Usually, unless we’re talking about race cars with a dedicated panel or modern, software-intensive vehicles that are connected to the cloud, cars come with keys. Keys on their own can get easily misplaced, so there’s a good chance you’re rocking some sort of keychain or lanyard on the key ring of at least one of your vehicles. The question is: What sort of keychains are you rocking, how did you come to own them, and are you happy with them? I’ll start.
Admittedly, I haven’t always been a key chain guy, partly because many of the car I’ve owned have featured a separate fob for the remote locks from the physical key, and that’s been enough to keep things from getting lost. However, I now own two cars with integrated fobs, so key chains have become necessities, and here’s what I’m rocking.
On the ring for the fob on my 3 Series, I’ve got a keychain with an orange E30 M3 printed in it that I got from One Hell Of A Town. It’s been durable, and there’s some greater meaning to it too — not only do I love E30s, this one’s a depiction of the one on the cover of Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia, Ultra and that’s one of my favorite mixtapes ever. This one’s a 10/10 keeping forever sort of scenario.
Now, my Boxster’s key is attached to an actual chain with a lovely metal Porsche pendant on the other end. It came with the car and I believe it to be period-correct, although I’m not entirely sure whether or not it’s an actual Porsche accessory. It’s a little worn from decades in pockets, but that sort of patination feels like an honor rather than a burden.
So, what stylistic accessory lives on your key ring? It could be a key chain, it could be a lanyard, it could be a jet tag, whatever the case, I want to know all about it in the comments below.
Pete piping in … I’d also like to know how you’re keeping your keys findable at home. Are you a key-hook person? More of a key bowl fan? I really like this miniature amp setup as shared by Shitbox Showdown author Mark Tucker:
Meanwhile, ya boy Stephen! Walter! Gossin! favors this fantastic Time Machine key-keeper, which is clearly getting a workout:
I’m a fan of this very clever and fun Lego setup. It’s easily DIY-able, you definitely don’t need the official boxed item.
To the comments!
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My daily has all the beep boops for points collecting at various stores, and a highly worn Scottish family crest.
The land yacht has a Skid Factory key tag and a bottle opener. My bulk keys have a Heineken bottle opener lanyard, sans the long part of the lanyard. That’s been around for about 12 years now.
My BA Fairlane Ghia has an enamelled Ghia crest keytag, my 1962 Valiant has a diecast ‘Valiant’ script keytag designed to resemble an original Valiant badge of the era.
The key that I actually use only has a tiny adapter that lets me attach it to my “modular key ring” that can hold my house keys, my dad’s house key, bicycle keys, holiday accommodation keys, whatever. I usually don’t use it, so the key is practically solo. That is better for the ignition lock, and the key fits into the “watch pocket” of my jeans.
The spare key (the non-fold-able one) is still in the little pouch it came with from the dealership.
At the moment everything is in a bowl and it’s a mess, but that’ll change as soon as we move to our new house.
I’m in the process of getting key chains for every vehicle.
The Z4 has a BMW pendant painted in the car color
My Datsun has a one with the old logo in Japanese
The Clio has a Renault pendant.
I need to buy one for the Honda Rebel and the Peugeot 306 if we decide to keep it.
For my daily I have a keychain crafted by my daughter. For my AE86 I have a cut out plastic keychain with an AE86 in front of a Malaysian flag. This was gifted by Hadi who made an attempt to do a world tour on his AE86 and he made it all the way to the Netherlands. For my Carina TA60 I have a vintage NGK keychain with their logo and spark plugs embossed. This is the one:
https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/JjMAAOSwJjVlOuW4/s-l1200.webp
None, my two Porsches my 11 sec quarter mile truck and jetta tdi daily are just their key/fob nothing else and they never come out of the ignition period. I leave keys in all my cars regaurdless where I’m at or what I’m doing. Granted I’m in a small poor area even when I’m in the city keys are in it. At the boat ramp out on the lake, keys are in the truck. Keychains are a burden that make noise as you hit bumps on the crappy roads around here and make them harder to retrieve in the event you (customers get locked out)
I don’t like things that jangle or clank or rattle in my car, so my car key is solely attached to my house key. My bikes have their own keys with fobs to make them easier to remove from pockets with gloved hands, but just the key for that vehicle. I hate the rat king of keys that so many people have in their pockets, and decided I would never do that.
20+ years ago when I graduated University, my mom got me a Tiffany & Co Keychain that has a tag that is registered at Tiffany with my name and address in case it gets stolen. I keep the absolute bare minimum on it.
Metal remove before flight tag from a rocket engine and a bomb release pin from a bomb dropped from an F-15 I B-manned for during operation Odyssey Dawn.
Despite appearances my Triumph Acclaim is, it would seem, a Rock & Roll Machine.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53878507202_7aed4899af_b.jpg
I use a Corter Bottlehook, except the only car keys on it are for my MGB. My Miata key is one of those stupid switchblade things with the lock buttons on it, and is far too large to go on a key ring with other keys (or sit comfortably in my pocket), so it has to go solo. I’ve got an old bike lock key on its ring, I’m not sure why though
I have a lego Yoda and bottle opener that I have had since I was at uni. I love the Yoda (actually he was replaced with a new Yoda cos old Yoda’s face had chissled off). Plus the key to our family Subaru and my company BYD. I have the original dealer key chain from the first ever brand new car we ever bought on our Ford that doesn’t really get used – even though the key chain is a Toyota dealer one. Its there for nostalgia only – even if it messes with my OCD.
My Boxster S key has a small leather attachment with “Drive Fast, Don’t Die” embossed on it. That’s my reminder every time I turn the key. Given to me by a friend who is a sometimes nervous passenger.
Some 25 years ago, I bought a Genie mild steel header for my Suzuki Swift GTi.
It came with a warranty validation card, which I would have to fill out and mail from Toronto to Genie HQ in Australia.
I faithfully sent the card, thinking that was the last I would ever hear of it. I had several buddies who bought the same product but never gave a second thought to registering the warranty.
A few months after I had forgotten about it, an envelope arrived in the mail. Inside it was a lovely little brass Keychain with a Genie logo and a depiction of a header. On the back was an engraving of the serial number with the last few digits engraved by hand and painted red.
I still have the header and my Swift GTi’s key still hangs from that keychain.
a Radwood one on my Rad-era car;
a sparkly pink one for my motorcycle that reads: “Don’t dull my sparkle, asshole”
My Vanagon keys have a long, bright idiot string to keep me from locking the keys in, as popping a window out to get back inside is a huge pain in the ass. It’s only worked 75% of the time, but that’s still better than I was, before.
My Bug has a little, shiny plastic Foundation Imperial seal. Because breaking into a Bug is easy, it gets the fun keychain, not the practical one.
A Lego Groot. My fiance had never been to a Lego store before, so we picked keychains out for each other while on a date after we took turns making minifigure versions of oureselves. Once I get a second key for my Mazda 3, it’ll get a 787b keychain since that’s my favorite race car.
I was never big on keychains, but my last two cars have just been fobs so I need some way to hang them on the hooks by the door, which is how I never lose my keys.
I have two sets of keys. One has a fob and my apartment key….and the other has my other fob and my other apartment key.
I’m not a big aesthetics guy. When some friends vacationed in Vermont many years ago, they found something aesthetic I could use: a VW bus keychain.
Sadly, it has since broken (twas one solid piece with its ring), so I’m left without any vanity piece.
Still, since the key can stay in my pocket while I’m driving, I’m not in any rush to replace it with something personalized.
I try to keep it simple. I’ve got the key to my recently acquired ‘05 RX 330, the fob for my wife’s ‘22 Tiguan, our house key, a Tile (because we need to be able to find at least one set of keys), and a leather key chain made from an old catcher’s nut that my wife gave me after my grandfather passed (he played minor league ball and was a sports editor in Atlanta for years).
I’ve definitely simplified over the years. Gone are the days of a dozen keys on a carabiner with a separate lock fob dangling off.
In our house we have a big dish that sits by the front door that catches keys and other daily detritus. Works pretty well!
and a leather key chain made from an old catcher’s nut
At least use the guy’s name. He doesn’t deserve to be known only as an old catcher, considering his sacrifice.
Haha oh, goodness. Autocorrect and a lack of attention on my part. Catcher’s mitt.
A Tile locator.
What good is a cool keychain if I’ve lost my keys and can’t find them?
I’ve got a single keychain I’ve had for well over a decade now which just gets switched to the next vehicle’s keyfob. It’s a small orange plastic 42 Draft Designs logo. 42 Draft Designs is/was a VW/Audi tuning company which sadly recently decided to close their doors in June 2024 due to economic reasons and because the owner’s father who was a big part of the company passed away this year.
My remote fob for the S60, a Wiener Warrior swiss army knife https://www.bladehq.com/item–Victorinox-Classic-SD-Blade-HQ–190330 a house key, and a brass chinese fu dog head that’s about the size of a mid-sized marble.
For my 2001 F250, which my dad bought new, I just found the original key chain from the dealership he bought it from. It’s kind of cool because that dealership doesn’t exist anymore. Otherwise, I don’t really have any keychains. I have too many keys so I don’t put too many keychains on them to keep them from getting too big.
I’m a big fan of “petroliana” like that that ties something general (a mass produced vehicle) to something specific (a relevant actual dealership) – it enhances the personal connection to our stuff!
No keychain. With the size of fobs today, I’m looking to cut down on pocket bulk in any way possible. I’ve even started using my digital key on my phone instead of the fob.
I’m particularly fond of the old vinyl swag style that businesses give out.
For my motorcycle I have a vinyl one shaped like a motorcycle I got off Ebay with some cycle dealer name on the back.
For my Ranger EV I actually found a Ford alt-fuel vinyl one on Ebay that matches the alt-fuel leafy green line into road line graphics on my tailgate, so if I was in a parking lot and confused which ranger was mine, I could simply look at my keychain and go ah-ha, it’s that one!
For our Subaru Forester I have a soft vinyl clear pine-tree one, again from Ebay, Forester, Pine Tree, ya get it??? I’m hilarious.
For our Chevy Bolt it’s got one of those giant fobs which is annoying, and so big it doesn’t really need a keychain, but I actually have a small Gonk droid chain my sister got me after our trip to Disney when I was looking for their official Gonk droid keychain in Star Wars land but they had changed over to other keychains so didn’t have any. Gonk droid cause the car is a giant moving battery, like a GNK power droid.