I have a 1999 Xk8

I really never use the key fob as you really have to force it down to make it work, so the rare times that I drive it, I just put the key in, turn it, it makes to short beeps, the door opens, get in the car, turn the key, the steering wheel comes down, and I drive away....

The last few times, when I put the key in and turn it, it now only makes a solid beep, I get in, turn the key, and the steering wheel doesn't move when I turn the key, but I can then still do it manually.......

And now this morning, I turn the key and the door won't open, and I hear a faint clicking noise coming from the lock area when I take the key out?

The trunk still wokrs with the key.

I disconnected the battery, both pos and neg, left it for 20 mins with trunk open to drain the charge, hooked back up and same thing....

Also now when I push any buttons on the key fob it makes the one long solid beep, and the doors don't open or close, and the trunk button now does not work either.

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Any ideas?

 

First things first. How old is your battery?

 

+1 to eliminate battery as the first possible cause of this issue.

Disconnecting the battery or doing a 'hard reset' doesn't affect the security system.

I can understand why you usually leave the worn remote / key fob alone and rely on the key. However, remotes are usually available on eBay and you can programme them yourself without having to take the vehicle to the dealer so it's not too costly to replace. Worth considering sourcing a replacement or having the existing one repaired.

Graham

 

I have no idea on how old the battery is, I have been reading posts and have seen that as a suggestion as well as check the fuses.

I just went out there, started the car, put the car into drive, the door handles locked, put back into park, opened the door, they both opened.

Then turned off car, turned back on, and my steering wheel worked again, turned off car, and now the key fob worked, the doors opened and closed fine with the fob.... then, I try it again, and now the steering wheel is not working again, and now the fob isn't working, and now just the key works to open and lock the door, and all I hear is the one solid beep, instead of the two short beeps..

any help, much appreciated!

 

How do I eliminate the battery as an issue?

Should I still go and check all the fuses even tho it worked, didnt' work, worked, didn't work, worked, and now isn't working again, and this is in about the last 10 times I have driven it, all this week, as my other one is getting the transmission rebuilt?

 

I would check the battery but there is one area that may be worth checking. My car battery was dead after I did not use the car for a while. Also I got the odd beep letting me know the security system was in fault. It turns out there is a small gate that opens and closes where you put your key in the ignition. This was sticky and stuck open the last time I took the key out. Result was car did not go to sleep and ran battery down. I suspect it may not let you set your security system. I lubricated the ignition with rust check and problem solved. Come to think of it I never had the fault beep come back since then. Hope this helps

Howard

 

I tried my car 6-7 times today, it is back to normal, any ideas to figure out what the problem is for the future?

Also, I was able to get into the car after I was locked out by holding the key in forward and reverse for over 10 seconds at a time, and it just opened..... a fluke? Or is there a way to get access to open the door when the car is in that state again?

 

If you have no idea how old your battery is, it may well be due for replacement. I've learned over the years that good batteries are pretty important to keeping cars running and it is vital to keeping these cats purring. If you don't want to buy a new battery unless you absolutely need it, have it tested at a parts store. From posts, it looks like 12.4 volts is the MINIMUM voltage.

Graham, thanks for the tip on the fobs. I've been using my key since buying the car in March, but will start looking for a repair/replacement for non-working fob.

Also need to get into the locking system as I sometimes get clicking in the doors without any apparent action.