Remote key went through the wash and now car battery seems dead

Discussion in 'Prius v Audio and Electronics' started by Debbie Stinson, Jul 15, 2019.

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  1. Debbie Stinson

    Debbie Stinson New Member

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    Yesterday, my remote key went through the washer & about 4 minutes in the dryer before I heard it banging around. I then noticed my car's doors locking & unlocking, so I stored my washed key at the other end of the house and started the car with my spare remote key. I hoped that by starting the car with a good key, it would solve the problem, but it didn't. I then put the wet key in a RFID bag and thought that fixed it, but realized this morning that the doors were still locking & unlocking on their own. Only this time my car won't start. i press the brake pedal and hear the noise, but nothing lights up on the dashboard. I think the 19 hours of doors locking & unlocking depleted the battery. Does anyone have any idea what needs to be done? Can the car battery be jump started? Do I need to have the remote key recoded?
     
    #1 Debbie Stinson, Jul 15, 2019
  2. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    Try to charge the battery and have it tested. Open the washed remote and pull out the battery. Probably shorted inside and keeps activating the locks. Locked car will not start, even with a good battery.
     
    #2 jzchen, Jul 21, 2019
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    odd set of symptoms. agree with above, test/charge/replace the 12 volt battery and test/replace the second fob battery. not sure what 'locked car won't start' means.

    you can try a jump start, and then drive it or leave it in ready for 8 hours. but you should still check the voltage, and you must be careful jumping. cross polarization can be expensive.

    use the jump point under the hood for jumping or charging
     
    #3 bisco, Jul 21, 2019
  4. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Dry out the wet key. This usually means popping the cover off and/or removing the battery and giving it some warm dry air/sunshine. Optionally rinse it in distilled/deionized water first to remove traces of detergent. Once the battery is out it won’t interfere with the car. Once dry it’ll work fine though it may need a fresh coin battery.

    Recharge or jump the car 12v battery. Be careful.
     
    #4 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jul 21, 2019
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  5. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    Sorry for the poor grammar. I thought if you armed/locked the car with the remote, it will not start, so if it’s constantly switching back and forth, locked unlocked, this may cause issues trying to start it....
     
    #5 jzchen, Jul 21, 2019
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