Good morning everyone,

I recently purchased a beautiful 2005 S type. Left hand drive, in Canada. It runs and drives wonderfully but the keys that came with it are problematic. Both keys work in the ignition and the trunk (boot). Neither work when inserted in the door. I'm not sure if they insert fully of not but they definitely do not turn or open the door. Cleaning and lubricating the insertion hole have not helped. Any suggestions or solutions?



More concerning, neither fobs have buttons that work flawlessly. I have to press the buttons very hard, they only function within a foot or two of the car, and sometimes don't work at all. The door unlock function is worst. I took them apart and cleaned the buttons but it only helped slightly. They do seem to be quite worn, especially one fob. Any suggestions? Do i just need to buy new? Used? Do I have to get them reprogrammed at the dealer or do some offer it privately?

I'd like to get these fixed before the day comes that neither work.

 

Welcome to the forums Colin,

I've moved your question from General Tech Help to S-Type forum. Members here with the same model will be able to help.

Graham

 

My guess would be that the door lock barrel or the ignition barrel has been changed, perhaps as the result of an accident repair or attempted theft and your keys do not fit the door lock.
To test this try your keys in the boot/trunk lock. (The boot/trunk lock is above the numberplate under the 'jaguar' plinth.)
If they work in that one it is only the door lock that has been changed, if not it is probably the ignition lock, or both!!

I am not 100% sure about the Jaguar ones but I know with the Ford locks of this type they can be taken apart and the tumblers re-aranged so that your key will work.
You will need to 'read' your key number by studing the dents and dips to do this and the tumblers are then numbered.

https://www.triple-c.com/How_To_Read..._Key_Codes.cfm

Does the main beam button on the fob work as it should? (This is the one they gets the least use.)
You could try changing the batteries in one of the remotes?
However you may well find that the actual switch mounted on the circuit board inside the fob is what is faulty. If you are ok at soldering these can be replaced, or you could swap the main beam switch for the unlock switch.
This is easier than adding a new fob.

You can only add new fobs to your 2005 s-type by using the jaguar SDD software. Unlike the X-type there is no other way to do this.
For the S-type you need version 130 at the latest as later versions are either unstable or just do not work with the S-Type.
This version dates to 2012 and it is unlikly that any dealer has kept this as all later updates were web based and needed for newer models.

When adding new fobs using SDD the process involves removing all the existing ones from the system then adding the new ones and any working old ones back on again.

Mellow

 

Thank you for your help, you are probably right about the door lock barrel having been changed. Both keys fit the ignition and the trunk but not the door. The paint finish on the drivers door and fender is a little different than the rest of the car, slightly more "orange peel".

I'll try the main beam buttons, never have so far. Either way, I'm thinking the best option is probably to send both fobs for repair. The switches do seem to be worn, especially the "unlock". It would be nice to find a repair service in North America (I'm in canada) but I will send them to the UK if needed. I understand the fobs won't need to be reprogarmed, is that right? Does anyone know a Canadian or American repair service?

 

If they are both working a little I would strongly recommend that you only send one away at a time.You may find it will not work at all when you get it back and that you then need the jaguar SDD software!

When you say the switches look worn is this the actual switch on the circuit board inside the fob or just the rubber cover that is part of the case? If it is the later the little illustrations do not last long at all if the car is used by someone with long nails!

As I mentioned it may be posiable to remove the lock from the door take it apart and re-build it so your keys do work. But it is far from easy to remove and unlike the ford ones it may not come apart. You also may find that without the original barrel you will need other tumblers to complete this for your keys.

You can also purchase a Jaguar 8 cut Tibbe pick and decoder. With this tool you can find out the key code of the lock in your door and then have a blank cut to fit the door lock.
These tools are arounf $60.

Mellow

 

I did take the fob apart and saw the actual switches. They were gummed up a bit and I cleaned them. That helped a little but some of them, particularly the unlock switches were quite worn. Your recommendation to only repair one fob at a time is wise.

 

I had issues with my '05 S-Type Fob and my indie guy Craig in Portland, OR was able to fix it. He's a walking encyclopedia of Jag and other intel.
It might be worth a call: Welcome - The Jag Shop

 

Before sending the fobs off for repair, I'd be willing to gamble your time and money on some De-Oxit spray:

https://caig.com/deoxit-d-series/

It's readily available on Amazon and other online vendors. The primary ingredient appears to be unicorn tears, based on the price, but dang this stuff works. It's not just cleaner, but somehow rejuvenates marginal contacts, too. We use it at work, as specified by Boeing and Airbus, for certain problematic areas. I use the stuff on the switches and trim pots of old analog multimeters that I recondition for resale, and I recommend it highly. Nothing else comes close.

If that's no help, do you have pics of the suspect switches? Are they separate from the circuit board, or more of an intergral membrane switch? Last time I had my fob apart ('02, slightly different than yours), I vaguely remember it looked very similar to Ford fobs that were readily available online. If handy with a soldering iron, and the switches are not integral, you could easily rob the switches from a generic (read: inexpensive) Ford fob. That wouldn't affect the programming in the Jaguar fobs.

 

You can try the repair but I found the same thing you did. Not much if any improvement.
I ended up getting 2 new ones off EBay. There are plentiful and not too high in price. You can get 2 brand new complete keys and FOBS for under $30.

It is complicated to add more keys if you only have one. But that can be done too. This is from an XJ I worked on but it uses the same key system as our S Types.
Key Programming
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.
.

 

Thanks, I thought X type and S types were different, S type being much more difficult to program.

 

Yes the X type and S type are different but the XJ and the S type are the same for those years.
.
.
.

 

You could buy replacement keyfobs from.eBay and just program them to the car. If you still use your original key with its transponder

You should just have to do this.

 

This is for the x200.. this will not work on his year jaguar. He'll need SDD or IDS to program the keys.

 

As I mentioned in my previous post the only way to add key fobs to a 2005 s-type is using the jaguar SDD software.

The process that works in the XJ and the X type does not work in the s-type cars.

Mellow

 

Thanks Mellow, that's what I thought I understood.

 

Thanks Czestnut, probably not the same car. My keys won't fit in the door lock and I bought it in Vancouver about a year ago.

 

Any Tibbe key with the right number of cuts (6 or 8) will LOCK doors. The gates only prevent unlocking.

It is possible that your door lock is dirty, with jammed gates. Shoot some penetrating lube in there, put the key in, and GENTLY work it back and forth a few times.

If it still isn't working, it's probably not the original lock. A Tibbe decoder (as suggested above) will let you read the lock, and anyone who cuts Tibbe keys can make you one to fit the door.

 

I have a key fob not working on a 2001 S Type, I cleaned it up, changed battery, even verify if the battery was touching the contacts and still not working. So I have some question about this topic

- this will Work on my 2001 S Type?
- Is it safe to do this just owning 1 key and 1 key fob? (two separate items)
- Need a second key, what is best, to buy a key and a key fob (separate, like the original one that came with the car, the one that I have) or to buy a flip key fob all in one?
- are the eBay one good or there's other place that you recommend?
​​​​​​
​​​​​​Side note in case, just in case... the answer in the 3rd question is flip key (I just want to have the best option, not necessarily the flip key, please think wich one is the best option with less problems). Does the flip key work on my 2001 S Type even though my key is separate from the fob (two items). Ask this because I had a 2008 Ford Escape that came with one key/fob (all in one, not flip) and I bought a second key that was a flip key fob, seller specify that it will work, and so it did. But when I try to buy a flip key fob for my father in law 2007 Ford Explorer there wasn't any that worked on his vehicle because his key and fob where two items apart.
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Thanks for your help, I will be trying what you suggest for the keys. I have also sent the fobs for repair. Hopefully I'll have solutions soon.

 

To start the car, you need a key and transponder (which is a tiny glass tube with a circuit inside).

The fob is a radio transmitter that does various things.

A flip key is a fob with places for the key and transponder to be attached. You can move transponders from one key to another, or to a flip key fob.