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Programming the key FOB

17K views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  tompass 
#1 ·
Is it true that only a locksmith or the dealer can program a new FOB? I have a working FOB is there no way to transfer the programming?
 
#4 ·
Yeah, I thought a laptop could do it. But the software, I am sure , is not easy to get. I am a computer guru and I know that with the propper software they can be cloned. Anything can be cloned with the right software. But reverse engineering it and writing the isnt worth it.

I think one could probably parallel two chips, turn them on and after using the master, the slave would be programmed, but I dont want to risk my ONLY fob to test the theory. I could be wrong.....LOL

I wont pay $50 ransom. If it were to insure security, then it would be worth it, but its a ransom. They could do it for $10, or even free for regular customers, just for public relations. The security would be the same.
 
#6 ·
...

I wont pay $50 ransom. If it were to insure security, then it would be worth it, but its a ransom. They could do it for $10, or even free for regular customers, just for public relations. The security would be the same.
Do you work for free often? When you charge a customer for your time and service, do you think they are calling it a ransom? Just call you locksmith and pay the man. He had to pay someone for the software, and sure the software developer got paid.

Shees.
 
#5 ·
The fob is not programmed, the car's RKE system is taught the identity of each fob that is authorized to activate it. That is the reason that all fobs that are to be used with the car have to be present when a new one is added. The process erases all current access and sets up new ones.

Different cars, even from the same manufacturer, are set up differently. Some GM cars have the capability to add new fobs, while others (like the Kappas) don't.

I have had fobs programmed for free by a dealer that I had a good relationship with. They can also be done by most independent repair shops, as the main tool needed is a Tech II or equivalent.
 
#7 ·
Kinda have to agree with Davhamm on this one. There is this stigma about dealers that they are out to rip you off. Sometimes, it is well warranted and others, not so much. I had a dealer wanting to charge $110 to reprogram the fobs. I thought that was too much. Another said they'd do it for $50. That's reasonable. Hey, that's the nature of a free market...shop around and go with the lowest cost for the proper work/service/product.

To extrapolate on Dave's post. How many programmers took how many hours to make that software? It isn't Microsoft Word and the software itself is going to have a VERY limited market. I'd bet HPTuners ($400-$600) or Adobe Photoshop ($800-$1200) have a bigger market. Then there is the hardware the software runs on, the cable to connect to your car, the tech's time to do the programming (which can take more than just a couple minutes), his health benefits, his clothing or other related work costs for that tech, his training on the software and procedure, the electricity to power the hardware and the lights in the building the programming is done in, the rent or cost of the facilities the work is performed in, taxes on that income, water to the facility, heating costs of the facility, the salary of the person at the payment desk, the cost for the hardware and software to process the work order, the salary of the service tech who took your car in, the cost of the paper and ink to print the work order and/or sales receipt, the cost of the complimentary coffee and donuts in the waiting room...

...oh, and since no one has a business that they expect to operate for free, the factored in profit margin for the dealership.

Just something to think about when you look at what goes into the pricing of a service at a dealership...or even a regular mechanic's shop.
 
#8 ·
Your point about the costs of doing business is valid, and I agree completely, for things that require the services of a technician. My only complaint here is that there are RKE systems that can be user-programmed, and ours isn't one of them. I can choose to complain about that or accept it and move on, and I know that complaining about it will do no good whatsoever.

To w5Jai's comment about whether the dealer should do it for free, some do ... for those who are already good customers .... but there is no logic behind expecting them to do it for free in hopes of getting a customer.
 
#9 ·
I'll second JohnWR's comments about being a regular customer. I have gotten plenty of discounts from my current mechanic because I come to see him for all my needs, ALMOST never push him on time-frame, and do not complain about the bill. I have a friend who does most of his work himself and then when he shows up at a mechanic who doesn't know him to get work done, complains about the cost. I've told him before, if you establish a congenial relationship with your mechanic, odds are that you will get your money's worth out of it sooner or later. If I were to ask him about reprogramming a key fob, I feel quite sure that it would be very close to free if not actually free. Relationships, it's what gets the job done with a minimum of fuss and muss.
 
#11 ·
Key fob



I bought two new fobs and the programmer from Amazon for $40
Took me 1 min to program them

But it takes the original and deletes it
So if you want two you have to buy two from Amazon
 
#14 ·
#15 ·
The only $40 option I found said it wouldn't work on a Sky.

Are the originals really "junk"? I am still using the two that came with my car, 10 years and 100k miles later. It wouldn't surprise me to find that these are made by the same company that made the OEMs, and that they have the same problems.
 
#23 ·
Glue is not conductive but there was a soldered contact, metal to metal, that detached and I just joined the two pieces and laid a glob of glue over it and let it set up. So the contact metal to metal was being made and glue just held it in place. Been holding up pretty well so far.
 
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