Key fob failure maybe ?

[krispyKreme]

hi all, i went to unlock my s40 using the key fob and nothing happened, so i changed batterys in it and again nothing, i tried 4 batterys ive had sitting a year or more and none worked ( theyre 3v low discharge so unless they are dead my keyfob has maybe failed)

my local volvo dealer quoted my around £270 for a new one about 3yrs ago when i bought the used car as 1 of the 2 keyfobs i was given was also dead

ive unlocked car with the metakl pull out part in the keyfob so i can still use the car but i noticed the flashing red alarm light on the dash isnt on at night..how would a dead keyfob affect that ? i also think the aircons not working...does this point to a worse failure other than a keyfob ?

cheers any1 for any advice/help

Dave

[FunkyMelon]

Check the RF receiver behind the dash. Replace it if you're not sure it's working (plenty on eBay usually for £15ish)

It's a little box that clips in at top, they've been known to go wrong and will stop the signal from your fob reaching the car.

Seen it a few times.

[ilikewatch]

Originally Posted by krispyKreme

hi all, i went to unlock my s40 using the key fob and nothing happened, so i changed batterys in it and again nothing, i tried 4 batterys ive had sitting a year or more and none worked ( theyre 3v low discharge so unless they are dead my keyfob has maybe failed)

my local volvo dealer quoted my around £270 for a new one about 3yrs ago when i bought the used car as 1 of the 2 keyfobs i was given was also dead

ive unlocked car with the metakl pull out part in the keyfob so i can still use the car but i noticed the flashing red alarm light on the dash isnt on at night..how would a dead keyfob affect that ? i also think the aircons not working...does this point to a worse failure other than a keyfob ?

cheers any1 for any advice/help

Dave

What year is your car? I've never seen a Mk1 S40 with a metal pull out part in the key fob. If your car is a Mk2 (2004 onwards) you've posted in the wrong section of the site.

[CopthorneMike]

Originally Posted by ilikewatch

What year is your car? I've never seen a Mk1 S40 with a metal pull out part in the key fob. If your car is a Mk2 (2004 onwards) you've posted in the wrong section of the site.

I have a 2003 V40, i.e. a MkII V40, and can confirm that the key does have a 'metal pull out' section which can unlock doors etc directly without having to use the transponder

[CopthorneMike]

You mention that 'when i bought the used car as 1 of the 2 keyfobs i was given was also dead'

Did the other key fob operate the remote correctly? If yes, and the car did not bring up any error codes, would that not indicate that the fault is with the key fobs themselves?

I have found that when my key fob battery was approaching its end of life it produced not unexpected symptoms such as only operating only when located right beside the car and maybe working only when pressed three or four times - but changing the battery did sort things out immediately.

[ilikewatch]

Originally Posted by CopthorneMike

I have a 2003 V40, i.e. a MkII V40, and can confirm that the key does have a 'metal pull out' section which can unlock doors etc directly without having to use the transponder

I've never seen anything like that - just the standard combined fob and "flip" key on newer Mk1 Phase 2 cars (like this: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-VO...oAAOSwVghXFSn8) or a seperate key and fob for older cars.

I thought OP might be talking about the "emegency key" hidden in the keyless entry fob of newer (post 2004) S40's.

[ITSv40]

My son has a 2004 V50 that has the flip key with a separate blade stored in the case. Never seen that set up on a pre 2004 model tho'

[krispyKreme]

sorry could admin please move this thread to the S40 section that covers 2007 models..ive just realised i posted to older models thread , im very sorry

i went to my main volvo dealer today and 1hour50min wait while they inspected the car

later they confirm the keyfobs failed ( he said something like the bandwidth they use moves further apart as they get older and if one was dead when i bought the 2007 model car 3yrs ago as a used car that likely makes the other keyfobs bandwidth get further apart until it fails..all that means nothing to me ! thats what i was told)

i have to go back tomorrow to get 2 new keyfobs for £289.00 or so ! jesus thats expensive, they say keyfobs are mini computers when i gasped at the price or replacing them.