Prior to the last few days the remote locking has been working as usual. Good range on both opening and closing (around 20ft I'd say). Then on Tuesday it wouldn't open the car and I had to use the key manually. When I open the drivers door via the lock, the alarm goes off and I have to turn the ignition on for it to stop. Closing with the key is still working ok.

So, I presume this is the battery in the key but the fact that it didn't deteriorate over time (having to get closer and closer to the car for it to work) makes me wonder if there isn't something else going on.

Any help appreciated

sounds like the key to me, the signal doesn't get weaker (distance) it just disapears or does weird things

sounds like the key to me, the signal doesn't get weaker (distance) it just disapears or does weird things

Thanks. I got a battery today so I'll have a go at changing it in the morning.

Does your spare remote work OK ? If so, you now know it is only your remote that is at fault. The two most common causes are a flat battery or the remote has somehow become unsynchronised with the car (eg the buttons are repeatedly pressed while it is in your pocket).

You should be able to synchronise it yourself by using the instructions in your owner's manual (or seach on the web if you find the official instructions a bit confusing).

Does the LED in the remote flash when you press a button ? If not then a flat battery is where I would start.

If you don't have a working second key I strongly advise you to get one. It is an absolute PITA if you only have one working key (a locksmith won't be able to get you going again). They are expensive though.

Does your spare remote work OK ? If so, you now know it is only your remote that is at fault. The two most common causes are a flat battery or the remote has somehow become unsynchronised with the car (eg the buttons are repeatedly pressed while it is in your pocket).

You should be able to synchronise it yourself by using the instructions in your owner's manual (or seach on the web if you find the official instructions a bit confusing).

Does the LED in the remote flash when you press a button ? If not then a flat battery is where I would start.

If you don't have a working second key I strongly advise you to get one. It is an absolute PITA if you only have one working key (a locksmith won't be able to get you going again). They are expensive though.

HI. Still having trouble with this so let me explain frorm the start.

I got the car (about 3 months ago) with 3 keys. Two for remote locking and one "service key". The main key (the most worn one) worked fine however the 2nd key would not remotely open or close the car. I just thought it was a battery problem and TBH never bothered to replace the battery.

So last week (as detailed above) the main key stops working. I picked up a new battery for it on Saturday however it is still not working. The little LED doesn't flash when I press buttons however I don't remember if it did before hand either.

At the moment all keys open the close the car by inserting it into the door lock however when I open the door with the key, the alarm is going off intermittantly. By that I mean that it doesn't happen all the time. (Of course it always will happen when I'm in the middle of a crowded car park at work and never when I'm at home in my drive :thumbdwn: ). The alarm goes off as soon as I put the key in the ignition and turn it to II.

So at the moment I'm trying to get into the car as quickly as possible to minimise the alarm time.

Can anyone help.

PS: I can't see anything in the manual about synchronising keys. I have read on here about having one key in the ignition and one in the car door etc. Is that the procedure for the Superb? If it is, can I use it now to synchronise my 2nd key given that I don't have any key that has working remote locking??

Cheers

HI. Still having trouble with this so let me explain frorm the start. .......

So at the moment I'm trying to get into the car as quickly as possible to minimise the alarm time.

Can anyone help.

Thanks for that extra info. I'm assuming the "service key" is just a plain key (ie no remote), so I'll ignore it in this discussion about remotes. I'm also assuming your Superb remotes are much the same as my Transporter and Octy II ones (I'm pretty sure they are).

My first thought is that possibly :

1 the battery suddenly failed (in the used-to-work remote), or

2 something went wrong in the electrics of the used-to-work remote, or

3 something went wrong in the electrics of the car (ie the receiving side).

Try checking the battery polarity in the remote and see if it is correct (there is usually a + or a - marked on both the battery and the receptacle ). It is also possible the new battery is faulty (rare, but it happens). The led should light up whenever you press a button if it is working properly and sending a signal to the car. When that happens you are ready to resynchronise the used-to-work remote

The procedure of putting one key in the ignition and one in the door is indeed what you do to resynchronise remotes. Because it is based on the proximity of the transponder (immobiliser chip or RFID) in the key blade it should work even if you start from a base of no remotes currently working. Basically the presence of the two keys (and transponders) at the same time tells the car these are legit keys and you want to add a remote, then the next remote signal it receives should be accepted as a legit remote (if you do all the little steps in the correct order). It was described in both my Transporter and Octy manuals, but was more than a little cryptic.

This assumes both keys you are using will start the engine and let it run for more than about 3 seconds. If engine starts then cuts out there is a transponder problem (and I don't intend to get into that can of worms here in this thread).

If you can get the used-to-work remote working again you can then look at the never-worked (second) remote. I would pull it in half (I'm assuming you know how to do this as you replaced the battery already in the first remote).

Check the part number and frequency against the now-working remote - they should be the same (don't get the two remote halves mixed up, otherwise it could get very confusing). Sometimes I have to use a magnifying glass to read the tiny lettering, they can be difficult to read.

If the numbers match, I'd put a new battery in the second remote as well, and check the LED is flashing when you press a button. If it does, follow the same re-synchronising process as before, only this time you are pressing the buttons on the second remote. If this works, you are home and hosed (job done).

If the part numbers are different but the frequency (xxx Mhz) is the same it is worth trying to re-synchronise anyway (sometimes they'll work), but IIRC if the frequency is different it is unlikely to work. It is also possible to buy new remotes fairly cheaply from various sources (fleaBay or vrsstu on this forum), just check on the part number and frequency.

I hope that helps, please let us know how you get on.

Greg C

Nice one Greg. At work now so I'll give your suggestions a go this evening and let you know how I get on.

And a belated happy Australia Day!!