Faulty key fob

[Mikeyb911]

Any advice please? 2001 Boxter 986, the key fob I always use has failed,no light flashing on the fob & no connection with the car, ie, central locking & alarm. Changed the battery still the same. I took the fob to a key specialist he said 2 connections had become loose so re soldered. The light on the fob now flashes so it is working but it's still not connecting with the car. My spare key fob works fine. Does the fob need to be re programed to the car or something? I have read that you turn on the ignition & hold the lock button for a few seconds & then turn off & remove the key. Ive tried this but made no difference, still nothing. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Motorhead]

From an internet search for the 986:

General Steps (May vary slightly by model year or specific key fob):

1. Check the battery: Ensure the key fob battery is good. A weak battery can cause pairing issues.
2. Unlock the door: Use the key (or another working remote) to unlock the driver's side door.
3. Insert the key: Within 10 seconds of unlocking, insert the ignition key into the ignition lock.
4. Turn the car on: Turn the ignition key to the "on" position (engine running, or at least the lights and dash should be on).
5. Press and hold the button: Press and hold the "lock/unlock" button (or the primary button on the fob) for approximately 5-10 seconds. Some users report needing to try this multiple times.
6. Synchronization: If successful, you may hear a horn chirp or other indication that the pairing is complete.
7. Repeat for other keys (if needed): If you have multiple keys, repeat the process for each.

Hope that’s of some use?

Jeff

 

[Mikeyb911]

Hi Jeff.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I have tried these steps already with no luck,still doesn't work. As I say my spare key fob works fine so it's must be an issue with the key fob itself.
Thanks for replying.
Mike.

 

[Motorhead]

I thought that might be the case Mike.

You can buy the fob from a Porsche dealer [don’t forget your PCGB 10% discount], but no doubt they’ll charge you the earth to program it. However a local Porsche Independent or a car locksmith may be able to do it for you for a reasonable price.

Jeff

 

[CLIFFWILKINS]

Maybe a simple recode or a new one is required.
All the best hope u get it sorted

 

[Mikeyb911]

Thanks guys I think I need some specialist help. Good job I have a spare fob.

 

[Robin M]

From memory if the fob battery becomes flat or disconnected for more than a minute or so the fob will need to be reprogrammed by OPC or good independent. Looking at Motorheads suggestion if this has not worked then thats worth a try as you may not need a new fob as they are not cheap.

 

[Mikeyb911]

Thanks Robin. I have now spoken to my local Porsche garage & they confirm exactly as you say ,the fob needs to be re programed. Im.taking it in next week so hopefully this will sort the issue. Thanks for your input,appreciate it.

 

[Robin M]

Thanks Robin. I have now spoken to my local Porsche garage & they confirm exactly as you say ,the fob needs to be re programed. Im.taking it in next week so hopefully this will sort the issue. Thanks for your input,appreciate it.

Glad I could be of help!

 

[malarcy]

One thing with the 9x6 fobs. If you press the button while the battery is being changed they can “lock up”. The fix. Honestly. Is to remove the fob battery and reinsert it the wrong way round. Then reverse the process.

I would also check with the garage as to what “reprogrammed” actually means. Careful they aren’t planning to do a simple resync / reboot or worse still tell you it doesn’t work and ask for 400 or so for a new key without trying the above.

I am pretty sure there isn’t an actual method for reprogramming , you can resync as previously described and you can reboot as described above but you the key to the car not the other way around. You can’t reprogram the key and unless you have the barcode that came with the key, new, 20 years ago the there no “re adding” it to the car as far as I know.

There’s a good write up on the whole system here (the talk about the reboot as well)

https://jmgporsche.co.uk/~jmgporscheco/item/234-996-986-alarm-primer?tmpl=component&type=raw

Hope I am wrong. But you see a lot of 9x6 for sale with non working remotes that “just need reprogramming”. Makes you wonder why they didn’t “just get it done” ?

 

[Mikeyb911]

One thing with the 9x6 fobs. If you press the button while the battery is being changed they can “lock up”. The fix. Honestly. Is to remove the fob battery and reinsert it the wrong way round. Then reverse the process.

I would also check with the garage as to what “reprogrammed” actually means. Careful they aren’t planning to do a simple resync / reboot or worse still tell you it doesn’t work and ask for 400 or so for a new key without trying the above.

I am pretty sure there isn’t an actual method for reprogramming , you can resync as previously described and you can reboot as described above but you the key to the car not the other way around. You can’t reprogram the key and unless you have the barcode that came with the key, new, 20 years ago the there no “re adding” it to the car as far as I know.

There’s a good write up on the whole system here (the talk about the reboot as well)

https://jmgporsche.co.uk/~jmgporscheco/item/234-996-986-alarm-primer?tmpl=component&type=raw

Hope I am wrong. But you see a lot of 9x6 for sale with non working remotes that “just need reprogramming”. Makes you wonder why they didn’t “just get it done” ?

Thanks for all that info,most interesting, sadly no joy. I get what you are saying re dealers charging silly money, i will find out how much & what they are doing before I go any further with it. Many thanks for replying.

 

[Motorhead]

Sorry to hear that you’ve not made any progress Mike. As I mentioned earlier, a Porsche dealer will charge you an arm and a leg to do anything [their labour rates are now ~£250/hr], so you may want to seek out a local reputable Porsche Independent for an alternative quote.

Good luck!

Jeff

 

[malarcy]

Might find it needs to be an OPC who do it - you need an IPAS code to program the immobiliser for a new key - and that's a main dealer / mothership thing - a few indy's have access - or mates who still work in the dealer network who will accidentally leave the code on the screen for a few mins but they aren't generally available to the the "aftermarket".

Whilst I would never describe anything labour related at an OPC to be cheap - and I haven't needed to look into this particularly, I have heard of it costing approx £400 at OPC - but no replacement keys are cheap for any car from the dealers - I paid £400 for one from Toyota and similar from Vauxhall more than 10 years ago.

And they seem to reasonably effective at not being susceptible to a "50 quid box from ebay" which is encouraging.

And if you had a Ford in the early 2000's and "lost the red key" then it was a complete ECU and Keyset if you ever needed a new one....

Just one thought for the OP - while you have only one working keyfob - make sure your keys can physically unlock the drivers door - a few folks have found the lock either stuck or disconnected from the actual locking mechanism when they have had to resort to using the key.

 

[Motorhead]

Useful to know that Paul.

Something to bank just in case.

Jeff