My car remote keys will not work. I can open and crank manually.
I assumed it's the FOB key battery. What type of battery I need to buy
in radio shack?
Someone told me I have to charge the FOB key but what other
battery sold in Radio shack will work?

Also, if I want to order one more remote key, can I only buy this to the dealer?

Thanks

 

Not sure about the battery part. But recently bought a second key for mini which can only be bought at a BMW dealership - $68 for the metal key. $168 for the remote with key Ok mental note to self...don't lose the key again. This is NY pricing maybe it will be cheaper in other parts of the country. Try changing the battery first.

 

I believe the key battery just charges from the ignition; nothing to buy.

I'm also in the market for a second key; yes, this needs to be purchased via a MINI dealer, and yes, $150-175 seems to be the cost for the key and programming.

 

Yeah, that's my question. In FOB, Can I use a battery sold in Radio shack?
or is the chargeable battery of the keys can only be bought in BMW?

Chargeable battery has life also...probably won't charge no more & I need a new one.

Is there a non-chargeable battery replacement for this?

 

See above. There is no replacement battery; it recharges from the ignition.

 

don't some of the earlier years have a replaceable battery?

 

Sorry; yes, that's a very good point and well covered here.

I have an '05, so I kinda tuned out the info on the earlier models.

 

I assumed what I read is right. Likewise I have a 2005 and the battery must be rechargeable? Someone said, his 04 is non-rechargeable.
I wish 05 is also non-rechargeable -- why they make life so hard & expensive?

So dealer only?

 

If you have an '05 the key should charge while you drive the car. It sounds like the transition happened between the '04 and '05 model years, so your friend's experience makes sense.

If they key still does not operate remotely after charging, the battery may be shot -- apparently even the rechargeables don't last forever -- or there may be an issue with the programming, which would require a trip to the dealer to correct. If you do a search on this topic, you should find a few threads.

Again, obtaining a spare/replacement key needs to be done through the dealer -- if you provide a copy of your vehicle registration and your ID, they can order it for you and program it for your car when you go to pick it up. Apparently there are a set # of keys issued per car -- six total (?) of which only 2 are issued at time of sale -- and the dealer needs to order from MINIUSA headquarters if you need to get ahold of one of the remaining 4 keys.

Anywho, this is all what I'm remembering from the information provided by the dealer and gleaned from other threads here, so I stand to be corrected by anyone with better memory.

 

How about a reset? do you think it will help?
I got the procedure to reset.


Thanks Timmy I appreciate the help & info.

 

I haven't had any first hand experience with resetting a key, but it sounds like it's worth a shot.

 

Thanks a lot tim --- I will try.