Help. I can't get into my car

sand_hun

Hello, I have a 2015 VW Polo with two key fobs. One of the fobs completely died about 18 months ago and I was told it would be £300+ to replace it. I didn't bother since we rarely go anywhere by car (we mainly cycle or use public transport). 

However, tomorrow I need to drive, and just went to my car which is currently parked a few streets away (and has been for a few days as we're getting work done at home). Upon double pressing the fob, the car didn't open and a red light flashed twice. I suspected a low battery so I switched it for another type CR 2O32 battery but same issue - it flashes red.

I could of course use the key but it will trigger the alarm. Any ideas what the red lights mean or how the issue can be resolved? Thanks

Barkin

sand_hun said:

I could of course use the key but it will trigger the alarm. 

And I suspect that if you put the key into the ignition and turn it on, the alarm will stop and you'll be good to go

angrycrow

If it's the same as most Vag cars open it with the physical key then quickly put the key in the ignition and turn it to the second position should reset the alarm.

You will probably then need to use the internal unlock button to unlock the remaining doors and boot. 

The key fobs can go out of sync when the batteries fail so check your manual for the correct procedure to resync the key fobs to the car. They can normally be done with a sequence of button presses. 

prettyandfluffy

You should be able to download the Owner's Manual and check what you need to do (I'm assuming the actual book is probably locked in the car) - I have a Honda and this set of circumstances is covered in the Manual.

sand_hun

Update. So I just went over to the car....I pressed the unlock button. It didn;t open the doors. I then used the key to open the vehicle and the alarm did not sound. I turned the ignition and NOTHING. No response from the vehicle at all, the dash didn't illuminate, the ignition didn't trigger. Could it be some kind of anti-theft type thing or maybe a dead battery?

Keep_pedalling

Flat 12volt battery.

QrizB

Keep_pedalling said:

Flat 12volt battery.

Yes, this seems the most likely.

You said in your opening post:

sand_hun said:

    we rarely go anywhere by car (we mainly cycle or use public transport). 

When did you last use your car? 

Modern cars have quite high electrical loads when they're not running. Duringtge. lockdown summer of 2020 both our car batteries went flat due to lack of use. In our case, the cars err on our driveway and I could recharge them from the.mains. That's less easy for a car that's "a few streets away".

If you can get a friend to jump start it, then leave it running for 30 mins or so, it should be OK overnight but ideally you'll put the battery on a long charge. If you don't have a driveway that'll probably mean removing it and bringing it into your house.

Or you can pay a fortune for a new battery and hope you don't get the same problem in a few months.

sand_hun

QrizB said:

Keep_pedalling said:

Flat 12volt battery.

Yes, this seems the most likely.

You said in your opening post:

sand_hun said:

    we rarely go anywhere by car (we mainly cycle or use public transport). 

When did you last use your car? 

OK thank you for your help. I last used the car about 4 days ago, albeit only for a short trip. My plan is to call the RAC tomorrow, upgrade our membership to home start (the vehicle is currently 0.2 miles away!) and hopefully they will resolve it

Bigwheels1111

sand_hun said:

QrizB said:

Keep_pedalling said:

Flat 12volt battery.

Yes, this seems the most likely.

You said in your opening post:

sand_hun said:

    we rarely go anywhere by car (we mainly cycle or use public transport). 

When did you last use your car? 

OK thank you for your help. I last used the car about 4 days ago, albeit only for a short trip. My plan is to call the RAC tomorrow, upgrade our membership to home start (the vehicle is currently 0.2 miles away!) and hopefully they will resolve it

Wow, you have the RAC, I hope you took out key cover.
This add-on covers the cost of replacing, lost, stolen or damaged keys.
I think I’ve just had a brain wave for next renewal.

QrizB

sand_hun said:

QrizB said:

Keep_pedalling said:

Flat 12volt battery.

Yes, this seems the most likely.

You said in your opening post:

sand_hun said:

    we rarely go anywhere by car (we mainly cycle or use public transport). 

When did you last use your car? 

OK thank you for your help. I last used the car about 4 days ago, albeit only for a short trip. My plan is to call the RAC tomorrow, upgrade our membership to home start (the vehicle is currently 0.2 miles away!) and hopefully they will resolve it

I can guarantee they'll try to sell you a new battery.

Check prices at eg. Tayna before the RAC turn up so you know how much it should be, then you'll be able to judge whether RAC prices are a reasonable mark-up for the convenience of having the RAC man take care of it for you.

https://www.tayna.co.uk/

If the car doesn't have stop-start, I'd guess the battery is about £60. With stop-start, it could be £90?

Grey_Critic

Last year my son took me for a hospital appointment when I came out his car would not start. Called AA who diagnosed the battery was knackerred - well it was the original from 2013. They jump started him and said they could supply a new one for £117 - we declined and I bought him a new Exide for £62