I've seen a ton of answers about fobs, but I'm not quite sure I've got it sorted out, so I'm seeking some verification.

I've got a fob that hadn't been used in a while, I suspect, in the car. It's an R56, 2008. Shows some wear so did get used at some point. No convenience package; it's the kind with the rechargeable battery per the manual and appearance.

It won't open doors, but when in the key slot the car will start and run fine. But after a couple of 30 minute drives, still won't open locks.

I have concluded that the battery is probably shot, and probably won't accept a charge. But will it also continue to work for the forseeable future to at least start the car? I figure in the slot it does so, and I can always use the mechanical locks.

I assume replacing the battery is still a PITA, and way expensive to get a new one at dealer. Any way to get the battery to accept charge? Should I just keep trying?

 

Ya, the battery is probably shot. If so, not much you can do to charge it. Why they didn't use a replaceable battery is beyond me. The battery is not needed to start the car as I believe the car simply sees the passive transponder in the key.

There a couple of threads on here for a DIY battery replacement. The pics I saw show it a bit messy to do, but doable. I also recall a member that has a small business replacing the battery. Might want to do some more searches on NAM.

 

Oops. Wrong post.