Even more fixing!

[malada]

I have a 2011 Chevy Malibu and I got two of those remote control fobs so you can lock, unlock and open the trunk remotely. Over time, one stopped working so I switched to the other one. Now that one's warn out.

Let's open them up!

Coin battery - checked good - and little circuit board printed on both sides with a secret chip on it. The buttons have little metal contacts that touches the circuit board - making a connection when pressed - activating the chip functions. I take the circuit board out to the car and use a screw driver to complete the circuit instead of the buttons. And everything works.

Bad buttons!

So I glued a small piece of aluminium foil onto the buttons to provide better contact. Now the fob works again! I did the same with the other one and now I have two working fobs.

I'm sure if I went to a dealership they'd charge me big bucks to replace them. And all they needed was a little foil and glue.

Comments

[warriorsavant]

Lovely to know that even "all electronics all the time" car stuff can still sometimes be fixed with old fashioned DIY.

[moxie_man]

Woot! And yes, they'd probably charge you an arm and a leg for new fobs.