The plastic Valet Key operates the ignition and door, but not the glovebox or trunk. They used to suggest that you carry it in your wallet.

It is an all-plastic key, and decidedly MALE. You have said your discovery was FEMALE. Therefore, I am confused. Given the above, I'll need more info.

Cheers,
Ray Hull

 

At first I thought it was the plastic valet key, but it doesn't seem to be it. A picture would be nice so that we can tell.

 

OK -I'll clear this issue up

This is only on cars with the start stop button (Sept 05 prod on - not sure about CA in prior years) - so if you have a real key does not apply

But pretend you lost both remote fobs and can not get in the car or the batteries died or what ever

You dealer should have given you a plastic key when you go t the car and you store it in your wallet

This plastic key will open the doors by inserting it into the lock and turning - so now you are in the car, but you can not insert it into the igntion becasue it is a key and not a fob

So you open your gloce bax and see the fob looking thing
you take it out and put in the plastic key that you opened the car with
Now you can insert it into the ignition and press the start button and off you go

This is an emergency back up

Doubt it would work for a valet - I guess it could if they would take it apart to loack the car and put it back together to start the car

This spare has no batteries so no remote functions

 

Thats cool! something new everyday! I want the new key fob now just to have that!

 

Basically it is an empty plastic shell, the shape of the remote fob in
2006 cars with Start/Stop button. The minuscule emergency key is
plugged into the hole at the end of the plastic shell, and then the whole
thing is inserted into the slot on the side of the steering column.

Should be kept in the glovebox always, since you may need it when
entering the car with the emergency spare key. There is no security
risk in keeping it in the glovebox, because the empty plastic shell does
not open any door or lid, nor allow you to start the engine.

 

Well guys, everything you cleared up is clearely written on the manual but then raises a question that has no answer on the manual (and I am gonna try when I'll get to the car):

IF the "plastic shell" is used to start the engine in "cooperation" with the plastic valet key, I supoose IT SHOULD have a battery otherwise I don't understand how the car could start.

We know that the usual fob communicates with the car and allows us to make it start.

How could this happen if it only needed to be placed in the steering hole?

In that case we would be able to start whichever BMW with that remote, just after having access to it.

Or maybe (I thnik this is the case) , once you enter the car with a good key (the plastic one) you could start the car with whichever remote.

I have to clarify this.
Luca

 

Nope. The emergency key has an RFID chip moulded inside the plastics.
It communicates with the car through inductive loop, no batteries
needed for that. So the engine will start only with your original spare
key inside the dummy plastic shell.

 

Perfectly Clear Reply.
Now everything is at its place.
Thanks a lot.
Luca

p.s.: this is a wonderful forum, really.

 

Heres an X-Ray of a MINI Wallet Key Same as the BMWs... at least the pre MY06s I havent seen the Start / Stop Button wallet keys yet.

 

If you need a valet parking solution, with the 2006 E60, you can do the following:

Pull out the metal key from the remote fob and hard-lock your glove compartment and trunk. Hand over only the remote fob (with the metal key removed) to the attendant.

Then, he/she can lock / unlock the car, start the engine, but cannot open glove box or trunk.