Key Fob Programming in Boston, MA

Winter is hard on fobs

In NOAA's state climate summary, January temperatures near the coast are around 30 °F. The coin-cell battery in a fob delivers less power in the cold, so range tends to shrink first: a fob that unlocks the car from across the street in autumn may need to be held near the door in January. Before assuming a fob has lost its programming, try a fresh battery of the type printed on the old one.

Moisture is the other problem. Boston's 2014–15 winter set a seasonal record of 110 inches of snow, and the summary calls the coastline highly vulnerable to nor'easters. A fob dropped in a snowbank or left in a wet pocket can corrode inside. Let it dry fully before testing it; buttons that work only some of the time after a soaking usually point to corrosion rather than lost programming.

Garage levels and street spots

During a snow emergency, some Boston garages give residents with a resident parking sticker reduced rates, starting two hours before the emergency is declared and ending two hours after it is lifted, so a car can end up on a garage level when its fob stops responding. A new fob has to be programmed to the car, so the car has to be there. In a garage, note the name, level and space, and ask the garage whether work is allowed in its spaces. On the street, give the block and the nearest cross street.

What to have ready

• Every fob and key for the car, including the ones that still work. On many cars, programming a new fob erases any fob that is not present, so one left at home may stop working.
• The VIN, from the registration or the plate at the base of the windshield.
• Year, make and model, and whether the car has push-button start.
• Photo ID and the registration.

See key fob programming, car key replacement if every fob is lost, or the Boston page.