[Paolo5]

I have had my 2010 i30 for around 9 months now. This morning the car wouldn't lock when I pressed the padlock icon on my car key.

How long has everyone else's key battery lasted before needing to be replaced?

Is there a foolproof way of taking the old battery out without cracking the plastic shell of the key? If so, please share...

What else would be likely to cause this problem?
Thanks,
Paolo5

[bumpkin]

Still on my original battery after 2.5 years.

Sent from my 1000ET

[michaelv]

Hi Paolo, my keys are now 2 years old and the batteries are still going strong.

[Dazzler]

Hi Paolo,

I didn't have to replace the battery in our original i30 in the 2.5 years we owned that either.. You would expect the range to diminish over time if it was the battery (not just stop working)

It could be a number of reasons why including:

(a) If the remote got water in it somehow

(b) If you were parked near some radio transmission tower or other large electronic "structure" which can interfere with the remote frequencies...

There would be other possibilities which excape me at the moment..

Do you have a spare (it is even possible - although unlikely) that the sensor in the car has died...

[Shambles]

3 years tomorrow, and still full of life

Is the little blue red LED illuminating when you hit the buttons?

[Lorian]

On the balance of probabilities its possible there is nothing wrong with the battery in the remote and you are suffering from the infamous "dodgy spring in the ignition  lock" issue.

[Paolo5]

Hi guys,
Thanks for all of your comments. The red light on the remote DOES come on when I press the "lock" button so I also am thinking that the problem lies elsewhere.

On the balance of probabilities its possible there is nothing wrong with the battery in the remote and you are suffering from the infamous "dodgy spring in the ignition  lock" issue.

Thanks Lorian. I tried a few searches on this forum to find out about this condition (vaguely remember reading about it) but had no luck. Can anyone guide me a bit on this?

Thanks

[AlanHo]

Try this thread

https://i30ownersclub.com/forum/index.php?topic=5823.msg91756#msg91756

[Paolo5]

Just found this thread:-

https://i30ownersclub.com/forum/index.php?topic=5823.0

and it sure does sound like the problem that I have in my car. I will try the silicone spray in the ignition lock when I get home and see how it goes.

This might be covered by a TSB (alledgedly   ). Lubricating the lignition lock is a temporary fix, but I believe it would be better if there was a part available with a stronger spring. If there was such a TSB I'd guess it woud be called HFE10-92-C140-FD  and the part number would be 93170-2L000FFF

Does anyone know if this spring IS stronger than the original one or if one day it too will cause the same problem? Is it really a simple 10 minute fix to install the new spring?

Cheers,
Paolo5

[Lorian]

The replacement part should not take long to fit and it looks like a redesigned part not just different spring.

[Paolo5]

Thanks for your help one and all...