Yeah, I did this a couple of weeks ago with the Sigma system that came with my car. I asked my local BMW dealer directly if the alarm beeper could be re-housed in a new fob shell, and was told no. Unsatisfied with this response, I then came on here and asked what those in the know thought, and was told it COULD be done and would be cheap and easy. £14 and quarter of an hour later, job done. Thank you bimmerforums!

Good info yahoo1918 & Jason 77 in California.

 

Great post Yahoo :thumbsup

That sums up the job nicely and i think it deserves a sticky in the 'How To' forum ??

What do you guys think?

 

Agreed.

 

Quick update.......

Finally got round to giving it a go and guess what.........got a second working key again all for £6 or so :thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup

Did it exactly as described above but would add that when it comes to testing the key put it in the ignition and go for a drive to charge it up. For some reason by leaving it in the ignition without the engine on it wouldn't charge it.

There are a couple of different batteries out there but I bought this one:

http://www.cellpacksolutions.com/Search_Data_Sheet.asp?ID=VL2020-1HFE

 

Nicely done mate :thumbsup

 

tried this as well today ,

bit fiddly soldering the new batt in but eventually managed ,
All programmed up and working spot on
Just need to superglue the 2 halfs back together now

cheers guys :thumbsup
Ian

 

Glad to hear it worked.....helped 2 of us so £200 saved so far:hihi

 

Hi guys, just registered on here, to ask how to programme a new key, as we're in the process of buying a spare key on e-bay. Found this thread and will try it...

Thanks in advance for this advice!!! :thumbsup

 

Key Fob for a (E34)

I have a key fob that sends a radio signel its a squre or oblong fob with a red button and a gray one is there anyone out there that knows how to re-set the system. the fob operates the central locking and the alarm.Any help would be very welcome. Thanks

 

I have a key fob that sends a radio signel its a squre or oblong fob with a red button and a gray one is there anyone out there that knows how to re-set the system. the fob operates the central locking and the alarm.Any help would be very welcome. Thanks

Mine is like that, which the edge slanted too? Mine died, I think battery but because it took me about 24 hours to get a new fob battery due to working, now my Remote Central Locking doesnt work and I am stumped about how to get it all working again without having to pay a fortune from BMW, lets face it, most of us could do without paying about £170 an hour

 

i have a 3 button key fob, it unlocks but does not lock ive tried this but it doesnt work my car is a 316 compact 1996 any ideas as to the paoblem...

 

I've just done this, but instead of superglueing the old case back together I bought a key shell from ebay, got it cut and then put the circuit board into this, so for £16 I've managed to get a fully functioning and new looking key :hihi . The new ebay one looks almost identical to the original BMW one. Thanks for a great thread, saved me £100 or so.

 

neither of my key fobs work, how can i resolve this seeing as i dont have a "working fob", have tried driving round with either key to see if they just need charging up!

no joy and about £30 down on petrol!!

any ideas to avoid having to pay bmw??

cheers
mike

 

Hi baderlfc

I'm no auto electrician and its just my opinion but do any of these symptoms ring any bells?

Did your remote key fobs ever work on your car?

If they never worked on your car that could indicate that the keys need recoding to the car, have you tried this? or that the fault is in the cars receiver module, or whatever the correct technical part is called!


Did they both stop working at the same time or did one key continue to work while the other packed in?

If they stopped working at the same time that again would indicate a fault with the car rather than the keys.

If one key continued to work while the other stopped functioning that to me would indicate battery failure in the fob itself.

If you post up in more detail I'm sure more members will be able to aid you.:thumbsup

At my friend of a friends garage. they have a Remote Key Fob Tester, it simply tests the output signal from a keyfob,
it might be worth making a few phone calls to local auto electricians/garage workshops?

 

well thats where all this gets a bit tricky,

ive only just bought the car, and the boy i bought it off said its been like it since he bought the car, so neither key fob has worked remotely for at least last 2 years,

he hadnt tried changing batterys in the fob or re-programmings but he had been quoted £100 by bmw swansea to sort it, that suggests to me it is the fob but dont know if they checked the receiver on the car!

ive tried re-programming with both my fobs, also have driven round with both in the ignition, still getting nothing!

have just ordered a battery to replace on my spare key, but once thats been done how do i reprogram without a working fob??????????????

cheers in advance!!

 

Hi baderlfc,
I'm assuming you've tried reprogramming your keyfob by doing THIS ? Read Ronnies post on this thread, it explains fully how to reprogram #1 key then #2 key?
:thumbsup

 

coding in spare key e46

hi i have just tired repromming spare key and now both remotes dont work please help

 

hi i have just tired repromming spare key and now both remotes dont work please help

Start a new thread in the e46 section :thumbsup Title it like below and I'll keep a eye out for it

2002 325i E46, key programming.

 

Ihave just bought my first BMW. It's a 2000, 1900 316i compact. It came with 1 key which has no buttons on it but has got something missing as there is a hole in the centre of it where i assume the BMW circle badge would go. Does my car have an alarm or immobiliser fitted or do key fobs that are programable just open the doors? The key will work for the central locking.
Thanks
Bill

 

Hi Guys, can anyone tell me which way up the battery goes in the key fob? I marked it with a felt tip pen and when I came to fit the new battery I had ribbed the marks off with my sausage fingers - DOH!

 

Sorted the key fob battery - got an electrician to test polarity of fob - key is now sorted & back in one piece - thanks guys.

 

Guys,

Isnt this battery supposed to recharge itself as you drive, so you should never have to change it?

 

Dear All,

This worked brilliantly for me. I can now use my 2nd fob to lock/unlock the car. Unfortunately, I can't start the car, it could not start even before changing the battery.

Does anyone know if my fob itself is faulty or do I need to go to a speacilist to reporogramme the fob to start the car?

Thanks very much.

 

bmw key battery Panasonic VL20203v

can any one tell where to purchase one from as I have done a google and yahoo search with no results

 

Hi - I`ve just ordered two from RS - part no. 407-877 - £2.52each.
Only problem for you may be RS is `Trade Only`
Cheers Neil

 

Before changing the batteries on your key fob...

Was about to change the batteries in my fobs when I tried reprogramming first...

(First key died about 3 months ago and second key died today - 2004 320D ES)

Just a quick message to advise anyone to try reprogramming before they change the batteries and cut open your fob cases.

Reprogramming worked a charm and we're now back to two fully functional keys - thank you to everyone on the forums!!!

(Ps - don't stick your keys in your back pocket - think this is why I keep killing the batteries and loosing the programming!!)

 

Woohoo!!

Just done my keyfob and it works superbly!! And i save myself a trip to the stealership. Thank you very very much!

 

Found this Walk Through video online YouTube - BMW 3- Series Battery KEY Replacement & Re-Program KEY

 

Is this for older cars as on my 2007 e60 the car programs the key automatically when you put it in the slot.

 

Can anyone help with a 1996 E36 fob transfer to key?

I have a 96 E36 Coupe with seperate key and remote, does anyone know if i can swap over from the bulky fob to key with Alarm buttons built in? BMW obviously say it can not be done, but after reading some of the help posts on here, I became a member, as you guys all seem great and know how the undoable can become doable!

Cheers,

Noobie today! All help greatly appreciated:thumbsup

 

I have a 96 E36 Coupe with seperate key and remote, does anyone know if i can swap over from the bulky fob to key with Alarm buttons built in? BMW obviously say it can not be done, but after reading some of the help posts on here, I became a member, as you guys all seem great and know how the undoable can become doable!

Cheers,

Noobie today! All help greatly appreciated:thumbsup

The built in remote/key needs a different ZKE fitting and coding, along with the alarm remote receiver/demodulator in the rear view mirror.

 

Didn't work for me

Hi

Well as most of us know BMW will have us believe the batteries cannot be replaced and instead have to part with £100 ish for a new key fob.....read on, there is a way of changing the rechargable battery :thumbsup

First Pic: Original Key

Second Pic: Take a stanley or xacto knife and basically carefully cut the key open along the seam where the top and bottom joined...Start at the top where the keyring goes through and be careful not to go too deep and damage the insides.

Third Pic: Next take small chisel and brake the spot welds on the battery that connect it to the rest of the circuit board.

Fourth Pic: The battery you will need is a Panasonic VL20203v.It is then a simple matter of soldering the new one in and making sure everything fits back together. (remember to put the positive and negative the right way round)

Fith Pic: Unit superglued back together

Then reprogramme:

Put the working key in the ignition. Turn to position 2 for like 1 second then back and remove the key.

Press and hold the "unlock" button then press the "lock" button 3 times, you should hear all the locks cycle through.

Now take the non working key and press and hold the "unlock" button then press the "lock" button 3 times.

Then turn the ignition on and off again to end the programming.

##A few things to remember##

Worth a shot only if its your spare key that is not working, you have nothing to lose (apart from a £6 battery). Would not advise you do it if you only have one key (as you may not be able to use the key at all if you make a mistake).

Be careful when opening the sealed key not to slice your fingers too much :hihi

Before glueing back together, tightly band the key back together first and test it

Finally

I cannot take credit for this instead it goes to Jason 77 in California :thumbsup Big thanks I believe form all of us, its going to save some of us a lot of money.

This is not guaranteed to work as your fob may be faulty and a replacement battery will not solve this.

If it is your battery that is the problem and you do it correctly it will work.

I have a battery on order and will post back in a week or so once I've given it a shot

I replaced the battery, the key now starts the engine which is didn't use to but I can't reprogram so still no remote central locking :frown