Gearhead Jim

Some people call it my Fob Button Protector, I call it my Clicker Condom.

Either way, it protects the fob buttons from being pushed by all the junk in my pocket. With the early style fob on our 2006, my alarm was going off by accident about once a month. With the new style fob on our 2009, it was going off once or twice a day.
With the Protector now installed, accidental alarms, trunk openings, etc; are not totally eliminated but are greatly reduced.

Some people put tape over the electrical contacts inside the fob, that eliminates the "False Alarm" problem but prevents any use of the button(s) until you take the fob apart again.

Others put the fob in something like a Tic-Tac container, that worked for me but rattled and was bigger/pointier in my pocket.

Of course, if you prefer to lock and unlock your car "by hand", using the buttons, then this system is probably not for you.
We use the automatic locking and unlocking, so only need the buttons a couple of times per year.

The project goes like this:

1. Google "Fob Jacket" (the jacketstore), look under "Corvette", and buy the proper size in your favorite color. Maybe buy two, because they don't last forever.

2. Get a notebook binder with a thin but stiff plastic cover. Cut out a piece that will just cover the front of your fob. If you go too small, it will shift around inside the Jacket. If you go too large, you may tear the Jacket. Don't be afraid to experiment, you've got enough material for a dozen or more attempts.
Bevel the corners to reduce the chance of tearing.

3. Once you've got the proper size, measure and mark where the holes should be, to use a ball point pen to activate the buttons. Punch your preliminary holes with the smallest size on a hole puncher, that will allow you to see if you've got the right location and adjust a little when you make the final holes. I used about 1/8" for the final size, small enough to still protect the buttons but large enough for my pen to hit the buttons when needed.

4. Put it all together and enjoy the silence of no "False Alarms" every time you bend over. Well, mostly silent. I still get the occasional "Premature Activation", but it's much better than before.

An additional advantage of the Fob Jacket is that my emergency key release button has failed, the key would fall of the fob almost immediately, but the Jacket holds it in place.

Vette_DD

Very helpful info. for those folks with lots of stuff in their pockets, but I've only had the problem once in 9 years.

I'm lucky enough to be able to leave my fob on a hook in my office when I'm not going somewhere soon in the Vette.

Steve_R

I've only set the alarm off once since I've owned it because of stuff in my pocket. Looks like this will prevent that, but what happens if you don't have something pointed when you need to push a button?

Gearhead Jim

You can slide out the protector very quickly and just use the button normally. Since I leave our car set to lock and unlock automatically (Passive Locking and Unlocking), I only need the buttons a couple of times per year.
Those who prefer to use the buttons on a daily basis, probably should not use this system. I'll edit the original post to point that out.

MKenM

Jim

Thanks so very much for the pictures. My problem is there have been several times with the fob in my pocket with nothing else I have caused the alarm to go off. This should solve he problem.

I wonder what would happen if you put the jacket on backwards. Does it provide enough protection against accidental activation?

Mike M.

Rich Mickol

I generally keep the FOB in a pocket all by itself. I gotta admit, that's a great idea. Thanks for sharing.

Gearhead Jim

A very interesting question. My suspicion is that it won't help much, because the Jacket material is so thin and flexible. If you do try it that way, please post your results.

Tonylmiller

I hang my fob on my belt loop in the front. Never had a problem. I don't want it in my pocket.

HOXXOH

A few months ago, I had my wife's FOB (buttons enabled) and my FOB (buttons disabled) and our Caddy FOB all in the same pocket. I was changing pads on the Vette and bent over, which activated the alarm on one of the cars in the garage. I quickly pulled out the FOBs and started pushing buttons. since I didn't know which car it was, I ended up have both of them honking. It took a lot longer to shut them off than I wanted, since having two horns honking in a closed garage is a little unnerving. It's kinda funny now, but not then.
The revised procedure is to empty pockets of any FOBs before working around either car.

Normally, I only carry the Vette FOB in one pocket, cell phone in another, and billfold in the third. I like to travel light.

Your trick sounds like a neat deal for those who can use it that way.

Don-Vette

I use this nice leather fob cover.....





http://www.keywraps.com/products/4

FortMorganAl

Great "invention". I would sand all the rough edges in addition to beveling to further reduce the chance of abrasion on the silicone cover. I might also try not cutting any holes until you find you really need to use the buttons. I don't recall ever using the buttons in the past 7 years except during testing when I could have easily taken the FOB out of my similar jacket.

Boozman

Great idea thanks for sharing

Joe B.

Nice! Here's my method. FOB is suspended, all by it's lonesome, buttons facing in, at a height where I'm least likely to accidentally activate one.

fyreline

Good solutions . . . I can't help but wonder why GM doesn't make the fob with a closing or sliding cover of some kind in the first place? Myself, I've had a couple of false activations in the 7 years I've had the car, but not enough to be troublesome. I did install a custom-painted fob cover to match the car but that's just for looks.

Tonylmiller

The thing is, I ever actually use the buttons on the fob. The car locks and unlocks itself, and I use the button over the tag to open the trunk. I guess I could put it in a hard case and it wouldn't matter.

Grimlock13

I also have it clipped to a leather strap that goes around my belt, but I do then "hang" it in my pocket. only other stuff in my pocket is change, but the fob is only about half deep in the pocket. Nothing touches it.

DigitalWidgets

Jim,

Love the "improvement" to the FOB cover design. I've had the same little rubber FOB cover myself for several years now. The only drawback I've found is this thing seems to be a pocket lint magnet. It always feels like its dirty ("linty"?) and has a bit of gritty sand on it.

That being said, it does work well, although I still manage to trigger the alarm and hood at times! I'll have to give your project idea a try.

Randy G.

Gearhead Jim

I agree about the "lint magnet" issue, but it seems to decrease over time for me. Much easier to deal with than having that danged alarm go off every time I bend over to pick up something. Especially if I'm in the garage when it happens. Or worse, if my wife is in the garage.

cclive

Now the fob looks like it is surprised

Gearhead Jim

Four years and I never noticed that...