Remote locking

[redshoes]

I've got an R-reg Mondeo and like many cars of that era it's got remote central locking - you press a button on the key and it locks/unlocks the doors. Anyhow last weekend at Snetterton the remote locking suddenly stopped working. There's a indicator light which is supposed flash when you press 'unlock' which was very faint so I assumed it was simply a duff battery in the key.

According to the handbook if the battery in the remote is disconnected for too long you'll need to visit the dealer to get the system re-coded so this morning a went to the local Ford dealer. The service dept told me (without looking) it was just a battery and sent me to the spares dept. The guy at the spares counter looked at the key, saw the indicator was still flashing, even if very faintly, and decided the battery was fine. Then the problems begin. Apparently Ford discontinued the 2-button radio remote some years back in favour of a 3-button infra-red system. The problem was that on occasions the remote system would just "lock up" and stop working, possibly due to interference from overhead power lines, mobile phones, etc.

Since the 2-button system was now no longer available the only option id to replace it with a 3-button system. The actual key/remote itself is about £35, then there's the receiver unit fitted to the car, plus a spare (non-remote) key, plus re-coding and a few hours labour. Estimated total bill... don't expect much change from £200 Oh, and as it's a Ford system it can only be done by a Ford dealer.

No surprise to learn I shall be reverting to the old fashion way of inserting the key in the lock and turning.

[Tim Falce]

It sounds like a general fault with the system that Ford should have altered with a recall. Can't you try getting on to Fords customer services and make a fuss and try and get it done for free.

[chezza]

i would have asked them to try a new battery just in case!

You never know they might be trying to make u spend more money than u need too!

[Tedebear]

We've got a new mondeo and the spare key we got isn't electronic....I don't think you need the electronic one at all really as when I use the spare one if I turn it to lock and then turn it again it alarms the car...and then when I come back I turn it twice the other way to disabe the alarm... The electronic one is nicer but not really necessary I don't think...

[sunflower]

With my remote locking, when you press it once it only opens the driver's door (twice for the other doors/petrol cap).

As the evenings began getting darker ealier (when I 1st got my car), in the mornings I couldn't figure out why my car was always unlocked. It turned out that in fact I was opening all the rest of the doors instead of locking the driver's one. Due to it being dark I didn't realise my thumb was too high up & because the indicators flashed I didn't think anything of it.

Now I always check the door handle to make sure my car's locked!

[redshoes]

You can still deadlock and set the immobiliser using the normal door lock so that's not a problem. I'm now so used to parking the car and using the remote to lock it as I walk away. It's also very useful if I have my hands full carrying things out of the boot.

I've discovered that the remote is still transmitting as the warning light by the clock flashes when I press a button, I assume the system just needs re-coding. Found a couple of Mondeo websites with instructions on how to do this yourself - basically in involves switching the ignition on/off multiple times and pressing the remote in the correct sequence. Problem is there's several different proceedures depending on which model of alarm and which year your car is and I've yet to find a version that works for me.