A fob that needs three presses to unlock, or one button that works while another doesn't, is usually wearing out from the inside. Near the water, salt and moisture corrode the tiny contacts under the buttons faster than they would inland.
Sometimes it's the fob's battery, sometimes the contacts, sometimes the case has cracked and let the damp in. The technician can tell which, and a worn-out fob can be replaced and programmed at the car.
Salt water and electronics don't mix. A fob that went into the bay or the surf may work for a day and then fail, or never work again. Keep it and bring it along anyway; it helps identify the right replacement, and if it's still recognized by the car, that's useful to know.
If it's beyond saving, a new fob is programmed at the car, and the drowned one can be removed from the car's memory at the same visit.
A fob in a pocket doesn't stand much of a chance against a night of rides on the boardwalk or an afternoon of beach volleyball. When it's gone, the technician gets into the car where it's parked and sets up a replacement on the spot, and the lost fob is deleted so nobody else can use it. Give the street or the lot and the nearest ramp or entrance when you phone.
Boaters often clip the car fob to the same floating key ring as the boat key. It keeps both afloat for a while, but it also means one slip over the side takes both. Keeping the car fob in a dry bag or a zipped pocket on the boat, and the spare at home or in the shore house, keeps a lost boat key from becoming a stranded car.
Second-home owners often come back in spring to a car that won't respond at all. After months of sitting, the car's own battery is often flat, and a flat car battery makes a perfectly good fob look dead.
Say how long the car has been sitting when you phone. The car's battery is checked first, so nobody replaces a fob that was never the problem.
A 'key not detected' message on a push-button car often means the fob is getting weak or has been damaged. When the doors respond but the engine stays silent, the car is rejecting the chip, which is programming work at the car. Describe exactly what the car does, and the right equipment comes along.
Cars parked near the water for a whole season can also develop corrosion on the car's own electrical connections. If the fob problems started after a winter by the bay, mention that too; it helps separate a failing fob from a car that needs a mechanic.
Some fobs sold online pair without trouble. Others have the wrong frequency or chip, or turn out to be secondhand units still tied to another car. Ask on the phone before ordering one. If it's already in hand, it's checked first, and you won't be pushed to continue with one that can't be matched to your car.
Photo ID, the registration, all the fobs you own, the swimmer included, and the car's model year and make. You'll get a free estimate before any programming starts, and each fob is checked against the car before the technician leaves.
Often, yes. Bring it anyway; a new fob can be programmed at the car if it's beyond saving.
Usually worn or corroded contacts. The fob can be replaced and programmed at the car.
The car's own battery is likely flat. It's checked before the fob is blamed.
A replacement is set up where the car is parked, after the door is opened.
No, once it's deleted from the car's memory, which most makes allow during the visit.
Some will, many won't. Ask before ordering, and it's checked first if you have it.
Yes, and it's free.
Tell us your street and we send a tech.
