Need new key fob for 2007. Is there a MAINE locksmith to program?

In the interest of brevity, search the forums for the term "chicken dance"

Safe trips,

EVO ? 2

 

Your post is a little confusing. The key that fits inside of the fob can only be used for unlocking the doors, it is there so that if the battery in the fob goes flat you can still open the doors.

Blank keys can be cut using your spare key as a pattern.

The fob is not programmed for the car, the car is programmed to accept the fob by doing the so called chicken dance. It is the fob that allows you to drive the car not the key.

 

Gen2 mechanical keys are standard keys. They can be duplicated anywhere. Gen3 emergency keys (2010-later) are laser cut keys, requiring a special type of key cutting machine. In both cases, the key is stored in the fob, and only unlocks the doors, once you remove it & insert it into the lockset

The fob has the circuitry to start the car, and also unlock the doors remotely. Gen2 (as your 2007 is) should be able to be programmed with the chicken dance, but Gen3 cannot, and again, requires special equipment to succeed. (The ECU is programmed in both cases - the fob is essentially dumb).

I referred you to the chicken dance because you should not need "the special" equipment needed for Gen3 cars

And you understood correctly, just lacked the Gen2 / Gen3 differences. You are in good shape.

EVO ? 2

 

Providing that the fob is new (never married to a car), a silver-back logo, and you have SKS...

Yes

In any event, even if you get a working, but previously married fob, it can be made to work IF you RESET the SKS ECU (seed value required).

You are getting your head around this. Congrats!

PM me if you run into issues

 

I would email them and ask specifically, "Is this particular fob brand new, having never been married to a vehicle... will you accept the return of the fob if it turns out that is has been married to a previous vehicle?"

The second paragraph mentioning VIDs - my understanding is that for argument sake, a new fob is virgin. Only after the first programming occurs does the VID get burned into the fob. Consequently, if a fob has a VID, it is by definition "USED" and cannot be programmed with the chicken dance procedure.

Specifically relating to Gen3s, a new fob may be added to the module with nothing more than Techstream and a Mongoose cable. A used fob requires the seed reset. Similarly, with your Gen2, a new fob can be programmed via chicken dance, but a used fob with a non-matching VID cannot.

What none of us can guarantee is that the fob you buy is virgin, thus programmable with the chicken dance.

EVO ? 2

 

Don't feel bad. It took me several months of reading (and questioning those that I thought knew more) before I could plunge into it with some comprehension of what was going on... and I still to date call some of it black magic. Let me scour through some PMs and see if I can find one that explains the info better. Facts are hard to pin down, but the process is simple... once you do it

EVO ? 2

 

Julia2001,

I have never had the need for a replacement fob, so I am without the practical experience that some others giving you advice here have, so I have just a few comments.

The "seed" thing can be very expensive & is reserved for when an owner has lost their last remaining fob. You need to have a good working fob to program the car to accept any new fobs, so for this reason one should never be down to living with just one fob (unless you just lost the 2nd one). It's best to get a new one right away. You can have the car programmed for up to 4 fobs, so any previously lost ones should be deleted from the car's memory [so that anyone who finds your lost one (from the past) can't just get into your car & drive it away]. The "seed" will reset your car's computer/ecu & erase all previous fobs from its memory & make it ready to accept the programming of up to 4 new fobs into its memory. (You do NOT need a "seed" to erase any lost fobs as long as you still have one fully functional working fob).

One caution, when buying a fob from e-bay, is that you need to know the PROPER part number ahead of time (from your dealer) for your 2007 model year, because I believe there was a different P/N for the 2004/2005 fobs that supposedly won't work on a 2006-2009 Prius (yes, it still does need to be with the silver logo if you have a car with the SKS locks). If the e-bay fob is truly new, then the package should have a Toyota P/N label on it & that number should match the number your dealer tells you is for your car. I hope this clears things up a little.

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

 

I just bought a used one that is from a 2007 prius with sks to replace mine that has been beat up by the keys on the key ring. It looks like it has been pressed to death, but we rarely use the fob to lock the car we just press the door button. I bought mine from ebay used it was married to a car so I was told the dealer has to program it to match my car.
if they cant I guess I will be out 20 bucks the dealer on the phone said it would be around 100 to reprogram the used fob to my car.
I guess I will soon see when the fob arrives