Infra red key does not work

[Fifty_Cent]

My spare key***8217;s infra red does not seem to work. My car came with 3 keys, 2 master, and one small tiny plastic one. While the one master key is fine, the second one, does not seem to work.

The light blinks when I press the buttons, but no Central locking works, or anything else in that matter.
The key looks brand new, although I bought the car second hand, the previous owner seemed to only use the 1 master key.

I took it to my local bmw specialist, who has a MODIC III, and he tried programming my key. What he did is that he tried to install the settings of the y master key 1 to master key 2, with no success. He said though, that he has never done this procedure before, so it was unsuccessful. He mostly uses the MODIC for fixing error codes, not for programming.


Any BMW garage experts that are willing to give us some info???

[FireFly]

Make sure the 2nd key is fully charged. To do this, place in ignition and drive around for a while- keep using the key. If you do not use it, the internal battery will die and it will not function.

[Fifty_Cent]

Make sure the 2nd key is fully charged. To do this, place in ignition and drive around for a while- keep using the key. If you do not use it, the internal battery will die and it will not function.

But the battery when I press the buttons seems to be working...I mean that the red light blinks when I press any of the buttons.

[FireFly]

But the battery when I press the buttons seems to be working...I mean that the red light blinks when I press any of the buttons.

When you have a weak battery in your car it will crank but not turn over the engine. When you have a weak battery in a flashlight it will be dim but not light your path.

Same may be true for your key. it's a low cost solution which may or may not work. Give it a try. Look at page 28 in your manual.

[bmw325]

Fifty_cent--

What year is your e46? I don't recall an e46 key that has "blinking lights" on it. E46 keys on 2001 model year cars are diamond shaped, and have a colored BMW logo. These keys charge when they're in the ignition. The older style key had more of a square shaped grip, w/ no colored BMW logo. I believe these keys have batteries in them (and I guess they also have a blinking light). If you have this type of key, you should do as FireFly suggested and try to replace the battery.

[HW]

i didn't know that bmw started making infrared keys? :dunno: i'd hate to have to have a line of sight from the key to the car to lock/unlock the car :dunno: most work via rf. :eeps: :angel:

[Kaz]

IR keys are used in some markets instead of the RF keys we get in the US.