My key and fob works, no problems there, except the battery is getting flat and I have to be next to the car to make it work

Question: When the fob is in is slot, is it just in close proximity to be recognised by the car or is it also being charged?

I have always thought the battery was rechargeable 

Because my car gets so little use the battery in the fob never gets long enough time to charge up  that's if it does actually charge.

So. Is the fob being charged while driving or not?

 

2nd question: if it is being recharged while driving, is it possible to charge the battery while it remains in the fob in doors with a proximity charger of some sort? 

No, they are not rechargeable batteries just normal button batteries. Very easy to change - the owners manual may provide instructions to change them.

I have changed the fob batteries  on my s type about 4 times over 8 years.  A bit finicky but not difficult.

Peter.

I was always under the assumption the fob batteries were rechargeable, that was the point of the docking station

After reading the advice above I removed the battery, much easier than doing it on an X Type fob. Tested the battery with a meter, its a fraction over 3 volts, the reason for this is the cell is a lithium rechargeable. I could recharge it if I had a charger to fit.

After cleaning the cell and the terminals and bending the one that sticks up from the circuit board in a bit, refitted the cell and now works perfectly In fact a bit too well, I can unlock and lock from inside the house through a window and around the corner in front of the garage where the car is parked out of sight about 50 foot away.

For the small price of a new battery, is it worth it?

On 8/13/2021 at 6:02 PM, LostBloke said:

For the small price of a new battery, is it worth it?

Agreed. They're actually designed to use that particular battery so that the range isn't too far, as it could interfere with anything else on a similar frequency.