the end of the "don't lose your keys or else" myth

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rudiger @ Jul 22 2006, 02:57 PM) [snapback]290599[/snapback]</div>

Two problems with this idea:

1. It's much cheaper to program a new fob when you have a working fob.
2. Programming the fob doesn't change the fob itself at all, it just stores the fob code in the car so it recognizes the fob. So the fob is still useful for other people even after it has been programmed into your car.

 

I will confirm with Galaxee that I too have seen a blurb in the repair manual suggesting that the ECUs could be reset using TIS. I believe I even mentioned that fact in a post or two.

The repair manual/TBS also suggest that some reprogramming functions might be doable by a dance, though for SKS, that might still require the scan tool.
I say 'suggest' because the instructions are not as clear as they should be.

 

Thanks galaxee !

You are a wealth of information. You should ask Danny for a raise.

 

Oooh, and this is probably our first look at someone actually using
Techstream! It's unfortunate that it's evidently all IE-based...
.
Great stuff, I wish they'd apprise all the dealerships about this..
.
_H*

 

Re: the end of the "don't lose your keys or else" myth

Excellent info! This is for the immobiliser. Do you know if there is a similar procedure for wireless and smart entry? I have a key that is working on the immobiliser ( I can start the car with no problem ) but the remote part of the key is not working ( key has black logo on back but the car has smart start&entry ). I already tried to learn another key from ebay ( silver logo on the back ) but the only result was that i have now 2 keys for immobiliser ( both keys can start the car , but none is working on wireless and smart entry ). I've tried to add ( with a scantool ) a new key for the smart entry , but it requires a master key ( which I dont have ). What can I do in order to have a fully functional key ?

 

Re: the end of the "don't lose your keys or else" myth

Thank you for your answer. I just saw your reply. Unfortunately, the Toyota dealer in Romania has no TIS. So, is there another way to reset the immobilizer without TIS? The car was bought from the USA and the unique key that came with the car has a black logo on the back ( despite the fact that the car has smart entry&smart start ).

 

Re: the end of the "don't lose your keys or else" myth

+1 (more if I can vote more than once, I know some dead people in Illinois....)

I really get tired of having the entire top of the screen consumed with headers, ads and stickies. I realize the headers and ads aren't going away, but the stickies could certainly be moved.

And yes, I have a LARGE display (my "largest" display is set to 1280x1024, and the others are set with even higher resolutions), set with SMALL fonts (10pt Times Roman), and it's still a lot of real-estate.

 

Re: the end of the "don't lose your keys or else" myth

Here's one.

I have a 2005 Prius with the silver-logo SKS key fob.
One of the original key fobs was lost but we still had the other original key.
Per the instructions in this forum, I purchased a key fob (silver logo) on Ebay and approached a dealer about programming the unit so I again could have two functional-keys. The dealer said, "No problem", and quoted me a price of $42. I took the Prius into the dealer with the original key and the one purchased on Ebay. The dealer was only able to program the second key to start the car. They stated that since (the fob) had been married to another car, the security system would not recognize it and it would ONLY work as a car-start/immoblizer-defeat type-key. Am I missing something? I thought that any like-key could be programmed for immoblizer AND door-lock/unlock as long as one of the original master-keys was present. The dealer says the security-functions and the engine-start/immoblizer functions are apples and oranges and I'm out of luck on the door lock/unlock functions.

True? Fiction? What must I tell the NEXT guy in order to get it right?

Please Help!

 

Re: the end of the "don't lose your keys or else" myth

Well, as far as the car-starting and lock/unlock buttons go, these can be programmed yourself! See this thread: http://priuschat.com/forums/knowled...lly-how-program-non-sks-key-fob-detailed.html

(Works for non-SKS functions on SKS fobs as well.)

As for the SKS part, you'll need the dealer to do it, and yes, he CAN. Most dealers seem to know very little about all this stuff...

 

Re: the end of the "don't lose your keys or else" myth

The Smart fob has a counter that increments each time it is used. If the counter is beyond a certain value then the Prius Smart ECU will not allow that fob to be added to the list of authorized fobs. This is why most owners who buy used Smart fobs end up with frustration.

 

Re: the end of the "don't lose your keys or else" myth

Hmm... interesting. I wonder if the counter can't be reset?

Anyway, I'm just mostly repeating what I've heard here on PC, so I'm not surprised that it gets even more complicated...

 

Re: the end of the "don't lose your keys or else" myth

does anyone have an answer to this?

 

Re: the end of the "don't lose your keys or else" myth

Yes. The answer is the counter can't be reset. Keys are made to be secure, and reseting an old counter is a security risk.

Tom

 

I just found a little red button in my pocket and low and behold it was from my Smart fob!! I shoved it back in (seting off the car alarm twice in the process). Is there any way to fix this short of buying a new fob? I am afraid it will pop off again.

 

Here's a good one for this topic:

With our son now driving, we wanted to have a spare fob for the Prius. The dealership we bought the car from has a program that replaces lost keys within the first year of ownership, free of charge. Our salesman suggested we "lose" a fob and get a replacement through the program, which we did, then "find" the third fob and have all 3 reprogrammed. The lost fob sat at home, unused, for months and we had the new fob and the other old fob reprogrammed.

Fast forward to yesterday: having some other work done on the car, we went to the dealership with the "found" fob planning on having all 3 reprogrammed (gratis, by the way) ......and the "found" fob still operates the car! I double-checked this by having the other fobs far enough away from the car to not work. All 3 have full functionality.

 

Re: the end of the "don't lose your keys or else" myth

I'd suggest that you buy the cheapest keyfob you can find on eBay. Then transfer the circuit board and transponder from your damaged case into the eBay case. That way you don't have to change any of the programming.

To open a keyfob, first disassemble it like you were replacing the battery. Remove the mechanical key, sliding panel, battery cover, and battery. I've split the case by inserting a needle nose pliers into the space where the mechanical key goes, and then spreading the pliers. Just use the pliers to open enough space for a dull blade to fit, and work the blade all the way around. The transponder is a small separate chip (with no connectors) that has a separate compartment in the case. Clean off the old glue from the two halves.

You might want to start by disassembling the replacement keyfob. That way if you break everything, at least it isn't your functional key. Once you've got a good case, then you can take apart the damaged keyfob without worrying as much about it. I just used Elmer's white glue to reassemble a case, but others have suggested better glues. One important consideration is that you want the new glue to be weaker than the case, so that you can take it all apart again in the future.

The leftover circuit board is useless, so you may as well throw it away. But the transponder could be transferred to the damaged case, and then used as a dumb keyfob (keyfob in dash only - no buttons or SKS). It would be useful to keep as a spare in order to avoid the main topic of this thread - what to do when you lose all your keys.

 

Re: the end of the "don't lose your keys or else" myth

Great idea! I will try that.