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Key fob battery — open the shell with a plastic pry tool

Key fob

Changing a key fob battery? Pop the shell at the seam notch with a plastic pry tool, not a screwdriver, so you avoid gouges and cracked clips.

car key fob with flip key on a key ring
Photo: Admacias / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Before a key fob battery swap, reach for a plastic pry tool (or a guitar pick) instead of a flat screwdriver. Metal slips, gouges the seam, and can snap the little clips that hold the shell shut.

Open a key fob shell with a plastic pry tool

  1. Find the small seam notch on the fob edge — most shells have one near the key ring end.
  2. Seat the plastic pry tool in the notch and twist gently; let the clips release one at a time.
  3. Walk the tool around the seam instead of levering hard at one spot.
  4. Lift the half away from the buttons, then swap the coin cell as usual.

Honest stop: if the shell has no notch and will not open with light pressure, it may be welded — check the shell type before forcing it.

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