[alboss2010]

(I REALLY NEED SOME HELP PLEASE)

I have a 2006 BMW 325xi and the remote keyless key the unlock/lock and trunk release doesnt work. I have the newer key that requires to put in car and press the push/start button with the unlock button as an arrow and middle as lock or maybe i have em mixed up. As you can tell i just got my 1st BMW ever.

without further ado my unlock doesnt work neither does the lock or trunk release. I read countless posts, forums and threads on this site and i tried programming it (you know turn car on turn off within 5 sec hold unlock key while pressing lock 3 times) and it didnt work. Then another post said it might be the fuse.

If so (since i havent tried it) has anyone had similar problems? Has anyone had to change the fuse and maybe that helped.

Someone said to change the battery but this key is in-itself a re-chargable key everytime i insert in the ignition.

I really dont want to take it to the dealership and have them just change a fuse and charge me 150-200 dollars for something simple and something i could do myself. If anyone has any tips i would really appreciate it. Thank you in advance


BELOW IS A PICTURE OF THE KEY I HAVE

[GenePoole]

If it starts the car, it may just be that the battery is dead (the starting feature uses a passive RFID chip that doesn't need power). The non CA (Comfort Access) FOBs have a sealed internal battery that charges while it is in the slot on the dash. Put it in and drive the car for a while (I don't know, maybe an hour or so) and then try it. If it is CA FOB, there's a cover on the bottom and the battery is in there.

If all this fails, the battery may be beyond holding a charge, or the FOB broken. This is a bummer since you'll need a new one and they go for like $300 (they have to get one from the factory custom made for your VIN).

[alboss2010]

my key is NON-ca (comfort access) so i know the battery is rechargable but im wonderin if that battery (although rechargable and hard to get into) is dead. Im gonna take it to radio shack and see if they can change it. thats my last hope other to checking the fuses see if something went bad. if not its an expensive trip to the dealership for me. do you think that that battery could be dead because i have been driving the car everyday for a week now back and forth to work (which takes me an hour to get there and an hour back)

[GenePoole]

You've got about the same commute time as me!

I'm afraid Radio Shack is not going to be able to help. The unit is glued together pretty tightly. I used a dremmel cutoff wheel to open one up (did this as an experiment in another thread). I'd be afraid of damaging it permanently if it is you only way to start the car.

Pictures here:

http://hoxnet.com/p/FOB

From this thread:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=372667

[alboss2010]

thanks for your help, was it successful for you? i mean i can do that it doesnt seem hard but i just dont want to damage it ya know? how did you put it back together? what did u use to glue it back to its original state. Was it the batteries fault?

[GenePoole]

The FOB I took apart was expendable. I bought it off ebay for $10 because mine was missing the roundel emblem. I never had any intention of making it work with my car. I popped off the emblem and glued it to mine. When I ran across the aforementioned thread, I decided to bust it apart (it had served its purpose) to test some things out.

In retrospect, I don't think I needed to dremmel it. It probably would have popped apart with enough force and an appropriately shaped prybar. It is possible that, assuming your battery is bad, that you could pop it apart and solder a new one (or a good used one) into it and maybe get it working again.

If it's not the battery, the RFID chip may be able to be removed from your board and soldered to a good donor board (from ebay i.e.). I don't know if the RFID chip's ID is used for the locking/unlocking features or if this is burned into one of the other two chips on the board.

[GenePoole]

First of all, Disclaimer: try at your own risk!

I was looking at my "expendable" (and expended) FOB and it looks like there is no glue at the corner where the key ring would loop through:



So if I were to attempt to separate the FOB, I'd try to wedge something into the groove in that area. Like this:



Once wedged in, a small screw driver blade should be adequate to separate the two halves.

The battery is a Panasonic VL2020, but I don't know about general availability. I doubt that the tabs would line-up correctly anyway. Your best bet is probably ebay. This gives you one to practice on.

With the board removed, unsolder the battery here:



and here:



Once the good battery is resoldered into the good board, glue the two halves of the FOB shell back together with a suitable glue. I recommend Gorilla Super Glue because it is a light gel and will fill voids better than a traditional cyanoacrylate (crazy-glue). You could probably use ABS or PVC cement too, but they could get messy.

[fdriller9]

That's a standard button cell battery, no? 2020 are available at any drug store.

OP, did you just buy this car? If so, I would confront the dealer about this. If not, do your locks work when pressing the central locking button on your dash? If it does, then it's not a fuse. Your key is probably not programmed to your car or something is interfering with it. Good luck. Hope you figure this one out.

[GenePoole]

Originally Posted by *********

That's a standard button cell battery, no? 2020 are available at any drug store.

It's the same dimensions as a CR2020, but it is a vanadium-lithium rechargeable cell (standard CR2020's are NOT rechargeable). See Panasonic's site:

http://industrial.panasonic.com/www-...08+VL2020+7+WW

[fdriller9]

Originally Posted by GenePoole

It's the same dimensions as a CR2020, but it is a vanadium-lithium rechargeable cell (standard CR2020's are NOT rechargeable). See Panasonic's site:

http://industrial.panasonic.com/www-...08+VL2020+7+WW

Ahh. That's right. I forgot the one in the fob is rechargeable.