DRIVERS are only just realising a little-known key hack to mend a broken key fob and which costs just £2.
A car guru has been thanked after sharing tips on TikTok on fixing problems when your electronic key fob’s battery has run down.
conggeshuocheTikTok user Bro Cong has shared a hack for car key fobs[/caption]
Bro Cong, who has more than 2.8million social media followers, shared a 53-second video explaining the useful hack.
Standing outside a locked car, the TikTokker told viewers: “Look at this door – if you can’t open it, don’t even think about calling a tow truck.
“Today I will teach you a small method that can solve the problem in less than 10 seconds and it doesn’t cost any money.
“It’s very simple. There is a small mechanism on the key and we can take out the hidden mechanical key with a single stroke.”
Bro was shown carving open the key fob with his fingers to find a thin metal strip he used to squeeze open the door handle’s panel.
He said: “Insert it into the small hole under the door panel and gently pry it and the lock cylinder is exposed.
“Then put the key in and gently push the door and the door will open.”
He went on to tackle the follow-up problem of how to re-lock the car – insisting there was “no need to go to the repair shop”.
The TikTokker described the remedy as “too simple”, adding: “We can replace it in a second by ourselves.”
He again demonstrated how to open up the small fob and explore inside, saying: “We just need to dig gently along the gap of the key.
“You can take out the button battery inside – then I went to the supermarket to spend $2 to buy an identical model to replace it and the problem was completely solved.”
Grateful responses in the comments below included: “Thanks very much for sharing this knowledge – I applied it and it worked.”
Another viewer wrote: “Reminded me to change my battery – thanks.”
His video was also described as “good info for me” and “super”.
But others were less impressed, with one person replying: “Every modern key fob has this – I can’t believe people don’t know this.”
Other hacks shared online by Bro Cong include how to find a hidden button allowing you to open the petrol tank.
He has also demonstrated how to use windscreen wipers to help parallel park and six little-known door handle functions.
Other recent recommendations about key fob buttons from others include how they can remotely start cars, park them instead or personalise your motor.
conggeshuocheTips have been given on opening up a fob to get it going again[/caption]
conggeshuocheBro Cong prised the fob open to help unlock a car when the battery’s down[/caption]
conggeshuocheHis video showed how to prise open not only a fob but also a door panel[/caption]
conggeshuocheHe then demonstrated how to apply a £2 fix[/caption]