As a new owner to the A2 (fondly now known as "Aye Up" &/or "Doug") I decided to try and get the car to as near perfect (in my book) as I can, but with minimal expenditure. The previous owners of the car had done their best to keep her tidy but the inevitable dirt and grime around the car as well as the key fobs being worn, unreadable and just plain old occurred.
This is a simple guide showing the gripes I came across, so hopefully nobody else will either!
You will need...
1. I bought this replacment key fob from ebay, which had new plastics for the buttons section as well as the new rubber for the buttons, this was of course the correct one for me - I don't know if other A2s had different style key fobs:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/item2a19549ca4
2. The first thing to notice is that the new copy part does not have the rubber seal, unlike the original. Take apart the original key, carefully prying the two halves apart with a screwdriver. I watched this youtube video which shows exactly what I mean: Youtube - VW Key Fob Dissasembly
3. Once apart, remove the battery from the old unit - replace if your old one is dud of course - and then gently pry the rubber seal from the original key fob. I found that it didn't fit exactly into the new one, the moulding is very slightly different. Taking a craft knife, I carefully cut away the offending extra bits of plastic to allow for the rubber to sit properly on the new fob. To help hold it in the best possible position, I applied a TINY (emphasis on tiny) amount of super glue to the corners and held it in place for a few seconds while it set, using the flat of a small screwdriver. ***Please don't complain to me if you stick yourself to the key fob, some people are more dextrous than others!!
4. That's the new key fob ready and prepared. Now to extract the circuit board from the old unit. Much easier said than done! The circuit board in my key fob was held in with small brass pins which quite simply... you won't remove easily, so don't even try to. Instead, opt for the seemingly much more aggressive and harmful tactic to cut away the plastic of the old key fob, to get access to the underside of the circuit board so that you can simply chop/cut or otherwise remove the brass pins without damaging the circuit board. I would like to stress at this point that the circuit board is the thing you should be considering with care at all costs, NOT the outer plastics which you're replacing anyway!
5. Carefully using a knife or your preferred tool, cut away small sections of the original key fob to gain access to the underside of the circuit board, as mentioned above. Once exposed, cut away at the plastic which the brass pin goes into. If you're lucky, the pin will gradually become loose as you have attacked it's plastic captive housing and finally it will push out. N.B. Be careful when cutting away at the plastic not to damage the underside of the circuit board as that is where the buttons are located!
6. After some time, you will have managed to extract the circuit board, sigh a relief as that's the hardest part over with. Position the circuit board into the new housing and heat up your solder iron. Once hot, carefully press down on the two plastic pins which poke through the corners of the circuit board (and replace the old brass pins that Audi used on the original remote). The soldering iron should melt the plastic and fill in the hole, holding the circuit board in position. I used the flat of a small scredriver on a part of the circuit board to ensure it was flat and stable as I melted the plastic pins.
7. Once complete, ensure that the battery is secured and the right way up (+ positive terminal face down), and that you've positioned the key ring part on the corner of the nnew housing. I used the old Audi one as it swivels, the cheap replacement one does not swivel. Press the two halves together.
8. I don't know what it depends on, but you may need to resynchronise the key with the car if you get a "dead mans" click; press the button and nothing happens!
In reference to my car manual, it's not worth the paper it's written on. My manual says to, "1. Press a button on the key fob. 2. immediately unlock/lock the door using the metal key. 3. It may take up to a minute to resynchronise" ... put simply, this didn't work for me.
9. The "Mike" way to resynch (as seen on another post on A2OC.net, with many thanks!!!):
9a. Open the car using the metal key, start the engine.
9b. Turn off the engine and immediately press either the lock/unlock button on the key fob.
9c. You should hear the door locks actuate, indicating the resynch has worked.
10. Some pictures, though they're not great (sorry).
I hope that this helps some people out! Of course, if you're not bothered about changing the lower plastic on your key fob, then I would strongly suggest buying the simple rubber buttons replacement e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/item2a1869326e as this will avoid the potential damage you could cause to the circuit board.
Best to all.
Jon.
This is a simple guide showing the gripes I came across, so hopefully nobody else will either!
You will need...
- Needle nose pliers
- Small wire cutters
- Super Glue
- Small watch style screwdriver(s)
- Soldering Iron
1. I bought this replacment key fob from ebay, which had new plastics for the buttons section as well as the new rubber for the buttons, this was of course the correct one for me - I don't know if other A2s had different style key fobs:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/item2a19549ca4
2. The first thing to notice is that the new copy part does not have the rubber seal, unlike the original. Take apart the original key, carefully prying the two halves apart with a screwdriver. I watched this youtube video which shows exactly what I mean: Youtube - VW Key Fob Dissasembly
3. Once apart, remove the battery from the old unit - replace if your old one is dud of course - and then gently pry the rubber seal from the original key fob. I found that it didn't fit exactly into the new one, the moulding is very slightly different. Taking a craft knife, I carefully cut away the offending extra bits of plastic to allow for the rubber to sit properly on the new fob. To help hold it in the best possible position, I applied a TINY (emphasis on tiny) amount of super glue to the corners and held it in place for a few seconds while it set, using the flat of a small screwdriver. ***Please don't complain to me if you stick yourself to the key fob, some people are more dextrous than others!!
4. That's the new key fob ready and prepared. Now to extract the circuit board from the old unit. Much easier said than done! The circuit board in my key fob was held in with small brass pins which quite simply... you won't remove easily, so don't even try to. Instead, opt for the seemingly much more aggressive and harmful tactic to cut away the plastic of the old key fob, to get access to the underside of the circuit board so that you can simply chop/cut or otherwise remove the brass pins without damaging the circuit board. I would like to stress at this point that the circuit board is the thing you should be considering with care at all costs, NOT the outer plastics which you're replacing anyway!
5. Carefully using a knife or your preferred tool, cut away small sections of the original key fob to gain access to the underside of the circuit board, as mentioned above. Once exposed, cut away at the plastic which the brass pin goes into. If you're lucky, the pin will gradually become loose as you have attacked it's plastic captive housing and finally it will push out. N.B. Be careful when cutting away at the plastic not to damage the underside of the circuit board as that is where the buttons are located!
6. After some time, you will have managed to extract the circuit board, sigh a relief as that's the hardest part over with. Position the circuit board into the new housing and heat up your solder iron. Once hot, carefully press down on the two plastic pins which poke through the corners of the circuit board (and replace the old brass pins that Audi used on the original remote). The soldering iron should melt the plastic and fill in the hole, holding the circuit board in position. I used the flat of a small scredriver on a part of the circuit board to ensure it was flat and stable as I melted the plastic pins.
7. Once complete, ensure that the battery is secured and the right way up (+ positive terminal face down), and that you've positioned the key ring part on the corner of the nnew housing. I used the old Audi one as it swivels, the cheap replacement one does not swivel. Press the two halves together.
8. I don't know what it depends on, but you may need to resynchronise the key with the car if you get a "dead mans" click; press the button and nothing happens!
In reference to my car manual, it's not worth the paper it's written on. My manual says to, "1. Press a button on the key fob. 2. immediately unlock/lock the door using the metal key. 3. It may take up to a minute to resynchronise" ... put simply, this didn't work for me.
9. The "Mike" way to resynch (as seen on another post on A2OC.net, with many thanks!!!):
9a. Open the car using the metal key, start the engine.
9b. Turn off the engine and immediately press either the lock/unlock button on the key fob.
9c. You should hear the door locks actuate, indicating the resynch has worked.
10. Some pictures, though they're not great (sorry).
- Hacked key fob & brass pin, circuit board removed. - Photo
- Rubber seal glued in place, circuit board in position. - Photo
- Plastic pins melted to hold circuit board and squashed flat. - Photo
- New versus old. - Photo
I hope that this helps some people out! Of course, if you're not bothered about changing the lower plastic on your key fob, then I would strongly suggest buying the simple rubber buttons replacement e.g. http://www.ebay.co.uk/item2a1869326e as this will avoid the potential damage you could cause to the circuit board.
Best to all.
Jon.