[4wheelpilot]

we've all read how some owner's CA works well while other owners are often frustrated because the system doesn't reliably recognize their attempt to lock/unlock the doors when they touch the handle.

well, i came out of a 2005 infiniti fx35 with the tech package that has one touch lock/unlock. with the fob in your pocket, you just touch a small black rubberized button on the door handle or rear hatch to lock/unlock the car.
the fob has a replaceable battery and never needed to come out of my pocket...and the system was 100% reliable.
BTW, there is a slot in the fx dash that holds the transponder but i never used it...it just stayed in my pocket.

when i picked up my 2007 e90 with CA it took a little adjustment to get used to just touching the door handle to lock/unlock and the system worked well. CA is a simpler, more sophisticated system.

but after a few weeks it seemed to take longer to respond and in some cases i needed to use the transponder.
it became so frustrating that i took it into the dealership for repair/reprogramming.
it seemed somewhat better but again there were times when i had to use the transponder to lock/unlock.
so i figured it was the best the system could be and just decided to deal with it.

now this is what happened to make me realize what may be happening with other owners... the other day, i got a transponder "low battery" indicator on the dash.
now i knew that the CA transponder has a rechargeable battery that charges in the slot. but because i was used to the infiniti transponder that did not have to go in the slot, i never put the bmw transponder in the slot unless i had to because the CA didn't recognize it and wouldn't let me start the car.

so it is very possible that owners of CA do not charge their transponder's battery enough to give it enough charge to send a strong enough signal to the CA receiver.

now i just put the transponder in the slot on longer drives to charge it well.

since i started doing this, the system works so well that it unlocks as i am reaching for the handle-even a split second before i make physical contact.

charge your transponder and your CA should work as designed.

good luck to all!

[HighVoltage]

Originally Posted by 4wheelpilot

we've all read how some owner's CA works well while other owners are often frustrated because the system doesn't reliably recognize their attempt to lock/unlock the doors when they touch the handle.

well, i came out of a 2005 infiniti fx35 with the tech package that has one touch lock/unlock. with the fob in your pocket, you just touch a small black rubberized button on the door handle or rear hatch to lock/unlock the car.
the fob has a replaceable battery and never needed to come out of my pocket...and the system was 100% reliable.
BTW, there is a slot in the fx dash that holds the transponder but i never used it...it just stayed in my pocket.

when i picked up my 2007 e90 with CA it took a little adjustment to get used to just touching the door handle to lock/unlock and the system worked well. CA is a simpler, more sophisticated system.

but after a few weeks it seemed to take longer to respond and in some cases i needed to use the transponder.
it became so frustrating that i took it into the dealership for repair/reprogramming.
it seemed somewhat better but again there were times when i had to use the transponder to lock/unlock.
so i figured it was the best the system could be and just decided to deal with it.

now this is what happened to make me realize what may be happening with other owners... the other day, i got a transponder "low battery" indicator on the dash.
now i knew that the CA transponder has a rechargeable battery that charges in the slot. but because i was used to the infiniti transponder that did not have to go in the slot, i never put the bmw transponder in the slot unless i had to because the CA didn't recognize it and wouldn't let me start the car.

so it is very possible that owners of CA do not charge their transponder's battery enough to give it enough charge to send a strong enough signal to the CA receiver.

now i just put the transponder in the slot on longer drives to charge it well.

since i started doing this, the system works so well that it unlocks as i am reaching for the handle-even a split second before i make physical contact.

charge your transponder and your CA should work as designed.

good luck to all!

Unlike the standard fob, the CA fob does not have a rechargeable battery. Your assertions are completely wrong, as many of us have replaced the battery with a brand new, fresh battery and still have the same issues.

[4wheelpilot]

you are right! sorry for any inconvenience i cause readers of this post.

i thought the CA remote had a rechargeable battery.

but my CA is great now...how can anyone explain why my CA is working perfectly now?

[HighVoltage]

Unfortunately your experience is far too subjective to be certain. It's possible several of your habits have changed and that is resulting in more consistency or it's just a simple change in perception (wishful thinking).

If placing the FOB into the dash does somehow increase the consistency of CA, it's rather counter-intuitive as the whole point of CA is not having to interface with the FOB, other than just carrying it around...

[2kaccordocoupe]

Originally Posted by HighVoltage

Unfortunately your experience is far too subjective to be certain. It's possible several of your habits have changed and that is resulting in more consistency or it's just a simple change in perception (wishful thinking).

If placing the FOB into the dash does somehow increase the consistency of CA, it's rather counter-intuitive as the whole point of CA is not having to interface with the FOB, other than just carrying it around...

+1
However could it be possible that the FOB needed to be sync'd with the car? Since you have to do this for the maintenance info to put on the FOB during service could it be possible that it also had to write some 2 way security code, almost like changing encryption keys for example?

[Kilgore Trout]

FYI, the CA issues you guys are describing seem relatively rare. I've only had my car a few months but, during that time, the CA has been flawless every single time I used it. I've not had a problem even once.

[HighVoltage]

Originally Posted by 2kaccordocoupe

+1
However could it be possible that the FOB needed to be sync'd with the car? Since you have to do this for the maintenance info to put on the FOB during service could it be possible that it also had to write some 2 way security code, almost like changing encryption keys for example?

I was thinking the same thing, if there is anything to this. Worth trying....

[Houman21]

I was thinking of cracking my fob open and coiling some copper wire in there for more range, I believe this had been fixed in the 09's.

[40yroldawakening]

I have also had the sign come up on the dash saying the fob needed placed in the car for awhile. I was also told when I bought it, to place it in the slot every few months on a long trip. I always thought it charged it too.

[HighVoltage]

Originally Posted by Houman21

I was thinking of cracking my fob open and coiling some copper wire in there for more range, I believe this had been fixed in the 09's.

I thought of doing this to the spare FOB a few weeks ago. Only problem is Im not certain how much the range could increase. Im left wondering if somebody outside could just walk up, touch it and open it up...

[1N54E92]

Originally Posted by Kilgore Trout

FYI, the CA issues you guys are describing seem relatively rare. I've only had my car a few months but, during that time, the CA has been flawless every single time I used it. I've not had a problem even once.

give it some time .Like 4 or 5 more months.

[Houman21]

Originally Posted by HighVoltage

I thought of doing this to the spare FOB a few weeks ago. Only problem is Im not certain how much the range could increase. Im left wondering if somebody outside could just walk up, touch it and open it up...

I think the receiver in the door handle is the problem. I don't think the fob would change things much but I'm curious to look at the internals.

[HighVoltage]

Originally Posted by Houman21

I think the receiver in the door handle is the problem. I don't think the fob would change things much but I'm curious to look at the internals.

It dont believe it is the antenna in just the door handle. The issue presents itself for some on the ignition as well.

[Houman21]

Originally Posted by HighVoltage

It dont believe it is the antenna in just the door handle. The issue presents itself for some on the ignition as well.

You may be right - I've been searching on how to open these newer keyfobs safely.