Hi all

I just wished to share a couple of little jobs I managed to get sorted today for people that feel as hopeless as I do.

My two key fobs were not working very well. The main one was intermittent and the spare one lock button would not work.

I took them apart and there was a lot of dirt on the contacts on the circuit board. So I sprayed them with electrical contact cleaner on both sides and let them dry on a paper towel. Then sprayed the rubber housing as well and put them back together. They work great now 👍

The mirror position switch would not work so I managed to remove it with the help of a great You Tube video. There were a lot of little parts to take apart but I got down to the circuit board and sprayed each time with contact cleaner. All working good now. It was a bit stressful for someone as inept and useless as me but I laid everything out in the right position on a clean towel and took time and detail to get it done.
I reckon I have saved about 200 quid from a main dealer with a bit of time and research and effort.
I just wanted to pass this advice on to those of you that might have any similar issues.
My belief is that a lot of electrical little issues in our older cars are just dirt on the contact points and can be solved by taking the bits apart, cleaning them with electrical contact cleaner then putting them back together. The hard part is learning how to deassemble and reassemble if you are like me 🤣
Just my VHO
The missus has noticed a real improvement in my mood today 🤣👍

 

That always makes me happy! LOL Well good on ya mate. Your not as useless as you think or say. You thought too research, plan, prep and be cautious.
You thought to be organized and prevent losing those little pieces, one of the most aggravating parts of the job is finding them.
As one of our most hepful members would say: Well done. That trick also works for remotes for things like ceiling fans and lights. The contracts just get crummy. TM

 

Thanks mate, you are too kind 🥰👍Nope .. I am useless but.. learning a bit more every day thanks to the helpful and knowledgeable guys here 👍👍
All the best 👌

 

Good news. Would you mind posting the link to that YouTube video?
Thx. John

 

Hi John, here it is. Really helped me and saved some money, I hate to think what a main dealer would have charged for me this simple fix. As I said I believe IMHO, a lot of stuff can be done cheaply if you get the right advice. Again I believe sincerely that a lot of intermittent electrical infidelity on our older cars is simply a case of dirt and gunk building up on the contacts over the years and can be sorted by taking the bits apart and using electrical contact cleaner. The video is a bit amateur and wobbly but the guy really knows his stuff😀👍

I used the thin end of a small spoon instead of the mobile phone lever tool 😄😄

 

PS - I went further and took the whole unit apart. It was a bit of a faff and you have to use a micro screwdriver to gently lever the plastic latches out to get the plastic casing apart without breaking anything. Then important to lay out all of the small pieces in the correct order on a clean towel, the right way up and on the right side for reassembly. Just take time and care to have the little bits in the right order.... I am hopeless but with attention to detail I managed it 😄👍

 

Thanks!!!