Keyless Entry Issues (consolidated discussions) [TOC, Photos Done]

[GS340]

the door panel tool. You talk about it on the first page.

thanks!!

[GS340]

Figured out the part number. 799-6 hazet..

thanks
Robert



Modified by GS340 at 1:54 PM 4-22-2009

[oldham4]

Michael,

Sorry for the duplicate post, but I found this thread & thought my question would be more appropriate here rather than a general VAG-COM thread.

I recently replaced my comfort battery & shortly afterward began having problems with the KESSY in that it will not unlock the doors when I touch the handles. I have scanned & identified fault codes that keep returning after I clear them. Any thoughts?

Saturday,09,May,2009,10:07:37:11282
VCDS Version: Release 805.3

Address 05: Acc/Start Auth.
Control Module Part Number: 3D0 909 135 M
Component and/or Version: Kessy 6400
Software Coding: 0133356
Work Shop Code: WSC 01065
Additional Info: 4E0905852C ELV 1734
Additional Info: Geraet 00000
5 Faults Found:

00179 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna; Drivers Side (R134)
001 - Upper Limit Exceeded
00180 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna; Passenger Side (R135)
001 - Upper Limit Exceeded
00181 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna (in Rear bumper) (R136)
001 - Upper Limit Exceeded
00182 - Luggage Compartment Access/Start Authorization Antenna (R137)
001 - Upper Limit Exceeded
00183 - Interior Access/Start Authorization Antenna 1 (R138)
011 - Open Circuit

Any idea which internal antenna is the R138? Is it the one below the shifter or is it the one within the cabin light/sunroof assembly?

Thanks,
George

[oldham4]

Unbelievably today, the keyless entry started to work again. I was thrilled, but my hopes were quickly dashed when in my next driving cycle it stopped working. UGH!

[oldham4]

Does anyone have access to a diagram of locations for the various antennas? I would particularly like to find the "Interior Access/Start Authorization Antenna 1 (R138)" that is beingg reported as an open circuit by the VAG-COM.

Thanks,
George

[stephaneleclerc]

YHell9o,

My keyless access stoped working, any idea what the problem may be.

Thanks for your replies.

Stephane

[Itzmann]

Yay!

Same thing here since about a week ago. Keyless start/stop works but neither doors nor trunk unlock keylessly. Remote unlock/lock works.

Going to the dealer today for annual maintenance (after only 3,000 miles in 12 months!) and this should be covered by CPO.

BTW about a year ago I had something similar happen but it was only the trunk that experienced such a keyless failure. The issue self-fixed itself when the technician flushed out all the warning messages from the computer, which included a computer-generated warning for the trunk's keyless.

He also let me know that if the issue had not fixed itself, he wouldn't necessarily have fixed it at no charge for me. Reason? There is a tiny scratch in my bumper. The trunk's keyless antenna is apparently in the bumper. The antenna is apparently quite a delicate thing. He said if he disassembled the bumper and the reason for the failure had been any sort of internal movement due to the scratch... I would have to pay for the whole thing. Explaining that the scratch has been there for years yet the failure was only two weeks old didn't take me anywhere. It was a moot but still revealing discussion.


Modified by Itzmann at 5:08 AM 7-27-2009

[357Sig]

I just had the rear bumper cover off of my 2005 Phaeton this weekend. For the antennas to be moved, or otherwise affected by a casual collision, a significant amount of damage would have to be done to your bumper cover. The antennas are mounted below and about eight inches inboard the tail light assemblies in the rear fenders. The rear bumper cover, covers a substantial beam that goes across the width of the car and the antennas are protected by that as well.

In this picture, the antenna is the black box near the bottom corner of the trunk opening. As you can see, there is one on each side.

This is not a picture of my car, even though mine looks very much like it (sans trailer hitch and related hardware). The photo was "borrowed" from the discussion thread that discusses mounting a trailer hitch on a Phaeton. Photo credit: Pan European.


Modified by 357Sig at 11:53 PM 8-5-2009

[Itzmann]

Thank you very much. Filed for future reference.

[Itzmann]

Update: some component of my car locks (there are five of them), presumably the keyless component of said locks, report "open circuit" to the computer that stores error codes. All five locks!. When this happens, some other computer goes ahead and takes the initiative... to tell the supposedly malfunctioning components to bugger off/shut down.

Reseting or deleting the error codes revives the keyless access to the locks, but after one or two uses the keyless is again asked to shut down after open circuits are reported by the locks.

So it would seem one might have to replace all five open-circuit reporting locks, uh? Well, my mechanic has faced similar problems in Touaregs and Phaetons, so he is not proposing to do any of that just yet. He'll try and look into a controller-thingy for the locks first... and will keep me posted. Seems eminently reasonable.

The only thing is ... keyless Start/Stop works well... so is it possible the controller for the outside locks is different from the controller for the inside Start/Stop button?

[oldham4]

Stephane & Francisco ,

I have had this same problem since May '09. I have scanned & identified fault codes that keep returning after I clear them. Any thoughts? VAG-COM reports an open circuit in Antenna R138 which is reportedly one of three internal antennas in the cabin of the Phaeton. I have not been able to determine what is wrong, and the Dealership wants to replace the KESSY. I will be very interested to see if you find a resolution to your problem. Here are the results from the VAG-COM scan.

Saturday,09,May,2009,10:07:37:11282
VCDS Version: Release 805.3

Address 05: Acc/Start Auth.
Control Module Part Number: 3D0 909 135 M
Component and/or Version: Kessy 6400
Software Coding: 0133356
Work Shop Code: WSC 01065
Additional Info: 4E0905852C ELV 1734
Additional Info: Geraet 00000
5 Faults Found:

00179 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna; Drivers Side (R134)
001 - Upper Limit Exceeded
00180 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna; Passenger Side (R135)
001 - Upper Limit Exceeded
00181 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna (in Rear bumper) (R136)
001 - Upper Limit Exceeded
00182 - Luggage Compartment Access/Start Authorization Antenna (R137)
001 - Upper Limit Exceeded
00183 - Interior Access/Start Authorization Antenna 1 (R138)
011 - Open Circuit

Thanks,
George


Modified by oldham4 at 6:18 AM 7-28-2009

[PanEuropean]

Hi George:

If controller 05 is the only one that is generating faults - meaning, if you are not seeing all sorts of low-voltage faults on other controllers at the same time you see the faults you have posted above - then my guess is that your KESSY (controller 05) probably has a fault and needs to be replaced.

The real question is where - physically - the fault is. If it is inside the controller - if some tiny little electronic circuit thing has failed - then great, it's just a simple matter of replacing this controller. You can see what is involved in getting access to it at this post: Retrofitting Keyless Start to a North American Phaeton. However, if there has been any contamination such as mud, water, sand, etc. deposited on the controller on on the controller terminals as a result of a missing plug on the bottom of the car (see this post: Damage arising from Towing & Flatbed Transportation), then your technician is going to have to spend quite a bit of time cleaning up the connectors... although it is, I suppose, possible that simply cleaning up the connectors might be sufficient to do the job, perhaps the controller itself is still functional.

If you are at all the 'DIY' type, I suggest you get under the carpet and take a look at the controller yourself to see if there is any evidence of water, mud, or sand infiltration. You may be able to disconnect the controller, clean everything up with a soft brush (for example, a small paintbrush), and then re-connect it.

What has me thinking it is a connector problem is the fact that you have both an open circuit AND a bunch of upper limit problems. If you only had the open circuit on the antenna, I would suspect the antenna. If you only had the four upper limit problems, I would suspect the controller. But, with two somewhat unrelated faults coming from the same controller (the open circuit and the upper limit faults), I am suspecting the connectors at the controller.

Michael

[oldham4]

Michael,

Thank you for your help on this. I have gained access to the Kessy before when I did the keyless start retrofit. Once I get a new set of bolts for the seat & I will take a look at the connection.

Interestingly & much to my surprise, the door handles started working on Friday. Then, I opened the trunk and they stopped working. After a drive cycle, they started worrking again. This has happened a couple of times. Since I have been out of town for a while, I have not been able to run the VAG-COM to see what fault codes are present.

I suspect that there may be something wrong with the micro-switch beneath the VW emblem on the trunk. It is not working at all. Any ideas of how the trunk could be tied into all of this?

Thanks!
George

[PanEuropean]

Hi George:

Don't forget to rule out a partially discharged battery as a possible cause of the problem before you get deep into troubleshooting of the keyless access system.

When you run the diagnostic scan, look out for any 'lower limit exceeded' faults in controller 05 - if you have any of those, that suggests that low voltage is the cause of the problem, not any malfunction within the KESSY.

Michael

[cai]

The front passenger keyless lock is not working. When I push the little button on the handle nothing happens. The three others work. All four doors open keylessly. The car is programmed to unlock driver side front and rear doors. Passenger front and rear open when I approach them with the key in my pocket, but not if a passenger without a key approaches those doors; even though driver side doors are open - the way it is supposed to work.

Any ideas anyone?

Thank you.

cai

[PanEuropean]

Quote, originally posted by cai »

The front passenger keyless lock is not working. When I push the little button on the handle nothing happens. The three others work. All four doors open keylessly... Any ideas anyone?

Yep, see here: Door Handles - How to troubleshoot and replace exterior handles (Keyless Access button not working)

Michael

[oldham4]

Michael,
Here are the fault codes that came up when I scanned controller 5 when I got home. No lower limit messages that may indicate a low battery. Guess I should check the KESSY connection? Thanks in advance for any other ideas.

PS: Does the order of fault codes have any significance? They are not in the same order as previous scans. Just wondering...

Thx,
George

Address 05: Acc/Start Auth. Labels: 3D0-909-13x-05.lbl
Part No SW: 3D0 909 135 M HW: 5WK 470 26
Component: Kessy 6400
Coding: 0133356
Shop #: WSC 01065 000 00000
Part No: 4E0 905 852 C
Component: ELV 1734
5 Faults Found:
00183 - Interior Access/Start Authorization Antenna 1 (R138)
011 - Open Circuit - Intermittent
00180 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna; Passenger Side (R135)
011 - Open Circuit
00179 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna; Drivers Side (R134)
011 - Open Circuit
00181 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna (in Rear bumper) (R136)
011 - Open Circuit - Intermittent
00182 - Luggage Compartment Access/Start Authorization Antenna (R137)
011 - Open Circuit
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Modified by oldham4 at 7:53 PM 8-5-2009

[PanEuropean]

Hi George:

I don't think that the order in which fault codes are presented is significant, although I don't know 'for sure'.

Looks to me like you have a loose connection somewhere. Judging from the many different locations within the vehicle that are reporting loose connections, my guess is that the problem is at the controller itself (under the driver seat).

I may have mentioned this earlier, however, the instructions that explain how to get access to this controller can be found in the first part of the "How to install keyless start" post, which is listed in the FAQ. Plan on about 4 hours to get in there, investigate, then close everything up. Make sure you have lots of working space on the driver side of the car before you start disassembly, because you can't move the car (at least, not under its own power) once you start the job.

Michael

[cai]

As mentioned above, the lock button on the passenger side does not work. The tech said that he has to take the insides of the door off to check for loose wires. I will be bringing the car in two weeks to have this work done. Here are my scan results from this morning:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 09: Cent. Elect. Labels: 3D0-937-049.lbl
Part No: 3D0 937 049 H
Component: STG.Bordnetz 5101
Coding: 0000002
Shop #: WSC 01065 000 00000

1 Fault Found:
00907 - Intervention load Management
000 - -

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Address 38: Roof Electronics Labels: 3D0-907-135.lbl
Part No: 3D0 907 135 B
Component: Dachmodul 0605
Coding: 0000047
Shop #: WSC 01065 000 00000

2 Faults Found:
00216 - Signal EC-mirror Fade Out
009 - Open or Short to Ground
00220 - Connection to Sunroof
004 - No Signal/Communication - Intermittent

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address 46: Central Conv. Labels: 3D0-959-933.lbl
Part No: 3D0 959 933 F
Component: HSG 0101
Coding: 0000040
Shop #: WSC 01065 000 00000

Part No: 3D1 959 701 K
Component: Tuersteuergeraet FS 5616

Part No: 3D1 959 702 K
Component: Tuersteuergeraet BF 5616

Part No: 3D0 959 703 J
Component: Tuersteuergeraet HL 5616

Part No: 3D0 959 704 J
Component: Tuersteuergeraet HR 5616

Part No: 3D0 909 610 C
Component: 3L HDSG 2330

Part No: 7L0 907 719 A
Component: Neigungssensor 0020

No fault code found.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are two intermittent ones that I did not post - one having to do with the transmission and the position setting and the other with airbags.

What can be gleaned from these above results?

Thank you.

cai

[PanEuropean]

Archival Note: Related discussions

(this one deals more with the pushbuttons on the key fob not working, rather than keyless access not working): Troubleshooting intermittent keyfob function (door unlocking).

(this one addresses troubleshooting of the speakers in the doors, a task that also requires that the inner door panel be removed): Door trim removal -- Speaker replacement

[PanEuropean]

Quote, originally posted by cai »

What can be gleaned from these above results?

The only fault code that warrants investigation is this one:

00216 - Signal EC-mirror Fade Out
009 - Open or Short to Ground

The other two (sunroof, and intervention load management) can be disregarded. None of the fault codes address the lock button on the passenger door. The failure of the lock button on the passenger door is probably caused by moisture ingress into the area behind the rubber button, and as a result, the button is failing to close the switch (make contact) when it is pressed. Because the normal state of the pushbutton on the outside of the door handle is open circuit, no fault code will be reported.

The tech does not have to take the inside of the door apart! That is not an appropriate action. The tech should connect a diagnostic scan tool to the car, then press each outside door handle button and observe the measured value blocks (MVBs) from the appropriate controller (likely controller 05) to see if the circuit is being made when the button is pressed.

Read this whole thread, starting at page 1, and you will then have an excellent understanding of why your external door lock pushbutton is not working, and what is involved in solving the problem. I suggest you also print it out and give it to your tech.

Michael

[Kuwaity]

For the first time, my key less entry stopped working today. It was confusing to me because the keyless start was working and no battery warring. The trunk was ok when I press the vw logo but the capacitive sensors and the buttons on ALL the doors wasn’t working at all!

So I brought my vag-com and found some faults there (open circuit etc.), simply by erasing all faults the system is back to life! I’m not sure what went wrong.

I did some search here and found that the battery has nothing to do with this?? I don’t think so because when I remove the battery, both keyless entry and keyless start don’t work.

My car is 5 years old now.
I have not read all the posts here, only read the first page. I’ll read the rest later.

[PanEuropean]

Hi Ahmad:

I've had that same thing happen to me occasionally.

My guess is that the car gets a bit cranky sometimes if the voltage on the left battery is low, and one of the ways that it expresses its crankyness is to refuse to open the doors. I'm guessing that the left battery voltage in your car might have been "just a fraction" below what controller 05 (the access and start controller) needs in order to operate properly.

What I do when I encounter this problem (it happens about twice a year) is just put the left battery on the charger overnight and charge it up. The problem never recurs (until the next time the left battery gets low).

If your battery is still the original one that the car shipped with, it is probably reaching the end of its life. You can either replace it, or buy a charger and plan to give it a charge from time to time whenever it gets low.

Michael

[Kuwaity]

Hello Michael,

You’re probably right; the left battery is very old. But whenever I connect my vag-com to the car, I check the battery voltage. This time it was 12V which is low, but many times the voltage was well less than 12V and I did not have this problem. Also, I charged the left battery last Friday using a small battery charger/maintainer.

Just to clear things in my previous post: I had interchanged my Passat key battery (few months old) with the Phaeton key battery just to see what happens. After this I cleared the faults and the system was just fine.

The surprise was when I went to check the Phaeton key battery on the Passat, I couldn’t open the door by the remote keys or with the keyless entry. So I opened the door with the emergency key and also couldn’t use the key less start! The car gave me a massage “replace key battery!”

Now I’m sure that the key battery was the cause of the problem. I have no other conclusion.

A side note: Batteries usually have slightly less voltage during cold climate, today the temperature was 15 C, which is not what my car used to “feel” maybe this lowered the left battery voltage and showed the age of the key battery.

UPDATE: Today morning the keyless entry was working. After driving to work, I couldn't lock the door with the door botton. I'll try new battery and see what happens.


Modified by Kuwaity at 7:39 AM 11-25-2009

[ArtWarshaw]

Just had some paint work done on the drivers door and rear bumper. After the work was done, the driver's side rear door handle stopped working properly.

The black button locks the door, however, when I attempt to open the door, I have to pull the handle about a dozen times before the door will open. I can hear the lock mechanism trigger as soon as I touch the handle but I can't open the door. About 5 seconds go by as I pull the handle about a dozen times. Then the door will open. Once opened the handle works perfectly.

As soon as I lock the door again the problem comes back

Any ideas?

[v1mbrt]

The

5 Faults Found:
00183 - Interior Access/Start Authorization Antenna 1 (R138)
011 - Open Circuit - Intermittent
00180 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna; Passenger Side (R135)
011 - Open Circuit
00179 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna; Drivers Side (R134)
011 - Open Circuit
00181 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna (in Rear bumper) (R136)
011 - Open Circuit - Intermittent
00182 - Luggage Compartment Access/Start Authorization Antenna (R137)
011 - Open Circuit

Do have something to do with the low-power supply to the antenna's. Mine does have this to. According the dealer, this is a common problem in the Kessy unit.

It's already an 18 months plan to investigate the kessy unit to find the defective part. Unfortunately, I'm to busy :-( Sorry.

[PanEuropean]

Martin:

The combination of faults that you posted above can only be accounted for by one of two possible causes:

1) A loose connector - more specifically, a loose connector at the KESSY unit under the driver floor.

2) A defective (failed) KESSY unit (controller 05).

See these posts for more information:

Retrofitting Keyless Start to Phaetons that are equipped with Keyless Entry (shows location of controller)
Lifting the Phaeton on a Hydraulic Lift - Precautions (shows how connnector or controller can be damaged)

Michael

[v1mbrt]

Yep, defective Kessy unit. The kessy unit does provide the low-power source for the antenna's. Ie the low power needed to let the antenne's work when the Phaeton is "asleep" without the ACC. battery getting discharged.

My (more or less) educated guess is, the Kessy unit does have a faulty power circuit and fails to provide the power. This reverts back with that particular type of error messages as if there's a loose connector.

I've already had the Kessy unit out of the car for investigation/repair, though the Kessy unit also is the control device for start authorisation, so without Kessy unit, the car does not run. Given taking the Kessy unit in and out is not a 5 min job and the Phaeton is my daily driver, I'm a bit stuck with the repair.....

No damage or water in the footwell.

Thx. M.

[RichardMeyer]

Over the weekend my Keyless Entry System (2004 NA V8, 62k mi) became intermittently inoperable, and now it appears to be completely gone. Same fault codes as in prior postings in this thread:

00183 - Interior Access/Start Authorization Antenna 1 (R138)
011 - Open Circuit - Intermittent
00180 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna; Passenger Side (R135)
011 - Open Circuit
00179 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna; Drivers Side (R134)
011 - Open Circuit
00181 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna (in Rear bumper) (R136)
011 - Open Circuit
00182 - Luggage Compartment Access/Start Authorization Antenna (R137)
011 - Open Circuit

Unresponsive with all keys. Cleared the fault codes (after printing hardcopy). Changed one of the key fob batteries to no avail and tested the left battery voltage (engine not running) which checked out at 12.3V - 12.4V. Have not yet tried a charger overnight on the left battery, but with the battery reading over 12.2V, I'm not optimistic.

A couple questions:

1. First the obvious: Has anyone found a solution short of replacing (and re-coding) the Kessy? (I think I know the answer to this one)
2. Is it possible to squeeze a hand under the carpet (after removing the door-edge trim) and check the connector without the complete disassembly (driver's seat, dead pedal, etc.) detailed elsewhere in this thread?
3. Is the Kessy module serviceable by a decent electronics tech, and can those low-power antennae supply components in question be easily identified?

Thanks,
Richard

[Itzmann]

Stephane & Francisco ,
I have had this same problem since May '09. I have scanned & identified fault codes that keep returning after I clear them. Any thoughts?

Well, I had forgotten to come back and provide an update.

Update 1, July 2009 - instead of replacing all five locks that were reporting open circuit or fault or whatever, the experienced technician replaced the control module that goes underneat the driver's footwell. Keyless doors performed excellently afterwards.

Update 2, late May 2010 - right hand side keyless stopped working all of the sudden (co-pilot, rear passenger). With warranty expiration upcoming in a matter of days, new right hand side handles were ordered, painted and installed.

Update 3, August 2010 - I swear the keyless is performing better than ever. Whereas it used to be the system would often take a short while to detect key-in-pocket presence, resulting habitually in a pull (no resistence-no open) followed by pull (unlock-door open), it is now, as far as I can tell, nearly instantaneous. Approach car, even nearly running, pull handle, voilá, door opens! I am reporting improved performance from all four handles as a result of having changed the passenger-side handles.

My car was built in November 2003.

[Jorgsphaeton]

who replaced the kessy controller underneath the seat by him/herself. can it be done?
Do I need vagcom?
Is it true that the controller is protected with a code? I can buy a used one and want to try to replace mine. But if I don't have that code I can use it, is that true?

thanks

[Jorgsphaeton]

and what about my existing keys?
anybody an idea?

[WillemBal]

Hi,
Following a recent discussion on another thread, a fix has been found for the problem with the KESSY which is reporting the following faults in VCDS:

5 Faults Found:
00183 - Interior Access/Start Authorization Antenna 1 (R138)
011 - Open Circuit - Intermittent
00180 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna; Passenger Side (R135)
011 - Open Circuit
00179 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna; Drivers Side (R134)
011 - Open Circuit
00181 - Access/Start Authorization Antenna (in Rear bumper) (R136)
011 - Open Circuit - Intermittent
00182 - Luggage Compartment Access/Start Authorization Antenna (R137)
011 - Open Circuit

The problem is apparently caused by failure of two transistors inside the KESSY, as it was discovered by Touareg enthusiasts which have the same KESSY installed in their cars. The MOSFETS which need replacement are of the conventional type and therefore can be easily replaced without special SMD soldering tools by people with good soldering techniques, like radio ham enthusiasts.
Anyone needing a cheap and easy fix, please see the thread Replace Keyless Access Module

Willem

[tynee]

Michael, would you be able to rehost these photos? Or are they part of the many that were lost?

[PanEuropean]

Yes - I have re-hosted all the photos that I posted on all 5 pages of this thread.