car key battery

[SmartDigger]

I see from another tread, the battery is changed at 20,000 mile service. I wonder if this should be done on a time line rather than a mile line? Say once a year or every two years?

[NCC1701]

Well, if a person makes mostly short trips and locks/unlocks the vehicle with the key routinely, the battery is getting fewer miles to the click. Seems to me he/she would not only run the battery down, but also wear the remote out at a lower mileage than someone who has a long commute.

[Kermit]

I was just thinking about this the other day when I had to "rebuild" my kid's key fob - new battery, cleaning contacts, thorough cleaning of the fob itself etc.


My question is, "When we replace the battery do we have to reprogram the fob? If so, what are the steps we need to do?" Anyone figure it out yet?

After 16k miles my fob is starting to get weak. When I first got the car I could operate the fob from inside my building at work and set off the panic button when joggers passed the car. Now I have to be about 25 feet away.

[kannonvaggon]

This thread causes me to admit to liking to play a bit of a game with gawkers.

I replaced the stock horn with an air horn.
I LOVE to sit in a restaurant at the window, noting the gawkers coming up to place their personal nose-prints on the glass of the Cabrio. At just the right moment a touch of the panic button sets off that air horn .... It's rather entertaining to watch them folks jump about five feet straight up. Then , when they get to looking to see what's goin on ya can hit the lock button and it flashes the lights, which makes folks take a step back.

Way fun.

:-))

[jediknight36]

Originally Posted by kannonvaggon

This thread causes me to admit to liking to play a bit of a game with gawkers.

I replaced the stock horn with an air horn.
I LOVE to sit in a restaurant at the window, noting the gawkers coming up to place their personal nose-prints on the glass of the Cabrio. At just the right moment a touch of the panic button sets off that air horn .... It's rather entertaining to watch them folks jump about five feet straight up. Then , when they get to looking to see what's goin on ya can hit the lock button and it flashes the lights, which makes folks take a step back.

Way fun.

:-))

It would be fun if you could a button and "KIT" would talk to them. How funny!

[smartcarparts]

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[jwight]

Originally Posted by smartcarparts

if interested please see our offering on ebay...

thanks...

Just ordered two - thanks!

[forestacademy]

my dealer just told me to pick up the battery at K-Mart

[Kermit]

OK - Ironically enough my parents told me this morning that my mother's fob battery was DEAD! She read the owners manual (who'd of thunk it, check the owners manual?) The manual states it is a CR2016 and you just remove and replace.

I got a 2016 and replaced it and it didn't work. Finally after about 5 minutes of removing and replacing it I decided to use that key to start the car thinking maybe it need to link with the car. Started the car, shut it off and then tried the fob and it worked!

Sooo, if you replace you battery and it doesn't work, use that key to start the car once and it should work after that...assuming you haven't gone swimming with your fob earlier (long story but I've had to get new cell phones because they got wet too)

[NCC1701]

Originally Posted by Bum-bling-B

...assuming you haven't gone swimming with your fob earlier (long story but I've had to get new cell phones because they got wet too)

Glad you said that: I'd thought about starting a thread to ask ...
How water resistant IS the key? I got caught in a rain storm on a nature trail, and got soaked to the skin with my key. I protected the key as best I could, but it made me wonder.