MK3 key replacement recommendations

[vulfp]

Hi All,

 

Great to join the community. Have just picked up a 2015 plate MK3 Fabia as first car for a new learner. Much excitement!

 

The second key remote is dead, and replacing the battery hasn't solved it. Tried synchronising it but no luck - the red light on it doesn't light up when any of the buttons are pressed, so think it's toast.

 

Anything else to look for, or any recommendations for who to get a new key from? Had a look on some high street key cutters and they quoted over £200 for a generic one. Am in the south west if it helps.

 

Many thanks.

[nta16]

Hi welcome.

I'm not sure if you're the new learner with new car or you mean someone else but you are way ahead of many either way by knowing about the red button and how to synchronise the remote.

 

I'm not sure about getting a non-VWSkoda remote or s/h and getting someone to program it, I've seen one horror story on here of even a good professional outfit having a 1 in 10,000 problem and having experienced "1 in 5,000" error with car electronics myself (Japanese were more like 6 in a million IIRC with car stuff) and given the price you have been quoted, for a car new to you (or other person) provided this is the only major fault with the car, I'd suggest you buy from and have a VWSkoda Dealership install ('code') the new remote.

 

I had the same thing with my wife's 2015 (1.2 TSI, 90 SE) last year year, February, on the coldest day of that time so can give you the figures from just after then.  "N/SOCK KEY" 23/01/23 (so I remember wrong, again, about month 🫠)  £143.40 (inc VAT) - 15/02/23 "CARRY OUT REPAIR PROGRAM KEY - KEY ORDERED AND INSTOCK REF PAUL" - £41.40.

 

This was even more annoying as I have my wife alternate the use of the two remotes (every 6 months) so that the remote, remote battery, keyblade and ignition cylinder lock all get more even wear through more even use and it also means we know where the second remote/key is and that the battery isn't too low or flat and the remote that failed was the one with the least use from prior to her ownership of the car.

 

As you probably know you can still use the keyblade on the duff remote so if the car is very new to you (or other) and you have limited funds then I might suggest holding off it's replacement until you have checked the money isn't needed for greater priority things on or with the car.

 

If you don't already know I'd suggest you check the state of charge (and health if possible) of the car 12v battery and use an appropriate battery charger maintainer (the lower amperage charger the better) to fully charge the battery, following the instructions in the Owner's Manual and charger manual, if you get a reading of say less than say 12.3v (allowing for 0.2/0.3v computers draining).

 

Free VWSkoda pdf Owner's Manuals download - https://manual.skoda-auto.com/004/en-com/Models

 

Update portal -  https://updateportal.skoda-auto.com/

 

Skoda Recall Campaigns (well those they admit to) - https://www.skoda-auto.com/services/recall-campaigns

 

HTH.

 

[nta16]

ETA: in case you don't know, forgot or haven't read it in the Owner's Manual, the car alarm will go off if you use the "emergency" door lock and open the door so you have to get the keyblade in the ignition barrel ASAP, I forget if you also need to turn the key to any position or not.

 

[vulfp]

@nta16 thanks for such a thorough response. My kid(s) are the learners so I'm just responsible for ensuring I haven't got them a lemon 😂

 

I used to have a Clio where one of the fobs failed, so have used a specialist years ago to programme a new key. Having been surprised at the quote from high street (admittedly just on their website) and been surprised by the cost that was what prompted my post, in case there might be a bit more to it than meets the eye.

 

Good news is having pulled it apart again, cleaned out the internals, carefully bent the contacts a bit tighter and put a different brand of battery in I've got it working. Red light comes on with button presses, it wasn't synchronised but did that and now both keys work.

 

Interestingly with a remote with battery working when you do the "emergency unlocking" it doesn't set the alarm off, even when the key isn't synchronised. It certainly did set the alarm off yesterday!

 

Will take a look at the car battery too, is on the list.

 

Thanks once again, much appreciated

[nta16]

Well done.

 

I took the remote apart for my wife's car and tried to clean it but no go, the contacts were fine as I know about this from my wife's previous car where the battery was changed as part of the service and hadn't been installed correctly, or that's what I guessed as just taking the cover off the remote and pushing the battery had it working from inside home, so another quick, easy, clean hands repair and from a seated position in the warm and dry - if only all car farting-about was like this.

 

My wife's car always sets the alarm off, it's what the Owner's Manual tell you (tho' not in the relevant part of the book) but on a video of a YT chap I follow done it the alarm didn't go off then.  With her previous car the keyblade lock barrel(s) weren't hidden and I almost always unlocked the doors using the keyblade as that too was the synchronising method and I prefer mechanical over electronic (and saving the battery for my wife's my wasteful use).

 

I hope you're teaching your kids all the driver maintenance checks and work they should be doing and that you don't have to and shouldn't rely on pushing a button to do everything for them or expect a warning light or message to advise or get them out of trouble as they won't on these VW very complex computer programs, by the time you get many of the messages things have gone too far.  Certainly for the car battery, even if the car starts and the lights seem bright enough the battery could still be too low for the 5v computers and they can throw up all sorts of unexpected issues even before any warning lights and messages (and error codes) show and by the time the low battery shows the battery has been possibly badly wounded and if left to engine won't start battery might not be reliably recovered.

 

The German marques including VW love to show how "clever" they are but complex computer programs so you need a scan tool that reliably covers VW or dedicated to VW (legacy systems with car manufacturers).  Luckily their are Briskoda members who can offer to help out often for beer tokens.

 

For your kids I'd suggest you fit a coin meter for the car battery to teach them about electric consumption.  😆

 

Being serious I think it's important and empowering for car owners to know about all the driver maintenance and basics mechanics/electrics (not that I know, or ever knew, or can remember, even the very basics) particularly for the more venerable that way they learn about prevention, what to do to avoid some breakdowns and being taken advantage of by those who are unscrupulous particularly in the motor trade.

 

If you have a look on the site you might see advice on getting remotes sorted by other than VW Dealerships, I just feel somethings are too important to have any reliability or trust issues on, certainly for my wife, plus all the hassle and responsibility would be transferred to me anyway and I'd sooner pay "hassle money" to prevent or avoid it.

 

My wife went on 10-weeks night lessons for car maintenance basics in the 1980s but she expects me to do all the stuff even though she could do a lot of the stuff herself, I only need to know she could do it if she had to and all she needs to know is it's my job to do it.  😆

 

Be interesting to know if your kid(s) 2015 has the underside bump/clunk/squeak/rattle(s) noises.

 

Cheers.

 

   

[vulfp]

Thanks for taking the time to respond@nta16. Trying to pass on knowledge as we go - that was part of joining the forum, so I can at least be pointed in the right direction to save on trouble-shooting time.

 

We went for the 1.0MPI SE partly to keep things as mechanically simple as possible and minimise the electronic reliance.....

 

So far no bumps/squeaks/rattles and we've been doing lots of manoeuvring and been over some fairly harsh speedbumps, so fingers crossed. I hadn't heard about that one as something model specific, will look into it. Thanks for the pointer.

 

Completely understand your description of "hassle money" too!

[nta16]

1 hour ago, vulfp said:

We went for the 1.0MPI SE partly to keep things as mechanically simple as possible and minimise the electronic reliance.....

Rooted and others will know about the 1.0 MPI engine.  My wife currently has a 2023 VW SEAT with 1.0 3-pot TSI engine and it's not as bad as I was expecting ((we had Japanese 657cc turbo and 657cc 3-pot turbo engine'd cars, and a 699cc other German marque and they were great engines) I've never been a fan of VW 4-pots (never driven other VW engine vehicles other than the old air-cooled) and my wife's 4-pot 1.2 TSI is a bit (lot sometimes) badger's bottom sounding but goes well enough.

 

I think you've missed the boat for minimise electronic reliance with a 2015 VW but not as bad as 2019?, 2021? 2023.  Try disconnecting the battery monitoring stop/start at the battery negative terminal if you want to reduce some of the computer interference and reliance.  Though your kids no doubt will want the infotainment and ****Nav "essentials" still and updates.

 

 

2 hours ago, vulfp said:

So far no bumps/squeaks/rattles and we've been doing lots of manoeuvring and been over some fairly harsh speedbumps, so fingers crossed. I hadn't heard about that one as something model specific, will look into it. Thanks for the pointer.

Yours might not be in the group to suffer from such.  My wife's is a September 2015 registered car but was made I think in April 2015 with a few bits on it as perhaps new year/model Dealership car, it's original history was made vague, my wife bought it at 10K-miles at about 18-months old from the Dealership as former owners, I'd trusted none of them there not to steal the sugar out of a hot coffee they gave me but my wife wanted the colour of the car and there were very few in the country s/h at the budget she had and this one exceed it, when they wouldn't give what we wanted we actually walked away and was in their car park looking at which GBG pub we would go to as we were 40 odd miles from home when the "salesman" just caught us before we drove off, how we wish we'd looked earlier.

 

Get your kids to read and refer to the Owner's Manual, instead of Google to find stuff out, and they will save themselves (and you if you're a soft touch) time, hassle and money.  I used to pay professional mechanics to balls stuff up that I could balls up less for myself for very little labour cost.  I used to pay them the money and get more hassle from their work and often have to redo the job myself and I'm not good at mechanics and loathe farting about on my own cars and still do a better job (note I never put good job). 🙃

 

I had someone contact me earlier in the year from a post I put up on a fix it site 10+ years about my wife's previous car because the photos had gone, the simplest of jobs that anyone could do, easier and quicker to do than I could write to explain (especially without photos) but honestly beyond some garages or they wanted to con the owners into more work and cost, same with folding roof issues that often (certainly not always) be solved sometimes by would you believe sticking the keyblade in the door cylinder lock or first stage of easy resolve, saves paying Dealership or unscrupulous auto-electrician.

 

But I respect the want or need of anyone who'd sooner pay someone else to avoid perceived hassle, been there had the numerous t-shirts not fit and fall apart. 😃

  

 

[vulfp]

There's some things I'm happy to look at and get stuck in. There's other stuff I'm happy to look at and get stuck in but if it doesn't fix it/happens again/it screws something else up then it'll be my fault and I'll be in even more trouble. That's when it's time to pay someone else so if there are issues after they are their issues not mine!

 

Thankfully have a decent local independent garage so they'll be getting big jobs/safety related ones 👍

[nta16]

You should advise them and tutor them to do the work then in the future you can get them to do the work for you on your car and in your home, be grateful when they can do a better job than you.  My wife is much better at identifying noises and remembering issues on a car than me (decades of practice with old cars) and yet sometimes I still say no I don't think it's that, just shows me up more when inevitably it is what she said.

 

A mate has three strapping sons (wendy ball players at the time) and two of them were out in their mum's old Daewoo Matiz when the wheel (tyre) needed changing (they had three stud/bolts to each wheel) but it was beyond them to know or change the wheel, a mechanic at a nearby local garage took pity on them and done it for them as if they were sick elderly gents or ladies.  One later I'm sure put oil in the coolant reservoir, at least he was trying.  I blame the dad as I went to school with him and despite having loads of money now (unlike me, spent on cars) he does some of his own basic car jobs.  The third son, the eldest and clumsy and always best kept away from any tools and much ease is now a Policeman and has had Police driver training of some sort, gawd help us all especially those where he work.  During his probation/training period he managed to get T-packed as he got a new car that was cloned from the number plates and he's policing the demonstrations down that-there Lundun (overtime).

 

Wow I'm a gossip and windbag!

    

[vulfp]

Oh I'll be trying to teach them as much as I can; and am always proud when their skills develop and see them taking on responsibility. Besides while I'm lucky enough ande very grateful to have the option of being able to pay for things - you never can tell what the future holds.

 

Anyway - thanks for your help, sure there will be more to come!

[rum4mo]

VW Group tend to use Panasonic batteries to all their key fogs when new, I've always just replaced key fob batteries with Panasonic bought from (hopefully) "safe enough" ebay sellers for not much money, and replace them, on cars without KESSY, every 8 years, so far, from back in 2000, that has worked on 5 VW Group cars without KESSY, our older daughter - a modern minimalist, replaced only one key for her 2019 SEAT Leon Cupra last year - sorry a lie, I replaced the key battery using one of my stock of spares! Hopefully her partner will replace the battery in the other key if it ever gets used. Younger daughter, having an extremely minimalist husband who seems to be in charge of "key fob battery changing" doesn't let that issue bother him, they have a 2019 SEAT Arona with KESSY, so, the flattish key fob battery when taken out of a warm house, works okay for a while, then typically when she - a new driver, is in a tight/tense traffic situation, the dashboard starts firing out warning lights and noises - why they just suffer that, bets me! Maybe something to do with both of them having PHDs!

[nta16]

KESSY you probably want a good reliable battery make from a good reliable source but for the non-KESSY remote I've used poundshop type batteries with no issues at all.

 

@rum4mo I'm glad to hear the batteries last 8 years, though when the remote failed on my wife's car I did make a distress purchase of Duracell 2025, £2.50!

 

Your daughter should use both keys and not keep one as a spare that way both remotes, batteries, keyblades and locks get even wear and she'll know exactly where the keys are and that both work rather than hunting for the mislaid (or lost) "spare" key to also find the battery is flat (bit like many spare wheels in boots).

 

My wife has a hire car at the moment and it's 2023 VW SEAT Arona, 1.0, 3-pot, Opie Oil have it as a SUV, though the term is much overused the car look nothing like a SUV to me, not that it matters.  The engine oil was on the full line but the coolant was just below min but has remained at that level so is fine, as you'd expect I checked the small car battery and put the charger on 5+ hours later it showed "FUL".

 

Our hairdresser has a s/h 2019 VW SEAT Leon FR which has a coolant leak the garage/warranty company can't or can't be bothered to sort, I've tried not to worry her but increased the severity of possible causes as the car's been in three times that I've been told, they've (claimed to?) changed the coolant, new pressure cap and new pressure tank/reservoir on each visit (yes, I know) -  any likely suspect for the loss?  ETA: 1.5 TSI – 1495cc 96KW 130HP – DPBA

 

Edited 8 April by nta16
ETA:

[rum4mo]

I get the feeling that the finger of blame tends to point, rightly or wrongly at the big plastic coolant "management" lump on all, at least petrol engines, in newer/newish VW Group cars.

 

Maybe due to some economic/silly design, the naughty plastic shapes get compromised and so can cause coolant leaks - but that should end up leaving traces of dried up G13 behind to give a clue.

[nta16]

Yes I've explained that a leak should be reasonably easy to find by various methods for non-specialist VW SEAT garage or VW SEAT specialist garage/Dealership and only requires the time, effort and will, though it has been away for days at a time on at least on two occasions I know of.  Tiring for me to think of all the plastic bits in a German car engine bay (and I forget the plastic bits inside some German engines).  I assume the Aldi plastic bits are of better quality as they are also (hidden) on the Bentleys.

 

Top-ups were originally with tap water before I took some spare VW G14 coolant (known as G12evo) but after about 4.5 litres over the months I've run out and apparently the local SEAT Dealership specified G12evo from there computer system (though of course that is more of a concern and has me questioning my decision).

 

It's not say the VW garages are any better as her friend had the little rad replaced because of a leak for the car to back to have much of the work repeated as they failed to notice a crack in the plastic of the main rad - and of course they get away with charging for the two jobs.

 

I'm back there Thursday hoping I can get a top up of G14 (to the 'min' line) for the hire Arona as that will mean the Leon has been sorted but I won't hold my breath.