Miniature Subaru Key Fob Enclosure (Pair)
Replace your bulky OEM key fobs with these much smaller minimalist enclosures, and reclaim some of that very limited space in your skinny jeans today! This order includes TWO replacement enclosures. Now offered in 3 fun colors!
It also appears this enclosure will work for the GR86 key fob as well, since it's the same fob style.
WARNING: Subaru revised the electronic board on the fob, seemingly around the 2023 MY. As a result, while the outer fob casing is identical, the inner board is thinner. You need to identify which variant you have before ordering, as the mini fob is slightly tweaked to accomodate this change. They are NOT cross-compatible.
Please refer to STEP 2: BOARD VARIANT IDENTIFICATION in the installation guide to identify which variant you have before ordering (you will need to open your fob.)
Please refer to this INSTALLATION GUIDE.
Subaru's key fob doesn't look all that bad, but it is absolutely enormous, which isn't cool if you're trying to maintain a minimalist key ring, or hate bulky objects in your pockets (or are just plain skinny like me!) The good news is that a lot of the bulk of the OEM key fob is simply a result of the fancy design, and the actual internals are far smaller.
This 3D printed alternative fob case is basically as small of an enclosure as you can fit around the OEM board, and significantly reduces the size of the fob. Specifically, it's 20% shorter, 30% narrower, and 40% thinner than the OEM fob, all while weighing significantly less. Trust me, it's a VERY noticeable change in your pocket!
If you're like me, you utilize the keyless entry functions of your car, and never actually take the key fob out of your pocket, or really touch it in any way. The top is flexible enough that you can still easily press the four fob buttons, which are evenly spaced along the length of the fob, and the top two button still display a lock/unlock symbol, but this fob is really meant to be a "muscle memory" kind of thing, if you actually do reach into your pocket to press a button.
Note: This mini fob also eliminates the physical key from the fob. If your car battery completely dies, or the fob battery completely dies, you will not be able to gain entry to a locked vehicle without a physical key. In 8 years of ownership I've never had that issue, but if it worries you, then this might not be the fob for you. Alternatively you could always wrap the physical key up in some duct tape and stick it in a hidden spot under the car somewhere.
Note that this is an exercise in extreme minimalism, and that includes the removal of EVERYTHING extraneous from the fob apart from the board and the battery. That means no weather-sealing gasket, no silicone button layer, etc... I've been using this myself for many, many years now without any issues, but I also haven't tossed my keys into a lake! People who are extremely "abusive" to their keys might want to look elsewhere too. Again, this is a personal project I made for myself (that works well for me), that I put on sale after lots of request, but it is NOT something that has gone through rigorous testing to ensure it can be submerged for minutes on end, or run over by a car, or dropped from a 5 story building. Use this at your own risk!