Most cars (think Japanese bland [Nissan Micra] or English ugly [Vauxhall Nova]) cars disappear from the roads when they age because they have no character.

About 10% of the total fleet survive, and after they hit the bottom of their depreciation scale they start to rise in value as collectibles.

A very small portion of the collectible market are characterless cars owned by Nana which are in pristine condition when the she dies 30 years after she bought it new. Most are character cars were on Top Gear's cool wall on the cool end. The LR2/FL2 was always cool (except to Discovery/RR owners) but is moving more chill as it ages.

They are varying condition where restoration depends on demand. A Bristol, for example, does not command as high prices as a comparable Jag, just because there were so few people who knew what a Bristol was, even though they were better made than a Jag and infinity more rare. So rare only a few know about them and they have sensible budgets (think James May who lost out on bidding on a Bristol*

Collectibles have a six phase life cycle:

Phase 1: A new car, you go to the dealer who replaces parts under warranty.
Phase 2: The dealer charges an arm and a leg to replace the item which is in stock. You grin and bear it.
Phase 3: Independent services who offer a working equivalent of varying quality. A forum arises to share woes.
Phase 4: Marque forums become sophisticated as subsequent owners are DIY, who take the part apart, fix it and post it on a forum how to do it. A few gurus arise, and their knowledge becomes gold for the members. When they die they are mourned and there is a true loss. The forum becomes bloated where we have to wait for AI to find gold among the dross.
Phase 5: The part is no longer fixable, and a workaround is needed. Forum members who are electrical or mechanical engineers post analysis of how the system works, and what is needed to bypass the systems to keep the car running
Phase 6: The car has become so valuable, someone starts manufacturing new parts. For example an Alfa 105 is half a century old, but almost every part can be sourced new. Of course, this will be a greater challenge when the part is digital not analogue

The LF2/FL2 will soon move into Phase 5 and this post is about the digital key fob

The LR2 key fob was an early attempt to control car theft, especially in Europe where it is a problem. It is typical German thinking - over engineer; which is why their tanks lost WW2.

Most of the threads on this site are Phase 4 posts... how to replace batteries or keep the fob going.

But at a certain age, it's time to understand how the whole thing works to see how to hotwire around it. Hopefully there is someone on this site who knows. If not, let's start a conversation to build that knowledge.

Most of key fob systems send out a radio (RF) signal to a receiver that activates an unlock the steering lock and signals the pushbutton to start the car; the dash lights up.

In the old days, the steering lock could be removed and the power to the start cycle effectively hot wired. I own a W460 GWagon whose the complex but no-longer-available ignition switch failed, I ran a hot wire to bypass and installed a switch in the dash. Turn it, and the dash lights up, turn the key and it starts and runs. Turn the key off and it keeps running until the hot wire switch is turned off. It is kept on an island where the only way to get off is by ferry and everyone knows everyone, so no worry about theft.

So, for those of you who live in places where people steal cars, please stop reading, and refrain from recoiling in horror and replying with risk comments. You live in a world that needs the car's security system and when it stops working, you need to sell the car.

Back to topic: we need to work out how the digital system works in the LR2/FL2 and how to work around the parts that fail and are no longer available.

The RF signal from the fob needs power, but it is not a moving part. So I presume it may be possible to remove it from the key, install it in the car permanently, and solder it to a switch to power it on and off. This effectively means the protection of the car is either not driven in a place where people steal cars, or that the switch set up is an access control fingerprint identification module programmed to the driver and spouse.

Then the other part is the door unlocking, which while in the same key is usually a completely different function. It may be the same RF signal, and if so, this needs an electronic engineer to work out what the signal is. In some cases, the fob can continue to unlock the door even after the ignition is bypassed.

Are there any rocket scientists on the forum who can put forth ideas on how to keep a LR2/FL2 running in Phase 5?


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*see James May at the auction. Start at 3:27 minutes

My 'Classic' Car time was some years ago so complex Logic Modules and Bus type Communications were not being used. Therefore my thoughts on the subject that I wrote 7 years ago did not recognise a 'Phase 5'.
https://www.freel2.com/forum/topic31364.html?highlight=sprint

The first Forum that I saw (and in some ways participated in) Reverse Engineering was that of the Outlander PHEV, so I agree that logic/electronic work-arounds may be needed in the future.

I suggest that you start by studying the Repair Manual/Wiring and look for any inhibit signals, otherwise I would worry about unintended consequences of fiddling with software.

If you don't need to remove your key for security reasons, why not leave it in (unlocked) and provide a car-sourced power to it.

Good Luck and Go Careful

PS Did you know that the early Bristol Cars were based on the prewar BMW models.
https://www.britainbycar.co.uk/bristol/273-bristol-cars
They were lovely cars. FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 82k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)