Vehicle question

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Related advice: I leave a bit of dry towel sticking out of shut hatchback, so I can dry the salt water off of valet key beforeinserting into door lock, so I don’t rust the gutz out of my door locking mechanism.
 
I'm contemplating getting into a new truck or SUV. I haven't bought a new vehicle in a long time and something about the new keys has me concerned.

What do you do with the key when you go in the water? Most places I dive are relatively safe, but there have been a few places I don't think I want to leave the key in an accessible location, and given the whole pushbutton start thing I'm at a loss for what to do with the keys so that I don't drown the keys accidentally and I come back to my vehicle being there.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Landrover offers water proof keys, i just put mine behind the hitch on my truck, like i take the hitch out key in and then secure the hitch back in... <TG>
 
these work well since whatever vehicle you get in SUV/Truck world should have a hitch...
https://www.amazon.com/HitchSafe-HS...=1&keywords=hitch+vault&qid=1606828148&sr=8-2

Other than that, the key pads for Fords are great and will let you lock the keys in your vehicle which wasn't necessarily a buying decision when I bought my Expedition over a Suburban, but if it came down to a deal breaker, it would have tipped it over. I really don't know why more manufacturers don't use them, but whatever.

I don't believe most SUVs are sold with a hitch, it tends to be an add on. (And if you buy it new from a dealer with a hitch, some only want to do it as part of a package with transmission coolers etc, running up the cost. Never mind that you don't need to get that fancy if you're only using the hitch for light duty, rather than towing an RV or something. We just installed a non-OEM hitch on one of our SUVs for other reasons - much cheaper than dealer but still an expensive way to solve the key problem if you don't already have one. :)

It seems few vehicle designers or manufacturers consider how fancy entry systems that think they know what's best for you are a problem for some uses. Or how people might want roof racks that hold something other than a cargo box or maybe skis. (Factory bars aren't great for lots of things, and usually too close together.) Or good front and rear tie down points, which have pretty much gone the way of the dodo. Or whatever, they seem to have forgotten about the "Sport" and "Utility" parts of SUV. I guess it's good for all the businesses based on addressing it...
 
these work well since whatever vehicle you get in SUV/Truck world should have a hitch...
https://www.amazon.com/HitchSafe-HS...=1&keywords=hitch+vault&qid=1606828148&sr=8-2

Other than that, the key pads for Fords are great and will let you lock the keys in your vehicle which wasn't necessarily a buying decision when I bought my Expedition over a Suburban, but if it came down to a deal breaker, it would have tipped it over. I really don't know why more manufacturers don't use them, but whatever.

Heard some less than stellar stories of those. Not being very secure was the theme...
 
@Damselfish didn't say they were sold with a hitch, said that the one you buy should have one ;-)

Heard some less than stellar stories of those. Not being very secure was the theme...
ditto, but these kinds of things are really only to deter someone enough from dealing with your car and moving onto someone else's. Same with the one from Mako, it's not going to stop someone with bolt cutters, but it's going to deter some druggy from looking where you put your keys and rifling through your vehicle.
 
What I did for my local diving was buy a used cargo van previously owned by a company that did not believe in any frills whatsoever for its drivers. It's hard to believe that in 2012 Chevrolet was making vans with all the features of a 1957 vehicle, but apparently you could order such a thing. Of course, if you are not hauling helium and oxygen supply bottles and a booster to the dive site, that might be more than you need.
 
.Just drive a beat out old truck to a dive site, park it next to someones $57,000 new Ford F-150, see which one gets broken into. In cave country, that is known as the Orlowski anti theft method.
 
My Escape has a keypad on the driver's door. I always just lock my keys in the car, out of sight, when I'm diving or kayaking, then unlock it with the code. Do they still sell those old magnetic hide-a-key boxes that you can tuck under a fender or wheel well?
 
There are numerous threads on this subject since some genius came up with the idea of electronic keys. A related subject of how much they cost if you lose one (me, TWICE), and that it's been many years since you could make copies that would not just get you in the door, but also start the motor! Anyone remember those days?

Anyway, here in NS I put the key in a ziplock bag (in case of rain, other wetness) and under a flat rock (that I store in the car) near the car. In NY I make darn sure no one sees me do this first, and at times tuck it in thick bushes or bury it.
I know some will cite waterproof thingys they put keys in to take them on the dive. No thanks with a $300 key -(fob....). Also many different "valet" situations, various boxes, etc., since you can never tell what new doohickies this year's car model will have. No more wiring a simple metal key under the car since the costly one is now exposed to the environment.

One idea I had was to make the car alarm separate from the key that operates the car. Too complicated-- it would mean you'd have TWO things to worry about. Can't have that in the days when cars talk to you and lock themselves. It's funny to read some of the complicated replies on these "key" threads. Can I have my '80 Honda Civic back?
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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