Free/Cheap/DIY Ways to Program Car Key Fobs

Jackson on 03/02/2022 - 19:42
Last edited 10/02/2022 - 08:38 by 1 other user

Was looking for a new spare key for my car and picked up an nearly identical to OEM looking key for a fraction of the local price from Aliexpress, just over $20 when the cheapest on ebay is $95 and the dealer wants hundreds. Not bad for a proximity/push button start key.

Now I need to get it programmed. Paying a locksmith is in the ballpark of $110 to $280. Buying an expensive scan tool just isn't worth it (1k+) and while there are some cheap options available online, many are for old style keys, a single brand, or some small pack that you buy the key and some device but it only programs the key it comes with. These often have very few reviews and it can be a lottery weather your car is supported.

As such I was wondering if anyone had any experience with doing this themselves or any devices that are reasonably priced and reliable.

Edit: Thanks to everyone who's contributed their experience to the post so far. It's interesting to see how people have been able to solve this problem for themselves with their own vehicles. I tried to do some research on this prior but the posts were all very specific and short, I think this will help people to understand the different methods people have followed and give people idea even if their specific car hasn't been talked about before

Edit 2: the key works so far perfectly. This is the one: https://m.aliexpress.com/item/33009459579.html?gatewayAdapt=…

It also happens to look almost indistinguishable from the original one which is a bonus. The bloke who came and programmed it did a great job, and it's been a week so I am confident taking it out on its own now without getting stranded anywhere. Hopefully this helps people staring down the sometimes hundreds of dollars it costs to replace these.

One point of note is that there are 2 types of keys, ones shipped locally appear to be 433mhz ID46 and the ones from Jap imports are 315Mhz to my knowledge, I have only tested the former with an Australia delivered 2012 car as that's all I have

Automotive Car Car Key Electric Vehicle Nissan

Comments

  • tonyjzx on 03/02/2022 - 19:51
    +1

    yeah i would like to know this too

    i bought a nissan fob and would love to code it

    it SHOULD be easy given every bloody nissan in the last 10-15yrs uses the same fob from your mum's qashkhai to your cousins r35…

    • Jackson on 03/02/2022 - 23:14
      +1

      Car in question is a Nissan too, and yeah they are more or less the same across the range.

      Btw while all these Nissan proximity keys look the same, they come in 315 or 433mhz, and if you get the wrong one it won't work. The only way I know to find out which one you need that I know of is to look at the very fine print on the back of the fob under the key blade and search on the serial number and get one to match

      • backpaqer on 04/02/2022 - 09:11

        quick google
        I had a Nissan Maxima and you can do everything the dealership can do and you don't need the special consult tool that costs $$$ - if you can find the factory service manual (I have a copy).

        • Jackson on 10/02/2022 - 08:45

          That's handy, but mine is a proximity key, so I can't get past step 1. Put the key in the ignition

  • Drakesy on 03/02/2022 - 19:55
    +1

    Haven't had an experience with proximity keys but getting a new genuine Audi fob for me was $350 off marketplace including coding, next closest was $700 from another locksmith or $800 from the dealer.

    Apparently the coding equipment required is the expensive part as it's largely made under license although this greatly depends on the brand of car. If there was a DIY way of doing it i think it may have a security risk (which is what they're trying to avoid by moving away from keys.)

    mind you $110 to clone a key is comparatively cheap for many modern cars these days.

    I tried going down the OEM key route and it ended up costing me time and money, the guys out there on marketplace are pretty good tbh (at least in my experience)
    .
    But hey if you find someone good luck

    • Jackson on 04/02/2022 - 08:16

      The only thing I would say is that after seeing the knock off keys and how close they are to genuine (t least for Nissan), there's a chance buying from marketplace that you end up with a knock off unbeknownst to you. I would rather guts it knowing that at least I paid the right price for what I got

      • backpaqer on 04/02/2022 - 09:14

        There was a guy I found on eBay who did a really good priced turn-around on a replacement key fob…you would send him your stuffed/old one and he would send you a refurbished on that worked without the need to pair it to your car.

        No idea how he was cloning the remote, but I guess if he was evil, he knew where I lived and could have made himself a remote for the car…if only he could break into the place.

  • ZachBlasphemy on 03/02/2022 - 19:59

    Have you looked for your car's specific programming method. I've only had to do this once with our Rav4 where you follow a combination of actions in your car to teach it the new key.

    This is an example of the method.

    • Drakesy on 03/02/2022 - 20:03
      +1

      For older cars that's all that is required, for newer ones (for security) they hard program them into the internal computer so it's harder to duplicate them.

      • ZachBlasphemy on 03/02/2022 - 20:15
        +2

        As we don't know what car we're trying to help with. A general answer for a general question.

      • Jackson on 03/02/2022 - 23:14

        Bang on

  • Master Bates on 03/02/2022 - 20:04
    +2

    Please provide the car’s model and we will attempt to use our Googlefu to help you.

    • Jackson on 03/02/2022 - 23:19

      Nissan Leaf with proximity key

  • JimmyF on 03/02/2022 - 20:10
    -1

    As such I was wondering if anyone had any experience with doing this themselves or any devices that are reasonably priced and reliable.

    The answer is 'depends'….. What type of car are we talking?

    • Jackson on 03/02/2022 - 23:19

      Nissan with proximity key

      • JimmyF on 03/02/2022 - 23:29
        -1

        Nissan what though?

        • Jackson on 03/02/2022 - 23:30

          Leaf

          • JimmyF on 03/02/2022 - 23:32

            @Jackson: Now was that so hard…..

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hqBNvuZURc

            • Jackson on 03/02/2022 - 23:36

              @JimmyF: A link to a video for an 800 USD device? Thanks,can you send me one?

              • JimmyF on 03/02/2022 - 23:37

                @Jackson: Nissan Leaf needs a dongle, not much you can do about it other than pay someone with one :)

                • Jackson on 03/02/2022 - 23:43

                  @JimmyF: That's the question I am asking, I have seen a few quite cheap dongles, including one that costs about 50 bucks on eBay, comes with a key and says it supports Nissan 433mhz keys and the Leaf, but reviews are mixed, in bad english, and even the process isn't that clear.hence looking for people that have tried with their own car (as stated in the OP). Probably more important that people read the post rather than complain about the model in hindsight, right?

  • nitram on 03/02/2022 - 20:45

    Just a guess based on your previous posts - 2001 Toyota Camry:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zA8Rjr1MPWw

    • brendanm on 03/02/2022 - 20:59
      +1

      2001 Camry doesn't use a proximity key.

    • Jackson on 03/02/2022 - 23:50

      I have both keys for that, annoying the rubber buttons have a habit of popping out and getting lost

  • askvictor on 03/02/2022 - 21:30

    Very much depends on the model. Some cars can program a new key using existing keys and a sequence of actions; some cars you can register a new key using an OBD dongle. There's often a different coding mechanism for unlocking (radio) and for the ignition (RFID), so there's that.

    • Jackson on 03/02/2022 - 23:15

      Apparently Nissan proximity is obd only

  • MS Paint on 03/02/2022 - 22:14

    here we go again FFS

    • Jackson on 03/02/2022 - 23:18
      +2

      Sorry for the trouble, busy day. It seems I have for a while become that which I loathe

  • Euphemistic on 03/02/2022 - 22:28

    I don’t want car makers to make it really cheap/easy to program a new key becaus thieves would love that.

    • nephilim on 03/02/2022 - 23:19
      +2

      These days thieves steal the keys then the car

      Most modern car locks jam once picked, see lockpickinglawyer.

    • Jackson on 04/02/2022 - 08:19

      There's a big difference between being able to program and cut keys if you have a working one, compared with if you have nothing. I don't see an issue with allowing people to go through a complicated process to program their new key when they lose one of they have the existing key. A lot of older cars that aren't proximity allow this.

  • bhubb18 on 03/02/2022 - 22:37
    +2

    I dont know why EVERY car related post on here, the OP manages forgets to include the most vital detail - the car

    • Jackson on 03/02/2022 - 23:16
      -1

      I did mention it was a push button start proximity key, it's a Nissan if that helps

      • Hybroid on 03/02/2022 - 23:19
        +1

        WHICH Nissan and year? Also are you sure your $20 fob contains the transmitters and electronics required and not just an imitation shell?

        • Jackson on 03/02/2022 - 23:21

          Yep, it came yesterday complete with battery.so close to OEM that it's possible from the same factory. 2012 Leaf

      • brendanm on 03/02/2022 - 23:20
        +8

        Why on earth would you not simply state the make, model, and year? If someone knows, they can then say. No one is going to be able to respond to this cryptic nonsense that people seem to insist upon.

        • Jackson on 03/02/2022 - 23:23

          Sorry mate, it's a 2012 Leaf, but my understanding is as the first response says, Nissan has been using the same key for all their push button start from then til now.

          Also while I am looking at sorting out my own car, I am also more broadly interested in people's experiences with their cars. I already know my car needs an obd device connected, I am after people's experience with these devices generally as I doubt there's many people in my exact boat

      • JimmyF on 03/02/2022 - 23:30

        it's a Nissan if that helps

        It does not…. What Nissan!!?

        • Jackson on 03/02/2022 - 23:31

          Leaf

          • tonyjzx on 04/02/2022 - 02:31

            @Jackson: OP is a bit of a dick but in reality every damn nissan from the last 15yrs uses the same keyless tech

            heres the Leaf:

            https://www.google.com/search?q=nissan+leaf+keyless+fob&sour…

            its the same as an xtrail r35 pathfinder etc etc. blah blahh

            nissan havent changed it as it works fine and they can amortise the same electronics forever

            there are some differences in that the international ones implement panic buttons and remote start which will obviously not work here but it just means your international keyless fob has a panic button that does nothing

            afaik nissan arent even all that expensive… i believe keyless replacements start at $250-$300 from independents to $400 and up at a dealer, youll get bent over if you have an r35 for example

            this is from a guy who did euroshit, in particular my dad's mercs

            • Jackson on 04/02/2022 - 08:03
              -1

              @tonyjzx: Ahem, that's big swinging dick to you, thanks very much :) but yes, somehow despite the fact that you posted the first response explaining this everyone proceeded to ask/get hung up on what model and there hasn't really been a model specific answer that added an iota of information now, has there? I am equally as interested with peoples experiences with whatever car or system they used.

              As an example, in my research I found an app called leafhacker that allows you to program keys for the leaf, but videos are all in Russian, so are reviews and mentions on different places, translations are hard. I don't expect anyone to know about that here for obvious reasons but if I open the question to any car someone might

  • MS Paint on 04/02/2022 - 00:28
    +2

    I've used this mob for a commodore spare key.

    Was about $50 for the blank, $60 for the programming tool and $30 for locksmith to cut key from a blank.

    Worked a treat.

    • Jackson on 04/02/2022 - 00:36

      Good to hear, I had a quick look but I don't think any of the Nissan ones are proximity keys, I am guessing they are the older type. I might call them tomorrow.

      Not a bad option otherwise as long as you don't mind something that doesn't at all look OEM (in the case of the Nissan ones)

  • Cave Fire on 04/02/2022 - 00:51
    +1

    Maybe try gumtree? found a locksmith who would have cut and coded for $70. That was for a 1998 camry. Your car might be more expensive as it might have higher security. I neglected their offer, and ended up losing my main key and paying a lot more ($250+) for two keys with a mobile locksmith.

    • Jackson on 04/02/2022 - 00:55

      This is the exact situation I am trying to avoid, I am not desperate so I thought I would put some time into looking into it.

      Part of the issue with the price is once you have no key they know you are desperate, but it is also more complicated and expensive in its own right 250 is cheap for a complete reset with no key I would say

  • USER DC on 04/02/2022 - 01:09

    For Cruzes Free programing.

    My advice to you is buy the cheapest Fob + remote from Aliexpress (UNCUT, because those chinese idi*ts always stuff up the cutting process, and render the whole thing useless, and then dont give you refund for their own mistake). This would probably cost you upto $20 (generally around $10-15 for most cars).

    Then the next charge is Key cutting (suggest a good cheap locksmith, I know a good one in Adelaide, he said $25 to laser cut key, and like $80 or something for Cutting + programing, with my own supplied key fob+ remote etc.). Normally all locksmiths (including mister mint will quote me like $250 + for a brand new key fob programmed etc). This way only costs me $90 at max usually.

    • Jackson on 04/02/2022 - 08:12

      In all honesty I probably wouldn't bother with the key cutting if I could DIY the remote, I have never used it since my car is proximity key, and would just keep the original at home. But understand that for the Cruze you might have to of you rely on the key blade to start

  • ifyareckon on 04/02/2022 - 07:45
    +1

    Did some calling around on this for a Nissan with proximity key recently. Ending up finding a business advertising through marketplace, $299 for new key cut and programmed at home. Not the cheapest option but certainly better than messing around to save a couple of bucks and done in 10min without leaving home.

    • Jackson on 04/02/2022 - 08:10

      So far I am at key =20 and someone coming in to cut and program for 110, at home, so 130. Admittedly it was a fair bit of research to make sure I got the correct key, but I am happy to share the info with the community of what I did to work out which is the correct key online, the seller who was reliable and the local business if all goes well. Now that I have seen the knock off key I realise that either it's so close to genuine you can't tell immediately, or people are locally selling the knock off for 400% mark up and calling it genuine

  • Series4Episode10 on 04/02/2022 - 10:29
    +1

    Just bought 2 remotes for my Ford AU Cab Chassis Ute as the one I had was setting off the cars horn randomly, battery holder had come off board and there were other signs it was not worth attempting repairs, $18 odd from Ebay, to tether them to the Ute it was a process off pressing buttons on the dash in sequence and then pressing 2 buttons on the remote till the horn blew twice, why can't that still be the norm, not letting this vehicle go any time soon!

    • Jackson on 04/02/2022 - 10:39

      Exactly, if someone already has the key there's no harm in letting them program another, if it was a thief they'd drive off before programming a key wouldn't they? It makes no sense except from the perspective that they dealer now gets to charge you a motza for something, until you have locksmiths undercutting you. Either way some people would still just go to the dealer and cough up $500 for a few cents worth of electronics.

      The only time this could be an issue is if you lent the car to someone unscrupulous, but who does that? And a dodgy mechanic can still make a key anyway as they have all the equipment. It's seriously only about inconveniencing the customer

  • Cave Fire on 10/02/2022 - 03:07

    yeah so the cheapest programmer on Aliexpress would be $60 or so dollars, not sure for your exact model. As you pointed out, there are people selling fake machines or there is a chance it doesn't work. The last locksmith I called had a video where he codes a key for a car one year earlier than mine. His machine didn't have the right preset, but the more expensive locksmith did. Their machine would cost thousands. A good one may be $200 or so. The last thing I looked up, was a diy transponder ring to write to the key's chip. Probably would need codes from the ecu (perhaps via a scantool) or the dealership. Process is harder if the key uses rolling codes.

  • Brodo Faggins on 10/02/2022 - 16:50
    +1

    I found a guy who runs a key cut + car programming shop - He's asking for $30-$50 but yet to check him out. He said he will duplicate + reprogram. Seems too good to be true…

    • Jackson on 10/02/2022 - 17:57

      Let us know how you go, would be good to include his details here if he works out well. In all honesty it takes about 15 minutes if all goes smoothly, but I think the costs really are that someone has to come out to see you (if they are mobile) and then they need to invest in the equipment up front, and sometimes in multiple coders if the unit they have doesn't do every car. I would say if you drove in to see someone and brought a key with you $50 should be plenty for the time involved.

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