I know not to leave the key in the car ever..but how far away is safe so the batteries on both the car and the smart key won't drain. 10ft, 30ft etc???
Just changed the batteries in both. You can get the CR2032 batteries any where, like walmart,walgreens, Lowes, Longs etc. Doesn't have to come from the dealer. It's helpful that it's a battery used in lot's of stuff so they are readily available.
Thanks!

 

I can't quite answer your question regarding the minimum distance for the keys but, have a couple of key related observations.

In my '08 XK and in my 2012 XJL I can leave my key FOB on the back seat and everything works fine. In the dealer-provided 2012 XF when I put the FOB on the back seat the car would not start up. Key had to be around the front seat.

As to not leaving the FOB inside the car, great idea. My XK so far (in 3 years) had locked itself automatically on me 3 times with the FOB inside on the front passenger seat and me being outside the car. That is NOT supposed to happen, yet it happened repeatedly. When I told the dealer's service people, I could never re-create the locking scenario no matter how many times I tried purposely leaving the FOB inside to show that it would lock the door. The thing has a mind of its own, the shades of old Lucas electrics... besides, what would a real Jaguar be without some electronic gremlins?

Albert

 

I don't get the "accidentally locking the fob in the car" thing. I guess some men don't leave the fob in their pocket? (For women, I get it: they forget their purse.) There are folks who purposely leave their keys in the ignition of their car, and then they complain that the car "locked me out" or that someone stole their car.

I just keep my fob in my pocket. And I'm not a big fan of the fob, it's one more complication that can go wrong, expensive, a battery drain... an example I think of technology for the sake of technology.

 

Well, some men, like me, downright dislike the looks and feel of bulging pants pockets. Have you tried to put that ridiculously large FOB for a new XJ in your pocket, together with your cell phone, wallet, house-keys, change, etc? The mass and weight of them would pull your pants down to your ankles in seconds while making your mid-section look like an overstuffed potato.

I'm one of those European-born man who actually thinks that a men's shoulder bag is not only stylish (get lots of compliments from women on it) but, utterly practical to carry around all that mass that American men tend to stuff in their pockets. Thus, the FOB that ends up in the bag and on the front seat. The issue here is not the bag but, the fact that the car SHOULD NOT lock with the FOB inside the vehicle. The operating logic of the FOB makes a clear attempt towards that goal but, obviously Jaguar has not perfected electronic logic circuits, yet.

Albert

 

Ongoing thread in XF forum on need to lock your car to keep battery from draining as some accessories may stay on.