VW "Key Not Detected. Hold Key on Designated Surface" Message

Key fob dead in Volkswagen - how to get into the vehicle?

If your fob is dead, the best thing you can do is to use the emergency door open system with the metal key. Most VW keys come with a foldable metal key that you can easily unfold by clicking the metal button on the key. But some new keys will have a trickier system and you will need to know how to get the metal key out of the plastic fob. See this in the manual for your car or research in some forums.

In most keyless-entry Volkswagen cars, you will not have a visible keyhole to insert your metal key into. It's hidden under the plastic cover that is located on the right of the driver's door handle.

Here's what you need to do:

• first of all, take the metal key out of the fob no matter what type of fob you have;
• then, look at the bottom part of the plastic cover that is placed near the driver's door handle;
• insert the metal key into that little hole you see there and turn the key gently;
• the plastic cover is now released and you can see the metal keyhole;
• before opening the door of your VW car, remember that you will have just a little time to start the car, otherwise, the alarm will go off.

So, before you insert the metal key into that keyhole and open the door of your Volkswagen, you should learn how to start the car without the key. Because when the alarm will go off, you will not have any time to search on the internet.

Let's see what exactly you can do to start the car if the key fob in your Volkswagen car is dead.

Starting the car with a dead fob in Volkswagen

So, when you finally get into the car, you will see that the dash displays the error message saying "Key Not Detected. Hold Key on Designated Surface". If you try to press the start button, you most likely will not succeed because the car couldn't identify the key and is not sure that you are the owner.

While some drivers believe that there is just no chance to start the keyless-entry car when the fob is dead, each manufacturer offers you certain solutions. With your Volkswagen, the procedure is just as follows:

• after you got into the car and read this nasty error message, you should take your key fob in your hand;
• in most Volkswagen cars, it will be enough to touch the start button with the key and the message will disappear;
• you may just press the start button with the key and the system will identify the fob and unblock the vehicle;
• if this doesn't work, you may need to hold your key near the steering column - in the place where the older cars usually had ignition cylinders;
• when you are holding the key in that place, press the start button and your engine will eventually start.

Once you start the engine, everything will work well without the need to hold the key in a certain position. But be careful - put the key directly into your pocket or bag and don't leave this dead key fob inside your car. Chances are that the car will lock the doors because it doesn't identify the key and doesn't understand that it's still inside the car.

Also, you may want to open the manual for your model right now and see if the emergency start procedure with the dead key fob battery has some additional steps in your vehicle. Maybe, some Volkswagen cars have different key beds or places you should touch with the fob in order to start them.

Why can you start the VW car by touching a fob to the button?

This is a standard procedure for any car that has a keyless start function. But in some vehicles, you will have a designated key rest, in other vehicles you will have to touch the button with the key.

To understand this, you need to know how the keyless system works. It has several steps for communicating with the key fob:

• the fob always makes some waves on a certain frequency and once it comes into the zone of the car, it starts communicating with the vehicle;
• the keyless-entry system registers the key in the system and you can open the doors by pressing that small button on the handle;
• then, when you get into the car, the key recognition system keeps communicating with the fob and if everything is OK, you don't even need to touch the fob, just press the button and the engine will start;
• but if the key recognition system doesn't get the proper signal from the fob, it will not allow you to start the engine;
• you will see the "No Key" message or "Key Not Detected. Hold Key on Designated Surface" on the dash of the vehicle;
• once you press the fob to the button or to another designated area, the key recognition system can again communicate with the chip in the fob;
• it happens even if the battery is out of the fob - this system allows you to start the engine even if the fob is destroyed and you only have the chip in your hands.

So, this is not a hack or something. This is just how the keyless ignition system should work. It still has the opportunity to start the car even if the battery in your key fob is completely dead or absent. It doesn't mean that you will like the procedure and can ignore the low-battery messages in your Volkswagen. But it's still good that you have some kind of backup plan for a dead battery in the fob.

Why is my fob battery dead so quickly in a Volkswagen car?

If your previous vehicle was with a simple key-activated ignition system, you may remember that the fob battery usually can last about 10 years. It means that people just don't replace that battery and even don't know how their key fobs are taken apart.

But with keyless systems in modern cars, things became a little different. Your fob is constantly working and making waves. It's always ready to communicate with your car. It means that the battery is dying much faster than you may think.

For example, the classic old fob would only make some waves when you pressed the unlock or lock buttons. At all other times, the chip was communicating with your vehicle passively. New keyless fobs are working 24/7 and this leads to the very quick death of their batteries.

There is nothing weird in the situation when you need to replace a key fob battery every 10 months or so. But the OEM battery will almost always live up to 2 years. After that, it will need replacement. Also, check the spare key - it will most likely also require battery replacement at the same time as the main key.

What if your fob battery is OK but you still see this message?

If your VW is still telling you "Key Not Detected. Hold Key on Designated Surface" while the fob battery is OK, this means that the key recognition system is not in order. Most likely, the fob or the key identification control module is malfunctioning. You can check it in the dealership, but the question is how you can get there.

Actually, even if the key recognition system is not working properly, you can still start the car using the methods that I outlined above. There is no need to call a tow truck and spend more money on repair. You can just start your VW and go to the dealership to have the vehicle inspected with professional equipment for diagnostics.

Final thoughts

Whenever you see the "Key Not Detected. Hold Key on Designated Surface" message in your Volkswagen cat, you shouldn't worry much. Usually, this just means that the key fob battery is dead or dying and you just need to replace it. Even if you can't replace it right away, you can use the method of starting your vehicle with a dead key fob that I told you about in this article. Don't forget to solve the battery problem later on.