I never realized how flimsy the key was!
It usually is in my trousers pocket all day. At work, I sit at a desk, but sometimes lift boxes and things, climb onto antennas, and do all the usual stuff.
Leaving work, I pulled the keys out of my pocket, and the car key fell apart onto the dirt road into many pieces. The tiny chip apparently had been loose already, and unfortunately got lost in the process.
For a new key, the dealer wants €250 plus a fee to activate it, plus the car for one day! That sounds very steep.
For your information, I added the picture below.
If you don't want that to happen to you, you may want to do the following:
1) Open the key (one screw) and secure the electronic chip resting in the shell with a little dab of glue. That way, if the key falls apart you do not lose the irreplaceable $$$ chip. That saves you the price of one entire key.
2) Because of the flimsy construction, the key will permanently break appart easily if it encounters flexing forces. See picture. Do try to not keep in your pocket, so it does not get flexed and broken.
BTW: The battery inside the key is one CR 1616