sashko

leave in the glove box. You don't want people stealing your car with the emergency key from the glove box.

local3

Plastic key is a so-called "wallet key" that you can carry on you and use in emergencies to open the car door (it fits in the drivers lock) as well as insert it into the adapter in the glove box and then insert this adapter into the keyfob hole and start the car.

Audi has had these black plastic "wallet keys" for a long time, but the new adapter for use in an A5/A4 that don't start with an actual key is a new feature.

dsdoying

in the glove box? This is a non-issue and it's just the OCD, ****-retentive part of me wondering, but what's the thinking for the little compartment in the glove box to hold the adapter (when the emergency key is at home in a safe place)?

Is there ANY purpose at all to having the adapter with the car without the key?

dsdoying

it makes sense to have the adapter in the car if you're carrying the emergency key in your wallet!

Thanks local3 - OCD put to rest...

Mageus

You keep the flat plastic part in your wallet. The faux fob is kept in the glove box (because it won't fit in your wallet).

If you can open the doors with the flat key by itself, why do you need the silly fob, you ask?

Because the ignition needs a physical fob inserted into it to work; the flat key won't start the car by itself.

Complicated? - yes.
Useless? - sorta.
Ability to generate tons of posts? - priceless.


'There is no such thing as a stupid question. Only inquisitive idiots.'

aerodave

If you keep the emergency key on you, like in your wallet, you want it to take up as little room as possible. You leave the non-essential part (the adapter) in the car for when you need to use it, and you just have to keep the critical part.

I'll admit, if you're just going to leave the emergency key at home as I do, it doesn't really matter. But this way, Audi has given us an option.