1998 BMW 328i - can't reset remote/keyless entry

My boss has a 98 BMW 328i that we took into the shop last week to have the window motor in the driver’s side fixed because the electric window wouldn’t work. Prior to taking it in, the remote/keyless entry worked fine - it’s a separate remote that has two buttons and unlocks the doors, etc. Picked up the car and the remote just beeps three times fast and won’t lock or unlock the door. You can however lock or unlock with the key. We printed out three different sets of instructions from the Internet on how to reset and none of them worked. Took it to the BMW dealer today and was told it was probably a larger “electrical” issue and they want $300 to diagnose. Meanwhile, can’t get a return call from the place that repaired the door - they claim it’s not their problem. Anyone else experience this? Any suggestions?

You need to find out if the shop that replaced the window motor disconnected the battery when doing so. On some vehicles when the battery is disconnected it can cause modules to lose their programming and the module no longer operates the system they control.

Sometimes a module will relearn it’s program over time and start to function again. Othertimes the module needs to be reprogrammed in order to get it to function again.

Here’s a link that warns what can happen to computers and modules when the battery is disconnected. http://www.aa1car.com/library/battery_disconnect_problems.htm And if you look at the lower part of the page, they list what can happen when the battery is disconnected on some BMW vehicles.

Tester