HELP - keyless remote, no alarm

[mickohr]

i am from auckland, new zealand. i recently purchased a 1999 bmw 318ti m-sport... which is a fresh japanese import. i am the first owner in new zealand. my question would be related to numerous people here asking for help on keyless remote programming. my car doesn't have any security alarm installed, no LEDs beside the lighter and no alarm horns/siren under the hood.

my keyless entry was working fine for the 1st week and i slowly noticed that probably the remote batteries were getting weak as the locks would sometimes work and sometimes not. i bought new batteries (and installed it) and the LED indicator on the remote was responding well... BUT after probably giving it 3 tries in locking/unlocking the doors, it somehow failed and did not respond anymore. the LED on the remote is still working and responding everytime i press any button. my key remote is a 2-button one (please see the photo attached).

i think i might have reset the remote by pressing the buttons on different combinations that's why it doesn't work anymore. is there a way to reprogram or reset/resynch it once again? i have tried the steps indicated by other threads/topics... but ofcourse i don't have a security alarm installed... so the steps of opening the trunk, turning on the ignition switch 5 times, etc. will not work as i don't even have the LED indicator... no chirping sounds as well.

anybody out there who have reprogramed the remote with the same situation? no security alarm... just remote programing.

thanks in advance for the help. i just want to enjoy using the keyless remote once again.

[eshtebah]

Hi mickohr,
I have a similar problem with my spare key. One key is ok but I can't "initialize" the spare using different methods. See my thread. I also have no alarm. I will keep an eye on this thread and hopefully get the solution. If you find the answer please post it.

[mickohr]

well, i am bringing the car to team bmw (bmw dealer) on friday to get my owner's handbook in english (i ordered for $70). they also said that they will take a look into the key remote and TRY to do it for free. BUT if they can't fix it, they will book me an appointment with the workshop to fix it for $125 an hour!!! i'll let you know how it goes. but keep me posted as well if you find anything. i think the new zealand owners of these japanese imports all have the same problem... keyless remotes that ware whacked and with no alarms... that's why the methods posted here doesn't work.

cheers mate.

[eshtebah]

Hi, have you tried this. See about half way down the page.

http://www.bmwe36blog.com/forum/remo...doors-t18.html

[tiFreak]

nice of them to try to do it for free before they rape you, good luck

[mickohr]

Originally Posted by eshtebah

Hi, have you tried this. See about half way down the page.

http://www.bmwe36blog.com/forum/remo...doors-t18.html

Good news for today! This is good news for most of the NZ peeps out there who have a keyless entry remote system BUT no security or alarm system.

I got my handbook today from BMW (Team McMillan) in Auckland for $71 (NZDollars). The handbook is really for a COMPACT or 318ti vehicle and not just a generic E36 handbook.

Anyway, after paying for the handbook, I asked the service people to have a look at my remote for the keyless entry. I said that it used to work and after replacing the remote's batteries... they don't work anymore. So one of the guys just got my keys and went to my car. I didn't try to show the guy that I was looking over his shoulders but I did . I can confirm that the steps on the link above was the method or procedure he used or did to initialize my remote again. BUT i don't know if it is applicable to the 3-button remote. My remote is a 2-button one (round and squarish buttons). It is also the same procedure stated on my handbook that I bought. BUT i have to add something that the handbook did not mention and what the guy actually did...

after putting ignition in position 1 and back to position 0, the guys pulled out the key from the ignition and directly pointed it to the receiver. The receiver is located just below the rear view mirror... the round thingy you turn to adjust the glare from the car's lights behind you. And that's where he did the push of the buttons...holding button 1 while pressing button 2 3 times, then release button 1. the remote happens to have something like an IR transmitter. he directly pointed the IR transmitter (from the remote) to that round thingy at the bottom of the rear view mirror (receiver is located there). i think that THAT is the secret there!

in the past, i have been doing the pushing of the buttons while the key was in the ignition (after doing position 1 and 0). somehow, the IR transmitter is blocked from the view of the receiver.

just wanted to share this with everyone. no need to wait after 15 minutes if you unlocked the car with the key because the service guy just did it without waiting....

...best of all, i wasn't raped!!! it was FREE!!!

cheers!