amenva

How far is the range of your key remote?

I have a 99 CLK 320 and the range is kinda poor. I normally have to be in 10 feet for the car to respond. I have two keys and I've chaged batteries for both but they pretty much react the same way.

I rent cars quite often when I travel and the Japanese cars have amazing range for their key remotes.

I wonder if it's just my car or the keys. Anybody have similar issues?

babyboigsxr

My CLK is a '01, original keys and everything. My range sucks too. I can't even arm/disarm the car from inside my house, and the car is literally right there on the drive way, like 15 feet away.

Looks like i'm gonna have to drop a lot of money sometime to get a new remote.

sick430

hey i had to buy the new key like 130$ or so after jumping into the pool with one of my keys in my pocket. the new crome key has a much better range.

150shot

I have the chrome key, I dont know where it came from ( MB or other retailer) but the range is ok to disarm/arm, maybe 20 feet and a bit more using the old chin trick.

To open the windows/sunroof I have to be standing right in front of the door handle and aiming at it.

CurYousGee

yeah the range isnt that great, its a known fact with out cars...with my accord, i can roll down the windows from quite a ways away.

babyboigsxr

Whoa whoa whoa! $130 for the new chrome keys? Which dealership did you go to? That's $70 cheaper than ANY of the dealers that i inquired at here in SoCal.

DevilsAngel

The range on mine sucks bad. I want to get the chrome key eventually. So you can open the windows and the sunroof with the remote? How do you do that?

tnb1786

wtf ur windows roll down with ur remote????

please explain more!

High Technology

The sensors on your exterior door handles are infrared. So after you unlock the doors, point the key at one of the door handle sensors and hold the UNLOCK button down. After a few seconds, the windows should go down and the sunroof should open. Release the unlock button when the windows/roof are in the desired position. It's a great way to vent a car on a hot summer day.

The reverse works too. Say you lock the car and realize you left a window or sunroof open. Point the remote at one of the door handles and hold the LOCK button down. After a few seconds the windows will roll up and the sunroof will close.

I have always speculated that the limited range of the remote is related to this feature. In particular, I seem to recall my manual saying that for safety reasons the range is limited to ensure the windows and roof will be in your line of sight.

xmodrelic

I like the range, I'd rather have to click it 10 feet away then walk out of my friends apartment and see my trunk open cus I was sitting on my remote...used to happen all the time with my acura

sfclk

putting in new batteries didn't help with the 10ft range.

Didn't know we can close windows with the remote!

xmodrelic

I didnt know until I sat down and read the book, actually I didnt read anything after that cus I was so happy I tossed the book down and opened and closed my windows a few times.

does everyones sunroofs take like 3X longer then the windows?

amenva

Yeah that window/sunroof opening feature is pretty cool, though it's really not that convenient having to operate it in a 10 foot range. I normally have the windows rolled down a bit that since there isn't cover parking at work and the cabin would be like an oven (I'm in Texas...). But whenever it rains I'd have to rush out to to the car to close the windows although I can see my car right through the window.

xmodrelic: Ya my roof is slow, too.

For guys who have the chrome keys, how much did you get it for? Also is the chrome easily scratched by the other keys?

Houston, TX area dealerships: $210-$230

sfclk

paid $220 taxed in CA

babyboigsxr

Where's "SICK430" at? He's suppose to tell me where to get the key for that price. LMAO

Oh where oh where can he be...

chinesekid

i got mines for like 100 bucks.. but i work at the benz dealer.. lol i got my discount and i wanted a new key so i got it order..

sfclk

He probably only needed a new remote. I paid about $35 for the metal key that doesn't turn my door locks or trunk.

velvet fog

The range varies for me. Approaching the car from the front, I can be 20-25 feet away. From the rear, less than 10.

benzo4me

Not sure if you guys tried this, but this worked for me.

When lock or unlock, facing the car try to aim the laser end (the end you put on your ignition) to your body (arm, etc.) ....I am aiming to my chin and it worked great...i can lock or unlock the door 20 to 30 ft at any direction. I've tested this. With long distance, it never worked when you pointing the remote to the car, but it worked 10 out of 10 (unless you're way too far) when I am facing the car and point it to by chin (make sure it touchs your body part). I know it sounds weird, but give it a try.

For rolling the windows up and down you'd have to point to the door which sucks...

amenva

Magic....

It works. Not 10 out of 10 but it does give a longer range. Interesting. Thanks for the tip.

newguy2008

What button do you press/hold to roll the windows up or down on the remote?

velvet fog

The unlock button

sfclk

aiming the key towards the sky does give it longer range than pointing towards the ground or straight to the car.

thanks

Boosted9603

Hmm, gonna have to try that window up/down thing!

The Jury

When my remote went dead on my car and I damn near replaced the entire EIS trying to fix it I learned more than I need to know about remotes.

First, there are three signals in your remote. IR, radio, and (I don't actually remember the third, but I believe it is microwave).

One starts the car and that is the IR.

One works the door locks and that should be the microwave frequency.

The third one I don't recall. I have tried to block as much of that experience as possible from my mind. If I remember correctly it should be the radio frequency for the window feature on the door handle sensor.

You can have one of the three go bad at any time and it produce results you don't understand. Like your car starting, but your windows and door locks not working or the opposite of the situation. This is because each one has it's own certain transmitter and receiver in your remote and car.

You can help your range by making sure you clean and polish your door sensors in your handles. They become cloudy and hazed from the elements as well as waxing your car since the wax usually stays in the cracks of the sensors and builds up.

There's always the old trick of putting the remote to your temple to double and triple your range. We were doing that in high school with Viper alarms and I have done it with my Mercedes remote several times when I was across a parking lot and wanted to be sure I locked the car.