Key Fob Programming in Salt Lake City, UT

Why every fob comes along

Key fob programming pairs a remote or smart fob with the car's computer so the car will answer it. Some cars re-register every key when one is added, so every working fob belongs with the car when the work is done.

Sun, cold mornings and fob batteries

Strong daytime sun is part of Utah's climate, the Western Regional Climate Center reports, and the inside of a parked car gets much hotter than the air around it. That heat is hard on the coin cell inside a fob.

• A fob left on a dashboard in the sun heats up with the car, which shortens battery life.
• On a cold morning, a weak battery that worked the day before may not reach the car.
• A fob that fails only in the cold usually needs a fresh cell of the type printed on the old one, not programming.

Keep spare fobs indoors, not in a parked car.

Shared garages and street parking

Programming needs the car, every fob and room to work at the driver's door. Census data put about 9 percent of Salt Lake County's homes in buildings of 50 or more units, and a car there is often in a shared garage, so say how a visitor gets in (gate, call box or guest pass), which level the car is on, and whether a work vehicle can pull in beside it.

For a car on the street, give the block, the side of the street and the nearest cross street. For a house, say whether the car can sit in the driveway or garage.

What to have ready

• every fob and key that still works
• the VIN, plus the registration or title and photo ID
• year, make and model, and whether it has push-button start
• the part number or FCC ID printed inside the fob case, if you can read it

If no working key or fob is left, car key replacement applies instead. Street-parking limits that affect a car left at the curb are on the Salt Lake City page.