A push-to-start fob has to match the vehicle's frequency, board, transponder and security platform. A shell with the right buttons can still be the wrong key.
Send the year, make, model, working-key count, button layout and every FCC ID or part number visible on the fob before buying a part or scheduling service.
The lock and unlock buttons, passive door entry, engine authorization and emergency mechanical blade are related but separate. A fob can pass one test and fail another, so complete verification matters.
Lock, unlock, trunk and panic functions depend on the correct transmitter and button configuration.
The vehicle must detect the fob near the door or cabin antennas where the model supports that feature.
The immobilizer must recognize the credential before the START button can authorize the engine.
Marketplace listings often group many years and trims under one photo. Confirm the FCC ID, part number, frequency, board family, button functions and whether a used fob can be reset for the target vehicle. Ask first so a low-priced part does not become a paid visit with no usable key.
After enrollment, the vehicle is started repeatedly, warnings are checked, remote buttons are exercised, passive entry is tested at the doors where equipped, and the emergency blade is verified. If a customer-supplied part cannot perform an expected function, the result is documented rather than hidden behind a successful engine start.
“My push-to-start isn't working” covers several different faults, and which one you have decides the key type, the equipment and the time on site. Two sentences on the phone narrow it considerably.
The remote side is working and the immobilizer side is not. This is the pattern that points at the credential itself — a failed transponder, a fob that has lost its pairing, or a vehicle that no longer recognizes it. It is the most common reason this page gets read.
Could be the fob, could be the vehicle battery, and the two are told apart on site in minutes. Both get handled in the same visit — a flat battery is supported so the programming can go through rather than being a reason to come back another day.
A weakening transponder, a failing fob board or a marginal antenna. This is the stage to deal with it: a fob that is dying while a second one still works is a straightforward add-key, and it becomes an all-keys-lost job the week it finally quits.
The vehicle has to be taught a credential it has never seen, and on many platforms that includes an enforced security wait. Longer job, different price, and worth saying up front so the right equipment and the right blank travel to you.
Send the year, make and model with whichever of these matches, and you get the key type and the full number — work and service call — before anyone drives out.
Nearly every keyless vehicle has both, and most owners never find them. Worth knowing — and worth knowing what they do not fix, which is a fob the car no longer recognizes.
Almost every proximity fob hides a mechanical blade, released by a small catch or slider on the body. The matching keyhole on the driver's door is often behind a plastic cap that pops off with a fingernail or the blade itself.
With the brake pressed, hold the fob directly against the START button, or against the marked spot on the column or in the center console, depending on the model. The vehicle reads the transponder at close range with no battery in the fob at all.
If the blade opens the door but the engine still will not authorize, the credential itself has failed and neither mechanism helps. That is a key job, and it is the situation this page exists for — send the year, make and model and you get the number before anyone drives out.
Both end with a working smart key, but the route, the time and the cost are not comparable. Which one you are in is decided by whether a single working fob still exists.
The vehicle already accepts a valid credential, so the new one is added to its stored list. Shorter procedure, lower cost, and on many platforms the least complicated job in this whole trade. This is the cheapest smart key you will ever buy, and it is only available while the current one still works.
Nothing exists to reference, so the vehicle has to be persuaded to accept a credential it has never seen. On some platforms that means a security wait period measured in tens of minutes, during which the car simply sits there. That waiting is a designed anti-theft feature, not slow work.
A fob that starts the engine can still fail to unlock the doors on approach, because those use different antennas. A job is not finished because the engine ran once — buttons, passive entry, trunk release and the emergency blade all get checked before anyone leaves.
Some can be reset and re-enrolled to a different vehicle; many are permanently locked to the first car that taught them. It depends entirely on the platform. Ask before buying, not after — a cheap marketplace fob that cannot be reset turns into a paid visit with no usable key at the end.
Year, make, model and where you're standing. You'll have a firm number back before anyone starts driving.
Proximity systems vary more between makes than bladed keys do, both in how a key is added and in what happens when none are left.
Every make group has its own page covering the immobilizer system, what the job involves and where the awkward exceptions sit. Not listed? Send the year, make and model — see full vehicle coverage.
Many proximity fobs can be programmed at the vehicle. Exact support depends on the year, model, security platform and correct fob identity.
Sometimes, but many used fobs remain locked to the previous vehicle or require resetting. Confirm the exact board and reuse conditions before purchase.
The remote transmitter and immobilizer credential are separate functions. The buttons can be correct while the transponder is wrong, unprogrammed or defective.
It provides mechanical entry when the fob battery or vehicle power is unavailable. The blade should be cut and tested even though normal starting is push-button.
No. The part, security access, reuse status and programming procedure vary substantially. A specific quote requires the exact vehicle and fob identity.
Check what still works. If nothing lights up at all, that points at the vehicle battery rather than the key. If the doors unlock and the dashboard comes on but the engine will not authorize, that is the pattern that usually is a key or enrollment fault. Describing it that way when you call narrows the job considerably.
On nearly every keyless vehicle, yes. There is a backup coil that reads the transponder at close range with no power in the fob — usually behind the START button, or at a marked spot on the steering column or in the center console. Press the brake and hold the fob against it. Your owner's manual names the exact location for your model.
Almost every proximity fob contains a mechanical emergency blade, released by a small catch or slider on the body. The matching keyhole on the driver's door is often hidden behind a plastic cap that lifts off with a fingernail. Expect the alarm to sound when you open the door that way; starting the vehicle normally silences it.
Some platforms impose a security wait period before they will accept a credential the vehicle has never seen, and it can run to tens of minutes during which the car simply sits there. That delay is a designed anti-theft feature rather than slow work, and it applies at a dealership in exactly the same way.
Substantially. With a working fob present, the new one is added to the vehicle's stored list — a shorter procedure than persuading a car to accept a credential it has never seen. The saving only exists while your current key still works.
Keys shut inside the car or trunk. Opened without prying the frame or marking the paint.
See details →One or every key lost. Compatibility checked before a replacement is cut and programmed on site.
See details →No working key remains. We confirm compatibility, decode the key and program the replacement at the vehicle.
See details →Push-to-start fobs and remotes paired to the vehicle and range tested.
See details →Proximity key identification, pairing and emergency-blade checks for supported vehicles.
See details →Made while your current key still works. The cheapest version of this problem.
See details →Snapped in the ignition or door. Out without drilling in most cases.
See details →Key won't turn, sticks, or spins freely. Cylinders repaired or replaced.
See details →Every job we do, with starting prices and a breakdown by vehicle make.
See pricing →Prices shown are starting figures for the straightforward version of each job. A service call from $29 applies, depending on the day, the time and the distance. Vehicle, key type, security platform and the condition of the parts all move the final number, so the full total — work and service call together — is confirmed once your vehicle is identified and before anyone drives out. See terms of service.