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Hi All...The only key I have has a mind of its own.. difficult to unlock/lock at times ..and the car will lock and unlock itself at times.
Can you assist?
Can you still buy replacement keys from Land Rover dealerships
I would like to get another spare proper key.
Any pointers and help much appreciated. Les.

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To get yours refurbed, send it to Jon https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/404025564146. Any decent key cutting place will be able to cut you a replacement dumb key blade (they use a BMW blank made by Huff), I had a couple cut by my local Timsons but when I went in recently to get a spare cut for a new car I've got they told me that as a company they have stopped doing them as far too many didn't work. Land Rover could supply a genuine one but their website now shows them as no longer available so they may have run out, try asking at your local main dealer. Alternatively, Classic Rides North Wales (crnw.co.uk) can supply a non-flip remote key.

If the car locks and unlocks itself, that isn't anything to do with the key, it is one of the front door latches. The one that doesn't lock and unlock is the failing one.

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Thanks very much Dick....all good info !

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Gilbertd wrote:

To get yours refurbed, send it to Jon https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/404025564146. Any decent key cutting place will be able to cut you a replacement dumb key blade (they use a BMW blank made by Huff), I had a couple cut by my local Timsons but when I went in recently to get a spare cut for a new car I've got they told me that as a company they have stopped doing them as far too many didn't work. Land Rover could supply a genuine one but their website now shows them as no longer available so they may have run out, try asking at your local main dealer. Alternatively, Classic Rides North Wales (crnw.co.uk) can supply a non-flip remote key.

If the car locks and unlocks itself, that isn't anything to do with the key, it is one of the front door latches. The one that doesn't lock and unlock is the failing one.

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Just rang Inchcape Land Rover Preston, they are still available at £333 ! Cripes !

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That sounds about right. They used to be around £250 plus VAT.

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Gilbertd wrote:

That sounds about right. They used to be around £250 plus VAT.

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Dick , anybody , on this subject, can someone explain the issue with the RF Receiver and what I should be checking , a pal says they can get external interference and might need to upgrade ?

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There are 3 versions of the receiver, all operating in the 433.9 MHz licence free band which is for 'Momentarily Operated Low Power Devices'. The first generation are terrible and will respond to any transmission on that, and other nearby, frequency which means key fobs for other cars and other wireless devices such as doorbells, burglar alarm, weather stations, oil tank level senders, kids toys, etc. The selectivity was improved on the second generation but can still be affected and they both share the same problem. As soon as they receive a signal, they wake up the BeCM waiting for the correct code to unlock the car and turn off the immobiliser. If they get a signal but not the correct code, the BeCM goes to sleep after 2 minutes until the next time it is woken up which means in a densely populated area with lots of wireless devices, the BeCM can be constantly woken resulting in a flat battery in a very short time.

The third generation is completely different in as much as the receiver looks for a legitimate code before it wakes up the BeCM, so it will still wake it up if it sees a transmission from another P38 fob (as that will have the same preamble before the actual code) but won't wake up the BeCM if it receives a signal from anything else. So, if you find your battery goes flat overnight (or in 3 or 4 days if the car isn't used regularly), there is likely to be a source somewhere nearby that keeps waking the BeCM. The answer is to fit either a gen 3 receiver at around £400 or a Marty Cox filter. Marty developed the filter that plugs into the receiver that blocks the command to the BeCM unless it sees a legitimate P38 unlock code and is far cheaper than a gen 3 receiver (see http://www.p38webshop.co.uk/).

To check if yours is being affected, when the BeCM is awake the LED next to the gearchange lever will glow dimly and go out completely when it sleeps. So if you are suffering battery drain you can sit in the car at night looking at that.

Finding sources of interference was work before I retired and it isn't just the P38 that is affected, BMW cars of similar age were just as bad and so where a number of other makes.

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Thanks Dick...I understand there are coloured dots on the RF unit that indicates the model ? Yes. which should I have, do you have to re-programme a later one ? ...I had one incident of a flat battery overnight, but nothing since

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No, they are plug and play. The Gen 2 has a blue dot, the Gen 3, the good one, have a green dot. However if buying a used one you don't really know if someone has put a green dot on an earlier one. Even a secondhand genuine green spot will cost you around £200 whereas Marty's filter, which does the same thing, is around £80.

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Thanks Dick...just checked, mine has a green dot !..Just Spoke with the previous owner, who tells me it was never changed during his tenure. The service and repair history from new looks pretty comprehensive, It's was registered Jan 2002.

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Lez wrote:

Thanks Dick...just checked, mine has a green dot !..Just Spoke with the previous owner, who tells me it was never changed during his tenure. The service and repair history from new looks pretty comprehensive, It's was registered Jan 2002.

I had always thought that the Gen 3 RF receiver wasn't released until several years after production of the P38 had ceased so was never fitted to any P38 from the factory.

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So , question is, other than the colour of the sticker dots on the RF units, can you tell which is which ?

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nigelbb wrote:

I had always thought that the Gen 3 RF receiver wasn't released until several years after production of the P38 had ceased so was never fitted to any P38 from the factory.

That was my understanding too but if you pop the cover off and it looks like this one https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275633163269, with the second circuit board, then it is a genuine green spot.

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Roger that Dick...and Thanks...I'll open it up ...when she comes back from having new air bags and bushes fitted.

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Best ignore the Spot Colours these days, because many get changed by eBay sellers. Generation is what matters:

  • Single PCB = Gen-1
  • Single PCB with metal shield = Gen-2
  • Dual PCB = Gen-3

Receiver Types

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Pete12345 wrote:

Best ignore the Spot Colours these days, because many get changed by eBay sellers. Generation is what matters:

  • Single PCB = Gen-1
  • Single PCB with metal shield = Gen-2
  • Dual PCB = Gen-3

Receiver Types

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Yes thanks Pete..I'm going open mine up shortly ! Be interesting to see what gen ..given she's a 2002 run off spec