Keyless Entry for 2007 Chevy Silverado

dirt and grime can interfere with contact, careful use of an eraser from a pencil can clean these contacts. make sure the batteries are OK. When they get weak, these things fail the way you describe.

Electrical contacts can usually be cleaned by using the eraser of a pencil or "Pink Pearl" type eraser that has not gotten hard with age. Be very careful of how hard you rub. If the contact is obviously copper, it is probably thick enough to take a reasonable scrubbing. If the contacts look like they may be gold plated, the plating is very thin and could be removed if not careful. Gold, though, won't corrode and would only be dirty or sticky (soda, etc.). Having a spray can of electrical contact cleaner handy would help dissolve dirt but won't remove corrosion and is useful in gently flushing away eraser crumbs. Be sure to spray the black rubber. It is impregnated with carbon particles and as they wear and fall out of the rubber matrix, dead areas can occur. If it shows worn areas, light sanding with crocus cloth, or at the roughest, 800 paper, may expose new carbon surfaces.

Go buy another fob. If you can get to the surfaces, a light swipe with a pencil eraser will clean the gunk/corrosion off the contacts. Go buy another fob.

Guess I haven't bought one lately. The link is about keys, not fobs. Or are we now in the land of semantics?

Think I'll call the dealer and see what they say. I'll report back.

I had to pay nearly $200 for a second key/fob for my VW!

That is clearly highway robbery!

Agreed! The automotive industry is taking a page out of the medical industry's play book. Someone's got to pay for that new key fobulator machine. Guess who?

I did not think he spoke of an item attached to a key, like a chain.

I think he referred to the plastic FOB with the shaped end that you insert and turn as an electronic key which handshakes with the car electronics to enable the car.

Some use keys with a chip that functions as old fashioned key, but still has to handshake with the chip to enable the car.

""The price for an old model spare key can be as low as $1, and replacements locks could cost anywhere between $55 to $85.

What makes these high-tech keys so expensive is the computer chip inside the key head. The chip sends a frequency to the computer system of the vehicle when inserted into the ignition. That frequency is what turns the car on. Anyone can cut an exact replica of the key, but if it hasn't been programmed, the car won't start.""

You are correct. I'm a victim of sedentary vocabulary development.

I rented a something or other the other day and just needed to keep the thingy in my pocket to get in and drive off. I hated it.

I think there are web sites who offer deals and programming ?

"What makes these high-tech keys so expensive is the computer chip inside the key head"

Come on! Chips cost pennies... What makes the key/fobs expensive is the lack of competition. If independent locksmiths could get the programming information, then before long the price would be down in the tens of dollars. Since the dealer is the ONLY option, he/she can charge whatever the market will bear. I bore it, but I didn't grin!. I bought a used car that came with only one key (the valet key), and did not even know the fob existed, until I went to get a second key made...

I do appreciate that it should be somewhat difficult to obtain duplicates, to make it hard for thieves, but there is no reason these things should cost more than $20 or $30.

Amen. The car companies are quiet secretive about this info. You can't blame them. But I think if someone clever enough could get access to it, he could do quite well.

DK,

This is a few years late, but wanted to include this for anyone searching. These Fobs, Chipkeys/RKE Devices etc. have not been a dealer-only feature for MOST makes and models... EVER.

We have been able to provide and program OEM remotes for most makes and models for a VERY long time. The same goes for immobilizer system keys.

When Ford and Chrysler launched the first chip-contained keys, locksmiths already had the DART and NGS scan tools to service them.

Today, we have multi-brand capability within a single machine, and can program when all keys have been lost IN THE FIELD, something most dealers can NOT do.

Plus, locksmiths can make keys that the dealer orders in, which can keep a traveling person in a motel for a week... a Locksmith can do it same-day.

This is why forums exist, so our preconceived notions can be presented, tested and updated.

Thanks for that, BUT...

"We have been able to provide and program OEM remotes..." Who is 'We'?

It has been almost 8 years since my experience, so hopefully things have changed. I bought the car used from Enterprise rentals. They had the valet key only. Fortunately the trunk was not valet-locked, so that key worked. When I asked about a second key, they gave me a voucher to a locksmith place. Both the dealer and the locksmith are about 50 miles from my home, so it is a major inconvenience to get there, in spite of the fact that I normally make that trip about once a week. The first time I went to the locksmith's place, it was normal business hours but no one there. The second time there was someone there, but not the locksmith. I was able to order the key, so another time when the locksmith was there, he had the key blank, and was able to cut the key so it physically turned and ran the starter motor, but of course without the chip, the car won't start. He claimed he couldn't communicate with VW to get the required code to program the chip. After several more trips with the same story over several months, I finally gave up and paid the $200 to the VW dealer. If I recall correctly, that also required two trips. At least the key I got from the dealer included a remote fob, which I previously didn't even know was possible...

Is there any way to know which locksmith can do the job?

"WE" is my firm, City Lock in Boulder Colorado and all the other locksmiths worldwide that stay on top of the industry.

Whomever you dealt with, was not equipped to handle your request. That person would have served you best by referring you to someone who was more focused on the automotive side of things.

MY firm is City Lock in Boulder Colorado.

From a Valet key, a locksmith can produce a Master key, which will operate all of the locks, and you have a choice of a remote head or non-remote head key. This refers to the remote keysless entry, not the immobilizer chip which must be present and programmed in on most 2000+ VW ( Passat 2001, Passat Wagon 2002 )

Locksmiths serve the public, as well as car dealers, body shops, general mechanics and auto auctions. Most dealers will use locksmiths, as they use glass companies for windshields and body shops for collision repair.

To be sure to get a legit locksmith, and not a scam, use the locksmith finder that only includes fully background checked, fully insured locksmiths at legallocksmiths.com, or there is a locksmith finder at aloa.org ( Associated Locksmiths of America )

Thanks a lot! I will Check it out, starting with my local locksmith... My car is indeed a 2004 Passat.

BTW, I lived in Mead, Co in the early '50s, and our boy scout troop from Longmont used to go up to Boulder to go swimming at an indoor pool.

dk warner...

If you have any trouble finding someone, feel free to email us. Or, ROAD TRIP! come on out and I will give you a HECK of a discount for going the distance!

Passat is not tough. You can get the remote head key with remote keyelss entry, or a straight key with the immobilizer chip. It will be a MASTER, not a VALET, just without the remote, if you wish this just as a backup.

If the Remote head key gets messed up, many locksmiths have just the flip half, just the remote half, and just the blade only, allowing repair of the component that fails, saving you money.

I wanted to get a key made at the flea market and was told that unless I was positive that my '99 Mercury didn't have an anti theft system, only the dealer could have a key made with the RFID chip in it. As I recall, Corvette was the first car advertised with this system. I think they also came with a "valet key" that would detune the engine management system to restrict power. Please correct me if I'm wrong about that.

Thanks for all the comments, I'll try to clean it next time it acts up. Otherwise, It's off to the web for a new one. Sorry, my use of "fob" was confusing. I was referring to the keyless entry unit that has a lock and unlock button (along with a panic button).

And at nearly half the price from a dealer!