I have duct tape holding my key together (2006 MCS). And, its the only key I have. I've reached deathcon 10 and need a new one before this thing completely fall apart. So, who has the best deal on keys that work?

 

You'll need to provide the VIN, your DL and vehicle registration information to a dealership. The key has to be programmed to the specific car. BTDT.

 

MINI of Peabody has been purported on this site for years to have a good price on a key replacement. Good luck.

 

If the only the case is physically damaged I would contact NAM member Valvashon who started a MINI key repair service and might be able to swap out the case for a reasonable price. If you do send it to him, I would also inquire about replacing the soldered in rechargeable battery since it’s 15 years old and the key will already be apart.

If you go with a new key from a MINI dealer, it should work out of the box to start the car, but will need to be paired with the car for the remote buttons to work. On a 2006 with the three button remote, this can be done in a few minutes with the key in the ignition and a series of button presses without having to pay for additional “programming”.

Not sure on the current price or if they’re still available by mail order, but a few years ago MINI of Seattle had remote keys for around $175 with verification of ownership.

 

I purchased a key on amazon for about 20 dollars and got it cut for an additional 30 or so dollars. To program it I purchased a AK90+ immobilizer programmer and pulled the EWS module and was able to read it and program the new key. So all in it was about 90 bucks for the key, key cutting and the programmer. My car is a late 06 so it has a EWS 4.4 module which meant I had to solider the wires directly to the module to read it but if your car is older you wouldn't need to solider the wires on and it is much easier.

 

Following......

 

Update.
Went to Seattle Mini's website, ordered the key. It was 159.00 before tax and like 172.13 or so after tax. That is the key with the working fob. There is another one you can get for 75 that is just a key that will start the car and thats it.

The site said that I would need to provide additional info (Registration and License) to complete the purchase. No one contacted me after I ordered, no email, nada. So, I called them and they said I just needed to email the service department with my order#, picture of license, and registration. Easy enough. Did that. So, if you order one through them, just call and order it, and follow up with the email, probably easier that way. Apparently I ordered a discontinued key and they had to fix that anyway.

Alright, so on to the delivery. FedEx. Signature required. FedEx is terrible. Not sure what happened to them, but they can't seem to deliver anything on time to me. Luckily it was delayed from Friday to Sunday and I was able to be home. The other option is to print a signed document to put on your door for the driver. My printer was of course out of ink. LOL. So, it took 17 days to get the key after placing my order (ordered Dec 30, received Jan 16).

Does it work? Yes and No. Yes it starts the car. Yes it unlocks the door. Its a little tight, but that's to be expected with a newly cut key. However, the key fob doesn't "work" as intended. I tried the key program feature (turn key to on position, pull out, press and hold unlock, while holding unlock press lock 3 times) dance about 20 times and couldn't get the key fob and the car to love one another. IMPORTANT!!!!! When you do the key dance, close the damn door. I had it open. So, I closed the door, did the key dance 3 more times, still nothing. 4th time, held the key nearly ON THE REAR VIEW Mirror (where the receiver is) and VOILA, the key fob and the car made love. Doors locked and unlocked.

HOWEVER, the key fob only works within 6 inches of the mirror. So, my R53 that absolutley hates being in running condition has thrown me a new curveball. I will not be defeated, though. Its either the battery or the receiver. I will start with the easier of the two and replace the battery in my brand new Key Fob. If that fails, or the more likely of the two...I break my new key, then I will look at the transmitter in the mirror.

EDIT. Apparently this battery is not supposed to be replaced...I'm checking the transmitter and will also see if there is a way to charge the battery in the key.

Wish me luck. And good luck to you if you are reading this!

 

The key charges when it's in the ignition.

 

Just replaced the battery in my 06 fob....did the key dance to pair it to the mirror....the fob works now for the first time since I got the car

Bryan

 

^^^Correct!^^^

Also charges on a Braun toothbrush charger. The fob is working!

Last thing I'll add, it should've came with instructions explaining these few small details.

 

^^^ From what I understand, the post facelift models key's internal battery does recharge vs pre-facelift version keys which do not. The owners manual describes that here:

Master keys with remote control
In every master key with remote control, there is an extended-life battery as a power supply that is charged automatically in the ignition lock as you drive. You should therefore use each master key at least twice a year to maintain the charge status. Depending on which master key the vehicle detects when it is unlocked, different settings will be called up and executed inside the vehicle, refer to Vehicle Memory on page 49.

At time of purchase, original owner of my R53 only found the one key used when infrequently started and driven. Subsequently found and provided that some weeks later, which I greatly appreciated for reasons already covered. That 2nd key's battery was flat after lack of use over nearly 16 yrs. I "assumed" it had to be inserted and the ignition/accessory switch on for inductive recharging. I still need to complete the process to verify that, thus curious what voltage output your rechargeable toothbrush dock puts out? Might work same with my own toothbrush or perhaps my Android smartphone inductive charging pad. Wouldn't want to hit it with too much unregulated juice and destroy the key battery in the process!

 

I assume that discovery was not accidental.

 

^^^ No need for replies, cus Google is my search assistant once again! Keywords: "using inductive charging pad to charge ignition key fob" provided plenty of hits, including: "Wireless phone chargers charge cell phones by inductive charging, which uses electromagnetic fields to transfer energy between 2 objects. This will work to charge your BMW key as well. Simply set your key on top of the charging pad and keep it there for a few hours or overnight."

My Android phone inductive charging pad is an Anker with specs: Input: 5V/2A / Output: 5V/1A

Also spotted illustration using cordless toothbrush charger but I'll try the Android charging pad with my 2nd key fob and see...

 

Should work as long as you know which way to orient the coil. Presumably the charger is on all the time? I’ve never messed with the consumer-grade stuff. I would expect the key to do its own voltage regulation.

 

^^^ From attempts to recharge overnight, clearly my 2nd key fob's battery has taken The Big Sleep after 16 yrs...

Put it on the phone charging pad until bedtime, then moved to the toothbrush charger when phone put on pad. That charging pad is unswitched to wall current but turns on with blue led light illuminated when inductive charging engages. No such light and no indication of "electrons flowing" with no warmth of that felt this morning.

Tested on the car with same results as before, i.e., key blade functionally works in ignition switch but no response from fob remote buttons. Tried reinitializing per procedure found online without success. Watched some R&R videos showing carefully opening the sealed fob case by cracking the glued seam, de-soldering the Panasonic VL2020 battery and soldering in a new replacement. This spare key was obviously never used. Had hoped it would "wake up" and recharge but now seems too old to respond. Not anxious to do the repair process but will only have it manually functional otherwise, which is still far better than no spare key...

 

That's unfortunate. I try to rotate my keys to keep them at least partially charged.

I don't know enough about battery side of those inductive circuits to know if there is any other trick you could try. There might be something. My experience is more in finding targets with low-frequency magnetics.

 

Does the blue charging light on the pad illuminate with the good key? The battery is probably long gone after so many years of being discharged, but it could also be not charging because the of key and charging pad combo weren’t made for each other.

 

I tried my cell phone charging pad with my 06 key last night to see if it would work....no matter how I put the key fob on the charging pad, it never turned blue for me

Bryan

 

I hadn't thought to test the functional key on my phone charging pad, so did so 4 hrs ago and no dice. Put it back against the toothbrush charger for those 4 hrs and tested again a few minutes ago. Still no response with remote function but I'm letting it resume for several more hrs before trying again including the re-initializing step. Not optimistic but not yet ready to reach for my Exacto knife and split the fob case open just yet. Not end of the world in any case...

 

My Braun says

TYPE 3757
110-130V
50-60 Hz/0,9W

Not sure if that helps or not. Hopefully you can wake yours up and not have to cut it open.

 

^^^ Spare key placed on the (Oral-B) toothbrush charger all evening and overnight. Just now tested and confirmed battery still dead w/o response to initialization. Online videos show R&R is fairly easy while being careful cutting through fob case sealing glue to avoid damage to the circuit board. De-soldering 90* battery pins also easy with appropriate iron tip and solder sucker plus soldering on a replacement battery easier yet. Finish by resealing the fob with super glue, re-initialize and done. Looks like that's what I'll be doing at some point...

 

Since the key itself doesn’t have a charging indicator light, there are a few scenarios I see when trying to charge it outside of the ignition switch:

• The key isn’t in the correct position to charge, or is incompatible with that particular charger.
• The key is charging, but the indicator light isn’t lit because the key isn’t drawing as much current as a phone or toothbrush might.
• The battery is completely dead and needs replacing.

An option that might work after several trips if the battery is not completely gone is to carry two keys, using the good key for the remote and the bad key to drive and charge.

 

^^^ Agreed on all aspects. I've driven the car with the spare key thinking that would recharge the battery but perhaps not long enough duration to wake it up from the 16 yr sleep, which I'd considered since that key hadn't been used like most with typical charge/discharge cycles over those many years. I might as well try that with my driving rarely being such that its left unattended. I won't even drive it to the market, Walmart or Home Depot 'cus for me the R53 isn't about transportation. I detest parking lot carnage with a passion and do whatever necessary to avoid that...

 

Although I refuse to shop at a Walmart.
When I took my wife out to dinner, I would drop her off at the front door and park the Mini in an adjacent parking lot. Preferably if a store was closed or the lot was empty. I would then pick her up after dining.
I refuse to valet. My wife was ok with my OCD. The Mini has been ding/dent free for 18 years.
Forgive my digression from the original topic/discussion