Vehicle · electronics
Fob programming, at your car.
A fob is not a key you copy at a counter. It has to be taught to your specific car, through the car's own diagnostic port, by equipment that costs more than the fob.
What we actually do
We connect to the diagnostic port, authenticate to the immobilizer, and write the new fob's identity into the car's memory. On most vehicles that takes minutes once security access is established.
Erasing the lost one matters more than adding a new one
On most cars we can delete keys from the immobilizer in the same visit.
If your fob went missing in a parking lot, a gym or a rental, whoever finds it can walk up and drive your car away. Erasing it is the part that protects you. Plenty of places that sell you a fob never mention it.
On some cars, erasing one key erases all of them. Every key you still own then has to be reprogrammed in the same visit. Bring every key you have.
When it is just a battery
Buttons dead but the car still starts? Usually the battery, sometimes a cracked solder joint under a button. That is a cheap fix and we will tell you it is a cheap fix.
A fob that has been through the wash is a different conversation.
Words you will hear
What to have ready
- Make, model and year. It decides the protocol and the equipment.
- Every key you still have, working or not.
- Photo ID and proof the car is yours. See the paragraph above about erasing keys.
- The car itself. Programming happens at the vehicle. A fob cannot be posted to you pre-programmed.
Questions
Can I program a fob I bought online myself?
Sometimes. A few cars have an owner procedure if you already have two working keys. Most do not.
Where it goes wrong: a cheap fob on the wrong frequency, a used fob already locked to another car, or a blank the car rejects.
We will program a fob you supply. We will also tell you first whether the one you bought is going to work.
Will a new fob wipe my existing keys?
On some cars yes. The procedure clears the immobilizer and all keys are re-enrolled. That is why we ask you to bcall them all.
My push-to-start car will not detect the key, even with a new battery.
Most proximity cars have a backup: a hidden slot, or a spot on the column or console where you hold the fob so the car reads it by induction. The handbook has it.
If that works, the fault is the fob's radio, not the immobilizer.
Need someone now?
A person answers, at any hour, in English or Spanish. If it is not urgent, we will hold a day and a time for you instead.
Or leave your details and we will call you.