Key Fob Programming in Jersey City, NJ

How the seasons treat a fob

In NOAA's climate summary for the state, winters are moderately cold with occasional snow and summers are warm and humid, and a fob in your pocket goes through both.

• Cold. Coin-cell batteries lose voltage in the cold. A fob that worked in October may need several presses in January, or work only right next to the car. Replace the battery before deciding the fob needs programming.
• Damp. Moisture that gets inside the case, from a snowy pocket or a humid summer, can corrode the battery contacts. A fob that went through the wash or fell in slush should be opened and dried before a new battery goes in.
• Wear. A cracked case or a dead button can sometimes be fixed by moving the electronics into a new shell.

Curb or rear-yard garage

Older one- and two-family blocks in Jersey City often leave cars on the street or in rear-yard garages reached by a shared driveway, according to the draft 2006 master plan amendments. Programming is done with the fob and the car together, so where the car sits matters.

• At the curb. A car that sits through a cold spell can have a weak battery, and programming needs steady power. Say if the car has been slow to start.
• In a rear-yard garage. Say whether the car can be brought out, or whether there is room to work beside it.

Bring these to the car

1. Every fob you have for the car, working or not. On some cars, programming a new fob erases any fob that is not present.
2. A note of what fails: lock, unlock, trunk, panic button or remote start.
3. Whether the battery was replaced recently, and whether the car has push-button start.
4. The VIN, and your registration or title if you have them.

If no working key or fob is left at all, the job is car key replacement. See key fob programming for the service.