BMW Car remote key?

Question

Just bought a 2000 registered BMW 316i.

Car is fine but seems it doesn't want to unlock when I press the unlock button on the remote key. The interior lights glow so the battery is fine. When I press the button for the boot, it opens.

Then if I try after a few minutes, it works.

Maybe its me who is doing something wrong. Can someone please help?

I took the car to BMW garage and they said its working fine, they checked the key as well and was all fine. Murphy's law, it worked well that day and then when I went with the family for shopping it just refused to open.

I used the key and got in but could only open the drivers side, not the other doors. Can I manually open all the doors without using central locking?

Thanking in advance.

Answer 1

A few years ago I was waiting in a Rover Garage and someone was in there complaining of almost exactly the same thing.. the garage were trying to tell them that there are hot (or cold) spots that can effect the remote central locking.. maybe where you are is one of those spots.. drive it to the garage or down the road and it's fine but park in in an electrical field of some sort and your stuck.. I'm not saying this is your problem but it might be worth looking into if you don't get any other suggestions

Answer 2

I've had a similar problem with my car. I have a 2001 Z3 and after about 3 years, I started having the same problems. For some reason, the remote key lock/unlock stops working, but you still can turn the interior light on and off with the key. I couldn't find any reason, seems to happen spontaneously regardless of weather, temperature, where I am or if the car was driven recently. Sometimes it happens two or three days in a row, then it doesn't happen for months. Whenever it does happen it only lasts for 5 to 30 minutes. After this time period it starts working again.
I've had the car and keys (happens with both keys) looked at by a number of dealers with no help, like you said about Murphy's law, the keys always worked perfectly at the dealer.

The only thing that seems to work, but not all the time, is if I would try to get the key as close to the ignition as possible by holding it right over the windshield by the driver's side and hitting the button. This would make you think it was a weak signal, but I replcaed the key battery and it happened the next day (and it happens with both of the keys that I have). Maybe it's some kind of signal intereference, with all the cell phones, bluetooth, ipod FM transmitters, etc. Who knows!?! I've tried re-initializing the key a number of times and this didn't help either.

Also, you said when you manually opened the door it only opened the driver's door. The central locking system should have opened all the doors at once. If it's not wotking, there is a separate fuse for the central locking system that you'll need to replace. Actually last year, I had a period of about five months where this fuse kept burning out and I had to keep replacing it about once a week. Took it to the dealer, they found no problems, they told me to replace the fuse...Thanks! Anyway, after about 5 or 6 months the problem just went away and hasn't returned. I don't think this is related to the key issue, since the remote key thing started two years earlier and didn't seem to have any correlation to when the central locking fuse blew. So, check your owners manual and look at the fuse index, you should find a fuse for the central locking system.

I've owned six different BMWs over the last 15 years or so and strange problems with the central locking system seem to be on-going problem.

This issue with the remote key is especially annoying with the Z3 since BMW decided to only put an actual key hole on the driver's side door. The passenger side has a door handle but no key hole. Many times I like to open the passenger door to throw in some packages and this seems to be the majority of the time that the remote unlock stops working. So, I have to walk back to the trunk or the drivers side door and put the key manually into the key hole to unlock the passenger door with the central locking system.

So, you've got a 316, I take it you're in Europe somewhere. It's nice to see the problem isn't specific to BMWs here in the US.

Good Luck!!!!

Answer 3

There's simply one answer to this. Go to a BMW dealer, have them set you up with a key. If you can't make that effort or cannot afford it, sell the BMW. Do not buy an uncut key from eBay. Of course, you have to shop around BMW dealers, make friends and be cool with the service guys, show respect and be cool and you'll be set.

Answer 4

1. close all doors and have all keys available
2. using key no.1 turn ignition switch on. within 5 seconds switch ignition off and remove key from ignition
3. within 30 seconds of turning switch off, press and hold unlock button
4. while continuing to hold unlock button, quickly press and release lock button three times within 10 seconds
5. release unlock button
6. if initialization was successful, all locks will be activated and released in rapid succession. if the led continues to flash or if the locking system fails to respond, repeat the procedure.

to initialize additional remote control keys(make sure that no more than 30 seconds elapse between next initialization procedure) repeat steps 3 through 5. the ignition does not need to be cycled on/off for additional key initialization

the initialization sequence defines the numbering of the keys in the key memory program. the first key to be initialized receives number one and should be labeled accordingly.

the key memory function responds to the key number. if keys are not initialized in the correct order, key memory functions are not assigned correctly.

Answer 5

I would take the car and key to a BMW Dealer they should be able to replace either the key or reprogramme whatever needs reprogramming. I deal with BMWs every week as I buy and sell them and that is what I would do before I sold the car on.

Answer 6

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