[insane79]

Hi Guys,
Anyone know the expected battery life for the Non Comfort Access Keyfob? my distance for unlocking the car has become much shorter now & i feel my battery in the key fob is ageing, keyfob is around 5 years so whats the expected battery life in these Non CA keys?

Thanks..

[Firebirdof06]

Originally Posted by insane79

Hi Guys,
Anyone know the expected battery life for the Non Comfort Access Keyfob? my distance for unlocking the car has become much shorter now & i feel my battery in the key fob is ageing, keyfob is around 5 years so whats the expected battery life in these Non CA keys?

Thanks..

I've got another 11 year old car and the batteries still work in both sets of keys.

[Blackhawk36]

No problems on mine. 08/2007 production.

[TrAcK TRaP]

mine is 07 w/CA battery shows low is it replaceable?

[ctuna]

Yes CA battery are a common CR2032
You can get them at a drug store for about 3 bucks each.
I ordered a strip of 5 for 20 cents each of ebay and the shipping
was a dollar. So 2 bucks for 5 battery's.
This type of battery is used in a lot of different fobs and for cmos mem
back up on motherboards.

For the non replaceable battery fobs the following links may be useful.
This guy says her repairs the fobs and its seldom the battery's

http://www.bmwgm5.com/GM5_Repair_Service.htm

http://www.bmwgm5.com/Key_Repair.htm

[GoRomeo]

Mine still good. 8 yrs old. Not sure how many do you have but if you have a set of 2 is recommended to swap them for a couple of months to keep them charged up. Cheers!

[insane79]

guess my battery in my non ca key fob is having an early death, only replacing the key solves the problem, sucky move by bmw..

[BAMxi]

My car has a build date of 04/2007 and both my fobs are just OK. I've never been amazed with the range of these fobs compared to the aftermarket keyless entry I had on my previous car, or even my wife's much older ford taurus. I'm sure you've figured it out, but the keys recharge as you drive, so there definitely is potential for the batteries to weaken over time, as they are constantly in a state of charging when inserted in the car. How far away are you able to stand and unlock your car right now? I'd guess my car unlocks from 15-20 ft or so away, but probably not much more.

The e46 had a notoriously bad range on those fobs, and one thing I've seen people do is to press the fob against the bottom of their chin, basically using their skull to work as an antenna to amplify the signal. Sounds dumb, but I've seen it work. Never seen or tried it on an e90 though. Note: I will not be responsible if we find out 50 years from now that key fob waves flowing through your brain cause irreparable damage. haha

[insane79]

Originally Posted by BAMxi

My car has a build date of 04/2007 and both my fobs are just OK. I've never been amazed with the range of these fobs compared to the aftermarket keyless entry I had on my previous car, or even my wife's much older ford taurus. I'm sure you've figured it out, but the keys recharge as you drive, so there definitely is potential for the batteries to weaken over time, as they are constantly in a state of charging when inserted in the car. How far away are you able to stand and unlock your car right now? I'd guess my car unlocks from 15-20 ft or so away, but probably not much more.

The e46 had a notoriously bad range on those fobs, and one thing I've seen people do is to press the fob against the bottom of their chin, basically using their skull to work as an antenna to amplify the signal. Sounds dumb, but I've seen it work. Never seen or tried it on an e90 though. Note: I will not be responsible if we find out 50 years from now that key fob waves flowing through your brain cause irreparable damage. haha

the skull thing is interesting concept indeed, the range my key fob unlocks the car now is around 5-6ft max, over that it won't lock or unlock the car. I guess my key fob battery is dying & i got to hunt for my spare key now

[Rmk392]

Yea mine is an 08 and the remote distance is a few feet. Maybe I get a new one depending on price.

[atlaskk]

The non-CA FOB should recharge every time it is inserted into the car... maybe the FOB itself is having some other issues besides the battery?

[liang]

Regarding the distance to unlock the car with keyfob, isn't it effected by window tint? Isn't the receptor inside the car?

[DJ.E92]

Non CA key fobs charge when inserted in the car.
Mine lost A LOT of distance after I got my windows tinted.

Its normal, I hate it but learned to live with it 3+ yrs now.

[Ed_Mitchell]

There's a listing on ebay to repair the batteries in the non CA fob's.
Search ebay for "BMW Key & Fob New Battery Service"

Here's a link
http://www.ebay.com/itm/291095932899

Saved me a few hundred dollars!!!

[Ed_Mitchell]

One key fob lasted 6 years and the other is still going.