Man Reveals Key Fob Hack Dealership Doesn't Tell You. Then He Tries It on Porsche, Mazda, and Mercedes to Prove It’s Universal

"Go visit your dealer."

Photo by: car_connoisseur

By: Alexandra Samuels

Sep 10, 2025 at 5:00am ET

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Did you know that even if you have a push-start car, you can start it without even getting inside—just by using your key fob?

Dom Giovanni (@car_connoisseur), who shares car tips on TikTok, recently showed viewers a trick that he says most drivers “probably didn’t know about.”

“You actually have a hidden ‘remote start’ function on your car,” Giovanni explains.

To try it, he says, press the unlock button once, then hit the lock button twice—holding the button down on the second press. In his video, Giovanni demonstrates the trick on a Porsche, then repeats it on a Mazda and a Mercedes to show that it works across different makes.

“HIDDEN REMOTE START THE DEALER DOESN’T TELL YOU ABOUT!!!” he writes in the caption. As of this writing, the video has racked up more than 16.8 million views.

Is This Legit?

Giovanni’s test seems to check out—he tries the trick on a Porsche, a Mazda, and a Mercedes, and it works on all three. Plenty of other drivers have stumbled onto the same thing.

On a Toyota truck forum, one Tacoma driver wrote, “Not sure if I’m just late to the game or not, but just found this and tested it on my 24 Pro and it works. I thought you could only use the Toyota app to auto-start the truck.” They explained the same lock–lock–hold sequence worked and added, “Hopefully this helps.”

Chevy Bolt owners have noticed similar quirks. One new owner shared that their key fob wouldn’t remote start unless they first unlocked and relocked the car. After asking a dealer, they learned “the remote start will not work unless the car ‘wakes up’ (chirps and/or flashes lights) when you hit the lock button,” which their car doesn’t do unless they unlock first.

Drivers keep swapping tips like this on Reddit and forums, so Giovanni’s viral video may be the start of people discovering what their key fobs can actually do.

Hidden Features On Your Car’s Key Fob

Your car’s key fob probably does more than you think. Most drivers know about locking and unlocking doors, honking the horn, or starting the engine remotely—but a lot of fobs have hidden tricks that make life easier.

According to Consumer Reports, some let you roll down every window at once, which is perfect for cooling off the car on a hot day. Usually, you press the unlock button twice, holding it down the second time until the windows open.

Remote start is common, too, but the button might show a circular arrow with no words. Some cars require a lock-then-start combination, while others require two quick presses. On a few BMWs, the feature is completely hidden—you tap the lock button three times fast and the engine fires up.

Trucks like newer Chevys and GMCs even let you fold in the mirrors by holding the lock button, which is a lifesaver on narrow streets.

Tesla’s fob takes things to another level with Summon mode, which can pull the car in and out of tight parking spaces while you stand outside.

And if your fob battery dies, there’s usually a mechanical key hidden inside. Look for a small button or latch that lets you pull it out so you can still unlock the door.

Hack Success Varies

Commenters said the hack’s results are all over the place. Plenty of commenters joked that it didn’t work for them, though it’s hard to tell how many were serious.

“Tried this on my Mercedes and it drove off without me,” one viewer said.

“I did it, and my microwave started,” another quipped.

“Tried [it] on my Range Rover Sport and now it says, ‘Go visit your dealer,’” added a third.

“No good on the 2023 Mercedes,” wrote a fourth.

Others were clearer that the trick failed.

“Tried this on my 1992 Daihatsu Rocky and it didn’t work,” one man said.

“I was hoping I had a hidden luxury in my car,” another admitted. “I did not.”

And some thought model year might be the deciding factor.

“What year are these cars?” one woman asked.

“I’m not even gonna try on my ‘03,” said another.

What do you think?

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