1) How do you distinguish between the different keys for your different Acuras?
2) Can you actually ask the dealer to change your lock so that the same key and/or remote works for all your cars? (I think using the same remote actually works: when you press unlock, all the cars in your garage will unlock, but after 30 seconds, the cars you didn't go into should relock itself. There is still a slight security issue if you drive away within 30 seconds but that's a trade-off with carrying multiple remotes which can be clunky.)

Thanks people!

 

i only have 1 acura, but my brother drives on also.

my bro has an 03, and i have an 05... and the key itself is different... my brother's has silver (or was it white) A symbol on key 1, and red symbol on key 2, and the symbol is on both sides of the key... whereas mine has a silver A on one side.

but we don't carry each others' keys, so it's not an issue...

have you thought about just painting a keyfob?

 

Yeah, I guess the underlying assumption is that the different cars in question all have compatible keys/remotes. And this question also applies to other brands as well, not just Acura, so you have any input for the 5 Ferraris you own please chime in as well :-)

 

interesting question. I never thought to have one remote unlock both. The only way I can tell the difference between the keys for my CL and my wife's MDX is the MDX doesn't have a "trunk release" button. I'm betting it's not possible to code them together although i could be wrong.

 

I would assume you could have the same physical lock but the immobilizer would be a problem.

 

Not really a problem for my family. I'm on the East Coast, my mom has the RL with the smart key, and my dad has the MDX so the problem solves itself.

But back to your question, I would say that getting the cars to use the same key is a bad idea. As for the same remote, that's probably ok, but why not just use a different key chain to distinguish your keys instead of spending all the money to have a modification done that serves no real userful purpose?

 

Keys on my '97 and the '03 look very different. The remotes dont look the same.. etc etc.

Its not an issue.

 

The only useful purpose is you don't have to carry as many keys/fobs around. I know some people who keep their car keys separate from their home keys, and for them using a different key chain probably works, but for people who has one key chain that he carries around all the time, having 3 key fobs in a key chain does seem clunky.

I'm actually wondering if this one-key-fits-all scheme can be turned into a marketing gimmick for building brand loyalty, encouraging people to stick to the same brand as they are adding a new vehicle to the family.