I have an 05 JCW, I like to ask the dealer to take the automatic locking
and program it to default (no locking). I want to lock and unlock it myself.

Also, I need to replace my key battery. The battery is not charging anymore.

Can someone tell me how much do you think the dealer will charge programming the locking system and the key battery?

Thank you

 

IF you have a good MINI repair shop and you have other work done they may do it for nothing.

I paid .5hrs of labor to reprogram the DRL's and have the lock set up changed two years ago....$60 - I think ?

 

The battery in the 05 key is not technically replaceable....
A post a long time ago found a source for them in Taiwan I believe (they are rechargeable...not regular store bought button cells)....and if you are careful, they can be swapped out....I doubt the dealer will have them....
A different way to get t he battery MIGHT be to buy a new uncut key on e-bay...then move the battery....

 

Unfortunately, I don't know what you meant "not replaceable" & the dealer don't have it?
What do I do with this battery operated "many function" key that don't work?
Hard to believe the dealer has no replacement parts.

 

It's a lifetime battery inside the multifunction key.

It recharges itself when the car is on and the key is in the ignition.

 

Do U mean when the battery is dead the key is throw away? Why can I open the key and replace it with another rechargeable or what you called lifetime battery?A lifetime battery will not charge if it lost the cells - Even a uranium can lost it's power through decay...but they all can be replaced.

 

On the later first-gen cars (like your 2005 and my 2006), the battery replacement can be a bit tricky.

First, the two halves of the key fob aren't meant to come apart. You can pry them apart carefully, but you'll need some kind of glue to fasten them back together afterward.

Second, the electrical connection to the stock key battery is tack-welded in place. So you'll need to crack the halves apart, pry off the welded battery connection, find a replacement for the rechargeable button-cell battery, solder the connection onto the new battery (without overheating the battery) and then glue the halves back together. Not impossible by any means, but it's not a simple drop-in replacement like it was with the earlier cars.

 

Many devices w/ rechargeable batteries are not easily changeable. Sometimes in high volume products that are sealed units (like Apple) an independent industry develops, sometimes in low volume products like a given car key it doesn't. Meanwhile in gen 2, I guess they realized to make the battery replaceable.

 

That's a better explanation. Thank you for clearing the battery & the FOB issue.
Supposed I was able to replace the battery, do I need to bring the key back
to the dealer to be programmed or good to go?

 

You shouldn't need to have the key reprogrammed. I once let the rechargeable battery in my spare key get pretty flat (wouldn't unlock the car), but after I drove around with it in the ignition for a while, all was good again.