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I went out to my elderly Focus this morning, not having driven it for a month. The key fob was completely dead. Anyway, I was able to open the car the old fashioned way and start the car and go about my business.
About an hour ago I took the fob apart to replace the battery. I can remember doing it fairly recently but not sure when. Still not working. So this time I got my multimeter out and checked the old and new batteries - very close, about 0.2v difference. Bad news, it must be something else, probably expensive and not worth it on an 18 year old car. It does afterall still work using the key. Time for a new car maybe...
I took the fob apart again and spent a bit of time cleaning the terminals with a spot of methylated spirits and a cotton bud. They were quite dirty. Also with a small screwdriver I very gently bent the terminals to ensure they mated with the battery. Finally I used my aerosol duster to blast out any dirt. Put it all back together and it works perfectly.
So if you need to replace the battery or do it as preventative maintenance, it may be worth just giving the terminals a gentle clean.
It's strange how something like a key fob can go from working perfectly to not in a month of sitting idle.
Old Focus lives on...
Edited by Xileno on 25/07/2025 at 12:12
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