Car Key Programming
Cutting the metal is half a key. Programming is the half that starts the engine.
What this service actually involves
Since the late 1990s nearly every car sold carries an immobilizer: the engine computer refuses to run unless it recognizes the chip in the key. Programming is the handshake that introduces a new chip to that computer, done through the OBD diagnostic port with the same class of tooling a dealership uses, at your location instead of theirs.
The platforms differ and the van is equipped for the differences: Ford PATS relearns, GM PEPS proximity registration, Nissan NATS, Toyota and Lexus immobilizer resets for all-keys-lost, Chrysler Fobik pairing, and the European generations with their honest boundaries, pre-2015 Audi and VW on site, MQB and FBS4 flagged truthfully on the phone.
Questions, answered straight
My key turns but the car will not start. Programming?
Possibly: a security light flashing on the dash while cranking is the classic sign the immobilizer does not recognize the chip. The technician confirms before programming, because a dead chip and a dead fuel pump can imitate each other.
Can you program a key I bought online?
Often yes for OEM and quality aftermarket parts, and we test it before charging for the pairing. Fair warning: a meaningful share of marketplace fobs arrive locked, cloned or mislabeled, and a locked fob cannot be paired by anyone.
Does programming a new key erase my old ones?
Only if you ask for it, or on all-keys-lost jobs where erasing the missing keys is the point. Adding a key normally leaves the others untouched.
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