What key fob programming actually involves
Modern car keys are small electronic devices. There’s usually a transponder chip that tells the immobilizer it’s okay to start the engine, and often a remote that locks and unlocks the doors. On push-to-start cars, a proximity key does both without leaving your pocket. Each of these has to be paired to your specific vehicle, and on most cars since the early 2000s that takes diagnostic equipment plugged into the vehicle, not just a button sequence.
The Lock Doctor carries that equipment in the van. We connect to your car, program the new key or fob, cut the blade if there is one, and test every function: start, lock, unlock and trunk.
Fob and key programming we handle
- Transponder chip key programming for vehicles that need a chipped key to start
- Remote and key fob programming (lock, unlock and trunk buttons)
- Push-to-start and proximity smart key programming
- Remote head keys with the key blade and remote in one piece
- Erasing lost keys from the vehicle’s memory where the system allows it
Bought a replacement fob online?
Lots of people buy a fob online to save money, then find out it has to be programmed. We can often program customer-supplied fobs. A word of caution from experience: not every online fob is the right frequency or chip for your exact vehicle, and some arrive locked to another car. Before you buy, call us with your year, make and model and the part number on the listing, and we’ll tell you whether it’s likely to work. If it won’t, we can supply one that will.
When you need more than programming
If you have no working key at all, programming is just one step of a full car key replacement, which includes cutting a new blade by code. If the blade is the thick laser-cut type, we cut that too. And if your key snapped, start with broken key extraction.
Why not just go to the dealer?
You can, and for some vehicles that’s the only option. But a dealer usually needs the car on their lot, which can mean a tow if you have no working key, and an appointment. We come to you in Charlottesville, Albemarle and the surrounding counties, and Kyle will tell you plainly if your vehicle is one we can’t do.