Hi Folks

I'm baffled. Got a 2001 Fabia 1.9 TDI Elegance and having issues with my remote keyfob and central locking.

Scenario

Stage 1 I accidentally left my key in some jeans that I put in the washing machine on a quick 39 minute 30 degree wash. However the remote central locking continued to work and the ECU recognised the key

Stage 2 8 hours later I went to unlock my car after work and the remote central locking didn't function, the keyfob LED didn't illuminate but I could manually unlock the car and start the engine

Stage 3 I pried the keyfob apart, found it to be full of condensation, dried it out and all was fine

Stage 4 Went to fill-up and took the car through a supermarket car wash. All still operating fine including parking up 15 minutes later and remote locking the car

Stage 5 An hour later went to get in the car, the keyfob unlocked the drivers door upon the first press but didn't fully unlock the car on the second press. Instead both the lock and unlock buttons just turned the interior light on and off!

Stage 6 This problem continued so replaced the battery in the keyfob as a long shot, it worked first off but after 2-3 unlocks/locks went back to just switching the interior light on and off. I tried following the manual in re-syncing the key with the car but it must already be synced as it's operating something

So, I'm at a loss. Is it more likely to be a car electrical fault that was spurred on through the car wash (Coincidence?) Or a faulty remote keyfob (but I don't see how this could send a message to just turn on/off the interior light). I do have a spare but I've just moved house and god knows where the d*mn thing is! So I can't isolate the key or the car as the problem. Google is no help and forum searches aren't bringing me any results either.

Ughhh......

Any help gladly welcomed

The key uses Surface Mounted Components, and if they get wet, corrosion sets in and you get weird faults. You need a new key.