ronkelley

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Yes, I have the older round corner style.

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mcomer

So a bit more work for this. If you have ever changed out the fob battery you already know the drill.
Pull the mechanical key and turn it 90 degrees and twist to open the case. (Take off the leather sleeve!)
Pop the battery and put the two fob halves and the battery out of sight (under the drivers mat?)
Flip the drivers door lock lever, be POSITIVE you have the mechanical key and shut the door.
When you return to the scene of the crime after swimming just use the key blade in the door cylinder
and reassemble the fob with the battery oriented properly.

When locking the car with the fob active, either pressing the fob Lock button or just touching the outside handle
you are both locking all doors and setting the car alarm.
When locking without the fob, either flipping the inside door lock lever or using the bladed key in the cylinder
you are only locking (be sure the passenger door is also locked LOL) but not setting the alarm.

ronkelley

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Thanks for the ideas. Rather than take the batteries out of the fob, I just stored it in the right rear corner of the trunk under the floor mat. It doesn't seem to be close enough to operate the unlock function and is now stored in the vehicle. Then I took my bladed key and put it in a magnetic box to be stored somewhere under the vehicle. Or, the key could be taken with you if you want to just carry a key instead of the whole smart key fob. When I return, I open the driver's door with the key after popping off the cover (which is kind of a pain, but not a big deal if only used when locked out), open the trunk with the dash button, and retrieve the fob. In my case (since of course I need the fob to start the engine). I'll be using another fob most of the time and this key/fob separation is only for emergencies like a lost fob.

I thought of getting a Faraday bag (an RF bag) like one of these: /https://www.amazon.com/s?k=faraday+bag&i=automotive&rh=n%3A15735141&page=2&qid=1612042934&ref=sr_pg_2 . The question here is will it work. Most reviewers are satisfied, but some find they don't give any shielding at all. Hard to know. I just have mine stored (at least for now) just loose.

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ronkelley

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By the way, sometimes when I'm messing around, I just leave a window open so I can still get inside the vehicle if my fob gets locked in there.

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ronkelley

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One more thing. I was also wondering how safe is my method. First off, crook would have to find the key. Then they would have to know how to use it on the door handle of a Lexus to get inside. But they couldn't start the car since they wouldn't have the smart fob and they wouldn't know where that is. They might look under the floor mats or the glove box, but probably not some odd place inside or in the trunk. If they still could start the car somehow, by that time they're professional enough that not much could stop them. Unless they just came by with a tow truck and hauled the whole thing away!

You know, one thing we might have as a blessing is that most of the cars stolen are done so to scavenge the parts. But the Lexus isn't nearly as popular as, say a Honda Accord, and therefore not as desirable. Isn't that a sad blessing.

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mrsteve7

I'd be curious whether a Faraday bag would block the fob signal as it does for cell phones, etc.
That would alleviate having to disassemble the fob.

hcopter

I can't lock my car with the key fob if the trunk (or any door) is open. Maybe it's a programmable setting? I'm not sure. Or did she use the door to lock it after having popped the trunk? Can't say I've tried that specifically, but I have accidentally locked my key fob in the trunk numerous times only to have the car beep at me and the trunk remaining unlocked.