Smart key not found
The dash shows the message and the car no longer recognises a key that worked the day before.
Smart key not found, central locking dead or washers not working? The body control module can often be repaired on site, without new keys.
The body control module on the 2012 to 2015 Jaguar XF keeps the car's settings in memory that can scramble when the battery is disconnected or runs flat. The car then loses track of its keys, locking, washers and more. Dashtech repairs the module at your home or workplace and returns it to the same car, so your existing keys carry on working.
The dash shows the message and the car no longer recognises a key that worked the day before.
The doors stop locking or unlocking, often straight after a battery change, a flat battery or a jump start.
The front washers or wipers stop responding.
The blowers and climate control stop working.
Cabin and courtesy lights no longer come on.
The ignition comes on but the car will not start.
A garage scan reports a control module fault in the body control module.
Two known causes sit behind these faults.
Scrambled memory. The module's stored settings can be lost after a sharp voltage drop or a battery disconnection. The keys are not lost. They stay registered in the car's keyless module, which is why adding keys again does not cure the fault.
Water in the wiring. On some cars washer fluid tracks along the front wiring loom from the washer pump and corrodes the plug on the module. Jaguar has a published repair for this on 2012 to 2015 cars.
A full scan and a check of the module's plugs confirm whether the body control module is at fault and whether water is involved.
It sits behind the trim in the driver's footwell.
The stored settings are rebuilt and written back, so the module returns to the same car with the same configuration.
Corroded wiring is repaired and the leak is fixed. A wet loom has to dry before the module goes back, which can mean a second visit.
Keys, locking, wipers, washers, climate and lights are all checked, followed by a final scan.
A module whose data cannot be recovered needs a new unit programmed with Jaguar's dealer software. Dashtech will tell you that at the diagnosis stage.
Earlier XFs, before 2012, and the later XF (X260) are not covered.
Related: BMW & MINI FRM repair · Key programming · Jaguar XE & XF key programming
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