Good Morning Everyone. Sorry if this issue has already been shared and solved on here, however new to this site today and couldn't find much when I searched. Issue, out of the blue, on a cold day, the FOB buttons on my LR4 suddenly quite working. Still starts the rover, here and there displays the "smart key not found" on the dash, but so far still able to run the vehicle as normal. So we started with batteries, of which did not solve the issue. We have two FOB's, one of which has never worked. So after all the research I did on google we decided to pay the diagnostic's fee at the dealership and see what's going on. They could not do anything, said they could run a test of some sort, that is about 10% successful and the downside is that there is a 90% chance after the test that the rover won't start and I'd be forced to replace the BCM & VCM, both FOB"s at a cost of over $6000. Seems odd to me, and puts me in a tough spot considering the vehicle isn't worth a whole lot more than that with 275,000 Km.. I guess, I'm posting this, as there has to be more I can do? An alternative solution? Finding some used parts? Thank you in advance..

 

@Sasky Get your battery tested, not just voltage but a proper test. If your battery gets low enough the electronics inside play up,I had the same thing on a very cold day the Lr4 would not recognize my fob, I put the fob under the steering wheel started the truck up and all was fine.

 

Thank you very much.. Given I passed along $300 to the dealership, one would think they would have done that, however the service we get today isn't what it once was.. My battery isn't very old, I use a tender regularly, and starting the vehicle seems to not be an issue, it's simply locking and unlocking the doors, back hatch etc. Have to use the old school key.. Anyways, Thanks again..

 

Wow... talk about supplying a worst case scenario... are they trying to keep you as a customer or scare you away? Long term relationships over short term profit.

Without codes its a shot in the dark.
And don't be fooled into thinking that because you keep a battery on a maintainer that you are in good hands: Its the "operational capacity" of the battery that matters.

I've had JLR vehicles for more than 25 years. What I have learned is:

1. ALWAYS confirm the battery. That means let the battery rest at least 6 hours after any charging and/or running event. Take a reading. If it reads 12.4v, replace it.
2. In your case, confirm the battery in the fob. Only use name brand batteries with a recent manufacture date.
3. (Assuming you don't have a code reader) reset the vehicle. This resets "most" modules to their baseline.
4. Try that fob again.

Some provide negative rumour and innuendo stating the resetting of the vehicle will cause the sky to fall. This is not the case. However there is a test drive process to adopt following any reset.
And get that 2nd fob operational. My dealer does that for free provided the fob was provided from them. Of course, I have a long standing relationship with the dealer.

Cheers

 

Good Afternoon. Thank you..

Battery prior to letting rest is around 12.5V, we'll see what it reads after the rest period.
Sadly, there are no codes, checked again today and still no codes.
I've replaced the FOB batteries twice, dealership replaced them again, although I don't see any manufacture date, I'm hopeful one of the three were good.

Would you mind expanding a little on the "reset the vehicle"? I do have a basic code reader.

Appreciate your time and input..

 

Perhaps Guy was referring to a total battery disconnect (- and +) for an hour or more.

Another consideration to think about is possibility of corrosion in connectors which may have occurred during previous ownerships.

I invested in a GAP IID just so I could add a couple of FOBs as I only received one with vehicle purchase. Bought 2 FOBs on Amazon and now have 3 usable FOBs. A whole lot cheaper than the Dealership/OEM price quote.

 

Quite right @Conch . In my case, both batteries. I go the extra step and ensure complete draining of all capacitance by briefly touching the disconnected leads together.
Like on the jags, I do this once a year at spring cleaning time... gives the the opprtunity to give her an italian tune up, following the necessary test run.

 

@Guy - I should have mentioned the "both batteries" and connecting the disconnected - and + leads together part. Lots of folks aren't aware of that part of the reset. Some say overnight but I'm not convinced it needs to be that long, although I have done it myself.

 

Thank you both @Conch and @Guy.. Really appreciate any advice or thoughts on this.

I removed the sole battery in the LR4, had it on the bench overnight, voltage today is 12.7V. I'll try drain any capacitance before I put it back in and connect it tonight. See what happens, maybe my luck is better today and everything magically starts working again. haha.

Research I did last night did lead me to those GAP IID tools, seems like a great tool, however costly, but as you mention considerably less than anything your going to get at the dealership. Other thing I come across was feedback on some GAP IID tools being locked out, does this mean not usable, as in you invest in a tool that won't work? haha. Anything online does come with risk. But again, video's I watched when the tool worked, they were able to reprogram aftermarket FOB"s very easily..

Thanks again...

 

Well, guess what, checked the capacitance, obviously since it's been sitting without a battery for over 24 hrs there was none. Installed that battery that was in it before, albeit sitting on my work bench in my heated garage, measuring 12.7V and everything works perfectly. Both fob's, all button's. While I'm so grateful for your thoughts, advice, I'm extremely disappointed that a Genuine, Land Rover Dealership, trained Tech, could not solve this and led me down a very expensive road. Thankfully, while I have limited knowledge and no experience with all this new tech in these vehicles that my simple mind suggested things just weren't adding up.. Then Land Rover Forum came along and I met @Conch and @Guy.. Thank you so very much for taking your time to respond...

Guess we'll see tomorrow, when the battery has sat overnight in the vehicle, connected and it being -20 here right now in Saskatchewan Canada, if it is holding enough charge to keep everything working. At worst, may need a new battery, and considering this one is only a year or so old, should be warrantied...

Again, THANK YOU @Guy and @Conch.. Truly appreciate you!!

Now onto the water pump replacement.. haha.