Remote not working

[gatedad11]

Got up yesterday morning and remembered that I can pre-cool the car by way of the Key Fob. I always pre-heat the car in the winter but simply forgot about the pre-cooling feature in the summer. So far I have not really NEEDED to use the A/C, putting down the windows is typically very good and all that I need. But there are those days here in the Northeast when the high temperatures and the high humidity combine to make things very uncomfortable. Lo and behold though, that when I went to pre-cool the cabin, I noticed the FOB was messed up---the display had what looked like a wet blob on the middle. I was able to turn the FOB on, but nothing responded when I hit the various buttons other than on/off. Has anyone had this problem? I don't think it's a battery issue, since the power on/off worked? I may have to take the FOB to the dealer, but I woudl rather not do that(just a pain to drive the 10 miles and wait while they confirm it is defective...).

Lou

 

[PV1]

I'm wondering if with the high humidity, the remote was taken outside while it was cool and water condensed inside of it. I typically keep the remote in my pocket during the day, so it stays warm and water won't condense inside it.

Either that or it's sweat. :mrgreen:

 

[JoeS]

Lou, we've been referring to that gadget as the Remote, not to be confused with our key with its built-in buttons which some have called the key fob - would you mind perhaps changing the topic title?

I noticed the FOB was messed up---the display had what looked like a wet blob on the middle...

Yes, that doesn't sound right, but be prepared for a shock when you go to the dealer, as the Remote has been the single most expensive item needing non-warranty replacement on the i-MiEV :shock:

 

[PV1]

Lou, we've been referring to that gadget as the Remote, not to be confused with our key with its built-in buttons which some have called the key fob - would you mind perhaps changing the topic title?

Yes, let's differentiate between the MiEV Remote

and the key FOB

 

[JoeS]

Lou, I took the liberty of changing this Topic title from Key FOB to Remote.

I couldn't find the previous thread about the damaged Remote and its repair. In the case of what appears to be condensation inside yours, if the dealer says no-go, you may want to open up the Remote and let it cook in the sun and see if perhaps you can access the contacts and clean them. Maybe that will be sufficient to fully revive it...

Despite its quirkiness, I find myself using the Remote very often - it sits in a specific place inside the house with hopefully little chance of dropping it and simply no chance of it getting wet.

Lou, do tell us what the dealer's response is... good luck!

 

[JoeS]

I couldn't find the previous thread about the damaged Remote and its repair.

Ah, found it: broken remote control for charging

 

[fjpod]

with regards to the remote...make sure when you turn it on, you hold the button until you hear a beep, then let go. But when you send a command, press and release the button quickly, the beep comes later.

This drove me crazy for a few months.

 

[gatedad11]

Thanks everybody. I have been away and unable to post any replies(but I was able to read the comments). Anyway, yes, it is the remote that failed, not the key fob. I can say that I absolutely did not drop the remote, nor did I have any issues with leaving it outside in extreme heat and then coming inside to a cooler house. Frankly, I have no idea why or how this thing has gone bad. It almost looks as if I spilled a liquid over the screen. The upper "battery" icon shows, and it is lit up. But nothing else can be seen and I do not believe that the functions are working. I can turn the remote on/off and get some beeps whan I hit certain buttons, but they don't seem to correlate to anything that I need to do...they just beep and nothing happens. I will contact the dealer, as I did not in any way cause this to happen. The car is under the 24 month lease and I was under the impression that the warranty would also cover the remote and such. I'll let you know what happens. If all else fails I will try opening the unit up as has been mentioned on the forum. I hope that I don't get stuck wioth a $900 bill. Heck, that would mean that 20 of these remotes are basically the same cost as a new car!!!

Lou

Lou

 

[gatedad11]

Did speak with the dealer, who told me that they think I may have:
*reprogrammed the remote by keeping it too close to other electronics(such as my computer)
*Might need just new batteries
*Is not covered by warranty.

I am pretty sure that none of the above is true, but I will get new batteries and see if that helps. I checked again and there is nothing to suggest that the remote was dropped(ie: no broken or cracked face plate, etc). If the batteries don't do the trick, I'll bring it in to the dealer and have them look at it. I will post the results.

Lou