Trouble with Keyless Entry / Starting

[dazzleman]

I have keyless entry on my car, meaning that I can open and lock my car doors, and start my car, as long as my key is in my pocket, within range.  To open the doors, I just have to put my hand on the handle and the buttons pop up.

Lately, I noticed that when the car was in my garage, I wasn't able to open it with the keyless feature.  I actually had to take the key out of my pocket and press the button to unlock the car.  The strange this was, this only happened in the garage.  And only when I was unlocking the car, not locking it.  The push-button ignition still worked fine, with me leaving the key in my pocket.

Today, for the first time, the car wouldn't start with the key in my pocket, and I had to take the key out of my pocket and put it in the ignition to start the car.

Any ideas on what might be causing this?  I'm going to test it out with my other key to see if maybe the problem is with the individual key, rather than the system itself.  I thought maybe the battery in the key was running down, so I stuck it in the ignition during a long drive to recharge it, but that didn't seem to work.  It could be that maybe the battery in the key is faulty and needs to be replaced.

Let me know what you guys think.

[ifcar]

I assume you just need a new battery, based on similar experiences with simple non-driving remotes.

[dazzleman]

I assume you just need a new battery, based on similar experiences with simple non-driving remotes.

I think you're probably right.  Thanks.  A new battery for the stupid thing probably costs $300, or something like that...

[ifcar]

I think you're probably right.  Thanks.  A new battery for the stupid thing probably costs $300, or something like that...

If it's anything like a normal keyless remote, it's just a standard watch-type battery.

Another possibility: I assume you got two sets of keys. Just turn this set into your spare and start using the other as your primary.