Not sure if this is the right section so I'll post here and link from the Leon and Toledo forums.
My remote keyfob (standard non-folding key, Toledo 2004) ran out of battery today. At least, I think that's what the constantly-flashing LED on the fob was trying to tell me - that and the fact that it wouldn't work the locks any more.
Okay, not a big problem, change the battery. Well, after having got inside without wrecking the fob (not as simple as it sounds - three hands would definitely help) I did so. Single CR2032, as expected. Buried in a well in the non-key half of the fob - difficult to get out and also to get the new one in.
Reassemble key - no LED flash from the fob at all when the buttons are pushed. Not what I expected. Disassemble key again - find that the LED flashes when the fob is half-together but not when it's fully reassembled. Now that's really odd.
After some mucking about, found that the long contact for the middle of the negative pole (the face of the button: the positive pole is the cup) had been bent just enough that it wasn't making good contact with the cell. When the key was half-assembled, the contact was being pushed down onto the cell, but when it was all fully together there was no force pushing the contact down and it lifted free of the cell.
Well, thank you, nameless VAG designer. Removed the contact (it's held into the key body by a tag on the upright part), bent it so that it had more spring force down onto the cell, reassembled and I now have reliable remote function again.
So if you replace your remote fob battery and the LED goes on strike, have a look at the contacts. You might save yourself the cost of a new key and the hassel of coding it, which is probably more than £100 in these enlightened times.
My remote keyfob (standard non-folding key, Toledo 2004) ran out of battery today. At least, I think that's what the constantly-flashing LED on the fob was trying to tell me - that and the fact that it wouldn't work the locks any more.
Okay, not a big problem, change the battery. Well, after having got inside without wrecking the fob (not as simple as it sounds - three hands would definitely help) I did so. Single CR2032, as expected. Buried in a well in the non-key half of the fob - difficult to get out and also to get the new one in.
Reassemble key - no LED flash from the fob at all when the buttons are pushed. Not what I expected. Disassemble key again - find that the LED flashes when the fob is half-together but not when it's fully reassembled. Now that's really odd.
After some mucking about, found that the long contact for the middle of the negative pole (the face of the button: the positive pole is the cup) had been bent just enough that it wasn't making good contact with the cell. When the key was half-assembled, the contact was being pushed down onto the cell, but when it was all fully together there was no force pushing the contact down and it lifted free of the cell.
Well, thank you, nameless VAG designer. Removed the contact (it's held into the key body by a tag on the upright part), bent it so that it had more spring force down onto the cell, reassembled and I now have reliable remote function again.
So if you replace your remote fob battery and the LED goes on strike, have a look at the contacts. You might save yourself the cost of a new key and the hassel of coding it, which is probably more than £100 in these enlightened times.