I finally had my coolant leak fixed, for good, I hope. Unfortunately, I have really bad luck getting Peter back from any mechanic; something new is inevitably wrong, and I have learned to check him out. This time the trunk would not open with my remote. Tom the mechanic told me that the solenoid might be burnt out. No remote access was working, and the door dinged when I opened it as if the lights were on or key was in.

Later in the day I had an inspiration to press the Valet button, which I had read about in the manual but never used. The symptoms stopped but resume about once a day, since. If it matters, I picked him up on a work day and since have been running errands, so I don't have a feel for the rhythm, like if it does this every third time I drive.

It's not a big problem, but it dovetails into my wondering about Jaguar keys in general.
I admit that this post is just a little lazy. I can see that there is a wealth of info on the topics I am concerned about on this forum, but they all seem to be written in Sanskrit, including the stickies. For example, I take it that the 'key fob' means the remote, which I call the gizmo? I have never heard a human use 'key fob' in a sentence.

When I bought Peter I received one remote and one key that I later learned needed special programming to duplicate. Of course, I want to buy a dupe and get it programmed for less than the dealer asks, and I would like to get a spare remote as well (is this a fob?). If I just had a basic tutorial on the key system I might be able to research it intelligently on my own. And, is it possible to put new batteries in the remotes if necessary?

I hope this post doesn't annoy anyone because it is both long and trivial, but I think that putting a bunch of basic information about the lock system on one page in plain language would benefit more people than me, so I'm going to fly with it.

I initially posted this on the 2003 and beyond forums, apologies for that! I'm not sophisticated enough to know how to completely undo that and repost.

 

I can offer up a partial answer. Yes, the key fob would be the remote. The remotes can be got off of e-bay for a decent price. You need to confirm all the writing on the back of your current remote matches the one you want to buy. The new/used remote can be programed by you. And yes, the battery can be replaced, just pry the two halves appart gently. With regards to a spare key. I don't know of any options but the dealer if you want one to start the car also. What I did though, was order a key from the dealer for the trunk lock, actually what I did was order a new trunk lock and it came with a key. I think this was ordered using the vehicle VIN#, this will then also unlock the drivers door, should you ever lock the keys in the trunk or inside the car. As I recall, the price wasn't too bad.

 

Thanks, that is helpful advice. I'm sorry that I can't get a cheaper copy of the ignition, however...it's about $250 at the dealer.

Anyone have any ideas about this valet function that keeps turning itself on?