View Full Version : To Charge Or Not To Charge...the FOB?
If this has been covered I couldn't find it doing a search. The Owner's Manual is very unclear. It says you should insert the Standard Key FOB in the ignition twice a year to charge the battery in it. Then it says the Comfort Access FOB has a replaceable battery that needs replacing if it gets low.
The question is: If you put the Comfort Access FOB in the ignition, does it charge the battery....or is the battery in the Comfort Access FOB a non-rechargeable battery?
Inquiring minds want to know............
545iSMG
07-30-2008, 05:34 AM
The CA fob is not rechargeable -- you have to replace the battery when it's discharged.
My CA battery is still going strong after more than a year so obviously the life expectancy is relatively long...
123D-M
07-30-2008, 05:49 AM
Thanks. I was wondering about that too. I ordered comfort access on my 123D.
The CA fob is not rechargeable -- you have to replace the battery when it's discharged.
My CA battery is still going strong after more than a year so obviously the life expectancy is relatively long...
What is the difference between the CA Fob and the Fob the rest of the country uses?
Do you mean they legislate a different FOB in California? Or did I mis-understand your post?
Smokey550i
07-30-2008, 06:40 AM
What is the difference between the CA Fob and the Fob the rest of the country uses?
Do you mean they legislate a different FOB in California? Or did I mis-understand your post?
You misunderstood ...
CA = comfort access
later,
The CA fob is not rechargeable -- you have to replace the battery when it's discharged.
My CA battery is still going strong after more than a year so obviously the life expectancy is relatively long...
Thanks for that information. I have 2 cars with CA and never understood the manual on this point.
And thank to Smokey 550i for your correction. Somehow, it just didn't make sense that California would have a different FOB and I never made the " CA=Comfort Access" connection. Thanks to all for making this clear.
OK.......here is the lowdown from my BMW dealer. I just returned from there.
The CA Fob is actually 2 keys...a standard Fob when you use the push buttons to lock or unlock the door. This Fob has a rechargeable battery that is charged by inserting the Fob in the ignition every couple of months or so. The CA part of the Fob is powered by a battery that is not rechargeable and needs to be replaced when the CA feature no longer works. You will get a warning message in the dash panel when it gets low in voltage. Replace the battery at that time. The standard part of the Fob will continue to work as long as it has been recharged and is not worn out. So.......you have 2 batteries in your CA Fobs.....one is rechargeable and one is not.
Clear as mud.......right?
djfitter
07-30-2008, 02:51 PM
OK.......here is the lowdown from my BMW dealer. I just returned from there.
The CA Fob is actually 2 keys...a standard Fob when you use the push buttons to lock or unlock the door. This Fob has a rechargeable battery that is charged by inserting the Fob in the ignition every couple of months or so. The CA part of the Fob is powered by a battery that is not rechargeable and needs to be replaced when the CA feature no longer works. You will get a warning message in the dash panel when it gets low in voltage. Replace the battery at that time. The standard part of the Fob will continue to work as long as it has been recharged and is not worn out. So.......you have 2 batteries in your CA Fobs.....one is rechargeable and one is not.
Clear as mud.......right?
I don't think that is right. Page 28 of my owners manual says nothing about 2 batteries or recharging the CA fob at all, just that it has a replaceable battery and refers you to page 40 for replacement instructions. :)
Regular fob = rechargeable
CA fob = Replacement required.
dj
Regular fob = rechargeable
CA fob = Replacement required.
dj
That's exactly what I thought. But I was told I was wrong. The CA Fob contains 2 batteries (one that powers the push buttons, the other one to power the radio chip for the CA). The Standard Fob contains 1 battery (to operate the push buttons). I would like to know for certain.
djfitter
07-30-2008, 03:06 PM
That's exactly what I thought. But I was told I was wrong. The CA Fob contains 2 batteries. The Standard Fob contains 1 battery. I would like to know for certain.
I don't have CA so I don't really care, but why would they put 2 batteries in there? I don't think there is room for 2 and the recharging stuff and the CA stuff and the integrated key. :)
Whomever you spoke to at BMW was right about the fob being 2 keys, but one of them is the mechanical integrated key inside the fob. It has no battery and only locks/unlocks locks (trunk, door, glove box).
dj
I don't have CA so I don't really care, but why would they put 2 batteries in there? I don't think there is room for 2 and the recharging stuff and the CA stuff and the integrated key. :)
Whomever you spoke to at BMW was right about the fob being 2 keys, but one of them is the mechanical integrated key inside the fob. It has no battery and only locks/unlocks locks (trunk, door, glove box).
dj
The mechanical key has absolutely nothing to do with the dual electronic circuitry in the CA Fobs. The Sales Manager I talked to has been selling BMW's for many years. I think he knows what he is talking about. If you don't have CA, it's probably not an issue with you anyway. If you have some factual information from another reliable source, I would be happy to hear about it.
wmc430
07-30-2008, 03:37 PM
the mechanical key has absolutely nothing to do with the dual electronic circuitry in the ca fobs. The sales manager i talked to has been selling bmw's for many years. I think he knows what he is talking about. If you don't have ca, it's probably not an issue with you anyway. If you have some factual information from another reliable source, i would be happy to hear about it.
+1
djfitter
07-30-2008, 05:10 PM
The mechanical key has absolutely nothing to do with the dual electronic circuitry in the CA Fobs. The Sales Manager I talked to has been selling BMW's for many years. I think he knows what he is talking about. If you don't have CA, it's probably not an issue with you anyway. If you have some factual information from another reliable source, I would be happy to hear about it.
I gave you a factual source in writing, THE OWNERS MANUAL. All you are offering up is hearsay from some BMW sales person, that by the way doesn't necessarily know everything about the BMW line because he has been selling them for years.
And I never said the mechanical key had anything to do with the dual electronic circuitry in the CA Fobs, just that it was a key and occupied space. Read it again. :flipoff:
dj
goodchip
07-30-2008, 05:17 PM
I gave you a factual source in writing, THE OWNERS MANUAL. All you are offering up is hearsay from some BMW sales person, that by the way doesn't necessarily know everything about the BMW line because he has been selling them for years.
And I never said the mechanical key had anything to do with the dual electronic circuitry in the CA Fobs, just that it was a key and occupied space. Read it again. :flipoff:
dj
Hey a little decorum is in order. Flipping the finger on Bimmerfest?
:(
djfitter
07-30-2008, 05:43 PM
He started it. And it's 2 fingers. :p
545iSMG
07-30-2008, 06:34 PM
OK.......here is the lowdown from my BMW dealer. I just returned from there.
The CA Fob is actually 2 keys...a standard Fob when you use the push buttons to lock or unlock the door. This Fob has a rechargeable battery that is charged by inserting the Fob in the ignition every couple of months or so. The CA part of the Fob is powered by a battery that is not rechargeable and needs to be replaced when the CA feature no longer works. You will get a warning message in the dash panel when it gets low in voltage. Replace the battery at that time. The standard part of the Fob will continue to work as long as it has been recharged and is not worn out. So.......you have 2 batteries in your CA Fobs.....one is rechargeable and one is not.
Clear as mud.......right?
It wouldn't be the first time that a BMW dealer provided a customer with bad information... :tsk:
The above information just isn't true.
If I remove the battery from my CA fob, the car will not lock or unlock with the push buttons. It will start, however, if I insert it into the key slot but that doesn't mean there's another battery -- the security chip that is present in the fob works like an RFID chip -- it's not powered internally, the reader (coil) in the steering column is able to detect it once it's close enough...
Pretty much everything you want to know about Comfort Access can be found in the following .pdf document:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?autocom=gallery&req=si&img=10674
Thank you Rudy. Some good factual information.
bimmer26years
08-01-2008, 12:27 PM
What is the most affordable (or only) way to get a spare main key? Do I have to order via the local dealer?
jpnala
08-01-2008, 12:51 PM
My 07 750 with ca does charge the battery and it will tell you when it is getting low and to insert it. My 08 M5 does not..you have to change the battery when it gets low. When I valet or go to the car wash I leave the fob in the ignition and pop the key out and lock the glove box.
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