Key Fob Programming in West Valley City, UT

Why fobs act up

Many fobs that seem to need programming only need a battery. Try a fresh cell of the type printed on the old one before booking.

• Cold mornings. A coin cell gives less power when it is cold, so a weak battery tends to show up first as shorter range on a cold morning, for a car that sat outside overnight.
• Sun on the dashboard. Utah gets strong daytime sun, according to the Western Regional Climate Center. A spare fob left on a dashboard in that sun gets hot, which is also hard on the battery. Keep spares indoors.
• Snow and slush. A fob dropped in snow or carried in a wet pocket can corrode at the battery contacts. Open it, let it dry fully and check the contacts before assuming it has lost its programming.

Garages, structures and the street

Programming usually needs the car and the fobs together, and on many cars the ignition has to be switched on and off during the process, so where the car sits matters.

• Parking structures. Fairbourne Station has a parking structure as well as a UTA park-and-ride lot. Concrete and other radio signals can shorten a fob's range in a structure like that, so walk closer to the car before deciding the fob has failed, and give the level and space in your request.
• Home garages. Make sure the driver's door can open fully and nothing blocks the car.
• Residential streets. Note the house number the car is parked in front of, and whether the car has a key blade for its doors.

Gather before you book

1. Every working fob and key for the car. On some vehicles, programming a new fob erases any fob that is not present, so one left at home may stop working.
2. The VIN, found on a plate at the lower corner of the windshield or on the driver's door jamb.
3. Make, model and year, and whether the car is push-to-start.
4. Photo ID and the registration or title.

If no working key is left at all, see car key replacement instead. The structure and park-and-ride lot at Fairbourne Station are covered on the West Valley City overview.