Having a key fob to unlock or access your car used to be something only rich people would have, right?
Now it seems any vehicle manufactured in the last 20 years has to have one for operating a car. It’s been a neat little addition to the car-owning experience, but sometimes you lose, break, or your key fob malfunctions.
What do you do when your key fob stops working or gets lost in the sands of time? It depends. Going to the hardware store or local locksmith and getting your car keys copied will not be the case here–these entities typically cannot program a key fob.
The continuing march of technology and innovation means we’re at a point where at-home fixes aren’t as easy as they used to be. Fixing your key fob isn’t like changing your oil. However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible!
Let’s get to the business at hand.
How To Reprogram or Program a Key Fob – 5 Easy Steps
Your key fob can lose its programming data, making it useful as a paperweight. You can reprogram it without a trip to the dealership. These steps should work across most makes and models, but feel free to research further. Forgive the pun here, but your mileage may vary.
1. Check Your Key Fob’s Battery
The simplest step of all is one you should not gloss over. Many times, a key fob just stops working because of a dead battery. Before you begin, make sure you’re starting with a fresh battery.
2. Get Inside the Car and Cycle the Ignition
With a fresh battery installed, hop in the driver’s seat and cycle into the ignition – won’t crank your car, but cycle your key once to turn on the power.
These days, many key fobs have an extra method of accessing the ignition if you’re dealing with a key fob on the fritz. Check your owner’s manual on how to crank the car with a malfunctioning key fob. Make sure you also close all of your doors.
3. Press the Lock Button on the Key Fob
From here, press your key fob’s lock button while turning your key into the “Off” position on the ignition barrel. Do this process at least three or more times, ensuring you complete the process with the ignition barrel in the “On” position.
4. Continue the Process Until the Car Locks
Completing step three several times should kick your car into programming mode, sending signals to any available key fobs or remotes.
You should hear the car lock after several attempts. That means your key fob is finally working again. If you have more than one, use this opportunity to see if it’s still working.
5. Turn Off the Vehicle Power and Test the Fob
Once you believe you have your key fob programmed with your car, turn off the car’s power and hop out. Make sure you test the key fob by pressing the lock and unlock buttons. If they are working again, you’re right where you need to be!
However, sometimes you’re not as lucky when it comes to your key fob, and you might need more help than just a simple programming/reprogramming job. It’s easy to break the plastic, drop your key fob in water, or lose it.
The good news here is that you have options.
The bad news is that you might be spending a bit of money you don’t want to spend or may not even have.
We’ve harped a couple of times already about the cost of things increasing due to gains in technology. Those cost increases have hit the key fob world as well.
Next, we’ll go over what you need to do if your key fob is lost or broken.
What If My Key Fob is Lost or Broken?
We live in such a world where your attention is so divided that sometimes we can be lucky to leave our homes with our shoes tied. All that said, it’s not hard to lose a key fob if you’re prone to putting things down and never seeing them again.
Some people are clumsy, too. Plastic, silicone, and motherboards can be simple to break if you’re not careful. Considering all the technology that’s housed inside a fob, breaking it is not a fun thought.
But what’s awful these days is that replacing a key fob isn’t necessarily a cheap fix. Depending on your car, you could be paying several hundreds of dollars to get a replacement.
Your best bet to start is to check your car’s warranty or insurance to see if they’ll foot the bill first before you crack open your wallet.
Still, if you’re one of those folks with a high deductible insurance plan, don’t bother. No one here wants you to pay $300 on a new key fob if your deductible is more than $500. After that, your next best bet is your car’s manufacturer or the dealership where you purchased it.
Not to turn this article into a lesson in Seinfeld references, but what’s the deal with fobs being so expensive to replace? It’s all about software and anti-theft measures.
Kelley Blue Book says many key fobs these days contain software and computer programming accessed only by the car’s manufacturer or the dealership. That’s where the trouble comes in for would-be at-home fixes.
Finding an aftermarket key fob online is painless and ultimately more affordable. However, getting your car to cooperate with something that’s not straight from the manufacturer is like getting children to eat their vegetables; you’ll eventually get it to work, but not without raising your voice or saying a few choice words.
On top of that, your car’s key fob might be so technologically advanced that you have no choice but to go to the dealership begging for help.
Hopefully, your car operates in that gray area where an aftermarket fob is an option and not something to dismiss outright.
Let’s dig into that thought.
Getting an Aftermarket Key Fob
Dozens of aftermarket key fobs exist instead of dropping hundreds on getting one straight from the manufacturer. However, you’ll want to be extremely mindful of what you need. Considering the technology of key fobs has expanded far past simple lock-unlock functions and into actually aiding in the car’s ignition process, you need to research.
The age of your car needs to come into consideration, too. An older car might do just fine with an aftermarket key fob.
Your key fob could have a chipset specifically designed for your car. The fob could also be tuned to your car’s radio signals or have a transponder built-in. These are all things to consider, even if you’re just trying to save a couple of bucks on a replacement fob.
Auto parts stores sell aftermarket fobs. You can also wade through the swamp of online shopping to find an aftermarket fob.
Buying the aftermarket fob from an auto parts store can also have a bonus of its own. Stores like Ace Hardware have their own systems to program a key fob such as this. Sometimes, an expert at the store is all that’s between you and being able to have a working key fob again.
When seeking a replacement aftermarket key fob, locate one that works with your car’s make, model, and year. Keep hold of your car’s vehicle identification number as well.
Pun very much intended here, but having all the information necessary is key to successfully replacing a manufacturer’s key fob with an aftermarket one.
Wrapping Up…
Key fobs sure have advanced over the years, haven’t they? What was once an item that just locked, unlocked, or disabled your alarm has now become the thing that starts your car or enables more driver-specific features.
There are a few things to keep in mind as we wrap things up here.
The first thing to understand is that it is possible to reprogram or program a key fob with issues. The fix-it spirit of being a car owner is alive and well in this realm. However, this may not be the case for many of you.
If you have questions about your key fob or if the above steps are just not working, a trip or a phone call to the dealership where you purchased the car can be illuminating.
Sometimes, the dealership may have a replacement key fob for you or can reprogram the malfunctioning one with their systems.
Keep in mind, though, that you may be subject to fees for the replacement or for the fix itself. Nothing is free, unfortunately – especially when it comes to cars.
But if you want to go for it differently, a robust selection of aftermarket key fobs exist that may be just what the doctor ordered for you.
It all comes down to what works for you at the end of the day.
