aeroconfigs

dealer would probably charge $50 or something ridiculous. just do it yourself, it takes 5 minutes and maybe $5 max.

now that i'm out of warranty, i never want to go to the dealer again. they're a bunch of idiots, and they try to make you think they know so much and impress you with their attitude and relaxing atmosphere in the service center. meanwhile your car is not getting the proper service that it needs. completely fed up with the dealer service.

pcsgrp

I haven't had a bad experience with two of the dealer service departments I used here in NJ. Didn't like one in Canada or in Florida. Wanted to get oil change at 5k miles and it was like they were doing you a favor just letting you drive up to the department. I purchased from two different dealers and they were both very good. However, some other dealers in the area totally stunk so never went back

hyperion667

I do wonder how much they ask


my last trip to the dealer was in my S class.....had some felt on the underbody coming loose..........the shop FOREMAN decides he'll drive my car in the shop: goes backwards out of the customer area, and hits the curb!!!
I told the dealer(and Mercedes Benz) I wouldn't even consider coming in for WARRANTY work......hopefully that will have gotten somebody's attention!
I'd almost rather pay the indy shop for something related to a warranty
hopefully you have a good indy shop I your area

pamiboy

Completely agree with your post. Keyless go is the way to go. My feeling is that it'll soon be a standard feature in all cars similar to cruise control and remote locking keys.

hyperion667

confirmed from the SA: the dealer (I bought from) does not charge for battery or putting it in

aeroconfigs

everything's coming up milhouse!

SoCalCLK

I have Keyless go, but it stil requires the key, which is battery powered. Mine ran out of juice last week and the dealer charged me $7 for the battery and the cashier even did the install, LOL

hyperion667

reckrab

That used to happen periodically on my 2010 E350 but it hasn't happened so far on my 2014. Never had anything to do with how fresh the battery in the fob was for me either. I used to joke that it only seemed to happen when I was wearing a heavy coat and the key was hardest to reach.

pamiboy

So may be your heavy coat has radio repellent properties and that is causing the problem.

Live Oak

This is nuts!!! What a loss of opportunity by the dealer!

He sells a $50,000 - $100,000 car, and will also yield thousands in maintenance over the life of the car.

Now. As a businessman I'll tell you it costs a business at least $5.00 to process a "sale" of any kind.

So this dealer, instead of handing a ($2.00) battery to the good customer and installing it for him, and gaining all kinds of customer satisfaction and loyalty, instead generates $5.00 in expenses to "sell" the battery for $7.00 and pisses the customer off.

WHAT KIND OF IDIOT WOULD DO THAT???? Oh, a car dealer, I guess.

Johnny Rad

Great point, Live Oak. It's an eye-opener.

Good customer service is generally expected, but being exceptional really builds loyalty. Companies have plenty of opportunities to be exceptional or go above and beyond, but they mostly "cost." As Live Oak suggested, a teeny tiny $2 battery installed by somebody already on the clock with a smile for FREE would do wonders in the loyalty dept.

By the way, it's worth mentioning there's no free lunch at a couple of Lexus stealers that I've frequented in the past.

hdm337

If you take your car in for servicing and tell the dealer about these batteries, he will change them and charge you for it. So, they are not covered under warranty.

thefisch

so I got the replace key battery message on one key so I started using the second key (lazy I know). Well now my bad ways have caught up to me and the second key is giving the message to replace key battery.

Didn't have any CR2025 laying around but tried a CR2032 and it works. Guess it should since they are both 3V - the CR2032 is slightly larger. At first the key worked but the replace battery message was still there. After power cycling the car once more, the message is gone...for now.

hamooda_47

i simply youtubed it and did it in less than 2 minutes. simplest DIY

Johnny Rad

One more vote for changing out the key fob battery on your own ... just youtube it. It took about 2min, but next time it'll be 30sec.

For those looking to save a few beans, I bought a half dozen CR2025 batteries from either amazon or fleabay for considerably less than my local supermarket. Rumor has it these good deals are for old(er) and/or expired batteries, but for what you save it's a trade I happily made. YMMV.

El Cid

Have one vehicle with it and two without. I much prefer the regular key. You have to carry a big fob with you anyway.
Not irritating to dig a key out of my pocket at all nor is it a game changer.

FreeSpeaker

I change my own, takes only seconds - bought a few at the Dollar Store for $1.00 each - saves me the time of taking to the dealership.

Johnny Rad

It's most irritating to me when I walk up to my wife's car (no smart key - just the "old school" fob with buttons to lock / unlock) and pull the handle - locked, argh! My hands may or may not be full, but that's when unexpectedly digging into my pocket for the key / fob combo is a giant PITA. Sure, it "costs" me an extra 3 seconds - but, the flipside is simplicity with my car. I walk up, open the door, sit down, hit the start / stop button and drive away.

I hope to never get another "old school" car that requires a stinking key in the ignition to start the engine. It's an absolute "must" in my book.

For what it's worth, Telsa has it right.

mnje350

I think I bought them 4 for a dollar a while back. Pretty easy maintenance.

aaacsdai

Reason to use CR 2025 vice 2032 is size, 2032 is 1/32 inch thicker which does not allow the FOB's rubber gasket to fully close and seal the FOB against the elements as designed by MB. Panasonic or Sony CR's are made in 4 different countries, 2025 are China and Indonesia, 2032 are Malaysia and Philippines. Lithium based CR's with factory date as far back as 2012 will read out at 3.25 to 3.27 volts which is factory specification. FOB begins to lose WiFi-handshake at 1.85 volts by design, plugging in FOB does not refresh signal, it trickle feeds the battery until it reaches at least 2.0 volts and can maintain WiFi handshake up to 7 meters by MB design. CR 2032 was designed for personal computers, like desktops, etc, 2025 for FOB's, and other Wireless Transceivers like WiFi-Notepads and Notebooks, and Cellulars that have a CMOS chipset. A little CR data from a MB lover and ESSD guy. As mentioned B4, Amazon 2 each 5 packs total of 10 Panasonic or Sony at 4.99 with free delivery-USPS.

raja777m

Thanks, bought 5 Panasonic CR2025 for $2.38 free shipping, eBay..!