Key will not unlock doors after battery change
 

Hi this is my first post. I have scoured this site and the web for help on getting my keys working again. I have an 02 x5 3.0i that runs great. Recently replaced the battery myself (very easy job) and found all the electrical to be normal except the keys won't open the doors remotely. They will open the tail gate/hatch. The cabin light will come on as if the doors were being unlocked, but no locking action. The car acts normally when the keys are physically used to lock/unlock the doors.

I have been through the whole reprogram the key bit several times using just about every variation imaginable. That would be the "hold down the unlock button and click the lock button 3 times" while barking at the moon etc etc etc. I'm beginning to think that its not the keys, but the car.

The locks do work when using the keys in the door. Probably not a fuse issue.

Any suggestions? I'm trying to avoid the trip to the dealership for obvious reasons...

goodluck getting answers man...i have the same problem....people here don't seem to care about this problem for some reason =)

Yeah really... After reading several posts on changing the battery, it seems that shorting the two cables (red/black) with the battery detached tends to reset the cars system. I don't care about most of the settings, just the maintenance bars. Anyone know if the car retains critical settings? Anyone tried this? Responses that I read on previous posts/sites were highly varied. Hence the hesitation.

It would not lose any of the important settings, and I would wait about 10 minutes after disconnecting the battery before shorting the cables together to let all the capacitors in the various computers etc. bleed down, just to be safer. And for the key reinitialization, with the doors closed you quickly turn the key on/off 3 to 5 times, then as soon as you pull it out it is either hold the lock and press the unlock 3 times, releasing both buttons at the same time on the 3rd press, or the same procedure with the buttons the other way around. (hole unlock while pressing lock) If nothing seems to work then you might have a problem somewhere else in the system and should bring it in to the dealer for diagnosis.

But as for the lack of responses on this issue, there are quite a few different things that could cause the problem. But what gets me is that the interior lights come on, but the doors don't unlock? That's weird... because that means the vehicle sees the buttons being pressed. Did you check the central locking fuses by chance? (if only problems were ever that easy)

Thanks for the response.

Yes, the cabin light turns on indicating that the remote is recognized. Also, the remote successfully opens the rear hatch.

The center console button doesn't work either, car on or off.

Checked the fuses. They are fine. The locks do work when the key is inserted into the door.

You are right, it is really weird.

So it doesn't work from the console switch either, Hmmmm... It could be in the general module, but could be a number of other things as well. If you're computer is windows based, and you're on internet explorer... and have java and adobe svg viewer up to date... play around in the "online WDS" link at the top of the page and find the wiring diagram and operational descriptions for the central locking system and wireless remote system. Then you can try getting to the root of it without the dealers diagnosis.

Interesting. Unfortunately none of it makes sense yet (especially the fact that the button on the center console doesn't work). Looking at the wiring notes reminded me that I've had the siren disconnected for about a year. I wonder if it sensed that on power up (new battery) and disabled the locking. Tomorrow I'm going to try connecting the siren and disconnecting the battery again, shorting the terminals and hope that it resets itself. Will post an update then.

Thanks.

okay..the dealer told me it was the general module...how do i fix this?

Unfortunately after replacing the module it has to be encoded to the vehicle, thus meaning the dealer may be the only option...

I just tried the disconnect the battery and short the terminals routine. Didn't change anything. I guess I'll be calling the dealership. Is this module something that is usually replaced or reprogrammed?

As a side note, I called the dealership this morning and played the fool asking if I could just change the battery myself and if there was anything to watch out for or do differently than a normal battery change. The answer was no. They said that I may lose the radio and seat settings but that was all.

Will post another update after dealership...

I did a search on this site for "central module" and found several other people that have the same or similar problems with the remotes.

http://www.xoutpost.com/x5-e53-forum/...ransport+sales

This sounds EXACTLY like what I have.

So, I called a local mechanic and he said that the computer needs to be adjusted when this happens, however, only the dealerships can do it.

I then called the dealership and spoke with a tech. He'd never heard of the "transport" or "sales" modes before. Not a good sign.

I have no other choice but to take it to the dealer and have them do a diagnosis. Bummer the average joe can't reset the computer....

BTW, the local mechanic said that a 9V battery connected to the terminals of the cigarette lighter would have prevented this from happening.

the 9v battery "memory holder" does work for the clock settings, and is extremely important in volkswagons as they don't keep the memory in the engine computer.... go volkswagon! But as many batteries as I have changed over the years, I've NEVER had one lose key remote function, and also never had a vehicle go back into transport mode... weird. And transport mode is what the vehicle is put in for shipping overseas and transport to the individual dealer when spanking new with no miles, and is turned off during the pre-delivery check. What it is is all the unnecessary computers and functions are turned off to keep the battery from going down during transport.

But that is not what needs to be done with a new control module. The control modules in BMW's are encoded with vehicle information like vin# etc, and are programmed with updated software versions to fix small bugs and adjust how certain things work. So they are not plug and play, and you have to go in the programming computer, which is a different beast from the diagnostic computer, and mark the control module as replaced. Then the SSS (software service station) will create a "measures plan" and perform all necessary encoding and software adjustments.

I'm now convinced that you know more than the dealership does.

I'll be interested to hear what they say.

I'm really hoping this is a reprogram and not a replace...

Can a "regular" battery change like I did damage the control module? Everything worked great before. I'm struggling with the "cause and effect" here.

The battery change should not have affected the module, it is possibly coincidence that the problem happened just then...? With a module as simple as the general module, reprogramming/encoding most likely would not affect your problem, but could be a quick thing to try before replacement. But then you have to pay the labor charge to do it... It may be worth just having them install and encode the new module on their diagnosis, and if it doesn't fix it it's on them and they can't charge for what didn't fix the vehicle, just simply swap it back to the old one. But from the sound of it the tech you talked to may have been a really new tech and not known the system yet... request an experienced tech or master tech from your adviser.

Took it to the dealer last week. I was very specific in my instructions. They first reset the fault codes which didn't work. They then tested each part of the door locking system and tried to reset the keys etc. They came to the conclusion that the general module was bad, based on finding that everything else was good. The shop foreman handled the diagnosis himself.

They didn't have the module in stock, so I'm taking it back tomorrow. The service advisor stated that if the new module doesn't fix it I don't have to pay for the part. He quoted me $612 for the module, including installation etc.

I was charged $54 for the diagnosis. Normally they charge $121. And they did a heck of a job cleaning the brake dust off of my front wheels.

Dealer replaced the general module. $600.

Did that help?

Yeah, the keys work now. However it is different. One "unlock" click opens all of the door locks. It used to take two clicks. The alarm is also weird. The siren doesn't beep when the alarm is activated or the doors are unlocked. I tried to set the alarm off on purpose and it couldn't get it to go off.

I'm going to call the dealership Monday and see if they left it in some mode where the alarm doesn't do anything (like when they work on it in the shop). I did try to unplug the siren and it beeped at me, so I think it still works. I'm going to try to convince them that they broke it or mis-programmed it. Obviously I'm hesitant to take it back and get charged another $600 for a busted (?) alarm module... My car was the last off the lot that day, so hopefully they forgot something.

The nice thing about this is that the stupid alarm doesn't go off on its own anymore. Maybe I should make lemonade out of lemons here...

They know better, once they replace the unit all the setting go away. You would think BMW includes personalization with the unit replacement. I am starting to think Germain engeneering doesn't relate to electronics.

That sounds like a slip up on the techs end... not noting down the car and key memory settings before replacing the module that stored them? tisk tisk.

I called yesterday and the service advisor said that they'd forgotten to re-program the car. I took it in today (they said I could bring it in at my earliest convenience) and they fixed it while I waited, about 10 minutes. Now everything works fine <knock on wood>. Even the alarm is back to going off by itself for no reason. There was no charge for the reprogram.

Going off by itself again? Maybe tell them it started going off by itself and see if they'd diagnose it for you free of charge as well... here's to hoping! But reguardless they're gt1 diagnostic equiptment can axcess the alarm trigger counter and see what set it off and how many times...

Shorting the cables worked for me! :thumbup:

I have strange thing happening with my keys! I can code both of them to work..but since I code one of them....the next key goes off! Then I code off key then goes off previous! Never had this thing before! I was using both keys for some time...Is it consisted with gm3 unit or it is normal that the car chooses just one key to operate?

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

You need to code both key at the same time.

Ditto Upallnight. When you initialize the remote keys...a new rolling code table is created. If other remote keys are not programmed during the SAME session...they will no longer work because they don't have the updated rolling code table.

See the instructions below...any remote keys you have must be done in the same session...START programming the 2nd remote key on STEP 3 where you start pushing the buttons (just as written in STEP 6). DO NOT insert the 2nd remote key into the ignition...if you do, it will cancel the 1st key you just programmed:

Thank you quicksilver! Just did it! Works both of them! All these years did not know that 2nd key has not to be placed in to the ignition! :rolleyes:

:thumbup: :thumbup: