Your vehicle
What to have ready
Programming replacement or additional remotes and key fobs to your vehicle, where the make and model allow it.
- The make, model, year, and VIN
- All working fobs and keys for the vehicle
- Details of any fob you have already bought, including where it came from
ID and proof you may access the vehicle are checked before any work.
Key Fob Programming in CaliforniaSan Jose notes
Updated 2 sources
Battery, remote or programming?
Before booking programming, rule out the simpler causes. Most fobs run on a coin cell, and as it weakens the range shrinks before the buttons stop working altogether. A new battery of the size printed on the old one is the first thing to try; some vehicles then need the fob resynchronized, which the owner's manual describes.
Programming is the answer when a fob is new, when a replacement key has been cut, or when the car no longer recognizes a fob that has a good battery.
Garage remotes are a separate system
A car in San Jose may sit in a home garage, an apartment garage or on the street, and a remote that opens the garage is not the car fob, even when it hangs on the same ring. Since July 1, 2019, California Health and Safety Code § 19892 has barred selling or installing a residential automatic garage door opener without a battery backup designed to work during a power outage. A replacement garage door also cannot be connected to an opener that lacks one. If the garage door fails but the car unlocks, the trouble is the opener or its remote, not the fob. This is general information, not legal advice.
In an apartment building the garage door is the building's, not the tenant's. The city's inspection guide for buildings with three or more units says new or replacement garage doors need Planning approval, so a failed garage remote there is a question for the manager rather than a fob appointment.
What to have ready
- Every working fob and key for the car, since some vehicles stop recognizing a fob that was not present during programming.
- The VIN, which is printed on the registration and on the vehicle itself.
- The car's year, make and model, and whether it has push-button start.
- Where the car will be, whether a home garage, an apartment garage or a street, since the work happens at the car.
If a fob is lost and no key remains, start with car key replacement. The service overview is at key fob programming; for the city's multiple-housing inspection notes, see the San Jose page.
Sources
Public records and references this page draws on. They are outside USA Locksmith Pros and open in a new tab.