A Volkswagen Van Fob Key That Did Not Work Repaired
An American friend of mine approached me in church a while ago and asked me if I can take a look at his van fob key that was completely dead: I never worked on such keys before but I was willing to give it a try.
My friend explained that when pushing the buttons, the light does not come on
and the he cannot open his van but sometimes it opens fine when he is standing very close to the van.
Based on what he said, the logical thing to do is to check the battery first and hope for the best.
The battery is CR2032 and it should read 3 volts but this one is kind of low;
it should read 3.2 and higher.
Here I am testing a brand new battery and the reading is much better so I put it in the fob key and gave it a test.
As seen in the photo, the light came on and that is enough indication for me that this fob is up and running. When I called the customer to come and pick up the key, he asked me to do an inside cleaning and make sure everything is ok.
To be honest with you, I had to go online and find out how to open it because I try to pry it open and for some reason I was not successful.
This information I required off the net suggested that I push this pin inside with a fine tool then pry it open. It seems like this pin was holding the two pieces of the fob together and that is why I was not able to get it opened.
After a long effort, I was able to open it and see the inside of it.
With a tooth brush dipped in IBA, I cleaned both sides of this board that I found inside. I put it under my microscope and checked the tiny SMD’s on it and everything checked out fine.
I found a lot of dust in there but now if you check the photo, you would see a spotless board that was ready to go back inside the fob key housing to be used once again by my friend.
Mission accomplished.
This article was prepared for you by Waleed Rishmawi, one of our ‘Master Authors’ and currently working in the Bethlehem area of Palestine repairing electrical and electronic equipment.
P.S- Do you know of any your friends who would benefit from this content that you are reading now? If so, forward this website to your friends or you can invite your friends to subscribe to my newsletter for free in this Link.
Note: You can check his previous article on A Dead Computer LCD Monitor Was Brought Back To Life
(59)Dislikes
(0)
11 Comments
Leave a Reply
Albert van Bemmelen
April 2, 2022 at 2:11 pm
Good to know clear instructable on how to open and fix such a Van electronic key by replacing the lithium cell. I was wondering what fob stands for as even the internet nor VW was clear on that. So I asked that question to VW online but have to wait on their answer since they were closed at the moment.
Waleed Rishmawi
April 2, 2022 at 7:22 pm
Albert: I do not know what FOB stands for but I got the name of a web sites who deals with the repair of such keys. I think Fob has to do with Mercedes keys only but not sure about that. have a blessed day
Waleed Rishmawi
April 2, 2022 at 7:25 pm
Albert:
A common misconception is that fob is an acronym (F.O.B.) which stands for Free On Board. That acronym is used in commerce to mean that goods don’t have to be paid for at the time of shipment. However, that term is only coincidentally similar. It is not an acronym when describing the automotive parts called Keyless Entry Remote Transmitters (a.k.a. Keyfobs or Remotes.)
Albert van Bemmelen
April 2, 2022 at 11:51 pm
Thanks Waleed, that was what I also already understood. And why I asked VW that question. Have not gotten any reply yet.
Waleed Rishmawi
April 4, 2022 at 3:44 pm
Albert: The word fob is believed to have originated from watch fobs, which existed as early as 1888. The fob refers to an ornament attached to a pocket-watch chain. Key chains, remote car starters, garage door openers, and keyless entry devices on hotel room doors are also called fobs, or key fobs.
Parasuraman S
April 2, 2022 at 3:28 pm
Good job there!
Waleed Rishmawi
April 2, 2022 at 7:22 pm
Parasuraman: thanks man, have a blessed day
Babu M S
April 2, 2022 at 11:04 pm
A new thing learned form your article.Thank you very much.
Waleed Rishmawi
April 3, 2022 at 12:53 pm
Babu: I am glad to hear that. Have a blessed day.
Yogesh Panchal
April 4, 2022 at 2:46 pm
Good Job! Waleed.
Stephen Harris
April 5, 2022 at 9:56 pm
Nice fix if you visit Northridgefix on youtube you can see more key fob repairs +micro soldering repairs on ipads from his electric repair shop