Hi,

My 2013 XK battery died. I used the key blade to get into the car, and then replaced the battery.

To start the car, it asked me to put the smart key into the slot under the armrest. It fired up no problem. But, when I turn the engine off, remove the key from the slot, and open the door to get out I get a message telling me to remove the smart key. If I close the door and try to lock it I get the warning beeps (like when you’ve left the key in and try to lock) and the car won’t lock.

Ive double checked all the doors, hood, trunk etc are definitely closed. Basically, the car doesn’t seem to be registering that I’ve removed the key from the slot.

Any help much appreciated!

 

It's possible that the new battery you put in your Smartkey is a dud. Or that it's not making good contact with the prongs.

Do you have the second Smartkey (#2)? If so, see if it will lock and unlock the doors. If it does, swap the CR2032 batteries in both Smartkeys and see if #1 now works to lock and unlock the doors. If #1 now works, the battery in #2 is bad.

 

.... or the 95% alternative...... Do a Hard Reset on the car and Charge the Car Battery!!!

 

You could try and start the car with the keyfob away from the car. Maybe it resets itself.

 

Yeah, I tried both keys, and it doesn’t make any difference unfortunately. Both keys unlock the car, etc. But it’s still the problem of the car thinking the key has been left in the slot when I try and lock it.

 

It was a brand new car battery that was fitted yesterday. So the car battery is full. I’ve never had this problem before, so it seems the problem may have stemmed from having a flat battery/replacing it

 

On the contrary, new batteries are seldom, if ever, fully charged and these cars are sensitive to any low voltage condition. (gremlins pop up)
As Cee Jay indicated in post #3, a hard reset and full battery charge are most likely the best first approaches.

 

Ok, I’ve done the hard reset, etc. And no change.

To recap:
1) smart keys open the doors ok
2) ignition won’t start unless key is in the slot - and even then it doesn’t switch on straight away. I have to wiggle the key in the slot around and keep pressing the start button before it stops chiming at me and actually switches on
3) when I switch off, take the key out of slot, and open the door I get the ‘remove smart key’ warning. I can’t lock the car using the key as it thinks the car is in the slot.
4) if I stay in the car, open the door to trigger the remove key warning, and (with the key out of the slot) try to switch on I get a ‘check key’ warning.

Could it it be some fault with the slot that’s occurred since having a dead battery?

 

I'd still pull a battery cable & put a charger on it overnight to make sure it is fully charged properly. At least that should eliminate it as suspect. Did you replace the CR2032 keyfob battery as well? Both of these are common issues and should be eliminated first before moving to other possibilities.

Since it started when the car's battery died that should be the first place to begin, keeping in mind new does not mean fully charged. Also, note there are several threads indicating steps to be taken after a battery change/hard reset that may be affecting the issue too.
Just my thoughts.

Edit: The hard reset should have 'reset' those modules.