Keyless - Starting engine with key

[titchy]

Hoping you guys can help.

My wife recently couldn't get into her Passat for some reason and had to resort to taking the cap off the door handle and using the tiny key that's inside the fob. So she does this and then the alarm goes off. It's dark, cold and now she calls me at home in a state and asks me to bring the spare key. So I get there, stop the alarm with the spare keyfob but then it occurred to me; if I wasn't around, how would she have started the ignition when there's no hole to put the key into? I checked the usual position and could see that there's a tiny embossed key symbol where the ignition would usually be. What are you supposed to do? Pierce it? And how much would it cost to have that fixed?

I couldn't find anything in the handbook regarding this so hoping you guys can help as I'm sure at some point this will happen again.

Thanks.

[The ANT]

In my old Renault there was a slot under the centre  of the dash for the key. Have you tried calling the dealer?

[titchy]

No, figured this would be the best place to ask. I thought the same would apply to the Golf with its keyless entry. It's a company car anyhow so it was purchased through a leasing company. Suppose I could call a dealer...

[jv]

'pierce it' 

The 'some reason' is almost certainly a low/flat battery in the keyfob.

To start the car hold the keyfob up to that key symbol and press the start/stop button. The immobiliser loop will still work.

This stuff seriously not in the manual? 

[titchy]

'pierce it' 

The 'some reason' is almost certainly a low/flat battery in the keyfob.

To start the car hold the keyfob up to that key symbol and press the start/stop button. The immobiliser loop will still work.

This stuff seriously not in the manual? 

Thanks for the advice. I don't recall seeing it but may have missed it. Either way, in a panicky situation and in the dark it should be more obvious what to do than having to flick through a several hundred page manual.

And it wasn't a flat battery as the key has continued to work ever since. This occurred last October and the car was brand new in May 2015.

[itavaltalainen]

When the key fob battery is dead and you have to open car with the tiny plastic key you need to hold the key to where you have ignition lock in a normal car and push the start button.
Rather then using the keyless system (which is an active wireless circuit powered of key battery) it then uses an old fashioned RFID transponder that works by induction from the immobiliser coil (which is fitted where you normally would find the ignition lock).

Personally I think it is relatively obvious what needs doing, but then again I probably know more about car electrics than your wife.
It's like changing a tyre, obvious to anyone who has the faintest interest in cars but look how many people wait for an hour for AA just because of a flat....