★★★★★
"I was very impressed. He was on time and set up both key fobs and cut both keys for my car and it only took about an hour. He really knows his stuff and I really appreciated it."
— Glenn Buckboro · Google review
Checking hours…
Most fobs: a $5 coin-cell, 5-minute swap
Key fob battery replacement in Winnipeg — usually a $5 fix you can do in five minutes.
I'm Leo, a mobile auto locksmith in Winnipeg — and I'll tell you straight: most "my fob stopped working" problems are just a dead coin-cell battery. That's a $5 part and a five-minute job you can do yourself. Here's exactly how, which battery yours takes, and how to tell when it's something I actually need to come out for.
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Which battery does your fob take?
- CR2032 20 × 3.2 mm · most common
- CR2025 20 × 2.5 mm · same width, thinner
- CR1632 16 × 3.2 mm
- CR2450 24 × 5.0 mm · some smart keys
The digits are the size: CR2032 = 20 mm wide, 3.2 mm thick. Read the number off your old one.
Find the right battery
The number on the battery is its size
Almost every car key fob runs on a flat coin-cell — and the part number tells you exactly what to buy. The digits are the dimensions in millimetres: CR2032 is 20 mm across and 3.2 mm thick, CR2025 is the same 20 mm but thinner at 2.5 mm. That tiny difference is why people grab the wrong one — a 2025 will rattle in a 2032 slot and a 2032 won't always close in a 2025 holder.
The surest way to know yours: pop the fob open and read the number printed on the old battery. CR2032 and CR2025 cover the big majority; CR1632 and CR2450 show up on some models. Once you know the code, any Canadian Tire, hardware store, or drugstore has it for about $5–10. Buy a two-pack and keep the spare in the glovebox.
Good news on programming: you almost never need to re-pair the fob after a battery swap. The battery only powers the little radio inside — your car remembers the fob separately, so it keeps working the moment the fresh cell goes in. (The rare exception: a fob that sat dead for weeks, or a car whose main battery was disconnected, which can need a quick re-pair.)
Do it yourself
Swap the battery in four steps
No tools beyond a coin or a small flat-blade, and about five minutes. If it works after this, you've saved yourself a service call entirely.
-
01
Identify the battery
Open the fob first and read the number off the old cell, or check your owner's manual. Pick up the exact match — most are CR2032 or CR2025, about $5–10.
-
02
Open the case
Most fobs split along a visible seam — slide out the hidden metal key first, then pry gently with a coin or a plastic tool. Some have a small screw under a sticker on the back. Don't force it; the clips snap easily.
-
03
Swap it — same way up
Note which way the old battery sat before you lift it out. On most fobs the + (printed) side faces up. Try not to touch the flat faces of the new cell — skin oil dulls the contact over time.
-
04
Snap shut, test from a few metres back
Stand away from the car so you know the radio signal is actually reaching it. Touching the car can give a false pass.
Gotcha — upside-down kills it
A coin-cell installed backwards won't power the fob at all. If it's dead right after the swap, pop it open and flip the battery before assuming anything's broken.
Still nothing?
If a known-good fresh battery doesn't bring it back, the battery isn't the problem. Skip to when it isn't the battery below.
The Winnipeg part
Why fobs die on the first −30 morning
Coin-cell batteries lose voltage in deep cold. A cell that was already a little weak in October will read fine in a warm pocket but drop below the level the fob needs to transmit the moment it's sitting in a −30 °C car overnight. That's why so many "it just quit out of nowhere" calls land in the first hard cold snap.
If your range has been getting shorter through the fall, swap the battery before winter rather than after you're standing in a parking lot at −30. Keep the old cell as a backup. More winter car-key tips on the RAXO blog.
−30°
A marginal coin-cell that works in the fall often won't transmit once it's cold-soaked overnight.
When a fresh battery doesn't fix it
You've put in a known-good battery and the fob still won't work. Now it's worth me coming out. Here's what it usually turns out to be — and where each one goes.
Most likely
Lost programming
Buttons click cleanly, fob feels normal, but the car ignores it. Common after a fob sat dead for weeks or the car battery was disconnected. I re-pair it at your car.
Sometimes
Damaged fob
Some buttons work and others don't, or the fob got wet or was dropped and never fully recovered. Sometimes the case is salvageable; often a replacement is the right call. I diagnose at your car.
If you've lost it
No fob at all
Lost your only fob? That's not a battery or a re-pair — it's a brand-new fob made and programmed from scratch, with ownership verification. Different price, different process.
Brand-specific fob-battery notes on the Mazda and Nissan / Infiniti pages. Full pricing across every service on the pricing page.
What it costs
I'd rather save you a service call than take one for a battery. Here's the honest math.
Do it yourself
Just the battery
~$5–10 part
A coin-cell from Canadian Tire, a hardware store, or any drugstore. Five-minute swap with the steps above. No service call, no charge from me.
If you'd rather I handle it
On-site visit
$90+ minimum
My minimum service call is $90, so a battery swap alone is bad math — but the battery is included free if I'm already at your car for programming or another job. Written quote first, every time.
Real work, real cars
No stock photos. Leo will swap these in with shots from actual jobs.
📷 PHOTO 1 — Fob cracked open showing the coin-cell and its printed CR number.
📷 PHOTO 2 — Old vs. new battery side by side, CR2032 visible.
📷 PHOTO 3 — Hidden metal key slid out of a smart-key fob before opening the case.
What customers say
Nine verified Google reviews so far — early but real. Here are three.
★★★★★
"Great service! He quickly made a copy of my car key, and it works perfectly. Friendly, professional, and fair price. Highly recommend!"
— Oleh Vashchenko · Google review
★★★★★
"Precise, polite and punctual."
— Dominic Ibeme · Google review
9 verified reviews · 5.0 average · all on the Google Business Profile. No padding, no buying.
Fob battery questions, answered
If yours isn't here, just text me. More on the full FAQ page.
How do I know if it's the battery?
The classic signs: the range drops so you have to be right next to the car, the fob works only sometimes, the buttons feel mushy, or the dashboard shows a "key battery low" message. A fresh coin-cell is a $5 fix, so it's always worth ruling out first before paying anyone — including me.
Which battery does my key fob use?
Most are a CR2032 or CR2025 coin-cell. The surest way to know: open the fob and read the number printed on the old battery. The digits are the size — CR2032 means 20 mm wide and 3.2 mm thick; CR2025 is the same width but thinner at 2.5 mm, which is why they're easy to mix up. CR1632 and CR2450 show up on some fobs too.
Do I need to reprogram the fob after changing the battery?
Usually no. Most fobs keep their pairing through a battery swap and work the moment the new battery goes in — the battery only powers the radio, the car remembers the fob separately. Occasionally a fob that sat dead for weeks, or a car whose 12-volt battery was disconnected, needs a re-pair. That's a programming job, not a battery one.
Will you replace the fob battery for me?
I can, but my minimum service call is $90, and a coin-cell is about $5–10 at Canadian Tire or any drugstore. Paying me to swap a battery alone is bad math — I'd rather you keep the money. It makes sense only if I'm already at your car for programming or another job, where the battery is included if it's needed.
Why does my key fob die every winter in Winnipeg?
Coin-cell batteries lose voltage in deep cold. A battery that was already weak in the fall will quit on the first −30 morning, because the cold drops it below the level the fob needs to transmit. If yours is acting up as the temperature falls, swap it before winter and keep the old one as a glovebox backup.
My fob still doesn't work with a new battery — now what?
Then it isn't the battery. The usual culprits are lost programming (buttons click but the car ignores the fob), a damaged fob (got wet or dropped), or a vehicle-side fault. Text me your year/make/model and what's happening — I diagnose at your car and send a written quote first. If it turns out to be the car and not the fob, I tell you that instead of billing for nothing.
I lost my only fob — is that a battery job?
No — that's all-keys-lost, not a battery swap. I generate a brand-new fob from scratch and program it to your car, with ownership verification. The price and process are different. See Lost All Keys for the full breakdown.
Battery swap didn't fix it? Send me the details.
Faster than calling. I'll text you back with a written quote.
New battery in and still no luck? Text me.
Written quote before I dispatch. Pay after it works. If it turns out to be the car and not the fob, I tell you that instead of billing for nothing.