I was at my dealership recently for a recall and saw price for a key fob battery replacement was $28.00! So hopefully this helps you save $20+ and a trip to the dealer. Go treat yourself to lunch or dinner instead you deserve it!
This explanation was a little bit better than a previous video. I watched which wasn’t bad just that he required a screwdriver, I like your explanation better thank you very much. I change two fobs quickly, and I did it myself. I’m 72 year old lady.
had a minor mishap, little metal "button" with tiny spring fell out as well, just rewatched and at 1:12 I could see which way it went so was back in pretty quick, Thanks!😁
Great video on life support for a Subaru key life boat. I worked 2 hours prior on my daughter's new battery without success, and the author, Ben Cade walked me through the procedure. Stanford University and Boston Children's Hospital put out videos for residents on all sorts of surgical procedures, and Ben Cade was right up there in quality !!! Steven Ross, MD, FAAP
Concise, well-paced and very easy to follow and understand. Well, Done Mr. Cad. If you read this, be aware that new car dealers' revenues mainly derive from after-sales servicing, warranty add-ons and financing programs. Try offering all cash, which they will not want to discuss. Dealers need to cover overhead costs. Without significant profit, they can't be profitable. This FOB is well-designed. However, it was designed not to be intuitive. Why? Simple to bring you back in to sell a $1 dollar battery for $20. A markup of 1900% and a very good profit margin for a single item. To get you to open your wallet, they need face-to-face opportunity as often as possible. All of this is okay as long you know before you go in, how this game is played.
So true. I left the comment in another spot, but the trick of facing the key cut out toward the silver time which I have to go and look, but I already replaced my two fob batteries in no time at all. I anticipated changing the battery and have them on hand from Amazon six of them for about eight dollars energizer. I did them in about five minutes and I’m 72 year old lady who tries to do things on her own. I was afraid I would have to go to the dealership and they were not exorbitant one wanted five dollars for the battery and another one wanted eight dollars for the battery and said I could just go and take it to Service and they would do it for free. so not terribly bad, but I got to do it myself and have extra batteries on hand. I was afraid these fobs needed to be programmed, but obviously not so and they worked fine on my 22 Forester premium.
This is my favorite video on the internet right now. I replaced a few months ago (using this video) with lesser quality batteries. Used a name brand battery this time and the signal seems stronger than ever. Hoping it's a long time now before I get that warning about the battery being low. But if I see it, of course I'll have this video bookmarked to make easy work of it. Thank you!
Thanks a lot. I watched a few videos and wasn't able to do it until I watched your video. You showed and explained it in an easy manner to follow. THANKS
Thank you for taking the time to make this video! I changed both fob batteries in less time than it's taking to write this comment. Much appreciate the clear explanation. I would've been worried about the force required to pry out the battery, without having seen your demo. How did i ever survive before UA-cam? You're my new hero, cheers!
Easy peasy! Thanks for this. FWIW, the trick of using the key to pry open the fob didn't work for mine (2020 Forrester) -- the slot was just a tiny bit too small for the key to fit. I just used a small screwdriver to do the same thing.
Just to add for those that struggle, be sure to clean they key fob especially the 3 plastic buttons, every time I closed the fob, the boot/trunk lid would open until I cleared the gunk.
Thanks for taking out some of the misery of owning a subaru. Have any suggestions in repairing their alleged leather seats that tore within 6 months or owning it? I will NEVER own another subaru, or the windshield that chipped within a year? Piece of tinker toy junk!
Thank you Ben for the video! It's been really helpful :D (I was afraid to break the key or do something wrong but with your video it was an easy tour).
Note: it is a good idea to NOT get oils from your fingers onto the new battery, or it can self-discharge faster. Handle it with gloves or with a paper tissue to avoid touching the battery directly.
The little button that you pushed to get the key out has a spring and a sloppy attachment that easily comes apart. The spring sprang onto my floor and it took me 20 minutes to find it then another 5 minutes to figure out how it went back in so be careful with that everyone.
Oh no! Sorry to hear, I’m sure you could from a hardware store perhaps? Maybe call Subaru to ask? They might be able to provide some good info and help you with a size/part number?
I'm sorry that happened. And sorry for chuckling while reading your comment. I have a vivid imagination and understand how nerve racking that could have been.
in doing this you will probably encounter a spring holding in the key button release component--pay close attention to the placement of this (spring points down and there is a plastic center post that holds it in place) you will see the place for the spring on the key button release component.
Ben, thank you for an excellent video ( no ridiculous music or blather) instructions clear, audio balanced and clear with camera focus on the parts. Reckon you could run ‘how to create instructional videos’
thanks for the tutorial, aside from accidently launching the silver button for the key release it went well. Got the battery changed and luckily it was easy to put the silver button back
THANK YOU!! I went to start my car this morning and the fob was dead. In mid-panic I searched UA-cam hoping it wasn’t a long, drawn out process or something I had to take to the dealership. I had batteries on hand and new battery replaced in no time. No having to call someone at 6am to take my kids to school! ❤
I was able to replace the battery and it works, but now the key will not come out so I wil not be abe tp replace it again. Apparently, I put the release in wrong - any ideas? Other than I am a moron.
I'll add my thanks to the long list of your happy viewers. Last Sunday, I bought a 2021 Forester, low miles, from a dealer and drove it home. Today (Friday) the car announced low battery in my access key fob (or whatever they call it). I was slightly panicked, wondering if the battery would last till I got home and grabbed the other fob. The car still has the manuals, so I quickly determined which battery type I'd need to buy. Yes, we have lots of that type. I got home, brought the manual inside, and began reading the instructions. It was not clear just how to pry the case apart, so I did an online search, and here you are! Thank you! It still was a bit of a struggle prying the case apart, and the circuit board came flying out, too. Also, the manual says to wrap the screwdriver with tape or a cloth, which made things a little more awkward. While inserting the new battery, I also hit the horn button-- newbie clumsiness, LOL. After the first fob, my big question was whether to do the second fob. Without a working battery tester, I decided better safe than sorry, and went after the second fob. It had a Toshiba battery in it, and had more dust or grime around the opening. So I tried guessing which fob was used as the primary fob, by the car's previous owner. Was it the dirty one, with possibly the original battery in it? Or was the battery dead, and the dealer replaced it before handing over the car to me? Or was the dirty one that way from sitting around gathering dust? It was harder to reassemble the little cap with the emergency key back into the case, probably because it was so dirty and tolerances were tight. And again, I hit the horn button accidentally. After both were reassembled, I decided the dirtier one was the primary fob; it seemed more "polished" and had scratches. So I'll continue using the other as my primary fob.
Thank you for this! It took me under 5 min to replace the battery for my 2021 and your video was key. Very clear directions, great camera work and no annoying distracting music. Thank you!!
I was at my dealership recently for a recall and saw price for a key fob battery replacement was $28.00!
So hopefully this helps you save $20+ and a trip to the dealer. Go treat yourself to lunch or dinner instead you deserve it!
Oh my gosh! Thank you! In less than 10 minutes (I'm not that mechanically inclined; lol) I got it done just following your steps.
@@HMTrencher Happy to hear this helped! Thanks for leaving a comment, cheers!
This explanation was a little bit better than a previous video. I watched which wasn’t bad just that he required a screwdriver, I like your explanation better thank you very much. I change two fobs quickly, and I did it myself. I’m 72 year old lady.
Glad it helped you, thanks for leaving a message!
had a minor mishap, little metal "button" with tiny spring fell out as well, just rewatched and at 1:12 I could see which way it went so was back in pretty quick, Thanks!😁
I did the same thing! Fortunately the picture helped immensely.
Same here!
I was worried about breaking my fob, so this video was super helpful. Thanks! Happy to report the battery is replaced and key fob not broken.
Glad it helped you! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Great video on life support for a Subaru key life boat.
I worked 2 hours prior on my daughter's new battery without success, and the author, Ben Cade walked me through the procedure. Stanford University and Boston Children's Hospital put out videos for residents on all sorts of surgical procedures, and Ben Cade was right up there in quality !!!
Steven Ross, MD, FAAP
Hahaha thank you for the comment Steve! Glad it helped you and your family out!
Concise, well-paced and very easy to follow and understand. Well, Done Mr. Cad.
If you read this, be aware that new car dealers' revenues mainly derive from after-sales servicing, warranty add-ons and financing programs. Try offering all cash, which they will not want to discuss. Dealers need to cover overhead costs. Without significant profit, they can't be profitable. This FOB is well-designed. However, it was designed not to be intuitive. Why? Simple to bring you back in to sell a $1 dollar battery for $20. A markup of 1900% and a very good profit margin for a single item. To get you to open your wallet, they need face-to-face opportunity as often as possible. All of this is okay as long you know before you go in, how this game is played.
So true. I left the comment in another spot, but the trick of facing the key cut out toward the silver time which I have to go and look, but I already replaced my two fob batteries in no time at all. I anticipated changing the battery and have them on hand from Amazon six of them for about eight dollars energizer. I did them in about five minutes and I’m 72 year old lady who tries to do things on her own. I was afraid I would have to go to the dealership and they were not exorbitant one wanted five dollars for the battery and another one wanted eight dollars for the battery and said I could just go and take it to Service and they would do it for free. so not terribly bad, but I got to do it myself and have extra batteries on hand. I was afraid these fobs needed to be programmed, but obviously not so and they worked fine on my 22 Forester premium.
This is my favorite video on the internet right now. I replaced a few months ago (using this video) with lesser quality batteries. Used a name brand battery this time and the signal seems stronger than ever. Hoping it's a long time now before I get that warning about the battery being low. But if I see it, of course I'll have this video bookmarked to make easy work of it. Thank you!
Glad to hear the videos been helpful and thanks for leaving a comment 😃
Helped in a VERY critical moment by a complete stranger. The good side of youtube! Thank you and God bless ❤!
Glad to hear it helped you out in a tight spot! Thanks for leaving a comment, cheers!
Thanks a lot. I watched a few videos and wasn't able to do it until I watched your video. You showed and explained it in an easy manner to follow. THANKS
Glad to hear it helped you out! Thanks for leaving a comment
Thanks Ben: I've done this job before about 3 years ago but had forgotten all the steps. Thanks again!!!
Glad it helped you remember the steps haha, thanks for leaving a comment! Cheers
Thank you for taking the time to make this video! I changed both fob batteries in less time than it's taking to write this comment. Much appreciate the clear explanation. I would've been worried about the force required to pry out the battery, without having seen your demo. How did i ever survive before UA-cam? You're my new hero, cheers!
Really appreciate the kind words Sam, really glad to hear it helped you! Cheers!
Thanks for an easy to follow video on replacing the battery in my Crosstrek's key fob.
Happy to hear the video helped you! Thanks for leaving a comment 😊
Thank you for making this video! LOVE UA-cam and it's amazing creators!
Thanks for leaving a message! Glad it was helpful for you!
Thank you for your very clear instructions. It saved me an hour drive both ways to the dealership and who knows how much money.
Great to hear Nina! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Great guide, very useful. Would recommend to anyone needing to change their Subaru key fab battery.
Hey Mario, thanks for the feedback, appreciate the kind words and glad it helped you :)
Thank you! I just changed my battery watching your video.
Glad it helped :) thanks for leaving a comment!
Thanks so much. Short and sweet! Worked like a charm!
Happy to hear it helped you out Debbie! 😀
Fantastic video - super concise and easy to follow instructions. Thanks!
Thanks for leaving a comment! Glad it was helpful 😀
I've just changed my batteries in both keys. Thank you so much for your video!
Glad it helped Vincent! Thanks for leaving a comment :)
Thank you so much for this video :) Helped me change my battery quickly with no issues.
Glad it helped you :) Thanks for leaving a comment!
Easy peasy! Thanks for this. FWIW, the trick of using the key to pry open the fob didn't work for mine (2020 Forrester) -- the slot was just a tiny bit too small for the key to fit. I just used a small screwdriver to do the same thing.
Glad to hear it helped and with the screw driver alternative! Thanks for leaving a comment Diana, cheers
this tutorial was so helpful, thanks a bunch!!
Welcome! Glad it helped you!
Thanks for this video, Ben. Very helpful and I changed my battery without a problem.
Hey Gary, glad to hear it helped! Thanks for leaving a comment! Cheers
Super helpful! Thanks for the quick, straight-to-the-point solve!
Glad it helped you Eric, thanks for leaving a comment! Cheers!
You are my HERO!! Thank you so much for sharing :)
Happy to hear it helped you 😄 Thanks for leaving a comment!
Easy Peasy.....Thank you for this.
Thanks for leaving a comment Robin, glad it helped you!
Great video, very easy to follow! Thanks so much.
Glad it was helpful, thanks for leaving a comment :)
Thanks for a great informative video.
Glad to hear it was helpful! Appreciate you leaving a comment, cheers!
Works perfect! Thanks!
Glad to hear it helped! Cheers
Just to add for those that struggle, be sure to clean they key fob especially the 3 plastic buttons, every time I closed the fob, the boot/trunk lid would open until I cleared the gunk.
This was so easy!! Thank you!!
Glad it helped you! Thanks for leaving a note!
Thank you Ben!
Glad to hear it helped you out! Thanks for leaving a comment, cheers!
Thank you very much for sharing. It's really helpful video.
Thanks for leaving a comment, happy to hear it helped you! Cheers
Best video for this process!
Thanks kind works Amanda, glad to hear it helped you! Cheers
Thanks for that! Very clear instructions.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for leaving a comment Francis
Thanks bro!! Much appreciated!
Thanks for leaving a comment Shawn, glad you found it helpful!
THANK YOU !!!! PERFECT!!!!
Glad to hear it helped you Penny!
Very good. Thanks Ben
Thanks for the feedback Ian, glad it was helpful!
I did it! Thank you!
Nice work! Glad this helped you!
Ben, thank you.
Glad to hear it helped! Cheers
Great video thanks.
Thanks Paul, glad to hear it helped you! Cheers
unfortunately after i clipped the metal key back into the fob i’m unable to get it back out again, so hopefully it will loosen up again over time
Thanks, mate.
Thanks for taking out some of the misery of owning a subaru. Have any suggestions in repairing their alleged leather seats that tore within 6 months or owning it? I will NEVER own another subaru, or the windshield that chipped within a year? Piece of tinker toy junk!
Well glad to hear this was helpful for you, have to agree the leather/pleather materials could definitely be better!
Thanks so much! I appreciate your video!!
Glad it was helpful :) thanks
Do these batteries come in any other flavours?
Thanks!
Glad to hear it helped you out! And thanks for the tip! Very much appreciated! Have a great day!
Thank youuu!!! 🤝🤜🤛
Welcome! Glad this video helped you 😀
Thank you!!!!
Welcome, glad it was helpful :)
Thank you Ben for the video! It's been really helpful :D (I was afraid to break the key or do something wrong but with your video it was an easy tour).
Glad to hear you found it helpful! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Thank you!
You’re welcome Carrie, glad it helped :)
Note: it is a good idea to NOT get oils from your fingers onto the new battery, or it can self-discharge faster.
Handle it with gloves or with a paper tissue to avoid touching the battery directly.
The little button that you pushed to get the key out has a spring and a sloppy attachment that easily comes apart. The spring sprang onto my floor and it took me 20 minutes to find it then another 5 minutes to figure out how it went back in so be careful with that everyone.
I dropped the spring. Can’t find it. Can I buy that somewhere?
Oh no! Sorry to hear, I’m sure you could from a hardware store perhaps? Maybe call Subaru to ask? They might be able to provide some good info and help you with a size/part number?
EXCEPT WHEN YOUR CAR ALARM GOES OFF FOR 5 MINS WHILE YOU RUSH AROUND FINDING THE EXTRA KEY FOB TO MAKE IT STOP.... oops
I'm sorry that happened. And sorry for chuckling while reading your comment. I have a vivid imagination and understand how nerve racking that could have been.
@@kialmaynard5176 🤣🤣
Idk wtf I did wrong but now my key won’t come out, that’s staying there till I sell the car I guess 😂
Subaru should pay you instructor fees
Wouldn’t that be nice! Ha
Thanks for the comment, cheers!
People could take some lessons in your videos on how to make a video.
I'll take that as a compliment! Thanks for leaving a comment, cheers!
Excellent video. So easy to follow. No fluff. Was able to change both without any mishaps. Saved me some $ as well as well as a drive.
Glad it was helpful for you :)
Thanks mate! Much appreciated
Glad you found it helpful Timothy, thanks for leaving a comment! :)
THANK YOU!!
Glad it was helpful 😀
in doing this you will probably encounter a spring holding in the key button release component--pay close attention to the placement of this (spring points down and there is a plastic center post that holds it in place) you will see the place for the spring on the key button release component.
Thank you!
Thanks mate! $5. Only thing I'd include. Make sure to dispose of old battery straight away as harmful to kids. Cheers
Good point! Thanks for leaving a comment, glad it was helpful! Cheers
Best one. The trick of facing the key cutout on the side of the silver tab opens it immediately!! Thank you
Glad it was helpful for you Bill! Cheers
Thank-you very much, Ben.
Very clear instructions - and hands down, much better than the Subaru handbook.
Glad it helped!
Ben, thank you for an excellent video ( no ridiculous music or blather) instructions clear, audio balanced and clear with camera focus on the parts. Reckon you could run ‘how to create instructional videos’
Thanks so much leaving this comment, glad to hear you found it helpful 😃
Thank you very much for your video. Clear simple and straightforward instructions with no waffle.
Glad you found it helpful Loretta! Thanks
For leaving a comment :)
Thank you for the clear instructions! I did this once a year or two ago, but I couldn't remember how I'd done it.
Happy to hear it was helpful :) Thanks for leaving a comment!
Wow... thanks so much! clear and precise instructions... Took me a bit of time to get the back off got it done! cheers
Glad to hear it worked for you! Thanks for leaving a comment!
thank you so much! i had my key pulled apart and back together in just a few minutes, this is a super easy tutorial
Glad it was helpful Gracie :)
Worked exactly as you explained Thank you very much
Happy to hear this helped you out Ken, thanks for leaving a message! Cheers! 😀
This worked exactly as the video showed. Top effort.
Happy to hear it helped you Darryl, thanks for the comment, cheers!
Thank you. This video helped me a lot. Very clear, not so fast, and not so exaggerated (very calm). Very easy to follow.
Thanks for the comment and I'm happy to hear it was helpful, cheers!
Great quick video! Just changed the Outback key fob. Happy Holidays!
Thanks Eric, glad it helped! cheers
I didn't have a CR2025, but a CR2032 worked fine.
The original had a CR 2025, which may be why it failed so quickly.
Thank you! Very helpful. Did it myself.
Happy to hear it was helpful Madonna! Thanks for leaving a comment 😀
Thank you! Smart and simple instructions. So many other vids make this way too complicated.
Thanks Mikey, glad it was helpful :)
thanks for the tutorial, aside from accidently launching the silver button for the key release it went well. Got the battery changed and luckily it was easy to put the silver button back
Thanks for leaving a comment and glad it (and the recovery) went well! Cheers
Thanks man.
Thanks!
thanks!!!
Glad it helped! Appreciate the comment 😃
I ended up buying a new shell of a key fob off amazon. i swapped in the inside. Worked well.
Thank you so much!!! Very helpful.
Glad this helped you Sandy, thanks for leaving a comment!
THANK YOU!! I went to start my car this morning and the fob was dead. In mid-panic I searched UA-cam hoping it wasn’t a long, drawn out process or something I had to take to the dealership. I had batteries on hand and new battery replaced in no time. No having to call someone at 6am to take my kids to school! ❤
Glad to hear it helped you Sarah and happy to hear the kids made it school too haha! Thanks for leaving a comment! 😀
Very helpful. Thank you 🎉
Glad it helped you! Thanks for leaving a comment, cheers!
I was able to replace the battery and it works, but now the key will not come out so I wil not be abe tp replace it again. Apparently, I put the release in wrong - any ideas? Other than I am a moron.
I'll add my thanks to the long list of your happy viewers. Last Sunday, I bought a 2021 Forester, low miles, from a dealer and drove it home. Today (Friday) the car announced low battery in my access key fob (or whatever they call it). I was slightly panicked, wondering if the battery would last till I got home and grabbed the other fob. The car still has the manuals, so I quickly determined which battery type I'd need to buy. Yes, we have lots of that type.
I got home, brought the manual inside, and began reading the instructions. It was not clear just how to pry the case apart, so I did an online search, and here you are! Thank you! It still was a bit of a struggle prying the case apart, and the circuit board came flying out, too. Also, the manual says to wrap the screwdriver with tape or a cloth, which made things a little more awkward. While inserting the new battery, I also hit the horn button-- newbie clumsiness, LOL.
After the first fob, my big question was whether to do the second fob. Without a working battery tester, I decided better safe than sorry, and went after the second fob. It had a Toshiba battery in it, and had more dust or grime around the opening.
So I tried guessing which fob was used as the primary fob, by the car's previous owner. Was it the dirty one, with possibly the original battery in it? Or was the battery dead, and the dealer replaced it before handing over the car to me? Or was the dirty one that way from sitting around gathering dust? It was harder to reassemble the little cap with the emergency key back into the case, probably because it was so dirty and tolerances were tight. And again, I hit the horn button accidentally.
After both were reassembled, I decided the dirtier one was the primary fob; it seemed more "polished" and had scratches. So I'll continue using the other as my primary fob.
What a story! Haha glad to hear you’ve chosen your primary key fob and that the battery replacement process worked for you! Cheers
Perfect, thanks.
You’re welcome, thanks for leaving a comment!
Thank you so much ...
Glad you found it helpful :)
Thank you for this! It took me under 5 min to replace the battery for my 2021 and your video was key. Very clear directions, great camera work and no annoying distracting music. Thank you!!
Glad to hear it helped you out Julia, thanks for leaving a comment!
Thank you!!!!
Welcome 🤗 glad it was helpful!
Thanks so much!
Glad it helped :) thanks for leaving a comment
thank ya
Welcome 😀
thank you
Glad it helped you! Thanks for the message!
hello fellow subaru owners 👋
Thanks!
Wow! Thanks for the tip Sandy, appreciate that and I'm glad the video helped you, cheers!
Thanks Ben, followed along with no issue. Appreciate the video being quick and to the point!
Glad it helped you Jarred! Thanks for leaving a comment!
Thanks man!! very helpful, would never have figured it out.
Glad to hear it helped you Richard! Thanks for leaving a comment! Cheers
Took no time at all, thanks so much!
Glad it helped Linda, thanks for leaving a comment! :)
Thank you Ben. You saved me $25. Very clear instructions and super easy to change over.
glad this was helpful to you, thanks for leaving a comment :)