How much for a Mini key fob????

[Morrisman]

My ex-wife's key fob died last week, the day she was due to start a new job, night shift. We haven't spoken for a couple of years, bad blood etc, but my daughter persuaded me to give her a lift in. I assumed it was the battery dead, so Youtube was opened, but it turns out the fob is basically sealed, with a special rechargeable battery, so next day we took a drive to the Mini dealer and he went through the prices and totted up to £265
For the love of god....

I saw that you can actually prise it open, scrape the glue off, and solder a new battery in place, but then it apparently needs reprogramming.

While was toying with it I pressed a little button..... and there's a key hidden inside! So now she has to manually open the door, then reassemble the key into the fob and thrust it into the orifice in the dash.

Oh, she lost the spare one a year or two ago, and, predictably, never bothered getting another one. There's a reason we aren't married.

 

[Al Strachan]

if you are just soldering in a new battery it doesnt need reprogramming.

Same with BMW's, it falls into the brief moment in time where you had physically put the key in the dash to start the car (and the battery was charged using induction), fortunately that tech quickly moved onto just having the key in the car and using the start button, and those are just standard replaceable cells.

We've got a 2009 mini the same. you need to alternate using the keys to keep them reasonably charged up.

 

[Morrisman]

if you are just soldering in a new battery it doesnt need reprogramming.

Same with BMW's, it falls into the brief moment in time where you had physically put the key in the dash to start the car (and the battery was charged using induction), fortunately that tech quickly moved onto just having the key in the car and using the start button, and those are just standard replaceable cells.

We've got a 2009 mini the same. you need to alternate using the keys to keep them reasonably charged up.

Hers is a 2010. Any idea exactly what battery it takes? Looks to have a tab or two soldered onto the back of it.
Nothing to lose if I do mess it up either way.

 

[Migmac]

We bought a Zafira with one key. Bought it from a garage and got them to agree to supplying another key. Went to the Vauxhall dealers to get it. They did all the reprogramming and charged the the other garage £370. £265 doesn’t seem to bad, would still make my eyes water paying that though.

 

[maroon]

You could probably get a top notch alarm with fob fitted for that price.

 

[Kram]

Key fob is usually two seperate systems. The battery powered PCB, is for the central locking. If the battery goes, you just have to open and lock by key.. try fitting new battery.

Theres a small black plastic encapsulated chip that is inductively powered and does the immobiliser. Do not loose this, generally it will last forever.

 

[Migmac]

You could probably get a top notch alarm with fob fitted for that price.

You maybe could but I wasn’t paying for it. No second key or spare wheel and tools are a deal breaker for me, I’ll walk from a garage if I don’t get these supplied

 

[Red'n'Black]

Key fob is usually two seperate systems. The battery powered PCB, is for the central locking. If the battery goes, you just have to open and lock by key.. try fitting new battery.

Theres a small black plastic encapsulated chip that is inductively powered and does the immobiliser. Do not loose this, generally it will last forever.

Oh yes.

Mrs RnB has a Kia Sorento. Keyfob was falling to bits so I bought a new shell and took it into work to swap the innards over.

Job done, sweep all the bits of broken plastic into the bin, then go outside and try it.

Locks and unlocks ok, all looking good. Then get in and try to start it, cranks and cranks but won't fire. I started to get a horrible sinking feeling at this point...

Rummage through the contents of the bin and eventually found it, a tiny nondescript piece of black plastic. Fitted into the cavity in the fob shell and all working again. That would have been the thick end of £400 at a main dealer

 

[bricol]

Many years ago a colleague had a Mazda Xedos. Lost the red key. Finally lost the black key. 600 quid for new key and matching gubbins in the car.

Couple months later, second daughter got married . . . put on the suit he'd last worn for first daughters wedding a year or so before . . . put his hand in the pocket . . . found a red key


In the case of the Mini - get spare dumb key cut, put it on the keyring, use that to open the car, then the fob doesn't need dismantling every time?

 

[johnik]

when i had my garage we used a locksmith for new keys, they would make new one, prog them up and even come out to the car if it was stuck somewhere, they were a whole lot cheaper than going to the main dealer

 

[gerrymoore]

I only had one fob for my BMW ... main dealer wanted around £350 so went to a professional locksmith. Took him almost 3 hours to remove the 'module' in the car containing all the relevant coding and reprogram a new fob ...... cost me £160 and very pleased with the service and peace of mind if I lose a fob.

 

[Morrisman]

Many years ago a colleague had a Mazda Xedos. Lost the red key. Finally lost the black key. 600 quid for new key and matching gubbins in the car.

Couple months later, second daughter got married . . . put on the suit he'd last worn for first daughters wedding a year or so before . . . put his hand in the pocket . . . found a red key


In the case of the Mini - get spare dumb key cut, put it on the keyring, use that to open the car, then the fob doesn't need dismantling every time?

To buy the whole key without the electronic gubbins is about £60 I think the guy said, including cutting the grooves in the metal key. I don't know if your average locksmith can cut that grooved type of key. It looks like it needs a milling machine gadget to do it.

 

[pedrobedro]

Our spare Citroen key stopped working, the remote plip key works now I repaired the BSI. I got a new spare done at Timpsons for £70 just opens the locks and starts the car.

 

[JEZGUZ]

When I had my Alfa, the key was knackered so I trotted off to the local Alfa dealer and requested the price of a replacement. £350 was the reply and as the car had only cost £850 in the first place it remained broken.

 

[m_c]

Find a local automotive locksmith.

There's not many vehicles a decent one can't source, cut, and program a key for.

 

[Nomad]

I had a 2007 BMW 325i that came with 2 'smart' keys.
You needed to use them both occasionally. If you just used 1 the unused spare would act up and give error messages (flat battery in the coded key fob etc).
Modern cars are too clever for their own good