Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Works for me Wednesday: Cheap Extra or Replacement Car Keyless Remotes


This is my inaugural Works-For-Me Wednesday. Read more about it at RocksInMyDryer

Here's my tip:

My keyless remote for my 2002 Yukon XL died recently. Not battery-dead, really dead. In trying to replace the battery I broke the little piece that held the battery inside it, totally screwing it up. Totally not fixable.

I called my local GMC dealer to see about replacing it. The price for a new one was over $400, so I thought I was out of luck.

Now that I have 3 kids, one of which is carried around in a infant seat, a remote has become oh-so-important. So one day I checked E-bay. I found and bought one that matched my truck (same FCC ID) for $16.95 + 6.95 shipping. That's right, $23.90 total. A little less than $400!

I have to program it myself, but the instructions seem simple:

For most 02 GMC trucks:
  1. get in truck and close doors
  2. insert key in ignition
  3. press and hold unlock button on driver's door
  4. turn vehicle on and off (as far as you can without starting) twice
  5. release lock button on door. Door locks should unlock and lock to indicate programming mode
  6. hold lock and unlock buttons simultaneously on remote you want to use. Make sure it is the correct code for the vehicle year. Repeat #'s 5& 6 for additional remotes\.
  7. Then turn the ignition key on and off to end the programming mode.
Need an extra keyless remote for your car? Check Ebay or other auction/store sites. Make sure the FCC ID matches your current remote and that the seller gives you programming instructions.

Check out the other fantastic ideas at Rocks in my Dryer. Have a great week.

UPDATE: I got my remote in the mail, and followed the instructions above to program it. The programming took all of 30 seconds, and it works PERFECTLY! I am so happy with it I ordered another for my husband, whose had lost his.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

That really works? Get out! What about the remote thingies with the key attached?

What a great tip!

Superchikk said...

That is awesome! I hope this works for Nissan too, because I'd love to have a second for my Xterra.

mub said...

I love eBay for stuff like this!

Anonymous said...

I have to see whether this will work for my minivan. If so I will be SOOO grateful to you. How smart.

Totallyscrappy said...

I love keyless entry...

Kimberly said...

I would never have thought of this, but you are right, those dealer remotes are super expensive. Thanks!

OLLIE MCKAY'S ~ A Chic Boutique said...

Geez. . . would never have thought about looking for this on ebay??!! However, I have gotten a ton of other stuff on ebay - at such awesome prices! I.E. - Brand new, factory sealed :), 10 disc DVD set of The Planet Earth and The Blue Planet - for son's stocking - on his wish list - toatl with shipping was less than $50 - Have a happy Thursday and I like this "Works For me Wednesday" thing??!!