My car has just started telling me to change the key fob battery.  Does it really know the battery is low, or is it assuming it is, because its coming up to the three year anniversary?

Thanks

Stewart7

 

17 minutes ago, Stewart7 said:

My car has just started telling me to change the key fob battery.  Does it really know the battery is low, or is it assuming it is, because its coming up to the three year anniversary?

Thanks

Stewart7

 

 

No it means it's genuinely low and needs changing. I had this on mine a few weeks ago and as soon as I changed it, the messages disappeared.

Easy to do, especially if you look at the You tube video. Change your spare key battery at the same time.

Just now, gregoir said:

Easy to do, especially if you look at the You tube video. Change your spare key battery at the same time.

 

This is a good shout. I changed my main key after seeing the warnings, but was confused when I still kept seeing them afterwards... I had my spare in a luggage bag in the boot, and that was the one which was low!

8 hours ago, ahenners said:

 

This is a good shout. I changed my main key after seeing the warnings, but was confused when I still kept seeing them afterwards... I had my spare in a luggage bag in the boot, and that was the one which was low!

 

Bet that'll come in handy when you lose your main key

5 minutes ago, gRoberts said:

 

Bet that'll come in handy when you lose your main key

 

It's not kept in there permanently, I'd been working away

2 hours ago, ahenners said:

 

It's not kept in there permanently, I'd been working away

Believe me, from experience you'll never need it until you can't access it. 

 

My mum left hers in her glove compartment and lost her main key. The AA were less than sympathetic when they came out.

Thanks to all for the advice, I was wondering exactly how the car was able to measure the battery inside the fob without being physically connected to it!!

I also saw this in the hand book

■ The battery must be replaced if the central locking or anti-theft alarm system
does react to the remote control at less than approx. 3 metres away » page 225.

 

The fob may be measuring its own battery voltage and telling the car when it's getting below a threshold value.

Cleverr!

Bought new battery today.  CR2025, £5 for two in Halfords.

9 minutes ago, Stewart7 said:

Bought new battery today.  CR2025, £5 for two in Halfords.

 

Pack of six for a pound in Poundland or similar outlets.

2 minutes ago, xman said:

 

Pack of six for a pound in Poundland or similar outlets.

AAAAAAAAAAAgh

Mine started last week on my Golf; bought a mixed pack with 4x CR2032's and 2x CR2025's in Morrisons for £4.80.

Changed in a jiffy and now no more messages from the car.

 

My Golf is late 2015, wondering if having Kessy runs the batteries out faster as swmbo's car is a 62plate and still on original batteries in the 3 button key.

 

 

 

I bought some cheap ones from Maplins (when they were still trading) but maybe 10 months later I was getting low battery messages again.

So I'm avoiding cheapo ones next time.

9 hours ago, Defenderben said:

Mine started last week on my Golf; bought a mixed pack with 4x CR2032's and 2x CR2025's in Morrisons for £4.80.

Changed in a jiffy and now no more messages from the car.

 

My Golf is late 2015, wondering if having Kessy runs the batteries out faster as swmbo's car is a 62plate and still on original batteries in the 3 button key.

 

 

 

 

Yep Kessy does consume batteries quicker from my experience too 

14 hours ago, xman said:

 

Pack of six for a pound in Poundland or similar outlets.

Poundland are my "go to" for batteries - their prices beat any other high street outlet I've found.

6 hours ago, ahenners said:

 

Yep Kessy does consume batteries quicker from my experience too 

 

agreed, my Kessy fob battery lasts between 12-18 months (depending on the quality of battery I buy to replace it).

With my previous non-keyless car the battery lasted almost 5 years unti I sold it without needing replacement.

I had to change some  cheapos after a few weeks. Now  using Panasonic CR2032 (Amazon) with a shelf life up to 2026, been in now for 6 months plus.

On 25/09/2018 at 21:31, Stewart7 said:

Cleverr!

Simply clever

I had the same message, replaced the battery and ... nothing. Key will not activate the door locks. Checked the handbook and it says to synchronise the remote control key by pressing any button on the key and then unlock the door with the key via the lock cylinder. Still didn’t work so tried another battery just in case, still nothing. Any ideas please???

20 hours ago, AlanHalliday said:

I had the same message, replaced the battery and ... nothing. Key will not activate the door locks. Checked the handbook and it says to synchronise the remote control key by pressing any button on the key and then unlock the door with the key via the lock cylinder. Still didn’t work so tried another battery just in case, still nothing. Any ideas please???

 

Put the battery in the right way around? They have a top and bottom 

Yep. And the battery works if I put it in the spare key. Looks like a trip to the dealer :(

On 31/10/2018 at 16:24, AlanHalliday said:

I had the same message, replaced the battery and ... nothing. Key will not activate the door locks. Checked the handbook and it says to synchronise the remote control key by pressing any button on the key and then unlock the door with the key via the lock cylinder. Still didn’t work so tried another battery just in case, still nothing. Any ideas please???

Did you open the door via the lock cylinder within 1 minute of pressing the key-fob button?

This warning flashed up on my car this afternoon - 8 months old (with Kessy)