[Seth Burgess]

In the past month as the weather has gotten cooler, my car seems to be in a deep hibernation. It can take 15-20 seconds for it to recognize the fob, either unlocking via fob or by pressing the driver side door button. I’ve replaced the fob battery with no change. The red light on the fob does blink. After it’s been woken up, it’s fine for at least a few hours. Starts fine. It’s like my 124 has hit it’s teenage years and just doesn’t want to get moving in the morning! Any thoughts?

 

[Arthur]

Is it the same with the other fob ?

 

[Seth Burgess]

Good question! Other fob seems to work fine. I guess the fob needs replacing.
Weird how it seems to be ok after it wakes up still but thanks for having me check!

 

[Arthur]

Most likely the battery.

 

[Seth Burgess]

Most likely the battery.

Unfortunately, (on the original fob) I changed the battery with a new one and it still is behaving the same.

 

[yatwing]

Unfortunately, (on the original fob) I changed the battery with a new one and it still is behaving the same.

Do you have an a meter to check the new battery? Maybe new battery is bad? Just a thought.

 

[walawn]

Most autoparts stores have a fob tester.

 

[Arthur]

Do people really buy cars for €20,000 to €30,000 then batteries off the internet to save a couple of dollars ?

 

[CDPond]

Do people really buy cars for €20,000 to €30,000 then batteries off the internet to save a couple of dollars ?

Apparently, yes. lol To be honest, if I didn't live in a larger urban area with lots of stores around to buy them from, I'd likely purcahse from Amazon and have them shipped to me. Saves the hassle of driving to a nearby town and then searching for a store that carries them. I do buy batteries from Amazon, and now that they get delivered within two days for no additional cost, I use them simply for the convenience... not for the potential of saving a few bucks. If I'm in a panic or immediate need of something I can go for a drive to Walmart. The prices are comparable to Amazon, and Walmarts are everywhere. I was going to say, just like McDonalds, but then again, all of our Walmarts have McDonalds in them as well.

 

[jetlag]

Also , if available in your are, Batteries Plus chain carries even weird ones, My JD mower has a regular battery that has a small lip in the bottom whose only function is to hold it in place in the tray. JD had to order and these guys had it in stock. Yesterday I replaced a Trojan 6V golf cart battery, and no one locally sells them. $160 not cheap, but they are the best batteries for golf carts

 

[FiatCares]

Good question! Other fob seems to work fine. I guess the fob needs replacing.
Weird how it seems to be ok after it wakes up still but thanks for having me check!

Hello Seth,
Have you considered addressing this with your Fiat dealer? If you decide to go this route and have any additional questions or feedback in the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Laura
FiatCares

 

[Seth Burgess]

Hello Seth,
Have you considered addressing this with your Fiat dealer? If you decide to go this route and have any additional questions or feedback in the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Laura
FiatCares

My local Fiat dealer closed, so not too likely to go that route.

 

[Goaterguy]

Do people really buy cars for €20,000 to €30,000 then batteries off the internet to save a couple of dollars ?

I used to do that too but then I learned about the fake battery market even on Amazon and Ebay. It's weird that I'm able to find genuine batteries at Walmart...

 

[Arthur]

Yep, batteries are one of the most faked items on the internet. Buy from reputable high street shops only, they have full supplier vendor rating and audit traceability by batch number. Anyone paying €20k+ for a car then needing to save a couple of dollars on a fob battery (or worse still, not changing them every 12 months) is, I'm afraid, driving in a car out of their league.

 

[Seth Burgess]

Do you have an a meter to check the new battery? Maybe new battery is bad? Just a thought.

New battery was showing 2.7V, so pretty marginal. Replaced with a new-new battery, and seems better now. Thanks all!

(and for the record, yes I purchase some bulk batteries online but haven't had issues in the past. I don't know where most of whats in the "battery drawer" came from at this point, nor how old they are - should have checked prior to installing anyway though!)