Lost Key Story
 

So my wife and I were in northern Minnesota over the weekend (Duluth area) and my beautiful wife lost the key to the Boxster :eek: . This created a number of issues, the biggest being that we were a 3 hour drive from home - where the extra key was.

In the process of trying to locate the key we thought it might be possible that she locked it in the trunk. She opened the trunk to get a sweatshirt out the night before. I know that if you pop the trunk with the key fob then reclose it the car automatically relocks (not sure if it is smart enough to not lock if it detects the key).

So we called a locksmith to see if he could unlock the door so we could pop the trunk and verify if the key was there or not. The locksmith claimed he had never been 'defeated' by a car. You can probably see where this is going. He managed to get a metal rod past the window and press the key button in the center console, but that did nothing. He also pulled the handle from the inside (using the rod) and the door remained locked. So I have to ask, is it possible to break into a boxster without the key and without actually breaking a window or cutting the top?? Anyhow, consider the locksmith 'defeated'. He didn't charge me anything due to his 'humiliation'.

After much debate about having the key sent Fedex and staying an extra day etc... We hitched a ride back with a friend of ours, got the key, drove back to Duluth, then back home again - all on Sunday. Yes, 9 hours of driving.

Once we got into the car, we discovered that the key wasn't in the trunk and is still lost. So now it looks like I will be forking over the approximate $400 for a new one :barf:

On a side note, this is my first road trip in the Boxster and it was great. Lots of room for luggage, smooth drive, very nice.

Wow, sorry to hear about your troubles, but glad to hear you enjoyed your trip otherwise.

Good to know this car is tough to get into.

I'm amazed at how Duluth has become a vacation spot for Twin Cities folks. It's great to see activity up there again.

What a boring drive along I35 though.

The North Shore along Lake Superior is really a hidden gem. So beautiful. Also if you like hiking that the Superior hiking trails are just awesome.

We try to get up there every year. Our intention this year was to catch the leaves changing colors but we were a bit early for that.

First, why did the alarm not go off if he the locksmith guy was waving a metal rod around on the inside trying to open the doors and trunk? Wouldn't the motion sensors inside the car detect movement and sound the alarm? 2nd, if he could reach the center console and press the door lock/unlock button, then why not just have him hit the trunk release button? By the way, without the key in the ignition, the inside door lock button does nothing. It's just a safety feature while your driving to have so you can lock the doors from the inside. You know, like if you go through a bad area and are afraid of getting car jacked. And last but not least, make sure your wife buys you a new key! ;) Not sure how you lost a single key? Was it not on a key ring with other keys, like your house key? It should not cost $400.00. You can buy a blank key fob on e-bay and have the dealership reprogram it and cut it for you for $220.00. That's what I did to get an extra one. :cheers:

I also wonder why the alarm did not go off, thought the motion detector would pick up the movement. The trunk release button is at a really bad angle to reach from the side of the window so we didn't think that was really feasible. I'm sure he could of tried but after the other attempts I was ready to just go back and get the key, didn't want to risk having him damage the car in some way with the rod.

I'll look into the e-bay thing for the key. I haven't researched it yet, but saw the $400 price quote on a different post.

I'm not sure how much an auto key cutter guy would charge you to cut from a blank key but that's all you would need to open the door and start the engine. you don't need the clicker at all. Turning the key in the door activates the alarm.
The clicker is just a convenience.
Get the new blade and Just clip to a generic plastic head like on the valet key and save yourself some money... for now.
I was thinking of having a few of these made...just in case. I keep a spare key in my briefcase/gym bag in case I ever lose my house keys from my back pocket.

Getting into a 986 with the "long rod" works on a 986 by pulling on the inside door handle. No clue why your guy could not do it or if something is different on a 987.

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=14541&hl=hanger

Is that what "the red clip" mod is for?

To unlock my 987 from inside, with the door handle, you have to pull the handle twice. Did he try this?

Good story, Doc!

Have you even been to the Apostle Islands? It's not too far from Duluth.

Yes. It fools the sensors into thinking the top is up and your car is closed up. Unless you leave your windows down. ;)

That is true, but if you use the key without the re-programed part to START your car for more than 5 days in a row, it will set your alarm back to a valet mode and your one key with a working remote will no longer work unless you reset the alarm with the key in the ignition. Can't remember how to do that though.

Sorry, not trying to hijack :o ...but where can you purchase the "red top clip"?

Aftermarket....Porsche....?

tia

:cheers:

ah..good heads up. Guess you want to use that blade only key "in case of emergency" only.

You can get the red clip on ebay or Suncoast, Sunset etc.
...Although I don't think its a good idea to leave your top down for more than five minutes and neither should you be out of sight range. Your headlights are a quick and easy removal for a theif and he'll then sell them on Ebay for $400-700.
if you're leaving the top down for more than an hour that's no good for the interior and top.

Red clip
 

Don't know how universal this is amongst Porsche dealerships, but I got my red clip (at Cascade Porsche/Audi in NE Ohio) for about $3.

That's about right.

get the carrera GT key head. I think it looks very slick, and its about 100 bucks IIRC.

Price varies. I picked up the red clip a couple of weeks ago from Stevens Creek Porsche (San Jose) for almost $8 (buying online + shipping would've saved me a buck or two...)

Key Found!!! My wife found the key in her make-up case :confused: I'm happy we have it so we don't have to invest in a new one but a bit bitter that I drove for 9 hours with the key on us the whole time.

In retrospect I guess I'm happy we didn't get into the car without the key. I assume the alarm would have sounded if we opened the door and the key wasn't in the trunk. Does anyone know if the alarm 'times out' or would it just drain the battery all the way down?

Thanks for the info about the clip...my dealer parts dept didn't act like they knew wth I was talking about :confused: I will try to google the part #

:rolleyes: I wasn't going to say this until after you found your key...that it is probably in the bottom of her purse/bag somewhere (I had a similar misfortune)

I'm glad it was found, more info on keys generated...since you started this post

:cheers: