Dead 3 week old FOB battery & question

[Lucken]

As a result of reading the forum it wasn't a great surprise when my 3 week old fob's battery (3 weeks in my possession, who knows how long in total?) died this morning and would not open the door. I had previously ordered a bunch of these batteries in anticipation and thus replaced the battery with a new one. After that the doors immediately responded and all was well.

So that brings up a question. About a week ago I switched off the passive entry feature as I had with a different EV to avoid the many unnecessary door openings when I've been in the garage. Since I did that, I no longer placed the fob in the RFID blocker case. So my question is, with passive entry disabled, does the key still try to communicate with the car and thus is it still wise to use the RFID case?

 

[xponents]

As a result of reading the forum it wasn't a great surprise when my 3 week old fob's battery (3 weeks in my possession, who knows how long in total?) died this morning and would not open the door. I had previously ordered a bunch of these batteries in anticipation and thus replaced the battery with a new one. After that the doors immediately responded and all was well.

So that brings up a question. About a week ago I switched off the passive entry feature as I had with a different EV to avoid the many unnecessary door openings when I've been in the garage. Since I did that, I no longer placed the fob in the RFID blocker case. So my question is, with passive entry disabled, does the key still try to communicate with the car and thus is it still wise to use the RFID case?

I dont know about the RFID blocker case, but do your batteries have bitterant on them? Using an alcohol pad to remove them will improve the performance.
(check Lucidupdates for info, https://www.lucidupdates.com/faq.html) To quote it,

Not all key fob batteries are compatible with your Lucid Key Fob. Batteries that have the “child safety” logo where bitterant coating is applied can cause the key fob to not work reliably.

The safety coating on these batteries can block its connection to the key fob, causing the device not to turn on, and making you think something is wrong with your key - when in reality it’s the battery!

The solution is one of two options:
1. Attempt to clean the bitterant coating off the battery using a razor blade (safety first!) or using rubbing alcohol & paper towel. If you have children in your home and afraid to do so, only clean it immediately before installation.
2. Purchase a battery that does not have bitterant coating. Hitachi batteries seem to fit this desciption.

Why did Lucid design it this way?
The problem is not related to Lucid’s design. Major tech companies like Garmin and Apple have similar problems with their coin-cell powered devices. The problem is hundreds of children per year are supposedly swallowing these batteries, and the design of these electrical devices was not created with this in mind.

 

[Rogue]

As a result of reading the forum it wasn't a great surprise when my 3 week old fob's battery (3 weeks in my possession, who knows how long in total?) died this morning and would not open the door. I had previously ordered a bunch of these batteries in anticipation and thus replaced the battery with a new one. After that the doors immediately responded and all was well.

So that brings up a question. About a week ago I switched off the passive entry feature as I had with a different EV to avoid the many unnecessary door openings when I've been in the garage. Since I did that, I no longer placed the fob in the RFID blocker case. So my question is, with passive entry disabled, does the key still try to communicate with the car and thus is it still wise to use the RFID case?

Bobby mentioned a motion detection unit that emits a signal when detected. Keep it out of the pocket while at home/work if possible to prolong battery life.

 

[Lucken]

I dont know about the RFID blocker case, but do your batteries have bitterant on them? Using an alcohol pad to remove them will improve the performance.
(check Lucidupdates for info, https://www.lucidupdates.com/faq.html) To quote it,

Not all key fob batteries are compatible with your Lucid Key Fob. Batteries that have the “child safety” logo where bitterant coating is applied can cause the key fob to not work reliably.

The safety coating on these batteries can block its connection to the key fob, causing the device not to turn on, and making you think something is wrong with your key - when in reality it’s the battery!

The solution is one of two options:
1. Attempt to clean the bitterant coating off the battery using a razor blade (safety first!) or using rubbing alcohol & paper towel. If you have children in your home and afraid to do so, only clean it immediately before installation.
2. Purchase a battery that does not have bitterant coating. Hitachi batteries seem to fit this desciption.

Why did Lucid design it this way?
The problem is not related to Lucid’s design. Major tech companies like Garmin and Apple have similar problems with their coin-cell powered devices. The problem is hundreds of children per year are supposedly swallowing these batteries, and the design of these electrical devices was not created with this in mind.

This was the original battery that came with the fob. The car is 3 weeks old, but as I said I don’t know how old this original battery actually is or how much drain it experienced before coming into my possession. So I assume it didn’t have the bitterant, but I wasn’t that hungry so I didn’t try to confIrm my assumption.

 

[Lucken]

Bobby mentioned a motion detection unit that emits a signal when detected. Keep it out of the pocket while at home/work if possible to prolong battery life.

Yup, the only time I put it in my pocket is when I intend to use the car. All other times it sits in the entry way, which is about 15’ from the car and a couple of walls in between. It will be interesting to see how long this new battery lasts now that I’ve made some changes.

 

[blueice89]

I once licked a battery and it came back to life then I made a video about it how did no one reference my video ??

Call me the battery Iicker

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I once licked a battery and it came back to life then I made a video about it how did no one reference my video ??

Call me the battery Iicker

Ah, I think @Bobby had previously brought the bitterant issue to our attention, which was previously brought up by apple for their AirTags, but neither Bobby nor Apple licked the battery so you get to put your pioneer flag on that hill. In all seriousness though Lucid recently told me the Panasonic batteries seem to perform better in their fobs than any other ones so maybe try those?

 

[xponents]

I once licked a battery and it came back to life then I made a video about it how did no one reference my video ??

Call me the battery Iicker

I mean, it does work… but how bad did it taste? Lol

 

[blueice89]

I mean, it does work… but how bad did it taste? Lol

It did work the rubbing alcohol. Battery just from one lick I couldn’t really tell their is a bitter coating. You probably have to lick it a few times

 

[getafix]

As a result of reading the forum it wasn't a great surprise when my 3 week old fob's battery (3 weeks in my possession, who knows how long in total?) died this morning and would not open the door. I had previously ordered a bunch of these batteries in anticipation and thus replaced the battery with a new one. After that the doors immediately responded and all was well.

So that brings up a question. About a week ago I switched off the passive entry feature as I had with a different EV to avoid the many unnecessary door openings when I've been in the garage. Since I did that, I no longer placed the fob in the RFID blocker case. So my question is, with passive entry disabled, does the key still try to communicate with the car and thus is it still wise to use the RFID case?

They keep dying because the fob is constantly searching for vehicle. Better off getting rechargeable batteries for fob 2032 and 6 times 2450 for two visors. After 2 years the rechargeable batteries will pay for itself.

 

[blueice89]

I decided to just go with Panasonic battery licking days are over

 

[borski]

They keep dying because the fob is constantly searching for vehicle. Better off getting rechargeable batteries for fob 2032 and 6 times 2450 for two visors. After 2 years the rechargeable batteries will pay for itself.

The bitterant definitely plays a big role, as the batteries last many times longer without it. Mine have yet to die ever since I removed the bitterant.

 

[blueice89]

The bitterant definitely plays a big role, as the batteries last many times longer without it. Mine have yet to die ever since I removed the bitterant.

yeah battery licking for the win did you use alcohol

 

[borski]

yeah battery licking for the win did you use alcohol

Yeah I prefer alcohol over licking it. Lol

 

[Lucken]

Strange that Panasonic batteries would last longer than a different brand without the bitterant. Has anyone actually tested this? These batteries are so cheap, I can’t get overly excited about it.

 

[donfenn]

I just posted about this on another thread, but today I was told that Lucid is well aware of the battery drain issue and are working on a fix, update, or maybe even new fobs...

 

[Bobby]

I just posted about this on another thread, but today I was told that Lucid is well aware of the battery drain issue and are working on a fix, update, or maybe even new fobs...

Told by whom?

 

[donfenn]

Told by Brandon, service advisor at Beverly Hills Lucid location.

 

[PompousAss]

The bitterant definitely plays a big role, as the batteries last many times longer without it. Mine have yet to die ever since I removed the bitterant.

It never occurred to me to try to remove the bitterant.

As you rub the battery, can you see where the coating has and hasn't been removed, or do you just "rub and hope"?

 

[blueice89]

Rub and hope or lick and hope whichever you prefer