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-   -   DIY - Car Key Button Repair (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-do-yourself/140780-diy-car-key-button-repair.html)

Hi,
I own a Xylo since 3 years, with nearly 80K KM on ODO. The vehicle comes with two keys, having remote buttons with immobilizer circuit within. As with lot others, I use only one key and the other one is kept at home. Whenever we go on outstation trips, the other key is kept with my wife. This phenomenon is also referred within the BCP/DR manuals - IT folks would have surely heard of!

On my primary key, since few months, the rubber padding on the buttons is getting damaged, or torn you could say. Now you see, M&M vehicles are known for ruggedness, sturdiness and long lasting. One component which is used daily - the key, getting ruined so early was a disappointment. And the key is surely not subject to abuse, but hardly used few times a day. It was surely the problem of design and quality.

While I was living with a torn bit of rubber on one of the button (Unlock), one day it finally gave off. Now you could see the internal circuit and the actual tiny button which gets pressed. The next day, I called my service adviser at GG, Thane and was told that new key will be Rs.2500 (some 1500 for the key, and 1000 for the immobilizer coding). After some formalities, if ordered then the key would arrive in 15-20 days. Now listening to this amount, I was surely upset. Infact I was unwilling to shell-out this money for this cause. I always have the second key, but I didnt want to get it the same treatment, and would save it.

I even wrote an email to CC@MM, along with photos, telling them about the quality of component (key in this case), which Im sure they outsource from OEM. In the end, it is MM's responsibility to check quality and durability of each components used in their vehicles. In return, I got a call from GG (service dealer) telling me that such repair cant be done and only a fresh key has to be ordered. To this I calmly told that I expected a response from directly MM, and not dealer. The dealer has anyways no role to play in integrating the vehicle components while designing !

Came across this article http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/mumbai...ri-mumbai.html but didnt want to jump-in so early.

As usual, I always used the remote key to unlock the car, and the manual lock wasnt used since ever! When I tried opening to the manual lock, I found the key didnt go inside, stuck. I got some WD40 and sprayed liberally. This did the trick.

Few days back in one of the shopping mall (Star Bazaar, Thakur Mall, Mira Rd), I saw Minda-Silca outlet, but found it was unattended since few days!





After my repairs (details as below), two days back came across another Silca outlet in another mall (R-Mall, GB, Thane): The person told that within 15 minutes he can duplicate a key with immobilizer coding, but wont come with remote ! The costing would be Rs.2200.

Also my remote key was used since 3 years and I felt the battery may need a replacement. Went to a watch shop and got the two batteries replaced for Rs.100. Batteries were sized the new small Rs.1 coin.


Now, let me begin my short short of DIY Repair of Button of Car Key. Trust me, its no rocket science, just a kid's job.

The primary aim for my repairs for effective functioning, and not aesthetics or looks.

Went to a puncture repair shop and got hold of a rubber piece, the one probably used in tubes of bigger trucks. Though I wished to match the original brown color, I had to settle for the black one. The rubber needs to be flexible and also bit thick to withstand the finger pushes every day. This only time will tell in my case.

The tools were pretty simple - scissor, glue, screw-driver. I couldnt locate the small edged screw-driver, so my shaving kit's scissor came handy. Also used the nail-filer to smooth the edges of new rubber pad. The most essential and tire-sum part was to cut the rubber exactly the size of the pad on key.

Let the pictures do the rest of talking:

















glued a very small piece of rubber on the inside layer, which can easily touch the actual button when pressed:








The final product do not have good finishing or looks, but functionally its behaving perfect.

Great Effort.

The manufacture of the rubber part must have saved cost by using cheap quality compound.

It just leaves me wondering, how much could he have saved in such a component? Rs. 1? Rs. 2 per key?

I guess this is the same with most rubberizes key. Even the rubber on my i20 key has disintegrated after 3 years. I too am planning to do some DIY to fix it by applying some rubber cutouts over the existing key.

Forget Mahindra, even Mercedes cuts corners here. The plastic on the lock / unlock buttons of the C220 key was totally cracked by 2009.

On the other hand, the Honda Civic's 6+ year old key buttons have held up well.

This is good DIY Pranav. Maybe you should soon replace the third brown rubber on the key as well, so it looks all similar :)

Great DIY! clap:
A friend's i20 has also keys coming out so has my neighbor's xylo.

The only problem, if someone other than you and new to your car is to use the key, how would he come to know which key is for un-locking and locking. I suggest you to do some markings with a whitener or something similar. I used my neighbor's key once on which all the markings have been erased, I had to try in a couple of times to unlock the car.

Nice description BTW!:thumbs up

Maybe that is due to the fact that the Civic's key buttons are made of plastic and not rubber.

Its a different story that Honda provides only one remote in India for all the premium it charges which does not even have the boot unlock button. :Frustrati

An elegant solution to a common problem caused by many a manufacturer cutting corners in the most unnecessary of all places. I had undertaken a similar repair job where i used a pencil eraser cut out to the shape of the holes and taping the above area with insulation tape. It held up well and still works to this day (Did it 6 months back so i guess its holding up well, touchwood!)

haha, as the saying in hindi goes "doh rupiye se mehal banayega kya ?!"
(eng: "with two rupees you going to make a palace ?!")
but there could be various reasons:
- saving few cents
- overlooking design over asthetics
- overlooking the long term durability
- just ignoring: too small to not even bring in any discussion

that third button is provided to silence the beeps, while locking or unlocking. It is rarely used in my case, and hence didnt fiddle with. Anyways, Im now more confident of this repair, should the current rubbers wear-off. Im also open to changing to altogether different colors, if I find one - Fluorescent !
From one of the hardware shops, I did source a rubber washer which was whitish (actually translucent), but the material wasnt suitable so I continued with black one.


I did put small marking L and UL using a marker pen, and will try to darken those with better pen. Obviously, even midnight I know the positions of these buttons. For the others, the markings could be useful. But in my case, apart from workshop guys who are also habituated, I normally dont give my keys to anybody, even my friends know that.

some days back even the third button was worn-out; replaced with another rubber cutting!





with a red nail-polish have put 'L' on the Lock button, which has stayed good since many weeks.

last weekend I was at Hypercity (Ghodbunder road, Thane) and found a key duplicating stall by Silca Minda. They guy showed me a Xylo key (looks like original!) which needs to be cut with grooves (key levers) on his machine and can transfer my existing key's circuit (immobilizer) to this new key housing. The cost would be Rs.1200, and I found the rubber quite better than oem. In future I can think of such option.

clap:
Excellent DIY pcpranav!!
I noticed you have used Fevicol as the bonding agent. What type of Fevicol is this?
Can we use something like Fevibond -someone mentioned that is more friendly to electronics than Fevitite/Quickfix?

changed the shell of the remote , it looks new & not expensive. I paid Rs 175 for my Safari TCIC remote shell from Minda Dealer at Mysore ( phone 9740973299 ) his office in the basement behind Hotel Sidhartha in Mysore.

Ananth

thanks for liking it! the glue was Fevicol - SR998 (Synthetic Rubber Adhesive), purchased from a local hardware store. till now its serving well, sticking the new rubber to fiber based slot in the case.
http://www.pidilite.com/upload/brand...evicol_5_1.pdf page-8 gives info of this product.

good Ananth, quite cheap. If I find only the case, then it'll be easy, and not purchase the entire key.