[dinu2506]

I'm not sure of the latest BMW cars but the 2012 BMW X1 that I have and the 320Ds etc of that period in India most probably would have Key Fobs that are fully sealed units. These are called "Non-Comfort Access" fobs. In global markets there are also cars that come with "Comfort Access" key fobs that have a replaceable CR2032 battery which is the norm in most other cars. I'm still not sure why we were given the "Non Comfort Access" key fobs. These are fully sealed units with a rechargeable battery called VL2020. These are supposed to last the life of the car, which it probably will, if used the way it is supposed to be used and the dealer specifically informs the buyers about this.

But I don't remember my dealer telling me about this when I bought the car and it was only recently I came to know (after one of them failed) that the fob comes with a non-replaceable rechargeable battery. The correct way to use the key fobs is that - either both fobs are used in parallel by two people, or if only one is used at a time, make sure you switch the fobs at least once in 3-4 months to be on the safe side, so that they get charged during usage. FYI, the fobs get wirelessly charged when inserted in the slot while using the car. Unfortunately, it was too late by the time I read up and understood about this. One of the fobs was lying unused for more than 18 months and when I tried using, it was dead and the doors were neither locking or unlocking. The other fob was working perfectly. Now started the enquiries and was shocked at the options.

BMW provides replacement key fobs for obscene prices, if I understand, upwards of Rs 60k. Checked with my FNG and they too could not help and said we need to get the replacement from BMW but said he could convince the dealer for a goodwill warranty and get it at 50% cost which itself was too much for me. The thing is that the key fob still works when inserted in the slot and the car starts and runs (later on I found that for starting and running the car, the battery is not needed at all). The locking and unlocking would have to be done manually using the pull-out physical key. This was fine for me and made me decide that I'm not spending this kind of money for getting a new one. Tried some jugaads of trying to recharge the fob by placing on wireless phone chargers overnight and also connected the car battery to a charger and left the car switched on overnight. But nothing worked and the key fob was unable to open and close the doors. So, I concluded, either the battery was totally flat to the extent that it cannot be recharged or there is some problem with the PCB. Gut feel was that the battery is dead because I have hardly used this fob much.

Meanwhile I also started googling and came across many videos where people opened up the key fob and de-soldered the VL2020 battery and replaced with a new one and re-soldered the terminals and sealed back the case. Was not sure if I should try it as there were also lot of reports where it did not work even after replacing the battery. Firstly, I checked availability of the VL2020 battery - this is the same size as a CR2032 battery but has rivetted pins at a 90 degree orientation for the positive and negative terminals. There are also pins at 180 degree orientation but the X1 key fob needs one with 90 degree orientation. Not freely available and none of the popular sites had them but came across a seller STOPSHOPSWIPE who was selling for around Rs 1300.

Before placing the order, I mentally got prepared to open up the fob. The reason was as follows. Firstly, I had a working fob, secondly I knew the battery is only needed for opening and closing, so worst case if it does not work, I can still use the physical key. Opening up the key fob was much tougher than I thought. Its a really strong seal all around, so you need to use a really good strong blade and be very careful not to insert it too much inside and unknowingly damage the PCB. Never try to pry open with a screw driver or anything, it will damage the case for good and possibly make it unusable. Once that was done (took a good half day and lot of patience to make it in two halves), and de-soldered the VL2020 from the PCB. Checked the voltage and was showing only 1.69V (as against the rated 3V) which was the reason why it was unable to recharge. Before placing an order for a new battery, I still wanted to check whether it is a battery problem and thought of a jugaad. Got a CR2032 that was lying around, soldered short wires to the positive and negative sides and connected these wires to the points I de-soldered on the PCB. Took the PCB along with the jugaad CR2032 and pressed the buttons on the PCB. The X1 happily unlocked and locked. The third button for opening the rear hatch also worked. It was now certain that it is nothing but a battery issue.

Immediately placed an order for the VL2020 battery with the 90 degree pins. Now, this was frustrating. They took a full 6 weeks to deliver this item to me, in-spite of repeated follow-up. Finally it came and immediately I got on to the job of soldering in the new battery. Took the PCB to the car and it was working. Brought it back, placed inside the fob case and used Fevibond to seal it back. As I said, there is no way to avoid damage while opening, so it is virtually impossible to have a clean edge when fitting back, but not too bad either. Availed the services of my daughter who has steady hands and good at painting, to touch up the edges with black enamel paint. Overall, a worthwhile effort, and really happy and satisfied at bring back the fob to life.

I would assume many BMW owners might be facing this or probably have not even realized one of their fobs is dead. Hopefully this might help you with a solution rather than spending big money on a new one.

Key points
- If you have both fobs working, please make sure you keep using both and not leave anyone unused more than 6 months - this is something the dealer should tell the buyers
- Be extra cautious using the blade to open. Invest on a good quality blade and make sure you go just deep enough to cut the seal and not more
- Have lot of patience while doing the above
- Its a small PCB, so exercise caution while de-soldering and re-soldering so as not to touch or damage nearby circuits
- Be open to accepting some amount of damage to the case edges where the knife is used, its unavoidable
- never try prying open with things like screwdriver as it is sure to break the case - you need to cut open all round with the blade.

The following pictures should give you an idea and hopefully they help

Key Fob and Blade


Cutting Open



Opened




De-soldering



Battery removed and Checked



Jugaad with CR2032


New Battery along with Old





Positioning New Battery




Soldering in New Battery





Glueing back the Fob with Fevibond and Painting edges



Final Look

[govigov]

Dinu,

Very useful DIY and it should be informational for many BMW owners. Even with 2 people driving the car, it is usual for Indian families to keep one key safe while the primary key changes hand. In situations like this, it is bound to happen.

Also, another lesson is, make sure you check both the keys when shopping for used bmw's, and don't think that it is an easy affair to change batteries.

Thank you very much.

[OEMplus55]

Fantastic thinking, thanks for sharing with us. Never knew this was a potential issue with key fobs. The eye-watering replacement prices seem squarely aimed at squeezing customers dry just because of the brand value. Love that you refused to be taken for a ride just because their corporate policy decided on ridiculous pricing.

Any idea on what the commission for dealerships looks like on these? Even with the offered 50% discount, their margins could be significant. Might be a reason why dealerships do not really mention this much. At least in my experience with premium dealerships in India or abroad, I have never heard this topic mentioned.

Will definitely let friends and family know to switch up usage between primary and spare keys!

[matchvan]

Greetings,
Kudos. A very neat and useful DIY.

Job well done with Surgeon's precision I must say.

That's because in all the photos I have seen the way you were holding the instruments.

And in the last picture the mystery was solved.

Stay safe, Ride Safe

[boohooper]

Awesome Operation, Doc (Going by your Keychain)! This will be huge for Beemer owners with this issue. Using that second Fob was not known to many. Guess it is about time that they study that Car Manual. Diligently!

[dinu2506]

Originally Posted by matchvan

Greetings,
Kudos. A very neat and useful DIY.

Job well done with Surgeon's precision I must say.

That's because in all the photos I have seen the way you were holding the instruments.

And in the last picture the mystery was solved.

Stay safe, Ride Safe

Good observation, however a small aberration. The car is used by my wife who is a surgeon, however the hands were mine, a mechanical engineer by profession. Thanks anyway for the compliment

Originally Posted by boohooper

Awesome Operation, Doc (Going by your Keychain)! This will be huge for Beemer owners with this issue. Using that second Fob was not known to many. Guess it is about time that they study that Car Manual. Diligently!

Another person observed the same. Thanks anyway. Interestingly it is not mentioned in the manual as well. I guess BMW does not actually market too many things that well. For eg, my X1 is a 2012 base model with not many creature comforts and no Idrive, no Screen etc. However, I always found the sound quality of the audio system really good that produces deep tight bass on the lines of aftermarket systems. Just googled around and realized that there are two built-in under-seat subwoofers under each front seat. Put my hand below the seats and could feel the grill. Also has a separate amplifier hidden on the side of the boot lining driving the speakers. And, none of these are even mentioned in the sales brochures or the manual. Both front seats have full memory of all stored settings and each key fob can store a setting each so that the seats adjust itself when you insert the key fob you use. No mention anywhere

[PraNeel]

Why this complexity for a simple thing as key fob, BMW? I'm sure sealed key fob, charging battery etc would have been done keeping some requirements in mind, however why continue them when simpler and effective designs are in vouge.
A simple battery replacement vs 60,000 for a new key!!

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by PraNeel

Why this complexity for a simple thing as key fob, BMW?

Well, that's just how the Germans operate. I mean, I do like what they do but they do go too far for some basic things like this episode. There is logic to their approach, that is, you got to use the key fobs, which keeps the battery juiced up. However, in this case, it is a lack of education or rather communication of this not being conveyed by the dealer to the customer. Does not come as a surprise. At the time this car was sold, the dealer would not have even known of this. Who really checks if the key fob has a user replaceable battery or not! Its not really a part of the feature list or something one looks up. However, it is puzzling why they would seal the unit. Atleast make it easy to access the battery. Clearly, this is a great way to make money on parts.

Great DIY. Fortunately I have one where the battery is user replaceable.

[dinu2506]

A month over, things seem to be holding up well, touchwood. Planning to switch the fobs every 3 months so that both of them get charged on use.