Hey everyone, brand new to the forum but not to the car world. My wife drives a 2007 R56 hatch NA non-comfort access. When she puts the key in the dock there is no response. It's like you just got in the car and just sat there. I did some searching here and saw others had the same problem but I didn't see a concrete resolution to this (unless I missed it Lol). I bought the repacement key fob battery already and I am waiting for it to arrive in the mail so I can solder it in. Also, we only have one key. Any help, insight, or past experience on this would be greatly appreciated. FWIW the car battery is good, and there is no "key not inserted" icon displayed. Thanks!

 

no response means no juice. when you open the doors, do you see the light turn on, can you turn the radio or do you hear the fuel pump priming? if not, then check the battery again and/or if the terminal were tight.

 

Yes the interior light comes on and fuel pump primes when I unlock the car. Lock and unlock buttons on the key fob work as well. When I insert the key in the dock no dash lights or audio tone. Battery terminals are tight an voltage is 12.6V (engine off).

 

ah nice...try to wiggle the fob in the docking. try to push hard and slow with tension to the top or bottom. the docking could be done for which happens once in a blue moon. so the fact the car responds to the key, it tells me the fob is fine and recognizable.

 

I've tried wiggling it pressing it back in the dock all the way. I know the dock is charging the key fob when the car is running because they lock/unlock always works. I feel like it's either the fob or fob batt. Not sure though. Check this thread out and see what you think.
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-starting.html

 

it seems the battery was the issue in that thread. but from my experience, the battery wont effect transmission of signal once it is in the docking. you can try and replace it as option 1. also, the fact that you can lock and unlock the car tells me that fob battery is fine...again minis can be sensitive to low battery voltage.

 

Cool yea I'm just going to replace it as the first and cheapest step then go from there I guess. Lol dont wanna end up taking it to the dealership.

 

I would hook up the car's battery with a good donor battery or a running car. If that has any effect, your car's battery is probably near it's end.

If it doesn't, I would suspect the dock side mechanism/electronics rather than the key fob. As MiniToBe already said, if the fob locks/unlocks the car fine, it cannot be the fob's battery and it is unlikely that the key fob electronics is the culprit.

By the way: I wouldn't take it for granted that the dock is still charging the key. It may have done so in the past but the fob battery can last for quite some time without being recharged.

 

OK, for the last time: The key battery does charge in the dock or slot when it is in there and the car is running. But the battery in the key only runs the remote functions. It has no effect on allowing the car to start. In fact, throughout much of the E.U., MINI sells a key that has no battery in it and no remote functions- just the EWS chip and a blade to get you in the door. Again, the key battery has no effect on the car starting.

There are two different things that can be going on here.

1- the car's 12 volt battery could be dead. If the MINI detects a weak 12 volt battery it often won't even try to start the car- the "whir whir whir" of days gone by are just that. And don't bother with jump starting or trying to charge the battery- neither of those things worked when my battery went dead ('02 R50), the only thing that helped was a brand new battery.

2- inside of the key is an EWS/Immobilizer (anti-theft) chip. On these keys it is soldered to the circuit board but does not draw any power from the internal battery. It's a passive device detected by the ring antenna that's around the slot in the dash. Key goes in, system looks for correct EWS chip in key, finds it, car starts, off you go. That EWS chip in these keys is notorious for failing- I do key repair on the side and have heard of dozens of these keys going dead. Once that happens you are done for and need to get a new key- the EWS chip is not available separately and is coded for your car and your car alone. And, the only real place to get a MINI key is at a dealer- they are ordered and created via your VIN. It's almost impossible to impossible to get an aftermarket key working with your MINI.

Good luck with it, I'd start with the car battery if there's any chance it's old enough to need replacing.

Val