Hi everyone,

So the XKR-S came home with clean bill of health! Yay!

The dash had told me the battery in the smart key was low, so I grabbed a new 2032 battery to replace it. Simple right?
Wrong! Changed the battery, put the key together and went to verify that the key worked. No joy.
Smart key not found, insert key in dock.
So I insert the key, and hit start. Ding ding. Smart key not found.
Switch the key around and try again. Same result.
Tried two additional 2032 batteries just in case. Same result.

I would think that the dock was supposed to be the fail safe if smart key fob batteries died. What is going on? Any ideas?
Don't want to try a hard reset and disconnect the main battery since the key dock isn't recognizing the fob, so I don't want the alarm to keep going. Unless that is the actual fix.

Anyway, help!!

 

So it stopped working only after you changed the battery? Have you confirmed correct polarity orientation of the battery? Yes the armrest key dock should work even with a dead battery.

 

Yes, coin battery orientation is correct. Armrest dock takes the key but same smart key not found error.
Double checked the contacts inside the fob just to make sure it's making good contact with the battery. I can feel the spring pressure of the contacts as I put the fob back together, so I'm pretty sure the battery is making a good connection. Tried about a dozen times.

 

Take a reading from the main car battery , if below 12,6 v charge over nite

 

Also, if the Smart Key isn't found in the Center Slot, remove the battery from the Smart Key and try again.

 

Where's the second Smartkey #2? If you have it, see if it works. If it works, swap Smartkey batteries and see if #1 works. If it does, your new CR2032 batteries were DOA. Verify that by trying them in Smartkey #2, which you know worked.

If you have only one Smartkey, buy another CR2032 at your local big box chain or pharmacy, where you know they don't sell counterfeits or old stock "new" dead batteries. Don't buy cheap batteries on Amazon or Ebay; they're cheap for a reason.

If that fails, call the dealer who inspected your car. It's possible that they inadvertently cleared that key and separated it from being linked to your car.

 

I have a Batteries Plus (light bulbs) near me. They have a good selection with good dates and they aren't any more cost than places like Walmart and such. Plus, I'm pretty sure not counterfeit.

 

Another trick is to use a CR2035 battery instead of a CR2032. Previous owners may have weakened the prongs when they changed the battery, resulting in poor contact. The CR2035 is identical to the CR2032 except for being just a wee bit thicker, which is just enough to make better contact with stretched prongs. No problem with a CR2035 fitting inside the fob.

 

I wish I had a second smartkey. Car only had one key. One of the problems with buying used I guess.
I'll trot down to Walgreens or something local and grab another battery (2032 and 2035) just in case. On the dealer front, that will have to wait until Monday.

 

I don't know about you but if I take my car to a dealer and they do work on it and I bring it home and all of a sudden it doesn't work I would call the dealer and tell them to come and get it and fix what they broke. Just my thoughts.

 

Yeah unfortunately the service dept had closed by the time it happened.

 

Had this happening to me when I changed my 2032 battery (got like you a warning on the dashboard asking to do so) for a new no-name one.

Put the old battery back in, all worked fine again, but warning on dash.

Put in another new no-name, problem surfaced again.

Bought and inserted a tier-one major brand triple the cost 2032 battery: problem solved.

I suppose luxury cars do not like entry-level replacement parts...

But what is strange is that with the no-name there was no dashboard warning...

 

So I swapped the old battery back in for the "new" one and no joy there either, swapped with a known good battery from F Pace fob and that didn't work either. Both previous batteries work in the F Pace fobs. Heading to the store shortly to get new batteries.

 

Is there any way of doing key programming from home? SDD? Just grasping at straws to try and get the girl running.

 

If inserting the key into the receptacle in the centre console doesn't work, then I can't see it being the key fob battery that is the problem. The centre console receptacle is there for when the key fob battery is flat - that is its purpose. This, to me anyway, who admittedly is not all that much of a techie, would suggest a deeper problem than just a fob battery. My guess would be that the key is not programmed to the car any more, but why it would work one day and not the next doesn't entirely tally with that theory. The fact that the display recognised the fob and read its battery voltage kinda indicates that the key was paired - but then it's possible that the electronics in the car are confused and giving that message erroneously. Maybe a hard reset might fix it?*

*Remove the battery negative lead and momentarily touch it to the battery positive terminal.

 

@StiggyMac, what is the voltage across the battery terminals with the ignition in the OFF position?

 

So this short saga of dead fob has been resolved and I feel like a right twit.

Seems like each time I tried to adjust the connectors on inside of the fob against the battery, I was pushing the positive the wrong way. Apparently the connector needs to stand straight up where was mine was flattening out as I was putting the fob back together.
In my defense the connector looked that way when I first pulled it apart.

Instead of having to buy 2x keys and start control module and associated labour for about $3k, one of the senior techs at my local dealer (Tom Wood Jaguar) was able to save the key and get test it to show it was sending a RF signal.
The first tech who looked at it deemed it a dead key. Second opinions certainly saved me $$ today.

In any case, I am back to being a happy camper and searching for a name for my beauty.

 

What I don’t get is that if the start control module/dock is the fail safe, why doesn’t it see the transponder in the key, even if the key isn’t powered?
Does it require the battery connection to complete the circuit in the fob?

 

Yes it does. And I was quite certain it was going to be something related to the battery replacement and happy it was.

Does Steve still work in service? He was a member here years ago and a really great guy. I brought one of my Jags there to diagnose some issues others dealers couldn’t help with and he was very knowledgeable.

 

Yes I’m quite relieved it wasn’t something more serious. I didn’t have the opportunity to meet Steve but I understand he still works there.
Seems like he’s quite the celebrity amongst Jaguar techs.