Smart Keys!

[MrGrumpy]

Oh what a hassle Smart Keys can be!
This morning it was a nice day so I thought I'd pop out on the mk6 Tmax before the storm gets to us. When I switched the scoot on, the low smart key battery warning flashed. 'Blast' I said, but I had some fresh batteries in stock for it, and I've changed the battery before, so I thought I'd change it there and then.
I had a new Duracell battery to hand, and put that in the key, and I thought I'd better test it - the key switched on and off fine, but when I went out to the scoot, it wouldn't switch the scoot on! I had momentary panic, thinking that what the hell do I do if I've buggered the expensive smart key system up. I thought the first thing to do was to put the old battery back in the smart key, which I did, and everything was fine - there wasn't even a low battery warning! So I put in a new Energizer battery in the key and tried that, and that was fine. So whether it was a duff Duracell battery, or the system is very fussy about batteries I don't know. Its OK to find this out at home, but not something you want to find out in the middle of nowhere!

[Waldorf]

Glad it's sorted and thanks for the warning.
Did you have a good ride?
I rode home via the Slope in Seaham Harbour around 11.00. this morning; the sea was flat as a pancake.
I have no plans to go out later!

[MrGrumpy]

Just popped down to Swainby for the cafe - snag is the sun is so low at this time of year and it was in my eyes the entire way!

[Andym]

There are loads of knock-off and expired batteries floating about. I think green considerations have shortened the shelf life too.

Annoying as it is I buy a packet of new batteries from a supermarket once a year and change the lot. Supermarkets aren't buying off dodgy Chinese suppliers and if they weren't churning the stock they'd stop selling them.

Andy

[MrGrumpy]

The Tmax key uses 2025 batteries which are very similar to the much more common 2032s. Whether their relative rarity means that there will be fewer knock-offs or whether this means that they will end up sitting on shop shelves longer, I don't know!

[Waldorf]

Just popped down to Swainby for the cafe - snag is the sun is so low at this time of year and it was in my eyes the entire way!

I must check it out.
My morning rides into town and up to Sunderland along the coast at this time of year are also a bit hit-and-miss with eye-level sun.

[Ministerofsillywalks]

I go with the duff battery theory. The scoot wouldn't switch on using the first battery you tried but it did with the second. But with the complexity of modern scooters (and cars) I can understand your panicked reaction. I would react in much the same way.

[MrGrumpy]

This gets worse!
This morning I get the Tmax out of the garage and it says that the brand new battery I put in the smart key is nearly flat! On the other hand its entirely happy with the original battery that it said was flat last week!
I'm beginning to worry that there's some other sort of problem here.
Put another new battery in and it seems happy for now.

[Pukmeister]

This key fob battery argument has been done to death over on the UKGSer forum, it seems that VARTA or ENERGISER are the only two brands of coin cell battery to use in key fobs based on user experience.

I've had a similar experience with the keyless fob on my BMW, finding that VARTA are trouble free and Duracell are not.....I fitted a brand new Duracell and two days later I got the low key fob battery warning on the dash again. I fitted a VARTA and the issue was resolved and has remained so for months now.

According to rumour both VARTA and ENERGISER are German made, everything else comes from China (although I've no facts to back that up).

[MrGrumpy]

Hmm ...but the battery that it says has failed is a brand new Energizer! My pack of Energizers says 'Made in China', as are some Philips branded ones I just bought.