25 April 2024 , 16:46
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Your car's key fob could have hidden features that you never knew existed.
Motorists may be able to personalise their driving experience with the press of a button on their car's key fob, thanks to a secret button that many of us knew nothing about. According to a car expert, there's a button on certain petrol and diesel car key fobs that will allow you to personalise a whole host of features including seat position and top speed - which will be remembered by the fob the next time it is used.
Sam Abuelsamid, senior analyst at the automotive research firm Navigant, explained that the feature is perfect for families where more than one person drives the same car, as they can each have their own key fob that remembers their preferences.
One of the most interesting personalisations you can make is reducing the speed of the car, which means young drivers can get behind the wheel in a more controlled manner. And although many people don't know this feature exists, Sam insisted many manufacturers have programmed the technology into their fobs.
He 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.
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"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."
This feature isn't available on all cars, and according to the experts, it's most common on premium models produced by brands such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Land Rover, Volvo, and Ford. But Sam urged drivers to check with manufacturers to see if their fob has the function available.
Consumer Reports also stressed that motorists should read the specific sections of the owner’s manual that cover the fob when they secure a new vehicle. If your car does have the fob feature, you should then configure your settings to make sure you "lock out" any features that you don't want to accidentally set off by mistake.
The experts suggested that new owners should also read the car’s quick reference guide which will usually cover the basic features of the key fob. 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."