I suppose the question is,does a flat battery render the transponder useless? and battery replacement cure the issue?

Yes flat battery renders the fob pretty much useless, replacing the battery has cured lots of fobs.

I tried swapping fobs this morning with the engine running with no luck, I taped around the key to preevnt it being locked into the dock but whatever "claws" there are to hold the key must be pretty strong as they punctured the tape, so I gave up before I broke anything

New battery for dead fobs, follow the instructions prevalent on the forum and swap fob usage regularly to keep both in a charged state.

OK,new battery fitted(3.1v) to the fob that keeps getting spat out, and it still gets spat out .Old battery showing 2.9v.so it looks like a new remote needed ,Damn!! anyone know of any cheap new ones?????

As these key fobs are dam expensive and need to be programmed to the car I would be inclined to use landrover so any problems you have them to fall back on

peter2704 wrote:

OK,new battery fitted(3.1v) to the fob that keeps getting spat out, and it still gets spat out .Old battery showing 2.9v.so it looks like a new remote needed ,Damn!! anyone know of any cheap new ones?????

If you have two blocks ie the 'in use' and 'spare' why not just swap them over every 2 months or so. This keeps both charged. Works fine for me.

Barry

I took the advice and replaced my battery. It still won't unlock the car.But it does stay in the dash and allows me to start the car.Been using it this way for two weeks now. Still won't unlock the car. I have a warranty on the car.Would the key fob be covered in my warranty do you think?
Dave my freelander is an 07 Stornoway grey HSE with full cream leather

On he original warranty I've had keys replaced, now you've messed with the battery, I doubt they would change it unless its invisible in what you have done

Totally agree, replaced my battery about a year ago too and all is fine.
Easy to do - go for it!

Ok ,thought i would update you all.The battery trick didn't work so a trip to the stealers.They wanted £220 for a new fob and programming .So against better judgement i purchased a new one from the bay,it arrived ok and was today programmed by another LR dealer(£20 cheaper??) total cost £117 ,much happier now 2 working keys.Would the gent who charges his spare on his toothbrush charger post some pics ,i would like to find a way of keeping the spare topped up with charge ,has anyone got another way other than using it in the car ,im likely to forget to swap?

Digressing slightly, but how does the MY2013 Keyfob keep charged, given that it is a SmartKey, and not docked anywhere? Any ideas? Foraging near Gaydon....
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MY13 HSE Lux SD4, Baltic Blue - current, 30,000> miles without fault
MY12 HSE 2.2 SD4, Sumatra Black - gone after 10 months/43,000 fault-free miles

Badger,
I can't answer your question directly as i'm not familar with FL2 2013 passive system. All i can give you is some generic info.

Passive entry/start uses very low current, typically in the order of 60 nano amps. The sytem works on a series of LF antenna. The fob does not need the battery to start the car as the security codes are stored in the EEPROM. Normally with smart key, a blade is provided within the fob to gain entry should the battery in the fob become depleted. You can then still start the car.
Some passive systems allow the instrument pack to warn the driver that the fob battery is low.
I can only assume that you would have to replace the battery once the voltage/current becomes low, but i may be wrong!
What does it say in the manual?

The advantage is the you can still start the car with a flat fob battery

Sorry i can't be more specific to LR2 passive system Another member of the failed FL2 clutch/DMF club, twice.

A quote from the MY2013 owners manual, REMOTE KEYFOB BATTERY REPLACEMENT

Quote:

When the battery needs replacing, there will be a significant decrease in the effective range and a message will be displayed in the message centre

I have had a 2013 courtesy car this week. It's quite novel just having the fob in your pocket, or left in the ashtray.
If i get out of the car, to unlock the gates at work, and the fob is in my pocket, there will be a message about communication with smart key lost. It goes away as soon as you sit back in. I would expect the battery is going to have about a year or 18 months of life?

Perhaps much longer. The drain on the battery is very low.
Not a problem though is it to replace the battery?
Much better than the pre 2013MY fob. Another member of the failed FL2 clutch/DMF club, twice.