Car central locking only works in certain locations, why?

BKWDR · 24-09-2020 1:38pm #1

As the title says!

2008 motor, for the past year or so the central locking doesnt work with the fob and you have to manually lock the drivers door, when you pull the key out of the barrell the radio stays on so you have to turn it off manually.

I noticed that when i drive to my parents house, get out the car and the fob works. CLUNK...perfect

At home, nothing, no flash of the indicator lights , no response

Drive to pick up my kid from school , was waiting in the car with the radio on and i pulled the key out and went to turn off the radio manually but it turned off automatically ! get out of the car, test the fob, CLUNK, works, doors lock.

I spoke to a mechanic a year ago and he said oh could be the barrell or the battery in the key, but as im only using the spare key as it is i didnt want to risk changing it and breaking it.

What is going on!? Any help or suggestions

Del2005 · 24-09-2020 1:49pm

Most likely some type of RF interference where you usually park. Happens to me sometimes if I park in my parents driveway, car won't lock or open with the fob, and once where I usually park at home. First time it happen I thought it was the battery but when I couldn't lock the car at home when I moved it 20m it would lock fine.

Can be anything that causes it

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-wales-54239180

tcawley29 · 24-09-2020 2:29pm

Del2005 wrote: »

Most likely some type of RF interference where you usually park. Happens to me sometimes if I park in my parents driveway, car won't lock or open with the fob, and once where I usually park at home. First time it happen I thought it was the battery but when I couldn't lock the car at home when I moved it 20m it would lock fine.

Can be anything that causes it

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-wales-54239180

More than likely this.

Do you mine crypto in the locations where it doesn't lock?
I've heard of this causing interference issues before

BKWDR · 24-09-2020 3:02pm

Del2005 wrote: »

Most likely some type of RF interference where you usually park. Happens to me sometimes if I park in my parents driveway, car won't lock or open with the fob, and once where I usually park at home. First time it happen I thought it was the battery but when I couldn't lock the car at home when I moved it 20m it would lock fine.

Can be anything that causes it

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-wales-54239180

Even if i hover right beside the car , the disturbance would be sufficient?? thats crazy

BKWDR · 24-09-2020 3:03pm

tcawley29 wrote: »

More than likely this.

Do you mine crypto in the locations where it doesn't lock?
I've heard of this causing interference issues before

The what and the what now?

tcawley29 · 24-09-2020 3:44pm

BKWDR wrote: »

The what and the what now?

Based on your response thats not your issue, none the less this is what I was referring to:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-crypto-currencies-fcc/u-s-probe-finds-bitcoin-mining-operation-interfered-with-broadband-network-idUSKCN1FZ321

seamus · 24-09-2020 3:49pm

BKWDR wrote: »

Even if i hover right beside the car , the disturbance would be sufficient?? thats crazy

Might not be coming from your house, could be a neighbour.

Most RF devices these days are pretty low power. Do you have an old cordless phone or anything like that?

Are there any electricity boxes near where you park the car?

Spook_ie · 24-09-2020 4:00pm

Just a an example of interference, anyone catch this news item?

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54239180

The mystery of why an entire village lost its broadband every morning at 7am was solved when engineers discovered an old television was to blame.

An unnamed householder in Aberhosan, Powys, was unaware the old set would emit a signal which would interfere with the entire village's broadband.

bazz26 · 24-09-2020 4:07pm

It's the 5G lads, I'm telling ya!

lawred2 · 24-09-2020 4:08pm

tcawley29 wrote: »

More than likely this.

Do you mine crypto in the locations where it doesn't lock?
I've heard of this causing interference issues before

biko · 24-09-2020 4:12pm

Spook_ie wrote: »

Just a an example of interference, anyone catch this news item?

Yes, it's in post 2 but very clearly marked out.

tcawley29 · 24-09-2020 5:09pm

Spook_ie wrote: »

Just a an example of interference, anyone catch this news item?

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-54239180

Interesting article. I wonder what would have happened if the owner refused to stop using the device

Seve OB · 24-09-2020 5:12pm

Did you hold the key against your head to use telepathic method?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jACSPipPSE

BKWDR · 24-09-2020 6:17pm

Seve OB wrote: »

Did you hold the key against your head to use telepathic method?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jACSPipPSE

I've actually tried that ages ago. And I don't care what anyone says... It works

BKWDR · 24-09-2020 6:18pm

seamus wrote: »

Might not be coming from your house, could be a neighbour.

Most RF devices these days are pretty low power. Do you have an old cordless phone or anything like that?

Are there any electricity boxes near where you park the car?

Silver electric box thing close enough...
No cordless phone

BKWDR · 24-09-2020 6:20pm

Would the interference affect the radio not turning off?

BKWDR · 24-09-2020 7:45pm

Also my other car works no problem just stronger strength?

Del2005 · 24-09-2020 11:13pm

More likely that the RF frequency is the same or close to the frequency used by the car than the other. Cars are badly shielded for RF and they use a lot of low powered signals to control different things, which is probably why the radio won't turn off automatically.

bobbyy gee · 24-09-2020 11:15pm

have you changed the battery in the fob

galwaytt · 25-09-2020 1:01pm

The RF on the RTE site in Casla interfered with the immobiliser on my H-D, and I had to freewheel down the road a bit to get it to work. I've heard of similar experience from riders at LeHavre - must be a lot of maritime radio use. Drives these things nuts.

Dirty Nails · 25-09-2020 11:24pm

BKWDR wrote: »

As the title says!

2008 motor, for the past year or so the central locking doesnt work with the fob and you have to manually lock the drivers door, when you pull the key out of the barrell the radio stays on so you have to turn it off manually.

I noticed that when i drive to my parents house, get out the car and the fob works. CLUNK...perfect

At home, nothing, no flash of the indicator lights , no response

Drive to pick up my kid from school , was waiting in the car with the radio on and i pulled the key out and went to turn off the radio manually but it turned off automatically ! get out of the car, test the fob, CLUNK, works, doors lock.

I spoke to a mechanic a year ago and he said oh could be the barrell or the battery in the key, but as im only using the spare key as it is i didnt want to risk changing it and breaking it.

What is going on!? Any help or suggestions

Is it a Ford? Does the radio go off when you open the door? Might be a fault in the door lock switch. All these interference theories sound a fit far fetched.
Just a thought.

BKWDR · 26-09-2020 12:57pm

Dirty Nails wrote: »

Is it a Ford? Does the radio go off when you open the door? Might be a fault in the door lock switch. All these interference theories sound a fit far fetched.
Just a thought.

Not a Ford, radio stays on when door opens.

They sound far fetched but I don't know how else to explain how this is happening

JustAThought · 26-09-2020 1:00pm

BKWDR wrote: »

Even if i hover right beside the car , the disturbance would be sufficient?? thats crazy

Does your neighbour have kids and a wifi blocker to stop them being online night & day? I’ve heard some schools have them in the us.

JustAThought · 26-09-2020 1:05pm

Seve OB wrote: »

Did you hold the key against your head to use telepathic method?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jACSPipPSE

I really miss topgear!!

OP maybe your spare key is faulty?

What happened the original?
Are they under warranty - maybe worth a check? I hd mine replaced and it cost me e600 :0 Would have been a lot more complicated and expensive if I hadn’t had the original :0

BKWDR · 26-09-2020 2:02pm

JustAThought wrote: »

I really miss topgear!!

OP maybe your spare key is faulty?

What happened the original?
Are they under warranty - maybe worth a check? I hd mine replaced and it cost me e600 :0 Would have been a lot more complicated and expensive if I hadn’t had the original :0

My wife disintegrated the original key.
I'm too afraid to open the key to replace the battery.

The key being faulty doesn't explain the radio though.
I think they are all linked

Dirty Nails · 26-09-2020 8:30pm

BKWDR wrote: »

Not a Ford, radio stays on when door opens.

They sound far fetched but I don't know how else to explain how this is happening

Ok. Radio remains on when you remove the key.Depending on the car the radio should go off when you open the door. What I'm suggesting is that if the radio doesn't go off,your car doesn't recognise a) that the door has been opened or b)that the ignition has been turned off. The key remote won't work at that stage.

It's more likely than intermittent interference.

ForestFire · 26-09-2020 8:37pm

Dirty Nails wrote: »

Ok. Radio remains on when you remove the key.Depending on the car the radio should go off when you open the door. What I'm suggesting is that if the radio doesn't go off,your car doesn't recognise a) that the door has been opened or b)that the ignition has been turned off. The key remote won't work at that stage.

It's more likely than intermittent interference.

Adding to this post.... Is there any difference in how the car is parked when working or not, like parked on a slope when not working and parked flat when working?

This could affect some of the physical switch sensors in the car?

Dirty Nails · 26-09-2020 8:40pm

ForestFire wrote: »

Adding to this post.... Is there any difference in how the car is parked when working or not, like parked on a slope when not working and parked flat when working?

This could affect some of the physical switch sensors in the car?

What's a physical switch sensor?
Would it be near the flux capacitor?

ForestFire · 26-09-2020 8:47pm

Dirty Nails wrote: »

What's a physical switch sensor?
Would it be near the flux capacitor?

Eh... Door/open close sensor using a physical switch contact, as apposed to light sensors, magnetic sensors, etc.

If the car is parked on a slope it make help or hinder this contact, if its damaged or worn, or loose.

Just looking for variables between a good and bad situation.

Beltby · 26-09-2020 8:50pm

It's hardly an Opel Astra? My brother had one with an issue where the radio staying on was one of the symptoms. There was an electrical unit around the ignition that needed to be replaced and coded back in. It wasn't cheap to get done at the time.

BKWDR · 26-09-2020 8:54pm

Beltby wrote: »

It's hardly an Opel Astra? My brother had one with an issue where the radio staying on was one of the symptoms. There was an electrical unit around the ignition that needed to be replaced and coded back in. It wasn't cheap to get done at the time.

Yeah it's an 08 astra

Car central locking only works in certain locations, why?

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