Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Keyless

I can’t for the life of me wonder why so much gadgetry is pumped into cars. It adds to the cost, weight, complexity, more to go wrong, distraction, induces laziness, creates a feeling that the car will save you when you get it wrong.
If we ever go driverless then ok, the gadgets will keep you entertained. They also seem to add to the marketing and sales spiel. Create a “must have” mentality to boast about and give a feeling of missing out by not having them.
I wonder how much cheaper and fuel efficient cars could be?
But then, less opportunity for manufacturers/dealers to boost profits.

Following on from the above post I have used the MMC configurator for the CX cars. Start with rock bottom basic. Add on essentials ( luggage rack ). Now the £££££££ starts......
Colours, bling, wheels......
How much for a different colour stitching on the leather?Really?
One glaring anomaly....why no lockable glovebox? Even as an expensive option?
OK I get the personalisation factor, especially colour preferences but even they seem over the top. Are the non standard paints made with exotic constituents? The cars are built as one-offs not on an automated production conveyor so the painter reaches for a different tin of paint or different colour primer. Yes there are cost increases for metallics but solid colours should be a little bit more not the huge increase.
In the end the enticements for personalisation add to MMC profits so I can understand the train of thought.
Back on topic re keyless. If the BMW ECU system is designed for it then ok, replacing it with a standard key with the “plip” system should be fairly easy but remember....it is a Morgan!

As the OP I should clarify that my Jag is keyless start (key transponder has to be in or near the car) but I opted not to have keyless entry when I ordered the car.

Good move
Manufactures have it down to a fine art to bleed you on extras in some cases virtually essential kit. How about a McLaren Senna, £1550 for a green key with logo, presumably you get a perfectly functional well made key anyhow no doubt with a logo. How many children in Africa would that feed for a year?
£3333 for some yellow sticky back plastic for the splitter & skirts is just gross. Would not a charitable donation for that amount give more of a feel good sense? Your money spend it as you wish

You don't even need to go new for the bleeding effect.

A colleagues RS6 goes in for a service.
They send a report showing her can of gum for the flat tyre recovery is one year past date. Replacement is £77, just click for us to fix it.

That seems very good - I had it the other way round. Keyless for the doors and having to stick the key to start.
Did not get used to it for the half a year I drove the car. Always forgot the key in the pocket and had to fiddle for it wanting to start.

Every now and than it happens in the morgan as well. Doors are kind of keyless, key lives in the door pocket normally I only have to think of the key when on tour...

A couple of years ago, an old mate of mine who is a lifelong Leeds United fan saw an opportunity to take in Leeds vs Birmingham City at Elland Road en route to dropping their daughter off at Newcastle Uni for freshers week. The plan was simple; load up the Range Rover, drive from Brighton to Leeds, where he would get out for the match, leaving the missus and the apple of his eye to make their way on up to the toon to unload all of her clobber etc. He would then rejoin them by train for the evening's hostilities.

When they got to Leeds, he hopped out of the car, the wife slid across to the driver's seat, and with a cheery wave drove off.

Just as the game was starting his phone rang. It was his better half, who having stopped for fuel at Durham services, was unable to restart the car.....because the key was still in his pocket. He had to abandon the match, and after a very expensive taxi ride was able to rescue the ladies in his life. The missus did admit that there had been quite an insistent warning light, but as she has always driven German cars she assumed it was just down to shoddy British workmanship, so had ignored it.


I agree that keyless is a solution to a problem I've never been aware of; it's certainly not a feature I want on my cars. At the risk of being called a sexist, however, I can see that for some ladies, finding the keys in one of those bottomless handbags may be a massive and lengthy task which can be easily avoided by a keyless system.

I had my first experience with a keyless rental car five years ago. It had mentally overwhelmed me at the beginning when I returned to the car to see if I had locked it.