paasan

On our trip we had to park our car at a hotel with a valet parking system where we would have to hand over a key to the hotel. Due to this, we wanted to hand them the plastic "valet parking" key in order to lock the boot. However the key wasn't willing to cooperate as the alarm would go off each time we locked & unlocked the car with the plastic key.

Is this the appropriate behaviour of the lock system? Isn't the alarm supposed to be activated and deactivated or not activated at all when using the plastic key to manually lock the car?

As a result we had to hand over one of the main car keys.


-paasan

Guest_zippers525

Im not 100% on this but i believe if you lock the car with the remote key, by using the remote, it can only be unlocked with the remote. If you leave the car unlocked and lock it with the plastic key it should be fine to lock and unlock. I dont think you can go from remote to plastic key.

Iceman

Have you locked the trunk with your remote key "manually" ?
In the manual it says you need to lock the luggage compartment by putting the key in the lock and turn it to a horizontal position, then take the key off. Now the luggage compartment is "safe" and can not be unlocked when the drivers door will be unlocked (it gets disconnected from the central locking system by locking it manually). Maybe you forgot that and that caused the malfunctioning alarm ???

paasan

With the car unlocked with the remote key:
1. used the remote, metal key to lock the trunk - lock slot turned to a horizontal position
2. locked the car with the plastic key
3. unlocked the car with the plastic key
4. opened the door and the alarm went off



I had not expected the alarm to go off in this situation.


-paasan

sj3

My valet is not plastic. It's a metal key with a non-remote round head on it. The plastic, or "wallet" key came with my '00 E39, as the 4th key. In the US, there only only 3 keys that come with the E60. You can get more of course. The reference to the plastic key has me a bit confused, but that just may be my normal state. What gives? Thanks.

Sam

NickP

The purely plastic key is for emergencies only... It *WILL* set off the alarm normally as it's transponder only functions when in the ignition.

Rudy

I'm with paasan on this one.

I have two "Master" keys (with remote control buttons on them) and one "valet" key which is made entirely of plastic.

According to the manual (.pdf page 28) the plastic key is the "spare" and it mentions keeping it in your wallet or using it at a hotel because it can't unlock the trunk or glove compartment.

The DVD lady also describes it as a valet key and shows you how to lock the trunk first, etc.

NickP, I respectfully disagree -- no way should the alarm go off when this key is used.

Guest

The fact is that it has only a passive transponder... The only place the passive transponder is read is via the ignition key area... So if the alarm is armed the only way to deactivate it is unlocking with the plastic key and using it in the ignition/.

Agree that locking with the plastic key shouldn't be arming the alarm, so something isn't right with the sw on this one.

NickP

sorry.. last post was me.

Iceman

Yep.
I totally agree.
There is something wrong, because when you lock the car with the plastic key and open it with the plastic key there can't be an alarm. If this key arms the alarm (what it obviously did), it has to be able to disarm it too...
Have your dealer checking this out for you.