Does keyless entry fob drain battery?

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BataviaJim

BataviaJim

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The best solution is disable auto lock/unlock in vehicle settings and use the remote buttons to lock and unlock. :lol:
I do have them disabled because I don't want the car to always be locked in my garage. It would be nice to have a feature for "auto lock unless you're at 'x' location".
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The best solution is disable auto lock/unlock in vehicle settings and use the remote buttons to lock and unlock. :lol:
I have the auto lock/unlock disabled, but that does not disable the the PKE system where touching the door handle activates the fob. That's what I want to disable so a thief cannot use the relay attack method to steal the car.
 
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BataviaJim

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BTW, an aside, stock battery from the remote, expect 2 years of life with average use.
I'm surprised at how short that is. My 2006 Civic fob battery lasted 13 years and going strong when I traded it in. Of course the keyless fob does a lot more so I wouldn't expect that, but I figured 5 years at least.

What happens if the fob battery dies when you're away from home? Seems like there's no way to unlock or start the car.
 
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What happens if the fob battery dies when you're away from home? Seems like there's no way to unlock or start the car.
I just did some checking and p. 104 of the manual says:
"If the battery life in your remote transmitter is weak, a message appears in the driver information interface with information on how to start the engine." and it goes on to explain how.

But it seems to assume that the battery will just be weak, not completely dead. If it's dead I don't see how you can start the car.

[Edited after I discovered that there's a key inside the fob. This is my first keyless entry and no one at the dealership mentioned that. So I see how to unlock the car but not how to start it if the fob battery is dead.]
 
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BriteBlue

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I just did some checking and p. 104 of the manual says:
"If the battery life in your remote transmitter is weak, a message appears in the driver information interface with information on how to start the engine." and it goes on to explain how.

But it seems to assume that the battery will just be weak, not completely dead. If it's dead I don't see how you can start the car.

[Edited after I discovered that there's a key inside the fob. This is my first keyless entry and no one at the dealership mentioned that. So I see how to unlock the car but not how to start it if the fob battery is dead.]
You're supposed to hold the fob against the Start button & push. I'm told it works on the same principal as those wireless charging pads for cell phones. The Start button sends out a signal which charges or at least has enough energy to power up the fob. The fob can then transmit its coded signal to start the car.

Just thinking it might be a good idea to keep a spare battery in the glove box just in case.
 
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civicdabest-foo

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You're supposed to hold the fob against the Start button & push. I'm told it works on the same principal as those wireless charging pads for cell phones. The Start button sends out a signal which charges or at least has enough energy to power up the fob. The fob can then transmit its coded signal to start the car.

Just thinking it might be a good idea to keep a spare battery in the glove box just in case.

Yes, holding it next to the start button uses the passive RFID feature of the fob, sort of like the immobilizer chips installed in the mechanical keys of cars from the early 2000s

The MM warns you well ahead of time before the battery totally runs out of juice.

Also, please remember that the keyfob has a removable mechanical key in it that you can use to unlock the doors and the trunk.
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