BMW 4 Series Keyless Entry Failure, Owners Report Issues

Hey there! I had almost the exact same issue with my 2016 BMW 3 series last winter. The key fob started acting up and I got those annoying dashboard warnings too. Took it to my regular workshop and yep, turned out to be just a drained battery in the key fob. The fix was super quick, only cost me 37 Euro for a new battery and installation. They also ran a quick diagnostic just to make sure there weren't any other issues lurking around. Just a heads up, could you let us know if you're still able to start the car using the emergency method (holding the key fob against the steering column)? Also, when's the last time you changed the key battery? This info would help figure out if you're dealing with the same thing I had. Feel free to ask any questions. These BMWs can be tricky sometimes!

Thanks for sharing your experience! My car's running pretty well overall with 29337 KM on the clock, and yes, I can still start it using the emergency method against the steering column. Actually, I've never changed the key battery since getting the car, rookie mistake, I know! Really helpful to hear it was such a simple fix in your case. Think I'll get the battery replaced before heading to my next service appointment, just to rule that out first. These modern key fobs sure are fancy but can be a pain when they start acting up!

Hey again! Yeah, that's definitely your issue then, I was in the exact same boat with my BMW! Running the original battery for that long is actually pretty good. Mine died around 32000 KM, so you're right in that typical range where these key fob batteries start giving up. Since you mentioned you can still use the emergency start method, it's behaving exactly like mine did. These BMW key fobs are really clever, they start giving you warnings well before they completely die, which is pretty handy. Quick tip from my experience: when you get the battery replaced, make sure they use a quality battery. My first replacement was a cheap one from a local shop, and it only lasted about 8 months. When I got it done properly at the workshop with a better battery, it's been solid for over a year now. The good news is you've caught it early, much better than waiting until it completely dies and leaves you stranded somewhere! Let us know how it goes after the battery replacement. I'm betting that'll sort out all your keyless entry problems.

Thanks so much for the detailed advice! Really appreciate the tip about getting a quality battery, definitely don't want to deal with this again in 8 months! You've saved me a potentially expensive and unnecessary trip to the dealer. I'll head to a proper workshop tomorrow to get this sorted. It's actually quite reassuring to know these BMWs are smart enough to give us warnings before things completely fail. Thanks again for all your help, it's great to learn from someone who's already been through this. Will definitely update once I've got the new battery installed!