if your car key fob fails,can I pass on this tip

When walking my dog I came across a lady standing by her car and couldn't get in because the battery died in her key, I asked had she put the key in the lock? She hadn't and promptly did and got into her car,
I'm sure that wasn't you as I live in Ireland, but we forget that the old ways still work

Cabbie21

A problem I have with changing many batteries is getting the thing open!

I had trouble opening the fob to replace the battery. I found a video on YouTube teaching how to replace the battery for my particular model.

I needed to replace the battery in one fob and Timpsons replaced both batteries for £15 which I think is reasonable.

Very disappointed in your reply,
life is a learning process and we ALL don't know everything about life.
Why assume that posters should know everything.
Keeps all those tips coming,even if others know about them.
Happy Christmas to all those who don't know everything.

Can't believe people don't know that there is a key inside fob! Never hide my key away.

Just a quick top of things that have been said.
Changing batteries is easy:
thats fine WHEN your outside your own home in the warm enviroment and have CONTROL of everything
Would that have been as easy in the recent cold snap? when we all had frozen fingers not to mention the cold conditions and away from homes
Timpsons charging six times as much? will check that out as I don't think it can be that much,although I think I would have preferred to have paid that as opposed to waiting 2 and half hours for the breakdown service to arrive

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. It's something I hadn't even thought about, although I do have a spare key in my bag.
I will get some spare batteries in case it happens on a day when I change to a smaller bag and forget the spare ( things often go pear shaped when I change bags)
Merry Christmas.

I drive an old banger and only ever had one key for it, but my previous car had 2 keys and I once left it running on the drive to charge the battery up, locking the car with the spare key. When I drove off later the alarm started going as I think I'd swapped keys. I never understood why but maybe that battery was flat. I've never replaced a battery in a key fob and I had the previous car for 15 years! Current car I have is nearly 15 years old and I've never replaced the battery in the 7 years I've had it. I assumed the battery was rechargeable when it was in the ignition but never asked. Perhaps I should.
I dread getting a newer car as keys and fobs seem to have all sorts of complications these days!

I think if my fob fails then I have to open it up and there's a manual key inside that I have to use under the car door handle to open the car. Have never tried it though, perhaps i should.

crazyH

I didn’t realise, but isn’t it possible to open the door manually ?

I think so with most cars. I had a Mini a few years ago with an odd looking round key for starting the motor. My cat had gone missing for 24 hours and when I went to get in the car to drive around and search further afield for her, she was there in the damn car. She was fine but had walked on all the switches and flattened the battery. I had to call BMW to ask how to free up the key fob thing so as to unlock the door manually and get her out!

Our bmw electric key fob also has a tiny doorkey inside which you can pull out. Worth checking. X

When my battery failed I got it to open the car door a couple more times by touching my temple with the point of the key and pressing the unlock button.

My car locking system only works if I have the keys somewhere about my person. They have to be removed from the Faraday pouch or the doors won’t open as it blocks the signal.

I have a Faraday pouch that DH gave me earlier this year, insisting that I use it. I’d never heard of them before that.

Tell us more Gabirielle? a friend had that happen to her. Would you keep pouch in handbag/pocket and remove to use?

Always leave electronic fobs in a Faraday blocking pouch! The signal can be hijacked and thieves simply nick the motor!!

I'm astonished that the breakdown folks don't advise that as an alternative if convenient for driver? Would save time effort and money as well as releasing them for real emergency fallouts! How silly? We have spare battery for ours they're easy to fit

Admit I haven't read all previous comments so apologies if I'm repeating something.

Other possible cause of key not working is that battery is flat. Couldn't get into my car - no response at all to my key - so ended up getting AutoAid to my house. He soon solved the problem.

I'd inadvertently left one window open very slightly, but sufficient to activate the inside light. As I hadn't used the car for 2 or 3 days, the light had used up all the battery! So all he had to do was charge it up! What an idiot. I try very hard to check all windows on leaving now !!!

It is not difficult to change the batteries yourself.

PS Keep an eye on your spare fob, I usually grab that if I cant locate main one at home and it is the one I leave in with car when going to garage.

Sorry not read thru' all posts...
You should have door opening item in the fob then if a pushbutton start on car, place tired battery as close as possible to it to get it to engage.
Yes I keep spare cheap batteries at home but garage man assures me only the best will do as cheap ones dont last long. You can buy the expensive ones as well and it is easy to switch out... see Youtube for demos.

Re replacing batteries in watches, Our caretaker always did it for me. But here we have to go into Castries the main town which is a bightmare to park in. Is it easy to do and how do I open the back of the watch. I have a couple of really cheap watches I could try on. Grateful for any advice. Thanks.

Timpsons charge 6 times the cost of the battery or more

As well as having a key hidden inside the fob, cars with no key hole also usually have a hidden key hole inside the handle. There should be a tiny symbol on the handle and you just move that section to reveal the key hole.

I thought I had a battery problem. Car 5 months old key wouldn't work. Had batteries in house. Tried key with new battery still didn't work. Got the other key worked fine. Drove to deaker to tell them problem with key. They tested, no joy. Got their head technicial to check. He looked at faulty key and declared it was wrong key. I had been given two keys when collecting brand new car and one was for a model approx 8 years old! Had only used the one key. Taken 3 months to get a replacement. Batteries are easy to change in keys.