johnkubik

Hey everyone,

I am a long time reader first time poster. I feel kinda like an idiot, this being my first post and all...but I got into the pool with my keys in my pocket

Yeah, my fob was totally submerged. When I realized what I had done (about 10 minutes of pool time) I got out and took the batteries out. The inside was SOAKED!

I searched the forums for a good solution to my problem but found no helpful solutions.

I am wondering if there is any way to start the car with a broken fob, either water damaged or any other damage for that matter.
I was able to get into my car using the valet key, however, the alarm went of when I opened the door but stopped when I shut it again.

There isn't a spot to stick the valet key in to start the car is there? ;p

I am going to the store to get some new batteries and some rubbing alcohol to try and clean the inside of corrosion. Does any one know how to open the casing on the fob all the way (not just taking the battery carriage out) without breaking it?!?

What is the cheapest way to get a new fob, and get it programmed. I understand everyone is most likely going to say "dealership," but i am SOOOO hoping other wise.

The fob is a 315 mHz Siemens fob for a 2006 c280 4matic. It has a panic button, a trunk button, a lock button, and an unlock button.

EDIT: Forgot to mention my car is still under the mfgr. warranty. Any way I could get them to replace it, citing that the fob "just stopped working."?


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-John Kubik

iJimpanzee

If you have warranty, I suggest letting it totally dry out then telling the stealership that it stopped working. And of course changing the battery didn't help. =]

johnkubik

Sadly I don't think they are going to. The casing was broken (the lock button is cracked) by the previous owner so they have previously said, in passing, that they wouldn't replace it under warranty. But I am unsure how strict that statement was. Do you think if I bought a fob off eBay they would know thatir wasn't for my car????

Thanks for the response!!!

iJimpanzee

Haha.
I think it costs ~200$ for a new key to be programmed?

It might cost you 10~30$ for an unusable key, but you stand to save ~$170 if they replace it.

I have a feeling they'll somehow figure it out that it's not your factory key. Haha. Don't know how.

Maybe sometimes we should just... suck it up
But I still think the idea of buying another cheap key and trying your luck might work. (They might just not cover the key at all though )

C24owner

You can not buy a key on ebay. It has to be at the dealership.

Let the key completely dry and replace the batteries. If that doesn't work then you need to buy a new key.

amdeutsch

On my old C-class the key was replaced because of a broken button. Try the key in the ignition anyways because the batteries are not required for this. Its a coil type arrangement.

johnkubik

PHEW~!! The key works now, after I cleaned the inside out with a q-tip (as best as I could with out breaking the fob open). The key starts the car, but the keyless entry does work

They say the fob replacement is a newer style fob that looks all round and chromy, does any one have an opinion as to if they look good/are worth the money...? I searched the forums and people seem to still be up in the air about if they are better or not.

Does any one know of any place I could get this fob repaired? If I could take it apart I am pretty sure I could fix it myself. Any one have ANY idea how to get this circuit board out!?!?? I checked all over the internet and all I could find was battery replacement, lol.

Thanks for all of your ideas everyone.

What is the consensus on buying a fob on ebay and claiming it "doesn't" work any more>?

amdeutsch

STFF MBW some more.

Again, STFF MBW some more.

johnkubik

Totally agree. The reason I need a new fob casing is because the lock button on mine is broken and the dealer wont cover it under warranty because it has a cracked button. Hopefully if I get a new fob casing he can swap it out for free!!! Any one think this has a chance of working?

BTW: I searched the forums and no one has ever tried taking a fob to a different car and passing it off as their own to try and get the dealer to swap it out. I searched through all 910 posts for the keywords: key fob keyblade and ebay. So STFF=STFU ;p

i do understand how frustrating all of the people asking about ebay fobs must be, there was like ~500 posts asking about if ebay fobs work LOL!! I KNOW they wont work, just trying to think outside the box.

SunnyRayToronto

The old fobs were prone to broken and cracked button on the plastic casing simply because they were not durable and many people got that replaced under warranty,... usually they get new chrome key as replacement. If you did a proper STFF you should have realize that!

If your dealer won't replace it under warranty, it's might be because damage on the remote doesn't look it is from defective problem described above but rather because you or the previous owner was careless and abused it,.... I'm not implying you're the one being careless but most people don't take they mercedes smart key remote swimming and then try to come up with a scheme to con someone else (ie dealer) to fix their problem.

BTW, it's not cool to tell mod to FU,... mods give a lot of their free time to provide a free service on these boards and to ensure these boards work properly for everyones enjoyment and research.

johnkubik

Sorry. You are right. Mod person, sorry. I hope you understand I was just a little flustered about not finding a 'quick fix' to my problem after 6+ hours of searching. I didn't mean any offense by it.

PS - I figured everyone would have been all for me trying to 'con' the "stealership." Although, it doesn't surprise me everyone on the forums has integrity

e1000

Broken keys are covered under warranty. My dealership replaced one that was fully functional but had a cracked button like yours.

Keys absolutely, positively cannot be reprogrammed by anyone, not even your local dealership. If you buy a key off e-bay, it will not work in your car. With that said, how comfortable are you with soldering?????

johnkubik

Very much comfortable with soldering!! I so want to tear this fob apart and try and fix it!!
I don't want to buy a key off ebay and reprogram it, btw.

My key is cracked on the unlock button, so I am afraid the dealer wont give me a new one. What I want to do is get a new uncracked for off of ebay (I KNOW IT WONT WORK FOR MY CAR) and tell the dealer "My fob just stopped working." and see if they just replace it with a new one and reprogram the new one with my car. So, the fob that isnt mine gets replaced by one that works with my car...I dont really know how else to explain it.

Thanks for the advice though!! I am going to go there tomorrow and see what they can do for me. I have the 1800 for MB, so worst case scenario I'll give them a call and try and get it taken care of from their end (if that is even possible).

e1000

Why do I know I'm going to regret posting this............ Good luck to you and if you fubar your key, I take no responsibility.

https://mbworld.org/forums/3284033-post730.html

mortgagemagic

i have a 2003 mercedes S500, today i tried unlocking my door with my key fob, but never worked. i used the metalic key to open door, when i put the fob key into ignition , it didn't work . the fob light never lit up, when pressing on its buttons . the front console system was working. even though the batteries where fairly new, i changed them to brand new batteries , and again fob key didn't work and red light never lit up or even flickered. also, last time i used key fob was 2 days ego , and there was a huge rain storm here in new york , maybe it got wet, there is a small hole in the fob key casing, but its been there for a long time, with no issues . what can i do ???