Are there any other options to the dull keys that were shipped with the RX-8? When fob + keyring is bulkier than your cellphone, I'd say that someone didn't really do their homework on the one piece of the car that you always carry around with you.

So, can the european rotor-shaped keys work in US cars? I can't tell from the catalog; are they "thin", or do they also have the stupid "hey, let's make this a quarter-inch thick" piece of plastic? Are there third-party fobs that dont' look like they're big enough to be powered by AA batteries?

I hate lugging this thing around; almost wants me to skip the fob and just unlock the doors the old fashioned way...

 

yeah i know what you mean...

the rotor key looks to be a lot sleeker and can be had for 140 bucks...im really looking forward to getting one, hopefully i will too lol
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Gm high feature engine specifications

 

i've gotten no word back from anybody i asked about whether the key is compadable with the us cars, and the holder for the key is a remote, so whether or not it can be used on us cars as well

 

[ Boy, I'm quoting m'self! ]

According to Mazda, the other market keys will not work in the US cars, because they use different security mechanisms -- there are no other options other than the fat-as-hell and ugly-as-hell versions that were shipped with the car.

She did do the usual "if we get enough complaints, we will probably redesign it and come up with something [thinner] in a year or two and you can get your key re-cut" so if you also hate the key, give Mazda customer service a call and say "hey, I hate the key. Can we have something thinner with a cooler fob?" C'mon... do it for me.

 

the US keys supposedly have a security chip built into them making them bulky...so if someone was to make a copy of your key, it still wouldn't work because it does not have the right chip

 

The chip is really small; lots of cars have this chip, and don't have a 3/8"-thick key. <shakes head>

 

understood...i was more or less commenting on why we probably will not be able to use those rotary shaped keys...

on another note, if these keys needed to be this bulky, why not go all the way and add the keyless entry, trunk release, and panic button all in one? why make them separate like that? someone needs to get fired...

 

Agree with this completely. Mazda should take a look at my last new car's key design - a Lexus RX-300. The electronics were integrated w/the key and the plastic part of the key was less than 1/2 the size of our 'fob' and way thinner.

I might guess the key electronics 'brick' (by the looks of how big and glompy it is) is of American design, American made, as it was for only the American market.

Oh gosh it actually is, what a surprise!

http://www.visteon.com/utils/contact/index.shtml

 

owned by an american company but made in japan. noticed a reference elsewhere about bluetooth. any comments boowanna?

 

You apparently have never seen the way cool but thick Audi "switchblade" keys...

 

Nope. Perhaps we could all post pics of our favorite tiny key w/electronics, and when we find some that are 'suitable for everyday use'... we could send the pics to Mazda and Vesteon with a suggestion to them?

 

Volvo also has the switchblade key, and I believe Mercedes as well.

Basically the key folds INTO the fob, and you press a button to eject it, works great!

The Mercedes key is even more funky as it isn't your standard key, it's more or less just a block that sticks into a square hole.

 

Yeah, the Merc that we rented in Germany last year has one of those. Weird - there are no traditional tumblers at all - the whole locking mechanism is electro-mechanical.

 

or point to one.

 

why have any keys at all when you can get one of those credit card sized remote entry cards? a friend of mine got one of those and he basically just leaves his keys inside his car...the card is stored in his wallet at all times so when he leaves the car, it automatically locks, when he approaches his car by 5 feet or so, it automatically unlocks...pretty cool feature since it also included a starter kill in the event that someone broke in and tried to drive off

 

Where can you get those?

How about the push-button start at jt-imports? Probably not great for security, but way cool.

 

i found this one quick...i'm sure with some research you can find better deals or better brands but this one is almost like the one my friend has:

http://www.12voltshop.com/proddetail...t=19&path=1,19

 

I'm sure his insurance company would love to hear that!

 

couldnt the key be taken apart, put in the new/existing (chip in your current set of keys) chip and your done...

could be wrong, but oh well, i really wish mazda had a nice key, at least for the rx-8 if not for all their models


edit:
just making the fob out of a higher quality plastic would go a long ways
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Zx14 Vs Hayabusa

 

you can't because the onboard circuitry on the key calls for the flux capacitor to calculate the trajectory of the variable induction, thus causing a rip in the space/time continuum...

well fine, i guess you could, but you'd have a really ugly key with a computer chip scotch-taped onto it...i'd rather have the big and bulky Mazda fob instead...:D