Remote Programming
A customer bought a new remote that’s programmed to his car. This seems to have kicked out the remotes that his wife and daughter have to the same car. To regrant access to all three, do they have to buy three new remotes all programmed at once, or is there a way to have the other two individuals bring in their remotes and have them reprogrammed to the guy’s remote?
— Ed Herman
Clark Devon Hardware
Thanks for reading. It depends on the vehicle, so without knowing the customer’s vehicle, we couldn’t say for sure, but it’s likely they’ll have to buy three new remotes. According to our auto expert, Steve Young, most of the time, the first step of the programming process deletes all existing remotes from a vehicle’s system, and you’d have to program in the new remote and all existing remotes at the same time. Some later models of Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi vehicles allow you to add a remote as long as you have a working remote to begin with. Further, different vehicles program differently.
“I just did a 2011 Silverado, and you can add a remote to it without deleting the other remotes,” Young says. “If you want to delete the other remotes, there is an option for that. It just depends on the vehicle. I used to tell people in my classes that there was no single automotive job that required you to be a rocket scientist, but the problem is that EVERY job is different.”
Coming Attractions
Speaking of automotive, next month, in addition to our regular May magazine issue, Locksmith Ledger subscribers will receive our annual supplement, Automotive Locksmithing 2021. It’s a look at all things automotive in locksmithing and will include, among other things, reports about programming Chrysler vehicles and the latest products from Ilco.
Other upcoming special supplements: the Spring 2021 Big Book tabloid-size guide to new products, packaged with our June issue, and Access Control Trends and Technologies, packaged with our August issue.
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