A baffling "No Key" icon appears when key is inserted

[Sylon]

This doesn't happen every time, which makes me think that it won't happen if I take it into the dealership. But occasionally, when I insert my key fob into the slot in the dash, an icon appears on the cluster (and the dong sounds) saying I don't have a key inserted. Its a picture of a key with a slash thru it. Now, the icon quickly disappears right after and the car starts up just fine when I press the Engine Start button.

Right now the car still starts just fine each time this happens, but I'm worried that if it gets worse, that the car won't acknowledge the key and fail to start. Could the key be going bad? Could the the cold weather be playing tricks with the electronics?


A little more info on the car: 2011 135i, BMW PPK Stage 1 tune, no CA, no iDrive. It recently had its 15k service last month (same day as the tune), and I don't remember this issue occuring before that. A computer recall update was performed during that service, right before the PPK tune was done on that day.

[dtwyim]

Does it say no key or key battery low? Maybe the rechargeable battery in your key is going?

[AW128i]

My car does this occasionally, too. I can duplicate it by holding they key right near the key slot without actually inserting the key. I suspect the RF Tx/Rx for the immobilizer is active whether or not the key is actually in the slot, and since the key isn't in the slot, you get the error message indicating that the key isn't inserted. I think depending on how quickly you insert the key into the key slot determines whether or not you get the error message under normal conditions.

[spellbmw]

I replaced the batteries but still had the same warning message. The dealership replaced the key fob but had to reprogram the car to get rid of the warning. No charge. Warranty covered.

[spellbmw]

Originally Posted by spellbmw

I replaced the batteries but still had the same warning message. The dealership replaced the key fob but had to reprogram the car to get rid of the warning. No charge. Warranty covered.

. Also, comfort access in the mix here