‘You might not even know you have it’ – drivers just realising how to ‘personalise’ their motor with hidden key button
EXPERTS have revealed a secret button on certain car key fobs that can personalise a driver’s experience.
Certain petrol and diesel fobs even allow motorists to change or limit personal and safety settings with just a simple click of a button.
Sam Abuelsamid, senior analyst at the automotive research firm Navigant, said road users can adjust several features which can then be remembered by the fob the next time it is used.
Features such as seating positions are made even easier as they can be automatically adjusted depending on which key fob button is activated.
And to make the roads safer, Sam even revealed parents can “limit functionality” of their cars, such as reducing speed.
This, in turn, should give them less stress when their children get behind the wheel of the family car.
Many manufacturers who programmed the technology into their vehicles are unaware it can be used, the expert claimed.
Sam told Consumer Reports: “Personalisation of some manufacturers’ key fobs is another area that many customers may not realise they have.
“If there are multiple users of a vehicle in a household, each [driver] can have their own fob, and once they set things like seat and mirror positions, the car will automatically adjust those as you approach the vehicle.
“For homes with young drivers, this can be used to limit certain functionality, such as top speed and preventing the disabling of driver-assist features.”
Premium models designed by brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Land Rover, Volvo and Ford should already have the tech installed.
However, drivers have been urged to read the specific section of the owner’s manual book which covers the fob when buying a new vehicle.
Sam recommends asking the manufacturer to check if their fob has those functions available, so motorists can check the settings on their car key to prevent accidentally setting off any features they don’t want.
Experts admit that key fobs are fiddly, with limited labels or instructions that make it difficult for users to know what the features are used for.
Sam added: “The fundamental problem here is that the key fob is, ideally, reasonably small.
“Unfortunately, like other small devices such as smartwatches, that means you have limited space for both controls and labels.”
It comes after a car expert revealed how to reset your car’s touch screen to avoid a costly trip to the garage.
And this little-known mechanism in your motor could end up saving your life.