Key Fob Programming in San Diego, CA

What coastal conditions do to a fob

A key fob is a small radio transmitter with a battery and a circuit board, and salt air works on both. Salt air is hard on exterior hardware along California's coast, so a fob that spends its days near the water collects salt and grit.

• Salt and sand. Grit works into the button seams, and salt moisture can corrode the battery contacts. A fob that works only up close, or only after several presses, often has a tired battery or dirty contacts rather than lost programming.
• Seawater. A fob that fell in the water should have its battery taken out right away and be dried fully, then tested with a new battery before you decide it has failed.

Try a fresh battery before asking for programming. If the buttons still do nothing, or the car will not start with a push-button fob, the fob may need reprogramming or replacing.

Where to leave the car

Programming is done at the car, often through a port under the dashboard, so someone has to be able to sit inside it. A driveway or a curbside space with room beside the car works, and so does a spot on an upper level of a parking structure where phone signal holds.

If the car waits on a city street while the fob is sorted out, the 72-hour storage rule in San Diego Municipal Code 86.0137(g) still applies; the car key replacement page explains how the count works. This is general information, not legal advice.

What to bring to the car

• every fob and key you still have for the car, working or not, because adding a fob can affect the others on some cars
• the VIN, from the base of the windshield or the registration
• your photo ID and the registration in your name
• year, make and model, and whether the car uses push-button start
• any replacement fob you bought yourself, since some aftermarket fobs cannot be programmed to a given car

If no working key remains, the job is car key replacement, not programming. The automotive locksmith page covers other car work.