rbaron

'04 CS, delivered 5/04, original owner.

It came with 2 key fobs (not enter and drive) and I put one in a drawer and have used the other daily. In the last month the daily user has failed to open or lock the doors with increasing frequency so I swapped them and the other fob has worked just fine.

I put a new battery in the failing fob but it still only works occasionally.

The manual says if the battery needs replacing you will get a message on the instrument panel but I have not.

And I did try to do a forum search on this subject but I didn't find the answer.

So, what makes a good key fob go bad?

ltc

Defective microswitch (no, not THAT microswitch (rear window), the one inside the fob)
Bad switch contacts
Cracked PCB
Cracked traces on PCB
Cold solder joints on PCB

Should I go on?

rbaron

Nah, that gives me the picture.

Sounds like I'd need a new one to fix the problem and I think I can do without that expense right now, thank you very much.

I appreciate your help.

ltc

No, it just means if you are electronically inclined (or know someone who is), you probably can disassemble the keyfob and possibly repair it yourself.
IIRC, a new (programmed) keyfob is around $300 or so.

GMS

I was under the impression that all the older 955 keys were replaced under a "service action".
This was a while ago and now it may have been discontinued, but call your dealer with the VIN and see.

MarkD

I blame the parents

rbaron

Your memory is good. Mine were replaced under that TSB, whenever it was.