[Glideslope]

So my wife misplaced my key fob/remote control, and I'm using the backup key for my 2013 F30.

I called the dealership and they said a new key fob is $400 + $150 in labor to reprogram it.

Has anyone lost a key and went a cheaper route not involving the dealership?

Help?

[zaki671]

Here's one i found online, but call your dealer first to check if they'll program a new key fob for you if you didnt purchase from them.

http://www.keylessentryremotefob.com...13&Search=335i

[Glideslope]

Thanks Zaki!
wow, I'm impressed with the honesty of the seller (website) in their warning about BMW dealerships unwillingness to program the keyfob.

[zaki671]

You're welcome. Hope it works out for you.

[mr_kay]

I ordered one from my dealer for $296 delivered to my house. It came precut already and you can program it yourself (I have Comfort Access as well). No dealer programming is needed. Just have to start the car with the old key fob, while holding the new key fob up to the steering column.

[Polo08816]

Originally Posted by mr_kay

I ordered one from my dealer for $296 delivered to my house. It came precut already and you can program it yourself (I have Comfort Access as well). No dealer programming is needed. Just have to start the car with the old key fob, while holding the new key fob up to the steering column.

Any reference documents for this?

[mr_kay]

Originally Posted by Polo08816

Any reference documents for this?

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=711628

I successfully used the same information and programmed my new key. The dealer never did anything to my car.

[//M]

Originally Posted by zaki671

Here's one i found online, but call your dealer first to check if they'll program a new key fob for you if you didnt purchase from them.

http://www.keylessentryremotefob.com...13&Search=335i

Uhh that's because the dealer has no way of programming that key. The only way to add a used key to a BMW is to [redacted I'm not making this public, if you really want its out there but basically it involves micro soldering and specialized tools not the kind of procedure a dealer would do] With a BMW 8 keys are programed in when the car is built, officially you can only use those 8 keys unless you are going to do the crazy hacker method and you have the special software and hardware and super soldering skills.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BLANK BMW KEY, THEY DO NOT EXIST. AND EVEN IF THEY DID THERE IS NO "PROCEDURE" TO PROGRAM IT TO THE CAR. KEYS ARE CREATED AT BIRTH BY THE FACTORY AND THATS IT!

Therefore the dealer is no hope unless your having them send for one of the created ones, also no business/website could possibly have the key codes for your car only BMW AG has them.

If you do manage to find a blank BMW key, it's a Chinese knockoff and requires hacker method.

Also a key can not be rewritten, so if you got a used key you'd be adding it's "data" into the car not programming the key to car.

Disclaimer: its eight on EXX I'm assuming it's the same could even be 10 keys now. But regardless they're all premade or at least the codes are prestored in the car and at best they flash it at the secret warehouse and dispatch to the dealer.

P.S. if someone does have a reliable source for virgin F series keys PM me, for legit use after all the procedure to make it work in a car is quite argious.

[//M]

Originally Posted by mr_kay

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=711628

I successfully used the same information and programmed my new key. The dealer never did anything to my car.

As long as it's one of the keys created at birth for your car
that method will work to activate it. ( if you want to be fancy you could use the block unblock function in ISTA.)

[e92bmwmd]

I ordered a new key through BMW for a 2014 328 and im trying to program it myself before i have to pay them to do it. I placed the new key up to the steering rack with old key in the car, it isnt working... any thoughts?

[mr_kay]

Originally Posted by mohseen

I ordered a new key through BMW for a 2014 328 and im trying to program it myself before i have to pay them to do it. I placed the new key up to the steering rack with old key in the car, it isnt working... any thoughts?

Try removing the old key from the car while you start it with the virgin key. This obviously requires a second person to take the key from you once you enter the car. I didn't have someone around at the time so this is what I did:

- Have both keys in my hand
- Unlock the car with the old key
- Enter the car with both keys
- Wrap the old key in foil wrap (Believe it or not, this actually blocks any signals from the key...I tried to press buttons on the fob and start the car with it and nothing happened)
- Hold the bottom part of the new fob up to the key mark on the right side of the steering column. I remember orientation being important but I forget exactly which direction it was facing. It might be in the other thread I linked to previously.
- Try to start the car (Don't forget to press the clutch or brake as I did a few times)

[looke81]

Love this BS stories, when I ordered new key I got one produced 14months earlier, 6 years after the car was built. But yeah BMW has a special place where they keep millions of key fobs... opening vault only when folks from the USA are placing orders happy to pay for that. You can order 25 keyfobs if you like. Sorry for destroying such a great story made public...

Originally Posted by //M

Uhh that's because the dealer has no way of programming that key. The only way to add a used key to a BMW is to [redacted I'm not making this public, if you really want its out there but basically it involves micro soldering and specialized tools not the kind of procedure a dealer would do] With a BMW 8 keys are programed in when the car is built, officially you can only use those 8 keys unless you are going to do the crazy hacker method and you have the special software and hardware and super soldering skills.



THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BLANK BMW KEY, THEY DO NOT EXIST. AND EVEN IF THEY DID THERE IS NO "PROCEDURE" TO PROGRAM IT TO THE CAR. KEYS ARE CREATED AT BIRTH BY THE FACTORY AND THATS IT!

Therefore the dealer is no hope unless your having them send for one of the created ones, also no business/website could possibly have the key codes for your car only BMW AG has them.

If you do manage to find a blank BMW key, it's a Chinese knockoff and requires hacker method.

Also a key can not be rewritten, so if you got a used key you'd be adding it's "data" into the car not programming the key to car.

Disclaimer: its eight on EXX I'm assuming it's the same could even be 10 keys now. But regardless they're all premade or at least the codes are prestored in the car and at best they flash it at the secret warehouse and dispatch to the dealer.

P.S. if someone does have a reliable source for virgin F series keys PM me, for legit use after all the procedure to make it work in a car is quite argious.

[chowser51]

I went to the parts department with my vin, a copy of my registration proving ownership of the car. Ordered a cut key. It was like $412 with tax. When it arrived, I declined their "programming" and walked out to my car, had someone walk away with my original key, held the new key up to the steering wheel and it synced just fine.

[Scarpia]

KATUR 315mhz Replacement 3 BNT Remote Smart Uncut Blade Key with Electric Transponder Chips for BMW 3 Series 5 Series KR55WK49127

In Stock
Ships from and sold by KaTur
Gift options not available. Gift options not available. Learn more

CDN$ 35.99


I don't know if it will work, but for 35 dollars it's worth a try, I am missing 1 key as well.

[DrivenByE30]

Originally Posted by Scarpia

KATUR 315mhz Replacement 3 BNT Remote Smart Uncut Blade Key with Electric Transponder Chips for BMW 3 Series 5 Series KR55WK49127

In Stock
Ships from and sold by KaTur
Gift options not available. Gift options not available. Learn more

CDN$ 35.99


I don't know if it will work, but for 35 dollars it's worth a try, I am missing 1 key as well.

I am not counting too much on this, but what is the update ?


My original key doesn't seem to work at all...

I guess I should really get a fresh new battery (which I have done before), and then you all say I simply have to get inside the car, and put that keyfob next to the column for it to be reprogrammed ??! Can you please confirm?



I may also have threw my spare keyfob into the trash that was already picked up last week...

What's my next best and most cost effective of getting one or two new keyfobs?

Please advise and help !!

[AlpineX]

Sequence should be (for F chassis): Unlock car with old key and leave old key outside car. Hold new key against steering column where the "key" icon is and start car.

[Chukker]

Bought a used 2015 328d with two keyfobs. One worked, one didn't. Then the one that worked set of a "low remote battery" light on the dash, so I replaced the battery. No big deal. But I figured the other key/keyfob may have had a dead battery too, so I replaced the battery in it. Didn't work. Turns out the key in the keyfob wasn't for my car! Ordered a new key from BMW today - $55 & tax. When I used my working key in my non-working keyfob, it programmed right away.

Or at least it seemed to. With the new BMW key inserted into the freshly programmed, non-working keyfob (which worked with the old working key) it doesn't trigger any response. The new key from BMW does unlock the car doors but thanks to somebody's misguided thoughts about security and luxury, it does not work to do anything else without a functioning fob.

If I wasn't nearly 300 miles from the nearest BMW dealership, I'd just throw in the towel with my credit card and say fix it, but that's not a choice until I can get over the mountains to Denver!

[Thesharperb]

I know this thread is hella old. But I just bought a 2014 328i used and it only came with 1 key. I called a nearby dealer and they quote me for $654 and then Insisted that I "don't go looking around because you'll most likely get a counterfeit" exact quote from parts depart. maybe he included massive "labor" or whatever. But hopefully I can find a price similar to what y'all are being quoted for.

[chowser51]

go to dealer parts department with your registration and or title showing your vin.
have them order a new cut keyfob. should be under $400 before tax for comfort access keyfob.

when your new key gets there, decline the programming.

go to your car, unlock it with your current fob, have someone walk away from the car with it then hold the new key up to the key symbol on the steering column and press the start button.

[AlpineX]

Originally Posted by Thesharperb

I know this thread is hella old. But I just bought a 2014 328i used and it only came with 1 key. I called a nearby dealer and they quote me for $654 and then Insisted that I "don't go looking around because you'll most likely get a counterfeit" exact quote from parts depart. maybe he included massive "labor" or whatever. But hopefully I can find a price similar to what y'all are being quoted for.

Buy the key from an online dealership parts portal, or print out their quote (plus shipping) and get your local dealer top price match.

[Chukker]

Originally Posted by chowser51

I went to the parts department with my vin, a copy of my registration proving ownership of the car. Ordered a cut key. It was like $412 with tax. When it arrived, I declined their "programming" and walked out to my car, had someone walk away with my original key, held the new key up to the steering wheel and it synced just fine.

I did the same, ordered a cut key with my vin, registration but only paid for the metal key insert, not the fob because I had two fobs and had just replaced the batteries in both. But when the second key/fob wouldn't open car, I saw that the key didn't look like the one that worked. So I thought just replace the key $54 something with tax and the new, correct key will work with the fob.

Not so! I've tried every method to recode the fob. It must have a memory to the wrong key it was programmed with. Even with the new correct key, it doesn't do anything. I'll have to wait until I can get the 300 miles to the dealership but I bet I end up paying the $400 something to buy a corrected fob.

This doesn't seem like intelligent engineering.

[Billfitz]

It's very intelligent engineering. Someone who steals a BMW can't just take any old fob and reprogram it to the car. Thieves know that, it's one of the reasons why BMWs are way down on the list of most often stolen cars. A used fob can be programmed to a car but first the original programming must be wiped. There are places that can do that, but dealers can't.