[JithinR]

I would request the mods to remove "TATA" and "Altroz" from the thread title altogether (if nothing else it would take away ammunition from guys who would use this non-issue to defend TATA's actual QC misses by pointing out that Team-BHP is biased against TATA).

While I don't think it was smart to divert from an appointment with a hard ETA it is ultimately up to one's personal risk appetite. I generally plan to reach the check-in gate just as those guys open up.

But I guess for someone younger it might be different. However, this whole incident is just a result of over-reliance on technology. At most, we can say that with the growing prevalence of these smart keys service personnel should have an SOP that emphasizes the least destructive way to get the customer back into the car.

I really appreciate TATA service guys for responding in such a short time.

[ggkg]

I'm impressed that Tata sent someone that fast! It's certainly not their fault. I've personally forgotten to carry passport and realised at the airport. Lost 000s rebooking. It's no different.

Of course checking in at the last minute, hanging around in the airport cafe until called by name and chased after by frantic crew, talking loudly incessantly on the phone right up to take off, resuming it even before wheels hit the ground on landing, carrying over sized bags often two or three of them into cabin are all social diseases many suffer from and there's no cure.

[dark.knight]

Let's just say, I'm apalled, less at the incident and more for the reactions to the incident, pointing every finger at the OP.

In my mind it is simple, let's take the airport trip/catching the flight out of the equation ENTIRELY, no one can be held liable for that, not the owner of the car who offered to drop his customers and was even willing to sacrifice the glass of his car for their sake, nor the customers themselves, nor the tea joint or Tata, both the company and the car.

HOWEVER, might I also remind our friendly folk here that, irrespective of the reason to access a car, may it be taking a wife who's nearing her pregnancy term, or to take the elderly to the hospital or even to go 100 meters down the road for a cigarette, it is, all the same important that the car gives access to the holder(s) of the key into the cabin, that is step 1, step 2 is that the car grants ignition access as well, and no excuse is enough excuse as long as (a) the key-fob has a working battery and (b) the car battery has enough power.

Common-sense in design and otherwise, dictates that once the battery of the key-fob/band/remote whatever, once changed, should grant immediate access to the cabin of the car. It has happened to me once too and the remote started working once the cell was changed, its just that simple. Unless we're talking of bluetooth type pairing or via a mobile signal, everything that has been spot-welded inside the remote is directly about connecting with that particular car and the power enables the amplification of the signal.

If anything, this thread gives us a big take-away that "smart"-band keys are about as useless as a piece of rock in their worst moments and not worth the trade-off for the convenience. Even key-fobs come with a built-in key and that enables, at the very least, access to the cabin, which is of utmost necessity at all times.

I've been here long enough to have witnessed the very first time a thread was made bashing 2 Skoda Octavias for their poor reliability, which was quickly debunked as completely fabricated, so I understand the need for cynicism, but to just divert a possible life-lesson and pooh-pooh it away as brand bashing is just deplorable. It's ok to love a particular brand, I do too, but uproaring when that particular brand has a genuine fault is needless in a forum such as this, we love a brand because it suits our lifestyle and needs, not because it isn't sold in numbers that we'd like or that negative publicity would damage it, that'd make us PR reps and salesmen.

[rahulananda]

Originally Posted by ggkg

Of course checking in at the last minute, hanging around in the airport cafe until called by name and chased after by frantic crew, talking loudly incessantly on the phone right up to take off, resuming it even before wheels hit the ground on landing, carrying over sized bags often two or three of them into cabin are all social diseases many suffer from and there's no cure.

LOL!!! Spot on

Talking incessantly loud on the phone, not even my noise cancelling headphones can cancel that out

Nevertheless I reckon high time this thread is closed by mods before we turn this into a social disease thread.

[Turbanator]

Does the Tata manual explicitly mention to take smart key always with wearable key or it’s required only if the battery is to be replaced? Does the battery replace sign is displayed anywhere on the dash? ( like mouse battery level on computer) or is it just a guess?

Regarding, breakage of glass, I think OP’s luggage was inside so they had to take this call and irrespective of the fault, I will say the B&B host is a super nice and brave guy who let this happen to his new car.

And for that Tea break, and as Mr. Narayan has mentioned, many of us have done even more dramatic things

I believe the thread title is fine, will help other owners/ users be aware of limitations of the technology.

[drpudhi]

Wow. In three pages of this thread, i found only 1 post (OP) that was against TATA and 2 other posts supporting the OP and not really against TATA. But this is supposedly a TATA bashing thread ? Looks more like all the bashing is towards the poor OP. As far as the issue itself, it's ok the OP had highlighted Altroz in the title, as this will be a warning to owners/ prospective owners to not entirely rely on wearable key and to carry the keyfob at all times. More than a fault, it's a quirk of the wearable key and people should be made aware of that, and believe me most who use it might not know it - the owners manual notwithstanding. May be, the OP can give a follow up from his host as to why the key didn't work after the battery change and his experience with service centre post the glass breaking episode.

[TrackDay]

No one is to be blamed here. These things happen and it is nobody's fault. Maybe the owner was not familiar with the new tech. This thread could perhaps be renamed as "Learning New car Tech" or something along such lines. Most folks have no idea about the implications of using such novel technology.

Originally Posted by GTO

Further, they can even start the car with no battery juice (you have to tap it on a specified spot inside the car).

I didn't know about this. Can some one explain elaborately.

[Kosfactor]

I expect a wearable key to work once the battery is replaced, it did not in this instance, that is worrying and is a design fault, it must be fixed.

[--gKrish--]

Originally Posted by TrackDay

I didn't know about this. Can some one explain elaborately.

If the smart key runs out of juice, the key stops transmitting signals to the car. So, the keyless entry and normal push button start won't work. However, you can unlock manually using the skeleton key.

After entering the car, you won't be able to start it normally as the push button start will be disabled (because the key won't be detected). You can place the skeleton key on the specified location in the car so that the key's transponder (which doesn't require battery to operate) can be detected by the car and the car can be started. This location is usually near the push button.

Please refer this post to see the location in Hyundai Creta
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ml#post4522136 (Review: Hyundai Creta (1st-gen))

[Akshay6988]

Originally Posted by TrackDay

I didn't know about this. Can some one explain elaborately.

Vehicles with start stop button have a designated area (usually the button itself or somewhere near centre console) where you can put the keyfob and start the car.
Although battery power is low to perform the usual tasks, it still produces some induction current. The ECM detects the key and you can start the car.

[landcruiser123]

Good preparedness is key to survival. I’d consider leaving the smart key at home a careless mistake. Do you blame the manufacturer if your car has a spare tire but you don’t know how to install it? NO. My uncle relies on the TESLA app on his android phone but always has the key card in his wallet should his phone not work.

Please don’t blame Tata for this mishap. Read your owners manual for warnings and alternate strategies should you face a situation like you experienced.

[Mortis]

If I'm not mistaken, it was mentioned in one of the Nexon threads that for the smart band key to work, some sort of handover or pairing needs to take place for it to work. This is most likely why the band wasn't able to unlock the car even after putting in a new battery. The pairing was lost. I guess it is a security feature and makes sense, as I recently learned wrt unlocking my Dzire with the key after it was locked with the remote.

[anandhsub]

What I don't understand is what's the point of the wearable key if one needs to carry the smart key at all times as it is mentioned in the manual?

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by anandhsub

What I don't understand is what's the point of the wearable key if one needs to carry the smart key at all times as it is mentioned in the manual?

Probably when the battery in the wearable band is new or not drained out, it is fine to carry it alone without the smart key. However, when the battery in the wearable key is depleted or about to get drained out, it is a bad idea to leave the smart key home. As someone posted earlier, the manual says that the battery life in the wearable key is about 10 months. So maybe in first 6 months (after a new battery) it is fine to not carry the smart key. Further, the car will warn you when the wearable battery is low. There are warning in the instrument cluster.

I think the key here is that the owner probably missed an alert in the instrument cluster earlier about low battery warning. Once that alert comes, one must immediately replace the battery or carry the spare smart key all the time. Missing this warning alert was probably the key mistake in this whole story!

[pavi]

Although I agree to all the comments here regarding the back up plan, I don't know if anyone have noticed one genuine issue here. The TATA guys have changed the battery, still the wearable key was not working. Does it involve any pairing to be made after a battery change or does this point to an issue with the wearable key itself. If a dead battery was the actual culprit, 'why did a battery change not fix the issue', is I think the case in point here on which the discussion should be based on.

Note: Every body definitely learn from first hand experiences, so OP by now understand 'the life's lessons' based on his experience. So 'you should have' can take a back seat here I think, and we should focus on Why.