Key fob toast?

pitt83 · Apr 7, 2008

New to the borard. Have owned a 2004 Colorado Red V6 T-reg since Aug 2005. Always been a great ride, except for the insatiable appetite for wiper blades.

I accidentally left my key fob in a pocket and it went though the washer. I got a "key missing battery" error when I next drove the car. OK, I opened the case and bought a new 2032 battery and reasembled. Seems the key fob is shorting out as the car kept beeing intermittantly with the keys on the kitchen counter. The little green light kept flashing as well.

Is the little circuit board shot? Any ideas about cost of a replacement?

treg4574 · Apr 7, 2008

Take the battery back out and let it dry for several more days. Then try again.

I will bet that if you disassembled it completely, you would find water / moisture under the rubber pad that makes up the "switch". It needs more time to dry out.

TriGator · Apr 7, 2008

I woudl also suggest after taking out the battery and circuit board, dunking the board in isopropyl alcohol and letting it sit for a while. you could even try hitting it with a hair dryer. I agree with TREG4574 that it probibly has water somewhere hidden behind the rubber piece. We used to do this on cell phones and handheld radios when we would drop them overboard or get them splashed on the boats. It works about 75% of the time IF you get the battery out ASAP. Having the battery in (especially in high powered batteries) does fry boards.[/font]
[FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']If all else fails, a new key is in order. If the codes line up, I have one for sale in the classified adds. I lost mine for my old reg, ordered one and by the time it came it, I had already traded the egg out with a new one. As my luck would have it, the serials were different...
Good Luck Pitt!

ransom · Apr 7, 2008

When I bought my used egg it only came with one key so I went to the local dealership to price a new one.

key=$50
programming=$80
fob=$120

total $250

Unless someone know's of a less expensive way to obtain a key I'll be closely guarding the one I have.

MplsDude · Apr 8, 2008

You can usually find fobs and uncut keys on eBay for around $60-$80. You will have to make sure the FCC ID is the same as the one you have otherwise it won't work.

The dealer may or may not charge you to re-program it, sometimes they will cut the key for free for you too. When I owned my Audi they were pretty nice about it.

TriGator · Apr 8, 2008

Man, they gouge us down here then. Reeves in Tampa didn't break down the price but told me it would be $389 out the door.

pitt83 · Apr 9, 2008

I think I got it. I work in a lab. I used the vacuum oven. Set the temp to 37deg C (100F) and pulled a high vac overnight. Seems to be working with one beep per click as expected.

BTW: I read that placing a wet iPod in a bag of white rice will restore it to working order.

Key fob toast?

pitt83

treg4574

TriGator

ransom

MplsDude

TriGator

pitt83

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