Are your Landrover Freelander key buttons not working?
This is one our most common car key repairs. With your Land Rover Freelander key buttons not working, you can’t easily lock or unlock the car. This article will explan the problem and what we can do for you to get your car key working again.
The idea was really good. The good people at Land Rover wanted to make a durable car key, that can be dropped in water. For this to happen, it needed to be sealed up so no water could get to the electronics. This makes total sense.
However because your Freelander fob has buttons, it also needs a battery. If they made it so you could change the key battery, it would bea perfect seal from water etc. So the introduced a rechargeable key battery to the world, way back in 2007.
Freelander key buttons not working - Problem
The idea of a rechargeable battery was good on paper. We all know that when the car is new, and everything works, then any new gadget on a car is great. However, as the car gets older and things start breaking, then these new ideas become expensive problems to fix.
They did start a trend however. BMW and later Ford introduced rechargeable batteries for several models, but unfortunately all of these keys had problems. When the key battery starts to die, as all rechargeables do, how can it be changed? Do I just need a new car key?
It would be cynical to suggest that the dealers did it deliberately, so you had to buy a brand new expensive key fob, but thats what many of our customers believe. The trust has broken down between them and the main dealers, which is a shame.
We can fix your key problem
Every week we fix freelander car keys. Freelander key buttons not working are normally due to two three simple reasons.
- The electronics have died
- The key battery will not charge
- The battery legs have broken
Lets go through each in turn and explain how we can help.
1. The electronics have died
Let’s get the bad news out of the way first. Sometimes, electronic devices just give up. Maybe some of the little components fail, but we see keys that just die. It could be that the key has been dropped too many times, or there’s a technical fault with something. Whatever it is,when the keys die, we can rarely bring them back to life. So let’s move on to the things we can help you with.
2. The key battery will not charge
Just like your old iPhone or laptop, there comes a time when the battery just won’t hold any more charge. This works ok on a laptop, but a mobile isn’t much use like that! Likewise, car keys can’t work plugged in.
The good news is that even though Land Rover didn’t intend this, we can change the rechargeable battery for you.
3. The Battery legs are broken
The battery is held in place with two small thin metal legs. Sometimes one of these breaks which will cause the Freelander key buttons not working problem. Again, we can fix this by carefully removing the faulty battery and fitting a new one.
Freelander key buttons not working - How much to fix this problem?
When we fix your key, we carefully open the case, replace the battery and fit a new key case. We charge £50 for this service at or workshop in Lincoln. Click here to find us on Google Maps.
For this we also replace the old case to key your fob a complete makeover. The old cases never really close correctly once they have been opened.
We normally have the parts in stock, so if you are local please feel free to just drop in. However, if you are coming from a distance, please call us first on 01522 514141 to check we are open and have the parts in stock