General Key Fob (pebble) battery low

[chrisdoublel]

The pebble on my 500e gives battery low warning and the range to open is obviously affected (cannot open from boot without taking fob out of pocket or standing closer to the front door. Does anyone have advise on how I should get this replaced? I read you have to pay about £300 for a new one but I obviously just want the £1 battery inside it replaced. Also the closest fiat dealer is quite far from me so I don't really want to take a trip there if at all possible.

 

[gazz_bee]

The pebble on my 500e gives battery low warning and the range to open is obviously affected (cannot open from boot without taking fob out of pocket or standing closer to the front door. Does anyone have advise on how I should get this replaced? I read you have to pay about £300 for a new one but I obviously just want the £1 battery inside it replaced. Also the closest fiat dealer is quite far from me so I don't really want to take a trip there if at all possible.

Hi, the "wearable" pebble doesn't have a replaceable battery I'm afraid, making it a bit pointless IMO over the standard remote key fobs. Depending on the age of your car, I am aware that others have had the pebble replaced free of charge by Fiat under warranty. Incidentally, you may find that, when the key is resolved, the low battery warning on the dash might need to be reset by the dealer too.

 

[IanML]

I have an update - I went to my dealer to try to get a replacement wearable fob before the warranty ends, They were obviously aware of the issue and seemed to be fully briefed. They said that the fob does not have a battery per se, but the "chip" in the module stores electrical charge, and it is recharged when the system in "ON", provided the fob is in the receptacle in the central stowage. They assured me the warning on the display would be reset when the recharging was sufficient.

They also said they were aware that FIAT had rolled out a software update in some markets, but it did not apply in the UK. My guess is that the update suppresses the warning in the case of the wearable fob - what else could it be?

 

[chrisdoublel]

I have an update - I went to my dealer to try to get a replacement wearable fob before the warranty ends, They were obviously aware of the issue and seemed to be fully briefed. They said that the fob does not have a battery per se, but the "chip" in the module stores electrical charge, and it is recharged when the system in "ON", provided the fob is in the receptacle in the central stowage. They assured me the warning on the display would be reset when the recharging was sufficient.

They also said they were aware that FIAT had rolled out a software update in some markets, but it did not apply in the UK. My guess is that the update suppresses the warning in the case of the wearable fob - what else could it be?

If that's true then it seems madness for it to not be in the manual, thanks for the info I will start using as you suggest and hope it's true.

 

[chrisdoublel]

I have an update - I went to my dealer to try to get a replacement wearable fob before the warranty ends, They were obviously aware of the issue and seemed to be fully briefed. They said that the fob does not have a battery per se, but the "chip" in the module stores electrical charge, and it is recharged when the system in "ON", provided the fob is in the receptacle in the central stowage. They assured me the warning on the display would be reset when the recharging was sufficient.

They also said they were aware that FIAT had rolled out a software update in some markets, but it did not apply in the UK. My guess is that the update suppresses the warning in the case of the wearable fob - what else could it be?

I spoke to customer service again and they confirmed that the pebble contains a non rechargeable battery and that once it runs out, the key is effectively useless. He said it is not covered under warranty and they can do nothing for me. I'm wondering if anyone has advice on who I can complain to? Seems misleading to sell a car with 2 keys knowing that one will be useless in a few years.

 

[IanML]

I spoke to customer service again and they confirmed that the pebble contains a non rechargeable battery and that once it runs out, the key is effectively useless. He said it is not covered under warranty and they can do nothing for me. I'm wondering if anyone has advice on who I can complain to? Seems misleading to sell a car with 2 keys knowing that one will be useless in a few years.

Well, I have been recharging mine as instructed, and it seems to be recovering some power - it now works to support lock and unlock using the button at a range of 6ft from the window, whereas before it had to be almost touching the glass. But the warning is still displayed, so I think the jury is still out.

Your customer service chap may be relying on what the manual says. I have been doing some research, and recharging keyfobs are not unknown - apparently some Minis and BMWs have them - so it is quite feasible that ours are also rechargeable.

 

[chrisdoublel]

Well, I have been recharging mine as instructed, and it seems to be recovering some power - it now works to support lock and unlock using the button at a range of 6ft from the window, whereas before it had to be almost touching the glass. But the warning is still displayed, so I think the jury is still out.

Your customer service chap may be relying on what the manual says. I have been doing some research, and recharging keyfobs are not unknown - apparently some Minis and BMWs have them - so it is quite feasible that ours are also rechargeable.

When you say button do you mean the button on the door or on the keyfob because if you mean the key fob then you are using the standard key which has easily replaceable batteries. I'm talking about the pebble which has no buttons and is roughly 4cm long (inside the pebble housing)

 

[IanML]

When you say button do you mean the button on the door or on the keyfob because if you mean the key fob then you are using the standard key which has easily replaceable batteries. I'm talking about the pebble which has no buttons and is roughly 4cm long (inside the pebble housing)

I mean the button on the door, and I am talking about the wearable fob (pebble).

 

[chrisdoublel]

I mean the button on the door, and I am talking about the wearable fob (pebble).

Okay thanks that is encouraging then, I have also been doing that and it has got noticeably worse but mine is attached to my keys in a 3d printed mini case. Is yours in the original housing? I might switch it back to that and keep trying. It would absolutely make sense for it to be rechargeable but if it is its madness for there to be no documentation saying this and for their customer service agents to tell me it's now useless and I need to buy another

 

[IanML]

Yes, mine is in the original "pebble" case. But it is on a ring with the "emergency" mechanical key, and now you mention it, I wonder if it would charge more quickly without that. The keyfob with buttons has a mechanical key within it, but they didn't put one in the pebble, which leads me to wonder if that's the reason. I'll remove the ring and mechanical key and give it a go.

My hypothesis is that the technical author who wrote that part of the manual was either misinformed, or got hold of the wrong end of the stick, and now people are treating the manual as gospel. If that is the case, FIAT ought to realise they need to correct the manual, and notify all customers about the update.

The other daft thing is that the manual tells you you can keep the mechanical key in the stowage inside the recharging flap, which is madness from a security point of view, as anyone could open the flap, and use the key to get the car open.