Help: Key Fob's Not Working

P

philtanner

Member
Hi,

As of yesterday morning I came out to go to work and unlock the car and it wouldn't unlock with the keyfob button, strange I thought go and get the spare key, try again nope this didn't work either. So I manually unlocked the car with key and went to work, got to work and bingo the car locks and unlocks fine. Come out of work to go home and yep car unlocks and locks fine, drive home, park up on the drive and guess what the damn car won't lock. Ended up locking the car manually and unlcoking manually this morning, drive to work again park up and bingo the car locks with the key fob again. I am very confused, why all of a sudden and only at home on the driveway will the car not lock or unlock with the key fob. The driveway is on a slight inlcine, where as the work car park is flat, but why its suddenly not work at home is very confusing.

Does anyone have an ideas???

Phil

2005 Z4 3.0 SE - 20k miles
 
Good thinking! Interference...

I don't believe my neighbour has they are not computer literate and I have had my router for years. Think I shall have to do some tests when I get home trying it different distances away from the house or down the road. It did start yesterday after we had a huge storm in the night, wonder if this has anything to do with something now emitting interferance.

Any other thoughts appreciated...
 
Hold the key as near to the sensor near the rear view mirror to see if it has a signal strong enough not to have interference.
 
Does it work inside the car when you hold the key practically against the mirror? I assume this happens no matter where you are (i.e. home or office).

Worst case is a transponder change (i.e. mirror replacement ...)
 
one key is working again must of charged up when i drove it its the key i have never used the one i always use still doesnt work so im thinking the battery in the key is u/s does the key just prise apart so i can change it?
 
Never heard before of a chargeable battery going dead before, so can not help you with that one. Have only replaced batteries in my previous 7 series that were non chargeable, and that was just by opening the key
 
it is possible for a chargeable to be un chargeable it happens with cordless drills especially if they are not run flat and fully charged every now and then. the batterys degrade.
 
seems the zed key doesnt want to come apart ill have to see if a long drive with the u/s key charges it up fingers crossed!
 
Just found this in the owners maual. The master keys with remote contain an extended life battery that is charged automatically in the ignition as you drive. If you have a key that is seldom used you should use that key axp. once a year while driving for an extended period to charge the battery. Hope that helps. :thumbsup:
 
His every day key was the one that failed ... The one that is not used worked by the sounds of it.

No doubt BMW will have the solution - a new key at £75
 
Had this happen to me in France the other week drove all the way down so key was well charged the when at Hotel started playing up had to hold the key really close to the car to get it to work but next day it was fine (DID GIVE HER A QUICK CLEAN THAT NIGHT) maybe should call her Christine :rofl:
 
I have had one key go stupid, while the other key works. You know how depending on where you are standing the key works or it does not work. Well to make a long story short, I was in the habit of pressing the lock button a bunch of times to get the doors to lock. After doing that one day the key stops working. Come to find out when the techs reset the key , they start out by pressing the lock button on the key a bunch of times, so I figure by me pressing the lock button a bunch of times the car thought it was resetting the key and I did not know it and because I did not have it under the mirror the key was de-programmed. Just a thought.
 
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