Passat Wagon - Battery dead flat - emergency key won't open the doors!

[JBlyth]

When I tried to get into my car today, the Key Fob wouldn't open the doors, and neither would the emergency key.

I am disgusted to find that with my 4 month old Passat, a flat battery flat completely stops the doors from being unlocked EVEN WITH the emergency key!

I have just returned from 9 weeks away, with the car in a storage garage. I didn't disconnect the battery as I thought that 9 weeks was not excessive.

I had great trouble in getting the Emergency Key cap to come off the driver's door. I even managed to break the tip off the plastic emergency key before the VW Roadside assist arrived (RAC in WA). They gave up in the end and left as even attempting to add some volts via the starter motor red wire failed to activate the door locks.

On a brighter note, I am pleased to say that the dealer has helped on a Saturday (a long weekend too of course) by giving me a car until they can get mine mobile on Tuesday - hopefully.....

Does anyone have any magic tricks to get my car open so I can charge the battery??????

Many thanks
John - from Sunny Carnarvon, WA - currently stuck in Perth!

[JBlyth]

Solution and Clarification - Flat Battery emergency key access - problem solved!

I am very pleased to report that my Passat is unlocked and mobile again!

It seems that in the case of the MY2012 model Passat at least (the internet implied that some models can't be unlocked with the Emergency Key with a flat battery), the Emergency key is in fact a mechanical linkage and not solely an electronic one.

Both the RAC man and myself had turned the plastic emergency key both ways in the link mechanism a number of times. The key appeared to rotate 90 degrees anti-clockwise (manual lock position) but only about 70 degrees to the right. Unfortunately, I arrived just after the mechanics arrived at the lock-up, so I didn't see if they applied a bit more force to the emergency key than I did, but certainly when I tried the key later, and it moved easily 90 degrees in both directions. Rotating it clockwise is the manual unlock direction. Note that there isn't any apparent mechanical resistance when rotating the lock either way.

At last we were able to gain access to the interior and unlock the bonnet so the flat battery could be replaced. Failing a successful entry, the next method was to break a window, and even then, because the bonnet release is protected by the door panel, we would have had to do significant damage to the door panel to be able to unlock the bonnet!

Lessons learned:-

• When leaving the vehicle in a secure area for over a month it may be wise to disconnect the battery
• If secure, leave the bonnet unlatched so you can access the battery externally without needing to resort to the emergency key if you have to
• If you do use the emergency key, be very careful when levering off the pastic cover on the door handle to access the manual lock. It is VERY easy to break off the end of the plastic key. Perhaps a gentle application of a thick screw driver or another strong metal key may be wiser
• If leaving you vehicle in an enclosed space, park the blasted thing nose outwards so it is easier to get at!
• Try a practice run with your emergency key, as if you need to use it, it is likely the manual will be lock in the car where you can't read it - not that there is a lot of info about the process anyway! Ensure that you can unlock your car with it!!!!

Finally, I must thank Mr. Richard Clutterbuck, the Sales Manager of John Hughes Volkswagen in Victoria Park, Perth. On the Saturday morning of a long weekend he organised a cab fare to his show rooms and a loan car for the weekend so my wife and I were not to inconvenienced by the unavailability of our car, and today organised the service team to go to the lock-up storage when my car was incarcerated and liberate it!

Now we can happily wend our way back to Carnarvon on Thursday!!!!!!

[entice]

Tip for the uninitiated:
Purchase a hardwired trickle charger and you will not have any more woes.

Flat batteries were commonplace with the Brandt security protected STi's (Ver 7 and .
the current draw from these devices is phenomenal.

[JBlyth]

Good idea!

Sadly in my case the commercial storage lock-up didn't have any power supply - and it was too dark for a solar charger too