What Am I Doing Wrong?

[ecarfan]

they only gave me one fob when I picked up the car.

John, sorry to hear about your fob issues. I’m shocked that only one fob came with your X. That’s a real screwup on Tesla’s part.

If I was in your position I would call the nearest SC (Buena Park) and explain the problem and tell them you need a loaner X if they can’t fix your fob problem in an hour when you bring it in. Ask if they can send someone to your house; maybe they will.

It can be a challenge owning a Tesla and living so far from an SC. I have actually advised people I know who live several hours drive from an SC and want to buy a Tesla not to buy one. These cars aren’t perfect (no car is) and stuff happens.

 

[boaterva]

My experience is the opposite of yours.

My S fob had to be within about 10 ft of the car or less for the car to unlock (that was the case during my 3 1/2 years of ownership and over multiple fob battery changes). My X fob unlocks the car from a much greater distance, at least twice as far away. I noticed the difference immediately after taking delivery of my X a few months ago.

And Bluetooth technology uses radio waves; they “radiate”. Both the S and the X fob use Bluetooth.

Of course they radiate. I'm an electrical engineer, let's get the trivial background out of the way.

I've always read that the S fobs use stronger radios, not just BT. And that people have reported them working dozens of feet away, a floor away, etc.

My X doesn't do anything until I'm about four feet away, and certainly not through one wall. This was true for it and the same for a loaner.

So, not sure what to add here, interesting that the experiences are that different.

 

[Big John]

One neat feature of the Tesla is the ability to do updates and analysis at a distance. I have wondered why they do not just overnight a replacement fob? I realize there is some programming involved, but if they can unlock the car at a distance, do they not have the information they need to program a replacement fob and overnight it to me? Be much cheaper than sending a mobile unit all the way out here. Still no contact from the SC.

 

[ecarfan]

My X doesn't do anything until I'm about four feet away, and certainly not through one wall. This was true for it and the same for a loaner. So, not sure what to add here, interesting that the experiences are that different.

Wow. Very different. “Four feet away”. How odd! My X fob works from 15 ft away through a wall.

 

[Solarman004]

@Big John - any contact yet from Tesla?

 

[BigMskiman]

Wow. Very different. “Four feet away”. How odd! My X fob works from 15 ft away through a wall.

Me too. I can open FWD for my dog's leaping entry from 5 car lengths away

 

[Big John]

Yes. Switched CS locations and things started moving, Picked up car and got two programmed keys and they fixed about 5-7 other issues I had with the car. very satisfied--so far.

 

[speedy]

Wow. Very different. “Four feet away”. How odd! My X fob works from 15 ft away through a wall.

Depends on what you mean by "works". If you mean pressing a button on the fob, then it should work from a fair distance away. I think boaterva was referring to auto detecting when you are approaching or leaving the car, which in my case, is also about 4 ft away. I think that's a good distance, since I hang my fob on a wall about 20' from the car, and the car auto locks with no problem at all...

 

[HugoBoss]

Had same issue. Just walking around house with no key I would see X in driveway with lights on and unlocked. Came home from work one day wife left X in driveway it was with lights on and unlocked. I just turned off passive entry. I didn't like fact that any time I walk by x it would unlock . Became anoying when I went to garage for something.

I now have to unlock on remote to open it instead of just walking to it and pressing door handle. No big deal. At least now I know it's locked and won't unlock randomly.

 

[Akikiki]

I’ve had my X for 3 weeks. Still learning. Two vexing issues. Is this something I’m doing? Again, X is new.

Owner’s Manual Companion | TeslaTap

 

[boaterva]

Wow. Very different. “Four feet away”. How odd! My X fob works from 15 ft away through a wall.

Finally saw the notification for this thread... yes, I was talking about 'auto unlock'. The fob works actively (pressing buttons) from much further away. I have my 'normal' fob above the garage in the bedroom (12 feet?) and it doesn't trigger the car to unlock/wake up. The backup one is in the kitchen, and it, at about 5 feet has to be in a faraday bag to not affect the car. But it depends on what's in the wall, etc. as to how much 'deterioration' the signal will get.

I think this ends up with each user having to experiment with their situation and their house's construction (and where they store their fobs) and see how things play out. I also used Passive Entry Off at one point (and disabled it, went back to 'normal', with doors auto open disabled, that's another thread...).

 

[Aljohn]

@Big John -- consider what else may be in the pocket with the FOB. I have found that if I have a pack of gum or other keys in the pocket, I occasionally get "Key Fob not present and car will not restart" warning. I remove the key for or other stuff in that pocket and the warning go away. Just a suggestion. Vampire loss is about 10-15 miles a day. That is normal. The X should lock when you close the doors.

Here is the section of Lights:

Headlights After Exit
When you stop driving and park Model X in
low lighting conditions, the exterior lights
automatically turn on. They automatically turn
off
after one minute or when you lock
Model X.
You can turn this feature on and
off
using the
touchscreen. Touch
Controls>Settings>Vehicle.Headlights After Exit.

When Headlights After Exit is set to Off, the headlights turn off
when you engage the Park gear.

 

[tommie]

Getting pretty desperate. The fob has totally packed it in. The only way I can use the car is with the phone--and you have to go through the process every time you get in and out. Nice feature but not as good as a working fob by a mile. Be 69 in a month. Wife is totally disabled. In hospice. Part of the reason I got the X was that I can muscle her into the rear seat with the FWD--so much easier. Still I have been bugging Tesla Service since Thursday and not even a call back. I live in a rural area 2+ hours from the closest service center. This is embarrassing. Paid over twice as much for the X as any other car I have ever owned and I don’t even have a working key. Label me EMBARRASSED AND STRANDED IN THE DESERT.

I went through the same problem, when my sole key fob stopped working. The car could recognize it when in the compartment with the usb, but it took some waving around each time. So I decided to leave it there and use the Tesla app on my iphone. Worked great until I was at a rest stop out in the middle of the mountains. Got back to the car, which naturally was locked, took my phone out--No service! I contemplated sleeping in the bathroom, until Bigfoot came by, but decided to hike along Hwy 49 until I got a signal. Only had to go about a mile. When I emailed Tesla about the problem, had a Ranger visit me the next day. Took him over 1/2 hour to program the new fobs.