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2018 R1200GS key fob battery life

10K views 14 replies 14 participants last post by  bigjohnsd 
#1 ·
I'm having an issue with my key fob: after replacing battery in the key fob (CR2032), it only lasts about 3 weeks before dying. It won't trigger ignition or dash and therefore you can't start it. I'm wondering if anyone else has had this issue. I store the fob inside, away from the bike when not using. I have talked to BMW dealer about this and they are going to submit a warranty claim to see what BMW factory has to say. It seems like something has gone awry in the fob electronics where it is always sending out a signal to try to connect to my bike and therefore running down the battery. They are supposed to last 1-2 years.
 
#4 ·
I had to replace mine at about 9 months (from new), and just the other day I received another warning about it, which makes this one about 4 months. This last battery was a no-name brand, so I'm putting in a name brand one in this time and we'll see how long it lasts. I have had concerns about this myself, and like the OP, don't store the fob anywhere near the bike.
 
#9 ·
My 2017 1200GS over 42,000 kms in 20 months never had an issue with my key battery.
With the 1250GS i started getting a warning on the TFT screen that 50% of the battery remained after about 7 months and 16,000 kms.
15,000 kms later i rarely get the battery warning and when i do it still shows 50%. FIIK what's going on. Another BMW idiosyncrasy maybe.
 
#10 ·
When I picked up my bike, there was a low battery warning so the dealer swapped the batteries in both of my fobs. That was 2 weeks ago.

Today I am getting the same low battery message.

I changed the (CR 2032) battery but this may be a warranty issue where I’ll have to replace at least one of my fobs.
 
#11 ·
Dan,
If you have a voltmeter, I'd recommend testing the batteries. You should also make sure that you've inserted a top-quality battery that is very fresh. I went through 3 batteries in the fob (in a month) for my new-to-me 17.5 GS. Was about to order a replacement fob, but started testing the batteries. The "Keylo" message was present for batteries at 3.1v. I decided to try once more with a brand-name, very "fresh" battery. It read as 3.4v on my multimeter, and I haven't seen "Keylo" since installing it a couple months ago.
Brian
 
#12 ·
If you have a voltmeter, I'd recommend testing the batteries. You should also make sure that you've inserted a top-quality battery that is very fresh. I went through 3 batteries in the fob (in a month) for my new-to-me 17.5 GS. Was about to order a replacement fob, but started testing the batteries. The "Keylo" message was present for batteries at 3.1v. I decided to try once more with a brand-name, very "fresh" battery. It read as 3.4v on my multimeter, and I haven't seen "Keylo" since installing it a couple months ago.
OK, I checked the batteries on both fobs with a multimeter this morning. Both read 3.25+ volts. One is a new battery I installed and the other is the one BMW installed when I picked up the bike 2 weeks ago.

So this may be either a bad fob issue (warranty item) or a case of lower quality batteries
 
#15 ·
I've noticed that when I ride in cold weax the FOB low battery alert is likely to come on.
I've replaced my battery twice since January 16th when I got my bike. I've not seen an alert above 50 degrees F. I was keeping my FOB in an outer jacket pocket, now I keep it in my pants or in the pocket of my electric jacket, cold temp battery seems to be an issue. I carry spare "Name Brand" batteries in my inner jacket pocket,
 
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