How to Open a BMW or Mini with a Dead Key Fob
- First, if you are already inside, click here for help getting started!
- Second, for video help, click here!
- Finally, if you need another manufacturer, click here.
While a mechanical key can be used if you have the new iX or i4 all electric models, you’ll have two additional options as well .
Retrieving the Mechanical Key
For your BMW or Mini, press the button on the back of the remote control (or ‘clicker’) and pull the key ring end to remove the integrated key. The integrated or mechanical key can be used to unlock the driver’s door.
In 2014, BMW and Mini both added themselves to the list of manufacturers hiding the keyhole or 
lock cylinder, and introduced a new, slightly redesigned key fob. The button in this case, is on the side, as shown. Press it and pull the key ring end to remove the mechanical key.
The Mini key is rounder. The newest version, 
shown, has a button on the neck. Push it while pulling the key ring with your free hand to retrieve the mechanical key. On all other Mini key fobs, the button is simply on the back.
In 2015, in higher end models, BMW introduced a Display Key. The mechanical key is separate and should be carried in a wallet or purse! The Display Key itself can be recharged in the car (see the end of this page). If the Display Key goes dead and the mechanical key is not available, roadside assistance will be necessary.
With the latest EV line, the iX, i4 and i5 so far, come new key fobs. The i4 and i5 have a traditional looking fob, very much like the second one above. Push the button on the side and pull the key away. However, it will need to be used in a very tight space and so needs to be “undressed”. Slide the frame down the key and remove (right).
The iX mechanical key is behind the chrome cover on the key fob. Look for the button shown (first image). Press it and pull away the cover in the direction of the larger arrow. Then rotate the mechanical key out from the fob starting with the key’s tip (second image).
Opening Your BMW
The electric models we noted above use a mechanical key for entry, as well. Lift the handle (right) of the i4 or i5 to expose the keyhole (black arrow).
In the iX, note a small door on the far right in the entry opening. Push to release it and pull it away to expose the key hole in the same spot (right). This handle has since spread 
the ICE powered 7-Series and will likely find its way to other models.
Note that once the key has been used in the lock, the door used to expose the key hole is now used to open the driver’s door itself. Pull it away to the left until the door unlatches. The actual door handle will not operate.
Both handle styles also feature a proximity detection pad. It is located somewhat in the middle of the driver’s door handle on the i4 (first image) and at the front of the driver’s door handle on the iX and 7-Series (right image). It is the knurled spot seen in the image. Touch an activated key card or the back of a smart phone with the BMW app to the spot and the door will unlock.
Hiding the key hole was first seen in the X5 model in 2014 and the X1, X6 and X7 SUVs have been added since. Insert the integrated key into the opening of the driver’s door handle indicated by the arrow in the image. Press upwards and remove the cover. The cover comes off onto the key itself, and quite easily. Unlock the door using the integrated key in the now exposed door lock.
Yes, the effect is that of pulling off a piece of your car, but it is necessary to get inside! The cover can be snapped back on, but the priority now is to simply get inside your car. Check out the video here for more help.
Starting 2015 in the 7-Series only, a new style hidden key hole a new cover removal process is featured. The directions from BMW are a little confusing, so do this carefully. It turns out to actually be quite simple.
It starts as a one-piece door handle (above) that must be pulled outward. With the handle pulled outward with your left hand, slip a finger from your right hand behind handle. Feel for a metallic release and push it outward. This will release the cap, which can be pulled away with the thumb and fingers of your right hand, exposing the key hole (right).
Again, you are removing a piece of your car. Its still ok!
Let go of the handle and use the mechanical key to unlock the door using the key cylinder now visible through the handle. Note that if you have a display key, the mechanical key is not integrated into the fob. It is supplied separately. Keep it with you at all times, or you will need roadside assistance.
A modified version of this was introduced in the 540i for the 2017 model year. It has since been introduced in the X5 and X7 SUVs. The same metal clip is behind what is a smaller cap. The cap is the last bit of chrome at the back of the driver’s door handle and is roughly the same size as the clip, making it easier to feel for.
Like the 7-Series, pull the handle out and slip a finger from your other hand behind handle. Feel for the metallic clip and give it a push. In this case, the cap will practically fly off. You are still removing a piece of your car and its still ok! Let go of the handle and use the mechanical key to unlock the door using the key cylinder that is now visible through the handle.
Opening Your Mini
Opening Your MiniAnd finally, the Mini. Only the Cooper Hardtops are currently using this style, which is quite unique. A small oval-shaped cap at the rear of the handle must be removed to expose the key hole. Look for a small slot underneath the handle (arrow). Slip the mechanical key into the hole as far as it will go, which is about an inch. Nothing obvious happens, but the cap is now free to remove. Slip a fingernail anywhere in the groove and the cap will fall away. Yes, pulling off another piece of a car…
Now slip the key into the now exposed key hole and turn to unlock the car. Remove the key before pulling the handle. Pull the handle, and you’re in. There is a video here dedicated to this model.
Continue to Part II, Getting Started …
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY