These key fobs are maddening. The first key fob went flaky not long after I bought the XF. I thought it was just worn out because the previous owner had used the one fob exclusively to the point all the lettering was worn off. Tried all the tricks, new battery, bending the tabs, nothing. So I switched to the second fob and all was well for a year or so. Eventually it came up on the dash that it needed a new battery. Figured the generic new battery didn't fix the first fob, so I went to the Jaguar dealer and got a new battery for the second fob. All was well for about a month and then the second fob became flaky just like the first and has progressively gotten worse.

I have to get in and out of the car to open my gate. When I get back in the car, it says the dumb key is not being detected inside the car, to insert in the slot. So I've tried just leaving the dumb key in the car while I open or close the gate and it still tells me the same thing when I get back in the car and shut the door. Also sometimes the car won't unlock when I walk up, or won't lock when I push the button on the door handle so its not detecting it outside the car either. Except that it will always detect the key at the trunk lid. I generally don't push the buttons on the fob itself. Usually they work, but on some occasions the transmitter doesn't appear to work and when that has happens, it also doesn't detect the dumb key inside the car after I get in. I thought it was just the second fob going flaky, but the odd thing is that if I open and close the driver door, then it will usually detect the dumb key, as if opening and closing the door tells the car to search for the key over again and it finds it on the second try.

So is it both dumb keys have gone bad or is it something to do with the electronics on the car side of the system. I was considering to buy a new dumb key, but I hate to spend the money only to find out it makes no difference. Sure makes me wish for an old fashioned key and ignition switch. The convenience is not worth the aggravation of a system that seems to have so many reports of flaky fobs.

 

Not to add to your hate against them but... cars using proximity keyless entry and ignition are also much easier to steal than a car with an actual "key with an integrated fob" (stupid easy actually).

On the Jag I find the system buggy. On any other car that I had the pleasure to drive it worked just fine. I also noticed that the battery for the fob dies way faster on the Jag.
This is one of the things that they should of just borrowed from Ford - I find their keyless system superior.

 

I have the same situation when opening or closing my gates. Just ignore the warning message. It happens when you get a few feet away from the vehicle because the remote goes out-of-range of the detector. Once you are back in the vehicle, it's back in range and everything should operate normally without needing to insert the remote in the slot. Only if it doesn't operate normally is there is a problem with your remote.

Graham

 

Yeah these cars don't have great fobs - especially the first gens (eg that came with my 2010) - they drain their internal batteries pretty fast, their range is not great, and they're fiddly and annoying to change the batteries on. Plus the paint chips off the chrome end pieces and makes them look shitty.

Sadly, the likelihood is that this tech was developed in the early-to-mid 2000s and has improved a lot since then, so it seems somewhat unfair to compare it to a band new car's system which has a good decade of R&D improvements to the range, battery life, and everything else.

The only suggestions I have for improvement are that CR2032 batteries are available in bulk for a reasonable price off Amazon, and you can buy silicone covers for these fobs that actually I think look and feel pretty good. Cover the keyfob in this and change the batteries before it warns you. Not ideal but until someone designs and builds replacement keyfobs that work with our system you're basically SOL beyond that.

 

Ahaha... funny thing...

Today I got to the car and it complain that it doesn't recognize the keyfob. First sign of it needs a new battery (fob battery).
I tricked it by locking and unlocking the car with the keyfob - then it worked without issues.

So far, in my short period of owning this car (January this year), I've been averaging 1 battery per month.
I think I'm gonna start having a few batteries in the central console for quick replacement (won't put them in the glove compartment in case it gets locked by some weird reason).

 

Like I said, it even happens when I leave the key fob in the car. Because I have five cars, I use so that I can keep the house keys on one side and then just attach the particular car key that I'm driving rather than have a whole pocketful of keys. That way with the regular car keys, I can just detach the house keys to open the gate, leaving the car key in the ignition switch with the car running. It's pretty slick. But even sitting the Jaguar fob on top of the center console and leaving it there while I open the gate, the car loses contact with the key fob sometime between the time I get out and get back in. It must be like the rabbit ears on our old black & white television when I was a kid. I could spend half an hour adjusting the antenna for a clear picture, but as soon as I took one step away from the television set or even just turned my head, the picture would go fuzzy again.

 

Unbelievably, you can buy those chrome pieces at the Jaguar dealer separately for around $15.

I test drove a bunch of newer sedans before going back to a Jaguar and one of the things that really bothered me about some of the newer sedans is the key fobs on some were as big as a TV remote control. Seriously some of them were huge. I don't want to have to carry a man-purse for my car keys and cargo pants don't exactly go together with a sport coat and tie.