Keyless entry

[deano1970]

Hi all. Long time since I was here. I have a 60 plate Renault laguna initiale 2.0 diesel..... the keyless entry has just stopped working on any door of the car, Inc the boot? It was all fine and starts fine without the key in the slot, and also locks fine when I walk away from the car, but it will not unlock using the keyless feature using either fob? Unlocks first time with the button on the key card but anytime know why the keyless entry bit would just stop working? I've tried driving it with the card in the slot but still no joy? It was fine one minute then not? Cheers, deano

[Paul-R]

Thirteen years old. Has the battery in the remote ever been changed?

[myglaren]

Had that with daughter's Laguna. Both batteries (two fobs) were depleted).

[deano1970]

Hi. Yes I've done the obvious and changed the batteries.. the car just doesn't seem to recognise that the key is in range when opening the car, but always works as it did when walking away, so it's detecting the key going out of range but not in range? It's a bit annoying to be honest cos it just stopped on all doors and boot. One day fine, next day nothing???

[deano1970]

Further to my keyless entry stopping working, so not cured, I tried the spare key card, which is in great condition, and when I put it in the reader, it says card not recognised and won't start the car, if I take it out it will lock and unlock the car on the button and start without the key being in the reader? Any thoughts? Cheers

[Gibbo2286]

I had the same problem with my spare key, I fixed it by stripping it out and re-soldering the transmitter. The'res a you tube showing how here, the guy makes a bit of a meal of it but it shows all you need to know.

[ChrisRobin]

Do both keys not work in the slot?
I don't think it is a strip down of the key as they basically work, apart from opening the car, usually the car wont open or start on hands free but does from the slot (start that is) the card wont open the door from the button on it if it's a faulty card either.
Could be card circuit board but then I rather doubt it would start the car in hands free mode as it can't send a signal to open the car let alone start it.
Can not be a handle sensor as it fails on ALL doors.
The card slot can cause a lot of problems in different ways, if the "1st key" does not work in the slot as well as the spare then there is your answer it needs a card slot, something is not getting the wake up call from the key, the close down is usually because you have powered the car up, switched it off, got out and walked away reader does not see the card signal and locks car as it would normally when you are out of range.
I think it is the card reader (slot) that listens, and the reason you are starting hands free could well be the reduced listening so far has only deteriorated to the interior of the car, so when inside the reader is still picking up the key, same when you switch off car reads key only inside itself, When I got my Megane Mk3 the spare was almost flat you get a warning on the dash key card battery low, but if I put it next to the slot, not in it the car would start hands free if you like.
you could try putting the card in the slot and pushing it downwards slightly to bend it a little and see if it starts it, I have seen a Scenic with this problem but it wasn't hands free, that was a card circuit board repair. I would start investigating the card slot, I don't know if Laguna has separate door and boot sensors for hands free but none work so that would say it is a central issue and because they work inside the car hands free It would lead me towards the card slot initially for some research.
If you press the lock button when you exit the car the hands free unlocking wont work next time you come to it, it has to lock by itself to unlock by itself.

[deano1970]

Yes I understand that if you use the buttons to unlock it then the car needs to be driven then the hands free works again..... you mention boot and doors being possibly on separate sensors, well now the boot is opening hands free and locking, but none of the doors still, but the boot wasn't working either? Whatever the reason and I'm trying to understand what you're saying, I find it odd that the second key, which looks brand new, will unlock the car and start it with the key in my pocket, but won't recognise it in the reader, it knows there is a key there cos when I stop engine and open door, it reminds me to remove the key...... so yes it would be more likely the reader in the car but the old card has no problem at all...

[ChrisRobin]

I am not sure how this MK3 Megane of mine works if it has door sensors or if it throws out a field as you have to be in certain position and range to make it auto open on the touch of the handle, I don't know with this one if the keyless sensor "field" reads the key and the door sensor just reads a hand on the handle to drop the glass the two together lets you in, if the handle is tried and no key sensed when I come with the key to open it, it bleeps at me letting me know someone has tried to get in.

So the boot has started to work in a fashion....

Just a thought have you tried disconnecting the battery for 10 mins, to basically reset the systems on the car, I think VW call it a terminal 30 reset. Has been know to cure some electrical glitches and may be worth a try, you may even have a water leak, not like Renault isn't know for letting in water but it could be one of many issues they are quite complicated.
Off topic we had a VW beetle in, mirror wont fold in, turns out it was a driver door lock playing up yet the lock was not faulting, so it just goes to show some thing you think it might be the real cause is something you would never think of.

I wonder if the spare key is a 2nd hand one, but the one thing that detracts me form that is you can't code them for your car as the are hard coded at factory with a vin but not having tried I don't know how much coding you could force into it, I would not have thought it would start the car thought, I could of been bought new and cloned at a key cutters, we get a lot of Ebay VW keys for the older cars bought and cloned they open the car but once in the ignition wont start it, as there is no chip in it for the immobiliser.

You see it could any number if issues, you could try resyncing the card by:
inserting card but don't start engine.
Then press and hold the central lock button until u hear a beep.
Then take the card out and press the lock button on the key card.
Then press the central unlock button.

If that fails try a battery disconnect to "reset" the cars electrical system.

The worrying thing is with your spare, in the slot it should still start the car even with no battery in the fob, so why doesn't it, it does "see" it just does not recognise it, does it recognise your main key in the slot? if not it could be a card reader issue, if it does you may have two separate issues with the keys, all I can do is guess for you and hopefully point you towards an answer.

[deano1970]

It's really odd.... the one I've used mainly works in the slot, the spare is not recognised but as I say, it will unlock on the buttons and key less if I open the boot. Both keys will open the boot with keyless, that unlocks all doors as well..... with just the spare in my pocket, the car will start, and the drivers door has a lock button, and if I press that with either key in my pocket the doors will lock and dead lock so it knows the key is present in that regard? I have no idea. Its not a problem it's just annoying how the doors have all just stopped working using keyless but the boot still works, it still locks when I walk away, it just won't open using keyless apart from the boot. Really strange... and my boss at work has the same issue with his laguna tourer...

[deano1970]

One thing I've missed is, I heard water moving in the car and figured out it's coming from the nearside back door, there is water in the skin. I wonder if there is wiring in regards to the keyless entry in there? Also, what can I do to drain it? Can I drill a small hole to let the water out or is that not a good idea? Cheers

[Hell Razor5543]

Normally there are drainage holes along the lowest edge of the doors, but over time these can get clogged with dirt.