Hi Everyone

Hopefully someone can help with this problem.

I have a new problem which simply appeared with no warning.
The range of the key fobs to unlock the doors has suddenly and dramatically reduced.

Until last week the key fobs would easily lock and unlock the doors from abot 20 feet.

I now have to hold the key right up to the car to make it unlock the doors ...sometimes touching the glass to get the doors to lock and unlock.

I have changed the batteries in both key fobs...this improved it slightly...in a sometimes unlock from abou 2 feet now .

As the problem is present on 2 key fobs I am inclined to think that it is the receiver that is at fault ...perhaps a loose Ariel reciever .

Has anyone else experienced this ?

Where is the radio receiver located ?

Can I change a radio receiver without recoding the system .

Thanks

Paul

 

The receiver is located in the rear-view mirror, and is part of the UEM, the "Upper Electronic Module". You may want to try resetting it, which is a series of 3 lock/unlocks of the driver's door with the physical key, rather than the key fob buttons. There are many apocryphal tales of strange behaviors that are exorcised with this incantation.

if that has no effect, have you checked batteries in the remotes? Some auto-parts stores have kiosks where one can test one's remote, as they include a very wide-band field-strength meter. It would be unusual to have both key fobs start to go dead at the same time, but not impossible.

I assume that no functions of either key fob work at any distance, so I have to wonder if you recently tinted the windshield with metallic film to make the car a "Faraday cage", blocking the radio signals, installed a WiFi hotspot, or did something else that might be jamming the radio signals from the key fobs.

These are all guesses. I assume VIDA tells you no codes, but as usual, the modules tend to report their every sneeze, so VIDA is your friend, an it pays for itself with the first diagnosis it provides, saving you a trip to the Stealership.