[hallcp]

The other day I found myself with a dead keyfob, locked out of my Gen 2 car in the rain. Easy I thought, I know there's a little metal key in the fob, I'll just use that. But it's not so easy. There's no visible place to insert the key! And of course my manual and phone were locked in the car.

I was able to take the fob apart, wiggle the battery, and get one last unlock signal out of it. I immediately got in the car and pulled out the Owner's Manual to see where to insert the key. It turns out you have to pop off a piece of the door handle trim! It's easy once you know, but it's well hidden.

So try it out on a nice sunny day before you're stuck in the dark or the rain.

 

[Barry]

Good tip, thanks. I have seen the same lock cylinder hiding spot used on a VW as well. Probably a common location.

 

[JoeReal]

I tried it before I lost all of my fob keys. You need that metal key to reprogram the transmitters, not only for opening the car. The best way to open the car is through your myChevrolet app. In fact if you open the car with the metal key and your fob has no more battery left for the proximity id, it will set off the alarm. The app doesn't. Glad that you have used the transmitter one last time to open it. Make sure to have an app registered with your Volt.

 

[AtomicPowered]

That pop off plastic cap may be a one use item. Be prepared to pay for a new one. Maybe have another phone in the house with the app. I used the app in Europe to unlock my car in Detroit.

 

[Ls3miata]

I tried it before I lost all of my fob keys. You need that metal key to reprogram the transmitters, not only for opening the car. The best way to open the car is through your myChevrolet app.

does this work if you don't have onstar?

 

[voganni]

Gotta have at least OnStar basic plan for the app to work. Gen 1's have the key slot exposed! Never had to use it yet though.

 

[Steverino]

That pop off plastic cap may be a one use item. Be prepared to pay for a new one.

The Bolt EV has a similar option, use the key blade to pry off the plastic cap, It snaps off and snaps on again. Not that risky. I suppose someone could bungle it, but I they'd have to be pretty rough. I tried it several times the day after I got the car just to see how it worked, no issue.

 

[jsmay311]

Here's a video that demonstrates:

 

[JoeReal]

does this work if you don't have onstar?

I didn't renew my OnStar data plan after the demo was over, but the basic one that allows remote opening and closing is free for up to 5 years.

 

[JFudo]

Good post. I had a VW that was the same, but never used it. Next question, how would you start the car with a dead fob? I just googled it. Seems there is a slot under the rubber mat in the center console, not for the key, but for the whole fob. Not sure how that works, maybe this weekend I'll pull the battery out of the fob and give it a try.

 

[JoeReal]

Good post. I had a VW that was the same, but never used it. Next question, how would you start the car with a dead fob? I just googled it. Seems there is a slot under the rubber mat in the center console, not for the key, but for the whole fob. Not sure how that works, maybe this weekend I'll pull the battery out of the fob and give it a try.

I have a very detailed post that included reprogramming a new transmitter when you lost all of your valid key fob. It involves removing the rubber mat in the center console storage area and there's a small outline for the transmitter placement, to help you orient it in the proper way. The outline is very shallow and the transmitter doesn't fit snugly to it, just place the transmitter over it.

 

[JoeReal]

here's the reference to the manual when your transmitter battery is very low and you need to move your car.


https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1138730/Chevrolet-Volt-2017.html?page=36#manual

 

[JFudo]

Talked to one of my engineers. He said that it uses NFC (near field communication) that only works over a distance of about 1" using the power of the car. Just like a key fob for the office door...

 

[vespacarfc]

Also guys, don't forget to use a lock lube once in a while. I try and do it once a year, and make sure the key actually unlocks the door. Something I learned from my motorcycle riding. You'd be surprised on how the corrosion can build up after a few years. The volt lock is better protected then some of my motorcycle ones. But you never know.

Cheers,
Tross

 

[onevoice]

Here's a video that demonstrates:

I didn't see a demonstration of how to put the key cap back on. I first started to put the key cap starting from the left side in. At first it didn't seem to want to go in when I tried to push in the right side. I popped it off then pushed the right side in first, then the left side. The 2nd method seemed to work well.

 

[floydo]

The other subtle item is to slightly pull open the handle (sort of shown in the nicely done video) when removing or replacing the plastic cover. If you don't, an ear on the plastic cover can break (the dealer demonstrated the key opening without doing this and broke one of the tabs, and did replace the piece)....
It was nice to get the demo from the dealer!