Steve's Lock Out

In the first article “Buying Chip Keys and Remotes Off the Internet” I address purchasing chip keys. Now it’s time for the remotes.

And as in the article about the keys I want to clear up a few things about remotes.

Here is the scenario. You lock your keys in your car, but you spouse has the other keys and remote at home. So you simply call and have them hold the remote up to their cell phone and hit the unlock button as you hold your cell phone near the car. Bingo! It’s unlocked right? Wrong! Cell phones do not have the capability to broadcast the radio frequencies your remote uses to unlock and lock your car. I have had people challenge this only to realize that it was simply their remote unlocking the car all the way across the parking lot. When increasing the distance it no longer worked. I will admit though I’ve seen some new systems that use what is basically a cell phone built in and you simply call the number and enter a security code and the car unlocks. I believe these new systems as handy as they are, are adding fuel to the myths of cell phone unlockings.

All GM remotes work with all GM products, all Nissan remotes work with all Nissan products, etc. Where as one remote may cover more than one model on more than one year it will not cover them all. For instance I keep over 20 different GM remotes in stock. I believe its actually higher I’m just being conservative. I’ve never actually counted them.

Now how does a remote work?

There are 2 was that auto remotes broadcast a signal to your car.

In some of the first remote factory systems an infrared signal was used. These were a bad idea. Very low security.

Then radio frequencies were introduced. These used what is called a fixed signal. Much better, however, still alot of room for improvement.

All vehicles now use remotes that use a radio frequency with a rolling code. I’ve yet to see this cracked.

What should I look out for when purchasing a remote?

First of all you need to know if your vehicle is equipped for a remote. Most places that sell remotes should be able to guide you through this.

Next you will need to pick the right remote. This is done by narrowing it to down by asking a few questions. What make is my vehicle? What model? Year? Does it have power sliding doors? How many? Does it have a solenoid activated hatch or trunk release? Does it have remote start?

Now that selecting the right remote is out of the way here are some questions to ask so you don’t get taken for a ride.

Is it used or new? Some places sell used refurbished, or in some cases notrefurbished remotes. These are sometimes referred to as “grade 2″ remotes. These may have scratches or blemishes, but should be in good working order. Keep in mind they will have the original circuit board in them so they already are partially worn out. Two problems we see a lot are broken battery contacts, this can be fixed many times by soldering. And worn out buttons, this requires a whole new remote.

What kind of warrenty is offered? Usually you will get a longer warrenty with a new remote than with a refurbished one. See the last 2 sentences of the paragraph above.

Are they factory or aftermarket remotes?

Can this remote be programmed by using OBP (On Board Programming)? In other words can I do it myself?

If not how much will it cost to have it programmed? This can vary quite a bit. Usually all it takes is a phone call to find this out.

I hope this will provide you with some information that will be useful to you the next time you need to shop for a new remote or key for your vehicle. 

Steve’s Lock Out provides and programs factory remotes and keys in the Parson, Kansas area.