Well the first bad news was that SWMBO managed to lose one of the keys for the car.
I wasn't home at the time so I ordered a new key and two new fobs from remotez4less, I have been having problems with the remotes for some time, the one that was lost hardly worked and the other was only slightly better.
So I figured as I was going to be paying the programming charge I might as well try new ones.

They had on them on the way fast and I had them when I got home. Good news!

I called several locksmiths around town and got "Sorry Mate" from all of them
I called a large independent who said the could do all the things the dealer could do, but they couldn't program keys!

So I booked it into the dealer for yesterday, $145.00 to do the job.

Shot down there yesterday and grabbed a coffee and the JCNA mag and waited for them to get done.

More bad news! The service adviser comes to tell me that they can't program the key, and did I want to buy another?

Well, no I didn't, but there wasn't much choice, I asked how much and the good news was the dealer key was half the price of the internet key.

More coffee and the job was done, as I said I've been struggling with the remotes for quite a while and have been through the cleaning process, new batteries etc a couple of times, the new ones are working great, like night and day, good news!

My memory seats have been playing up for a long time also going to all sorts of random positions, I suspected the module but they seem to be working fine now, I know the fobs are tied to the memory so we will see how that goes once everything settles down.

I've contacted the key supplier to see if they will give me a refund, and am waiting to see if there is any good news on that front, of course the dealer had to cut the blank before trying to program.

 

Maybe the wrong region key (they operate at varying frequencies).

 

Glad to hear it worked out for you at half the original price....

I've never understood how owners lose their keys. Perhaps I'm simply too organized (or OCD, take your pick). I've never lost anything in my life, but other people have certainly lost things that belonged to me. The only one that still bothers me was lending my favorite baseball glove (more than 20 years old at the time, perfectly broken-in and re-strung several times, and given to me by my late father when I was a kid) to a work colleague for his college team reunion alumni baseball game. He lost it on the campus that weekend and it didn't bother him in the slightest. No way to replace it. I still think about that glove at the start of every MLB season....

 

It wasn't supposed to be but who knows (are the keys different?), the fobs were fine 315.0 MHz and it was a US seller.

 

What a great idea! Build a car for worldwide use, then setup the fob keys with different regional frequencies. Must sell my shares in remotez4less.

 

Isn't it the countries regulating bodies that regulate the frequencies?

 

Could be, I guess.

Well, I live in Canada and have a California car I bought on eBay. Like you, Norri, I just bought 2 new fob controls from the USA to replace the well-worn and soon-to-be-failing ones that came with the car. Just about to get them programmed, and still have both original keys (and a valet key).

I guess if the fobs can't be programmed here that may mean I am currently using an illegal frequency to open and close my car doors? Or am I missing something?

 

No, you are right but I'd assume (I know) that the US and Canada will be on the same page?

 

Yes, it's the law that specifies the frequencies. It gives the car makers endless extra hassle.

I wonder if they make you change the parts if you import across regions LOL

BTW, this frequency stuff affects a lot more than car fobs (mobile (cell) phones, wireless internet and so on). Apple had to be "reminded" that Australia had different frequencies thus preventing 4G on the iPhone (due to the phone's limited abilities) and got fined for claiming 4G their iPhones did not in fact have!

 

I had a similar experience. Indy shop sold and programmed remote (door locks, etc. ) but I had to go to dealer to get ignition key to work.