Citroen C3 central locking only works if key is 4 inches from ignition
Central locking only works inside the car???
The lock button on the dash works fine so I use this to lock the car by putting drivers window down, closing doors and reaching over and flicking window switch and then lock button on dash (or remote by ignition). Why the heck Citroen didn't have central locking via door key is baffling! So far after many searches and reading I've still no solution for my car.
It's not the remotes that need reprogramming and I've also replaced the batteries. At first what I did was double up the batteries and it worked OK but this wasn't permanent so it still suggested the remote wasn't powerful enough to work. I've even went as far as soldering some internal connections in one remote to ensure a good connection seeing as the design is a bit naff internally and connections may not be so good.
In the end I bought a remote range tester and if I put that on the instrument cluster behind the wheel, I can see the keys working from distance as the tester lights up but the car won't lock/unlock unless the remote is right next to the ignition barrel! What's puzzling is that once in a while they will work from a distance! I also noticed that when I press the lock button on the dash, the remote tester lights up slightly.
I've seen signal interference suggested as being an issue but I've tried different locations to eliminate that. It does have a PARROT CK3100 fitted (already there when bought car last month) so I'm going to remove that to see if that resolves the problem. I'm not so sure it will be as it worked OK for a couple of weeks from getting the car and has only recently started having problems.
I also tried resetting BSI using this info but not sure if it completed correctly as there was no indication it had.
https://www.bba-reman.com/gb/content/ci ... ol_failure
I'm not going down the BSI/ESI/key replacement root as it's just not cost/time effective. I am going to try replacing the COM2003 unit which is 96608838XT (it's a facelift C3 with audio stalk) as C3CAR has mentioned the receiver may be in that. I've also seen someone else had replaced theirs and it fixed their problem so may as well try this.
questions-about-a-citroen-c3-not-relate ... -t457.html
If the COM swap doesn't work then I can sell the COM unit on so not much money spent (same with remote tester). Finally I'm going to look at fitting a cheap remote central locking kit (£8 on ebay). Surely you should be able to wire it into the central locking using the info from this thread below (I will test I can do it manually first of course). I know I could pay someone to fit an after market remote but I'll have a look first myself I suppose.
Help me break in? (Central locking broken)
I initially thought about wiring it into the central locking button on the dash. I will also look at that switch and 4 'simple' connections to see if I can simply tap the cheap remote into that instead seeing as the lock button works fine.
- Citroen C3 Central Locking Button on the Dashboard
But for now it's the manual locking method so thanks to C3CAR for this (though there is no option for the boot)
Manually lock doors on Citroen C3
Citroen C3 parts and servicing:
