Bit of a Strange One... Remote Fob Blocked?
 

Couldn't open the car with the fob last night, had to use the key barrel under the handle. Had to start the car with the key in ignition. Got out, couldn't lock it with the fob either. Same story this morning.

Fob had a new battery couple of months ago and has been perfect, including all day away from the house yesterday. I can see the fob light flashing. Won't lock/unlock on the fob even when inside the car.

The strange thing is...

...Same story with the wife's B7 A4. Since last night, her's is doing the same thing. Both unlock and start on the physical key.

Gotta be interference from somewhere? Nothing changed in our house, don't recall anyone putting up a mast (5G! Terror!) on our close either!

Just wondeirng if anyone else has experienced the same?

opportunist car thieves scanning them

hope not thou

No-one around though. I guess you'd need to be within 50 ft or so to do this.

Do the fobs (for both vehicles) work every time away from home?

Key fobs work at 433.92Mhz whilst 5G in UK will work at 3.4 - 3.6Ghz initially so way apart in the frequency spectrum. Even 4G is between 800Mhz and 2.6Ghz. So it unlikely that interference from these sources is the cause. This 433Mhz band (its called LPD 433) is used for a number of other Low Power Devices including garage or gate openers and some outdoor home weather station products. But such devices would have to be very close to overpower the key fob transmitter when the latter is close to the car.

Have the kids been playing with keys or something else pressing buttons many times while out of range?

They have fixed ID and variable code. I seem to remember that if buttons are pressed too many times while out of range the variable code will change so that car no longer accepts the ID/code combination and keys need to be re-synchronised to car.

A VCDS scan would give some clues, are you able to do one?

Update: All working fine today. Worked away from the house on both cars yesterday too.

Looked around to see if anyone has installed a new garage remote door etc. but nothing changed in the nearby surroundings. Very strange. I'll ask my local Audi indie to do a scan next time I am there.

I do wonder if the Mrs has had her keys in her bag and it's been holding down a button in there (God know what she carries, but based on the condition of her phone, I'd say it's an active tournament of Robot Wars).

But then - I myself do not sport a handbag, my keys are usually in the same place in the house (that's how I can find them), and I have them on a carrabiner so the bunch is too big to put in my trousers and press an errant button that way.

"One to monitor."

Like the origins of life and the moments preceding the Big Bang, the contents of a woman's handbag are one of the great mysteries, except one day we might solve the mystery of life and the universe.

The old scam used to be "robber" hides a small jammer near someone's drive which effectively blocks remotes, so people press lock and at least some don't notice that nothing happens. Go back in the early hours, rifle through the un-locked and un-alarmed cars, then move the jammer to the next house/street. :tuttut:

Worth checking with neighbours to see if anyone else had any problems?