Thank you.
I was able to get 3 used remotes fully working, yes.

If you wish to try, I would recommend going to the website and taking the time to look over everything I put together. One other member that posted in this thread was able to accomplish the task also. Both he and I will tell you that it is not a simple process given the fact that you have to get software working that is not the easiest stuff to work with. I state it many times in the stuff I wrote up that it is not easy and I am dead serious about it. Unless you are patient, good with computers and figuring stuff out on the fly, and have lots of time to waste, I strongly recommend going to the dealer for your remotes.

 

Thanks for the advice

as soon as I have time I give him a look
Congratulations again for the work

 

I live in Guatemala and bought a used 2004 R50 (Indi Blue, by the way), and a couple of years ago, my only key was stolen. So I went to the local dealer and got a new one for the equivalent of US$ 450.

Of course I wasn't very happy that amount, but I needed the car and didn't have the time to look up for some other solution. Anyway, when I got the key, the dealer wanted to charge extra US$ 85 for getting it programmed. I didn't want to spend more money on this, since I knew I was going to get a copy and spend US$ 150 on that. These keys are really expensive here in Guatemala. Actually my brother lost a VW key and the VW dealer wanted US$ 625 for the fob, luckily, he had two spare keys, although none of them with remote control.

Anyway, I was looking in different places and at different times and got frustrated because all I found was pairing procedures, until I found today this post.

Thank you 04_Indi_Mini_S for that and for sharing your effort to the community.

I checked the led and it is working, last time I used the old key, the locking system was working perfectly, and the most important part, is that I have the bar code from the tag that came with the new key.

The only thing is that I am a newbie and I don't know much about connecting to the car computer and program the module, but I am willing to try it, since your guide seems very clear on what it has to be done.

I have a couple of questions though and I hope you 04_Indi_Mini_S could give me a hand.

I looked for a VAG-COM USB to OBD2 cable to buy, found this one but I am not pretty sure this one will work. Will it?

And, is there a special place where I could find the software? I was thinking to look it up with torrent, but maybe there is a better way to start looking.

Anyway, I'd like to thank you again for this contribution, I am really motivated to give it a try.

 

I am not sure about the cable you linked to. This is the one I got:
The software was the thing that was most difficult. Finding it was difficult, installing it was difficult, and navigating it was difficult. Unfortunately the place I got the software from the link is dead. You can try torrents, I honestly don't remember where the good stuff was versus the bad stuff. I put the guide together to help as much as I could, so hopefully it helps you. As I have said before to others, this process is not easy or fast and if I would have known from the beginning how long and hard the process was I would have just paid the dealer and been done with the keys. I just got to a point where I was so deep that I couldn't stop until I saw it through. Good luck!

 

So close to getting this done....need help with code structure.

I'm using DIS V57 menus are a little different.

Log key to empty slot ok.

45dc10 is not my code but its close ...can you give me the structure you get for this sticker

First asks for base code 6 digits (45dc10)
Then variable code again 6 digits (45dc1a is correct ?)
last step asks for 16 digits. decoded base code. ?(ffffffffffba23ef is this correct?)

read slot after..... program successful .

Cannot pair remote !@$!

 

The sample code you give and the deciphering you did look good. Your real code in the PM you sent to me is correct as well. If the software programmed and said successful then you are good to go on the programming the code into the BCM and all that is left is to pair the remote to the car.

First thing to do is check and make sure your remote is actually operable. With the remote opened and board pulled out, the bottom side of the board has an led that lights up when you press a button. Make sure that the led lights up. If it does, then your remote is most likely ok and you just need to keep trying the pairing procedure. It took me like 10 tries for the procedure to take, and as I said in PM, it has taken others equally as many tries to get it to pair. Why it takes so many tries I have no clue, but it does. If your led does not light up, change the battery and try again. If it still does not light, then the remote may be toast.

Did you purchase the remote used?

 

Looking at this again ...maybe the decode should be ffffffffffba23e5

 

The original ffffffffba23ef is correct.

 

I've been using my remote that I got with the car for almost two years now and suddenly last night it didn't work anymore. I figured the battery went out so I replaced the battery and still nothing. Then after reading, I learned that the remote may have lost its pairing to the car while changing batteries. I've tried multiple different pairing procedures on the internet and the one in the owners manual but no luck. The LED is working and I figured since this isn't a new key I don't have to mess with programming it to the car, it's just the keyless entry pairing I'm dealing with, correct? So is my problem just like you said, I just have to keep trying upwards of 10 times? And if so, which pairing procedure should I try, the one in the manual or some of the others posted on here? Sorry to jump in the thread but to have my key suddenly go out for no reason is really annoying!!

-Chris

 

In your case, it seems like you might need to do procedure #2 from the pairing website I put together. Try that a number of times and if all else fails, try procedure #1 a number of times. I don't know why, but it can take several times for the pairing to work. I have had a few people contact me since I did the key coding, and as far as I know all but 1 had to keep trying the code several times before it finally took. The 1 that didn't simply hasn't been able to get theirs to work at all.

Pairing 02-04 Remotes: https://sites.google.com/site/minian...ing-the-remote

Pairing 05-06 Remotes: https://sites.google.com/site/minian...ing-the-remote

 

My remote key cost me £105.47 + VAT from the dealer. I assumed it was going to work straight away but they told me after I bought it that they would have to code it.

I programmed it using DIS.

The key comes with a barcode attached to it. You have to follow the instructions in DIS which tell you how to decode the barcode.

My total procedure:

1. buy replacement key from dealer
2. decode the barcode
3. enter the barcode data into the car using DIS
4. complete pairing procedure

I noticed the circuit boards have the base code printed on a little sticker. I'm going to try and reactivate the dead key and then I'll have two. Just have to work out if knowing only the base code will be enough to program the old dead key to the car? It probably says somewhere in the Google doc.

 

It's this part of the DIS software where you enter the key programming.




It's fair to say it takes time to learn how DIS works, how to install it, who sells software and interface cables. This is the third version of DIS I've bought and I'm getting pretty good with it now. You can't really learn it instantly. The guy I bought it from no longer operates... I guess he was shut-down by BMW.

I tried recoding the dead key using the base code from inside the key fob and combining that with the barcode data I got with the new key. That didn't work.

I noticed the programming in the module for key 1 (the dead key) was all zeros. So I guess something went wrong somewhere.

I'll have a look at the guide and see if it shows anything about the barcode that can help me get the dead key working again. Was useful reading all of this although after page 1 I stopped reading, went and programmed my new key and then read the last 3 pages just to see what was there.

 

Ok, just to back up what 04_Indi_Mini_S has carefully worked out. The way BMW have played around with the numbers means it is possible to buy a spare remote transmitter off ebay and program it to remotely lock / unlock your car.

In my case all that had happened is that the system had forgotten my original key. All the numbers for the key stored in the system had changed to zeros. There was a bit of a weak connection to the battery so the LED was not always strongly lit when pressing the remote buttons, that may have caused some problem that caused the key to go out of sync.

Now I have two working keys. Without 04_Indi_Mini_S info I'd only have the new one that I just bought. Having 2 is nice.

 

I wasn't able to get on here yesterday, but it looks like you got it figured out anyway. Glad the guide helped.

 

I just requested access to the Google doc. indi mini is still around

 

I found a worksheet on a Range Rover forum that described the process to decode the 6 character code found inside the key fob into the two barcodes


As far as I can tell it is the same as the process used for Minis, I coded the process into a small web page where you can enter the code and select one of the 3 regions and it will generate the two code values and the code39 barcodes for them.


Hope somebody finds this useful


http://www.reeves.tv/mini.html

 

It was pointed out to me by a member that the pages I set up were not working. I believe they are back up now. If you need access try going through my link page at:

https://sites.google.com/site/minihowtopage/home

 

Anyone who followed or read through this thread knows that I did a lot of work on the Mini key coding issue. I may have (or may not have) stumbled upon something today that would be huge for anyone who has a remote that should be working but for whatever reason just wont.

What I did:
I am selling my one spare remote keys (I have 4 keys) to a member here and wanted to make sure the remote worked before sending it to them. I knew the remote was programmed to my Mini already and should work. I had the remote board outside of the fob shell and when I pushed the buttons the LED lit up, but the doors would not unlock/lock. (This key has been sitting around for 2 years) I thought maybe it had gotten out of sync with the car. When I grabbed one of my spare keys and hit the buttons (this key has been sitting for 2 years also) the doors locked and unlocked. Figuring I would just give him one of my other spare keys instead, I popped the key open and pulled the remote board out. Just for the sake of trying it, I hit the buttons with this remote board out and the LED lit, but the doors did not lock/unlock. I immediately popped the remote back into the fob shell and when I hit the buttons, the doors locked and unlocked. I tried and had the same results with not only one of my other keys, but the original remote that I was to send to the forum member. I was shocked by this and tried it several more times. Intermittently and without any sort of pattern, with the remote boards outside the fob shells, the doors lock/unlock, but it is rare.

So what does this mean?:
If this is not an anomaly with my keys and/or remote system, this means that some of the problems we have seen here on the forum regarding remotes that wont work, but that the LED's light up, and are tested as working, might be related to the fob shell itself. I don't know why and don't see what relation the shell could have in this, but given what happened to me these remotes may just need new shells. Maybe over time the shell buttons wear out and no longer make the magical connection... ???

All of this might be the reason I was having such trouble getting the remote paired to the car originally.

Does anyone have a spare new shell and seemingly non-working remote board lying around that they can test this out on?

 

Can't imagine what effect that the shell would have. They are just made out of plastic and I have found that both the OEM and aftermarket shells work just fine. This goes for both the clamshell and switchblade key types.

The only difference is that the aftermarket ones are a bit less durable if you drop the keys a lot. The internal tabs holding the boards can break leading to the board shifting around and the pads on the shell not hitting the microswitches.

I suspect that your body or fingers may have been causing a mild short circuit on the board or if your finger is over the antenna on the board (the squiggly trace) it could absorb the energy the the board radiates. It's not much energy so it wouldn't take much to absorb it.

Try this: put on a pair of thin latex or nitrile gloves and hold the board firmly in one hand by the edges. Use your other hand to push the lock/unlock buttons. I predict that the key will work reliably at that point.

When I repair a key I test them with a spectrum analyzer to see the radiated RF (radio frequency) pattern. I have done this with the board outside and inside of the shell and have noticed no difference in the strength of the signal. When out of the shell I do hold the board by the edges. What I have noticed is that the signal strength of the MINI keys as compared to a Ford key is about half that of the Ford key. This is why I say that holding your finger over the antenna on the board could easily absorb much of the radiated signal.

I'd be happy to post shots of the spectrum analyzer patterns of keys both inside and outside of the shell.

Dr. Bruce

 

I was thinking the same thing. Not sure what the shell would have to do with the issue. I did not think about the short circuit or covering the antenna possibility. I will retry it again while holding the board by the sides and see if that makes a difference.

 

Need some help.

My Dis seems to be up and running fine I can get into setting and such.

but the ZKE model is X out im taking that as its not available? when i go to to functional test left lower corner it only comes up with GM model and its still X out.

Im still really new to this but could all this be because I have not jumped the pins inside the OBD cable?

 

You made the selection of "Cooper S W11" instead of "Mini ONE W17" as seen here:
https://sites.google.com/site/minian...s-step-by-step

try the w17 option instead

 

ahhh. my dis auto filled in the options. does every time I connect wonder if there is a way to go back and change. It never gives me the option of manually configuring.

but will i still run into issues not connecting pin 7 and 8?

 

Not sure about changing the options. I did mine from the beginning, not auto-filled. As far as the cable, I never tried without jumping the pins. You could try it, but I would suspect that connection or communication issues would arise without jumping them.

 

ill have to investigate the changing of the options tonight. as well jumping the pins.

Nice find on that also. Thank you.