key fob battery renewal

[Malc]

popped into Timpsons to renew the dead Battery in my spare key fob £14.95  ......  and the Honda Legend one too

Wondered why the pricing was dearer by £2 for the Lexus ........  goes on car marque, not the car he said !

Dearest is Maserati, Ferrari etc at about £35

Guaranteed a year but could last 3 maybe

 

No idea the age of the existing old spare fob batteries ...  but they used to work till recently ...  always check occasionally ...  just in case

Malc

[Porterhouse]

Hi Malc

Hope you well. I personally never use Timpsons very overpriced. Wanted to charge me £8 for a yale key. The block didnt seem bothered when I said I will let him know. £3 down the road. I buy a pack of allsorted watch batteries from pound shop takes about minute to do or order off ebay 

[steveledzep]

Yes, eBay.  99p for 5 delivered last time I bought them.

[Herbie]

1 hour ago, Malc said:

popped into Timpsons to renew the dead battery in my spare key fob £14.95 

Good grief, that's a hell of a rip off!

It's a two minute job, very easy, and a pack of five batteries can be had for a couple of quid including postage.

[Malc]

but are they the same quality batteries ?

Malc

[BMCWP]

My keyfob takes a CR2030 and I get Duracell ones for about £1 each off fleabay and as mentioned takes me a few minutes to change them. Have to buy them from eBay as amazon wont send lithium batteries in the post to Northern Ireland 😳 

[Herbie]

2 hours ago, Malc said:

but are they the same quality batteries ?

Malc

Absolutely.

However, even if they are inferior, you can buy more than 50 of them and still save money over what you've paid today.

[steve2006]

Strange when you mention the price varies dependant on the vehicle make as the same seems to apply to watch batteries.

”Yes Sir we do watch batteries”

”Oh an Omega they cost more”

Next time Malc tell them it’s for the Luxury division of Toyota, same Battery £3.00 cheaper probably and ask if Timsons are in pursuit of perfection when it comes to replacing batteries.😀

[Malc]

I understand where you're all coming from 

I even bought a whole pad of batteries for all sorts of things for about 99p too

about 20 batteries I believe 

HOWEVER .....  are batteries all the same quality I wonder ..........  AND there's a little charitable offering in my using Timpsons ..........  I'm sure others know the status of the business and it's ethos and employment practices too 

Malc

[Tinonline]

£15 That’s a lot for a Battery change...I buy known brand from wherever I can get it.

Change it when you can’t remember doing it last. 
My LS400 fob is a tiny bit fiddly in that it needs a tiny driver and a mixture of firm delicacy. 
£40 for a watch Battery...🤔and not diy able. That’s anti EU... yep we signed that before the end and it stands.

[ciao_chao]

Well the expense may be due to the need to cover screw ups, it’s essentially a surcharge for doing a higher risk job. I expect a Ferrari fob is a lot more expensive to replace than a Lexus or Honda equivalent. I know some fobs are pretty finicky, restorer friend of mine initially apprenticed as a mechanic and wouldn’t touch a lot of remotes because some will deprogram themselves if you take too long. Friend who is a trainer at timpsons also hates doing these jobs for the same reason, he would sooner service mechanical watches than do key fobs. 
 

Which brings me to a question, do you know how long before the key loses the programming for a LS430 type C (keyless entry/start) fob?

[MLW]

I have been doing car key fobs and watch batteries for years using £1 shop batteries. Never had a problem. Takes 3-4 minutes every 18-24 months or so. Most batteries are made in China anyway.

Once got charged £9.50p at a Toyota dealer for a Prius key Battery. Could have done it for 25p myself but I thought batteries were included in the big service programme. They are sir, the desk said. We mean Battery, not batteries, i.e. we charge for the spare key!