Car Remotes – Nobody Thinks About Them Until They Don’t Work
Car Remotes sit at the end of our key chains. Always there. Always working….until they don’t. Then we can’t open our car (remotely…we can still do it manually..ugh). Can’t remotely open the trunk. Cant set off the panic alarm (if we get into a panic).
When our car remote stops working, this is the process many people go through:
- Stare at the car remote as if it has offended us
- Pick up the remote and shake it violently
- Push all the buttons repeatedly in an effort to bring it back to life
- Repeat the above until exhausted. Take a break, then do all of the above again until exhausted.
- Stop and realize it’s dead and will not work
- Curse at auto remote.
Car Remotes – The Main Reason Why They Stop Working
Generally, car remotes stop working because the battery is dead. There are other reasons, but that’s number one.
Just replace the battery and your car remote is working again. However, people sometimes make mistakes with simple repairs to their car remotes. Here are some of the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.
- Washing Your Car Remote – Many car remotes end up in the wash. People put the key in their pants pocket, then the pants go in the wash. This is much more common with men than women (women keep their keys in their purse, but they do it sometimes too). Most of the time, car remotes do not survive the washer (would you survive being immersed in water and agitated for 1/2 hour?). Some customers try to dry out the remote. Save yourself time and take it to a car remotes professional for repair.
- Putting a New Battery in Upside Down – the batteries in car remotes are very small. The Plus/Minus signs are hard to read. Check the positive and negative location on the battery with a magnifying glass. When installing the new battery, double-check that the proper side of the battery is touching the correct leads in the remote.
- Forcing the Cover Open Until it Breaks – You don’t need an industrial strength screwdriver to open a car remote case. Most car remotes have a small slot for popping open the case. Usually sliding a dime into that slot and then gently twisting will pop the case open. If a dime is too large, use a very dull knife. The key is to have patience and be gentle.
- Using the Wrong Battery – To insure you buy the right battery, pop open the car remote, remove the battery and take it with you when you buy a new one. Put the used battery into a ziplock sandwich bag so it doesn’t get lost (they are pretty small and easy to lose).
- Bad Do-It-Yourself Fixes – I’ve seen people bring in their non-functioning car remotes and when I open the case, either the circuit board has burn marks on it or there’s a big lump of solder splashed on the board. When I ask the customer what happened, they shrug and say that’s the way they found it. Ummm…I don’t think so. My advice is don’t mess with an car remote circuit board unless you have an advanced degree in electrical engineering.
What To Do To Avoid Mistakes
There you have it, the 5 mistakes people make when trying to repair car remotes.
Here’s what I suggest (nod and wink), come to me. I’ll repair your auto remote quickly, easily and at a reasonable cost. I have a knowledgeable staff that is interested in serving you courteously (and quickly).
That’s what I do. Fix car remotes. See Stu, he’s EZ.
