar.

Nothing is ever foolproof though!
 
The A5 I was working on seemed to warn when key wasnt local, gave a key warning.

The dash had a socket to push the key into aswell, which obviously acts as a coil/reader system if battery goes flat, also used for programming at dealership iirc, I cant see why audi would say hold it to the steering column to start car, sounds a bit ark age like when A5 systems have the socket in dash for this very purpose.
 
NHN said:
The A5 I was working on seemed to warn when key wasnt local, gave a key warning.

The dash had a socket to push the key into aswell, which obviously acts as a coil/reader system if battery goes flat, also used for programming at dealership iirc, I cant see why audi would say hold it to the steering column to start car, sounds a bit ark age like when A5 systems have the socket in dash for this very purpose.
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I casually read something (so I wasn't paying much attention to the details) about a spate of BMW thefts in Germany that were traced back to drivers walking away after leaving the advanced keys in the dashboard sockets. I assume they stopped the engines and forgot to pack up the key because they didn't need to use it when they were getting IN the door. Maybe they didn't want that sort of thing happening with a new model.
 
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does anyone know anywhere that does the keyless entry/start engine in london if so whats the rough idea on pricing
 
Hey guys, finally going to order my A3 Sportback 1.4Tfsi S Line Glacier White today, my dealer is allowing me a sneak peak of one that has arrived for customer collection next week. I have ordered it with the tech & comfort pack & a few extras...the one dilemma I have is the keyless entry. I've loved it on my present A6 but then it is standard on that vehicle, just think £425 is a lot of bread for a push button start!!..as I am buying it on a 4 year plan the payments on it break down to less than £9 a month, tempting but not totally convinced, opinions invited!
 
With many options, and this one in particular, if you've never had it you won't miss it. If you hadn't had it before I'd definitely suggest foregoing it this time around. As you've had it and liked it then I'd probably lean towards adding it again. It is one of those options though that is all about you enjoying it now - it won't add anything to the resale value in the way that leather, auto transmission etc would
 
I would say go for it unless you have got a specific budget which you cannot go over -(if that was the case other options perhaps should take a priority) . Perhaps it is pricey but my view is that those extra few hundred pounds would be worth it in your overall ownership experience.

If I do decide to order an S3 - (I awaiting to see the car in the flesh) - in due course then this is one of options I would want. It really is a personal choice so i know others would not agree.
 
I have keyless entry on my current car , never had it before but I have found it useful however when choosing my new SB I was up to my budget after going for other options first so will have to get used to the old method again !
 
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