grege Posted September 11, 2019 Report Share Posted September 11, 2019 2018 cmax with 14,000 miles. Since new, the key fob recognition has been "spotty". Occasionally I still get the "key not detected" with both key fobs and other times I have to press buttons far too many times to lock and/or unlock. I inquired with my dealer and their response was awesome, meaning, "that's interesting". I went ahead and replaced both cr2032 batteries and will see how things go. I'll harrass the dealer if it doesn't improve. Surprising to me when opening both key fobs is the blobs of dielectric grease on each button battery. I suspect the dielectric grease is actually interfering with transmittance (based on previous research), so will see what happens and report back. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestevens Posted September 11, 2019 Report Share Posted September 11, 2019 (edited) I have a 2013 SEL, my FOB has no dielectric grease ?! That seems that it could certainly contribute to the problem - do both FOBs have grease? Edited September 11, 2019 by jestevens grege 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icanhazc-max Posted September 11, 2019 Report Share Posted September 11, 2019 Vouching for the lack of grease in my 2013 fobs. Clean that crap out and see if the issue doesn't recur. grege 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grege Posted September 11, 2019 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2019 I have a 2013 SEL, my FOB has no dielectric grease ?! That seems that it could certainly contribute to the problem - do both FOBs have grease? Oddly, yes, both key fob batteries had blobs of the dielectric grease. First one I opened it looked like the button battery had melted, but it was grease. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcgliss Posted September 11, 2019 Report Share Posted September 11, 2019 Interesting. Are you sure it's dialectric grease? If so, that could interfere. I mistakenly applied dialectric grease to a loose engine connectors in a Subaru and it threw codes shortly thereafter. It's used in high voltage applications (spark plug boots). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plus 3 golfer Posted September 11, 2019 Report Share Posted September 11, 2019 (edited) Contrary to what most people think, dielectric grease is an insulator not a conductor of electricity and should never be put on loose connections / mating surfaces of an electrical circuit. It is used to keep moisture off surfaces that might corrode. If it is dielectric grease (or silicone) on the battery, I can see why your FOBs are not working very well. There will be higher resistance in the battery circuit (act like a failing battery where range / operations will be sketchy). It won't affect RF transmissions. Edited September 11, 2019 by Plus 3 Golfer grege 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plus 3 golfer Posted September 11, 2019 Report Share Posted September 11, 2019 You will also need a solvent for dielectric grease to ensure it’s completely removed from the battery mating surfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fbov Posted September 12, 2019 Report Share Posted September 12, 2019 Contrary to what most people think, dielectric grease is an insulator not a conductor of electricity ...+1Conductive grease has carbon in it, and does a great job on things like battery terminals. When you hear "dielectric," think in terms of the electric insulator in capacitors, the one that insures no DC current can pass. Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homestead Posted September 12, 2019 Report Share Posted September 12, 2019 My fob went through the wash yesterday. Didn't work last night after sitting all day so I disassembled it lastnight and put it back together, this morning works fine. This is the 2nd time this has happened in 6 years.Dodged another bullet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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