When you say "valet portion of the key fob," I don't know just what you mean. Our 2015 Premium is pretty basic and the key, with all the buttons on the key head, is needed to start the engine, so yours may be entirely different. Anyway, we have a separate valet key with no buttons on it, and it unlocks the driver's door without triggering the alarm. It would be nice for you if there is such a key in with all the material that came from the dealer and you've missed it. Hope so.

 

My key is an electronic key with a removable valet key that slides inside. This key does not disable the alarm when opening the driver door of a locked car. See photo.

 

Hope I don't double post here. What I had written disappeared when I tried to make a correction. Anyway, I feared your key system would be completely different, but I hoped there might have been a separate key that had been overlooked.

It didn't occur to me to try our valet key until sometime last week. When we had the windshield replaced in our 2009, we had to leave the car on a lot for several hours until the shop was ready. That was the only time the feature was any more than an irritant for us. I simply cannot imagine a value for having the key set off the alarm in any circumstance.

 

AFAIK there is no option that allows entry with the "manual key" without the alarm going off.

 

With my memory bumped by jjlwis's post I reread the Owner Manual... and there is solution, although it doesn't exactly address they OP's question about using the "valet" key. Using that key will always trigger the alarm. The below method omits its need altogether, and provides a way to gain keyless/remote-less entry without the alarm going off. Keeping the key on hand, just in case, is a good idea but it's not necessary with the referenced entry method.

On pages 2-19 through 2-21 the OM outlines the PIN Code feature, which allows entry without the key or remote. There appears no mention of such entry triggering the alarm, thus PIN Code entry should solve the OP's problem.

 

A while back, subaru had a feature on the forester /outback.. That in the rear tailgate there's a button, that allows you to hide the smart key inside the vehicle.. But it's a complicated process of button presses in sequence in order for the car to not "see" the key.. You can probably find a tutorial on YouTube. Good luck.

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If you wrap the fob in foil and put it into a hide a key you should be able to avoid the vehicle sensing the key. Then hide the box with key inside. Only problem might be someone watching you hide the key.

Another option is a key safe that uses a trailer hitch receiver. Also wrap the fob, lock in the safe, and most use a combination lock, no key.

EJ


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FWIW, after writing this morning I decided to try again to make sure. The car was unlocked, so I locked and unlocked it with the ignition key. Nothing happened. After several attempts with no alarm, I locked the car and waited several minutes. This time the alarm sounded as soon as I opened the door. Since I did my tests last week all within fractions of a minute of each other, it begins to look as if Fate is right.

 

I believe you can disable the alarm in MFD if you don't want it going off at all. Or you can quickly insert the key into ignition to stop it.

 

This is getting complicated.

The setting in the MFD is for the chirp indicating lock/unlock... not arm/disarm of the alarm.

HOWEVER... pages 2.25 through 2-31 in the OM outline procedures for both disarming the alarm and rearming it. There are other changes to the system a dealer can make.

Choices. The OP has em.

Personally, I'm not going to disarm my alarm... which is why I read, then put from active memory, that section of the OM. PIN Code is my choice, but that's just me. The OP has options to end his frustration, one way or another.

 

Just to be clear about what's being called the "valet" key...

The current keyless remote isn't like earlier systems, where there was a separate valet key to operate the vehicle that one gave to the valet instead of the remote-buttoned one, or the ignition key on non-remote systems. The ignition key (with/without remote) could lock/unlock everything, but the valet key did everything except lock/unlock the glovebox.

With the current remote for keyless systems, with the little mechanical key contained inside it... that separated key can operate the keyed locks (door and glovebox) so that the glovebox can be locked with it and then kept on one's person, and the remote is given to the valet so the car can be operated, but with personal/valuables unavailable to the valet.

The distinction is mostly semantic. The idea is the same, but the component exchange with the valet has changed... they no longer get the key.