MG5 Doesn't recognise that the key is present and won't start.

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MeowFi

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MG5 FL LR 2023. I've had my car on charge at a public charger (7KW AC) for a couple of hours while I've sat in the back working. Come to set off and it won't start.

Key's lock and unlock the car from outside pressing the buttons on the key. Didn't think to try the unlock button on the door handle.

Placing the key in the 'emergency slot' at the bottom of the storage bin behind the front cup holders doesn't do anything either.

Spoke to my local dealer, who said the 'emergency key slot was in the cup holder (I disagreed, but tried anyway) and this didn't do anything either.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Put the car back on charge (as I couldn't get the handbrake off and didn't want to look like the person who parked in the charging space) and walked home for my spare key. Will see later if this works.
 
I could be wrong but I am sure the emergency slot for the FL is the cup holder not the storage box.

I had my car show this once and put the key in the cup holder and it was fine after that.
 
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I'm hoping the spare key will allow me to get moving again once I get back to the car later.
 
MeowFi said:
MG5 FL LR 2023. I've had my car on charge at a public charger (7KW AC) for a couple of hours while I've sat in the back working. Come to set off and it won't start.

Key's lock and unlock the car from outside pressing the buttons on the key. Didn't think to try the unlock button on the door handle.

Placing the key in the 'emergency slot' at the bottom of the storage bin behind the front cup holders doesn't do anything either.

Spoke to my local dealer, who said the 'emergency key slot was in the cup holder (I disagreed, but tried anyway) and this didn't do anything either.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Put the car back on charge (as I couldn't get the handbrake off and didn't want to look like the person who parked in the charging space) and walked home for my spare key. Will see later if this works.
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I had this happen to me recently and can confirm the spare key did work as normal. In addition the original key also started to work again afterwards. I thought it was the cup holders for the emergency key slot. Will now investigate the centre console a bit more.👴
 
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Replace the battery in the key with a good quality branded CR2032 when you can.
 
I had same problem. Sort of my fault I was playing with MG iSmart App and locking and unlocking car with phone and key. Then the car could not be started, as key not recognised (even though outside the car it could be opened and closed). Putting key in cup holder I think was recognised by the car as I heard a bleep. But the car would not start as key not recognised. Maybe, the right space is under the little rubber mat under the arm rest. I got text messages from MG Motors about abnormal invasion of vehicle. I locked car and returned couple of hours later with spare key which worked. Next day checked that both keys worked.
 
To update this story.

I returned to the vehicle 3 hours later with both of my keys. I really wanted to be able to test just the original key that I had had with me earlier in the day, but as it's a public car park and I was on my own, I couldn't leave one set lying around away form the car while I tested the other.

Therefore I got in the car, stopped the charge, and it started up no problem. Once home I put my spare key away, and the original key worked just as it should. Tested the battery voltage, which was perfectly fine at just over 3 volt.

I suspect the significant part of this error occurring is down to me being in the back of the car while it was charging, turning the heating on and off with the app. Just as Dave Yearsley said above.

Today I set of to work with just the original key as I'm feeling confident that it will be okay. But, should it not be okay, I'd also rather prove this now as I've just bought the car from the MG dealer and they are quite keen to help me should there be a problem.

I will update should this happen again.
 
MeowFi said:
To update this story.

I returned to the vehicle 3 hours later with both of my keys. I really wanted to be able to test just the original key that I had had with me earlier in the day, but as it's a public car park and I was on my own, I couldn't leave one set lying around away form the car while I tested the other.

Therefore I got in the car, stopped the charge, and it started up no problem. Once home I put my spare key away, and the original key worked just as it should. Tested the battery voltage, which was perfectly fine at just over 3 volt.

I suspect the significant part of this error occurring is down to me being in the back of the car while it was charging, turning the heating on and off with the app. Just as Dave Yearsley said above.

Today I set of to work with just the original key as I'm feeling confident that it will be okay. But, should it not be okay, I'd also rather prove this now as I've just bought the car from the MG dealer and they are quite keen to help me should there be a problem.

I will update should this happen again.
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If I have been in the car and want the heater on whilst charging I just turn the car on and turn the heating on full stop. No need to faff with apps.
 
MeowFi said:
Gomev, I will be doing that in the future. It was more the novelty of having a new car and app and seeing what it is good for.
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We all love a gadget, and an EV is a gadget :) but I sometimes think an app for them is literally just a 'let's have an app because we can'
 
Did Anyone get the emergency key placement area to work? Ours did not. I ended walking home and getting the spare. I removed the rubber, placed button side up, nothing.
 
TBog said:
Did Anyone get the emergency key placement area to work? Ours did not. I ended walking home and getting the spare. I removed the rubber, placed button side up, nothing.
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Kinda hard to test, if the battery is dead/key broken it doesn’t matter where you put it, it simply won’t work I’m afraid.
I keep a spare coin battery in the car just in case.
 
MickeySw said:
Kinda hard to test, if the battery is dead/key broken it doesn’t matter where you put it, it simply won’t work I’m afraid.
I keep a spare coin battery in the car just in case.
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It’s a worry… Car is only 3 weeks old, it was as if it de-synched and the immobiliser kicked in. We used the spare key to unlock the car and now the broken one works fine. The issue for us was that the special place to put the key was not working. If it does it again but we are 100miles away then i couldn’t just nip home and take the spare. Will definitely keep a spare battery in car just in case it is that, thanks for the tip. (Used to do that 20 years ago when our Rover decided not to turn on)

It’s going on our MG ‘quirks’ list which is a shame really love driving this car.
 
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TBog said:
The issue for us was that the special place to put the key was not working.
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That special place is meant to help with a short transponder range due to a weak battery, which wasn’t the issue in your case.

I had something similar the first day we got the car but then I had both keys with me, car must have gotten confused, never an issue since…

Was there another MG close by or did you notice some ‘dodgy’ character lurking around trying to clone your key?
 
slmorgan42 said:
I could be wrong but I am sure the emergency slot for the FL is the cup holder not the storage box.

I had my car show this once and put the key in the cup holder and it was fine after that.
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I think it is the cup holder on the pre-facelift.
 
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