Have you ever been in that situation where you just wanna go home but your damn car fob decides that it doesn't want to work so you go to unlock your driver side door manually only to find out that you are secretly trying to steal your own car. You struggle your hardest trying to press the panic button but your car insist that it is being stolen, you get out of your car in a fit of rage and starting pressing the lock and unlock button on your fob but your car won't shut the hell up. After a struggle you just say screw it and drive about a block before go into a fit of madness, pull over and slam on the parking brake which for some unknown reason disengages the alarm. Security Is number 1 priority
I've never had an issue with mine. When the battery is getting low, my car tells me and I go to the dealer I got the car from to get the battery replaced. I also have a backup one too. On my car, if the fob is in my pocket I can simply touch the door handle and it unlocks. The ignition is also a push button. I haven't put an actual key into a car in about 4 years now. Also this thread probably could have gone in the automotive section.
Never had such problems, then again only one of my cars had electrically operated locks, but they did not work on that one, but sometimes ice was bit of an issue and had to defrost lock before it wanted to open, then it refuses to lock of course so first 100km or so had to be driven while holding the door, naturally temps were below -20C then, so car really did not want to warm up and even less when door refused to stay shut. Only French cars had major issues with freezing locks though, but I guess they were not really meant for north pole or syberia. Twice I did manage to lock keys inside the car though, so had to break in to car which was not really that difficult to do thanks to bendy window frames. Then again Toyota locks did work just fine with any other Toyota keys or even with an ice cream stick. Never had problems with that, except once someone thought he needs the Toyota more than I do, however they were not bright enough to start the thing as that did require clever use of gear stick before starting, also checking of fuel and filling of oil before you go...
For some cars you need to code the key when replacing battery, or pair or something, I have only heard from such, no first hand experience, but that was some more than 10 years ago that such vehicles were made, maybe first generation coded keys stuff? Good/bad technology.
The repairing can be done by the user. The memory cell is also capacitor backed, you do get a good 15-30 second window in which the battery can be removed and reinserted without wiping the memory. I've replaced such batteries in vehicles as recent as 2015, and as old as 2001.
Yeah because its easier and faster than going to a store as the dealer is closer, and no lines to worry about.
Also a lot more expensive, and I'm likely going to the store for groceries at some point, where I can just pick up a coin cell at the same time. Literally, many main dealers will charge a fortune for what's not even a 2 minute DIY job anyone can do
For reference: Vauxhall quote £120 for the same job. A job a £2.50 coin cell does for you, in a fob where you don't even need tools to change the battery and re-pairing to the car is as simple as holding the unlock button while putting the key in the ignition and cranking the engine while holding the brake. People see why I find it hilarious that anyone would go to the dealer to change a fob battery?
It costs me about $4 for it at the dealer. Also, I would break my key fob attempting to open it (it does not have a way to open it so easily) so it isn't worth it.
So often it is that people find other ones choices wrong, no matter the choices, it just is how human brain is coded I guess.
