Car door keys

flossy_splodge

Please don't shout, I really do not know the answer to this.
I have recently acquired a secondhand car due to my own car being stolen by a mechanic (LONG story).
I have had it about 3 months and am having increasing difficulty using the zapper on the key to unlock the doors.
Now it strikes me there may be a battery in the key itself which needs replacing?
The thing is, am I right and if so where on earth does one get this done?? and... why does it still 'lock' apparently ok but doesn't 'unlock' easily?
Help please.
I have a tendency to panic over anything to do with cars these days since I got shafted over my own car so am worried to death I will find myself stuck somewhere unable to get back into my car and get home.
Gosh, I feel like crying just thinking about it, how daft am I?
All help is appreciated.:o

ariba10

There will be a battery.

It would help if you told us the make and year of the car

Shovel_Lad

I think the best thing to do would be to call into your local garage and ask. The keys/zappers all seem to be different these days so what works for one probably won't for another. Some keys have replaceable batteries, some don't and require you to buy a new key and have it programmed into your system and that might need a garage to do anyway. A quick chat with them should sort it out for you though.

socmwils23

Spookily i asked the exact same question yesterday. First off what car do you have? Second as a short term measure can you not just lock and unlock the car with the key. Its not as easy but thats how i have been doing it for the last week.

The key fob will have a battery and its just a matter of opening it and replacing the battery. I asked a mazda dealer about mine and was quoted £45 per key (i needed both doing) so £90 in total. They also wanted the car in for minimum half a day.

With help on here and a bit of googling i found information on how to do it myself. We got the replacement batteries in a key cutting watch strap store that every town has for a few quid and the whole process was quick easy and pain free.

If you let me know the make and model of car ill see if i can find a tutorial video for you.

s_b

if its a renault i advise flossy_splodge not to do it themselves as the micro switches often fall out never to be found again
in fact much as it pains me to recommend a service i swore i would never use again i suggest a trip to timpsons
now that hurt

balletshoes

My local car spares place sells the batteries and will fit them free too if I ask them to .

Strider590

flossy_splodge wrote: »

I have had it about 3 months and am having increasing difficulty using the zapper on the key to unlock the doors.

It's a push button, it's an on/off touch switch.... Pushing it hard does not make the battery miraculously work better, it works or it doesn't. If you keep pushing hard you WILL break it and it WILL (probably ) cost a small fortune to get a new one.

It's the single most common cause of keyfob failures (I worked for a manufacturer), as the battery starts to go, people start pushing harder.... <insert roll eyes smiley here>

flossy_splodge

Gosh thank you all SO SO much. At least it makes sense now!
Didn't think about using the key itself so thats a good un.
Car is a Toyota Avensis - is that enough info?

Will Timpsons DEFINITELY be able to do it?

What does a car spares place look like? I mean, what do I google for? Am in Warwickshire.
Thanks to you all, I was sitting at home frightened to go out in case I got stuck so I feel a lot better now.
:T

ariba10

Google- Motor factors, and the town you live in.

flossy_splodge

Thanks Ariba 10, did that, phoned the biggest one (a name I've seen around a LOT) and guess what? They don't handle these things!
So found the phone number of the nearest main dealer for Toyota and spoke to the guy ion their spares department. Explained it did not seem economical to drive to North Birmingham (about 40+ miles) just for a battery and he said hell no, Halfords will do it.
So off I trotted to my nearest halfords (about 10 miles) and nope, they wouldn't touch it either, NOT cos it's a programmed fob, (I'd already checked this with the main dealer) but because if anything went wrong, they didn't want to be held liable!!
So I go another few miles to the nearest town centre to Timpsons and guess what? They will only do this job at their branch in Solihull and you have to be there with your car, with all your papers and then if you scratch your head and sing Yankee doodle dandee they may be able to help but it takes a couple of hours!!:eek:
Moral of the story?

I spoke to an AA patrolman who did it on the spot, no problem.

So worth joining the AA just for that!
Apparently they do loads at the side of the road!!

Thank you so much to everyone who offered advice, thanks to that I at least felt a little less out of control and finally got sorted.
:T

McKneff

Updates are always welcomed, thanks for letting us know, it also helps anyone else getting into the same situation.