New Key Fob Success!

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n8dogg
Posts: 225
Joined: Tue Jul 30, 2013 1:20 am

My original key fobs have been slowly wearing out to the point where they were almost non functioning. In spite of my solid experience with my Kizashi, I knew that the day would come that the key fobs might make continued ownership difficult. I would take them apart and try cleaning them, checking for corrosion and what not, install new batteries, but to no long term success. So in spite of what I've heard about the difficulty of getting new keys programed, (especially living in the Pacific Northwest where almost no one has heard of a Kizashi!) I had no choice but to give it a shot and buy some new ones.
I bought the key fobs from ABKEYS out of UAE. 2 new keys shipped for under $200 total. I called the Ex Suzuki dealer (now Kia) where I bought my Kizashi, who has previously worked on my car for recalls and warranties, to see if they could program the keys. I wasn't surprised but the response was hilarious! The girl answering the phone asked why I didn't call a Suzuki dealer! Her and most the staff there aren't even aware that they were ever a Suzuki dealer and are still the recommended Suzuki Service Provider for recalls! A tech on staff finally confirmed what I already suspected...says he can only do Kia's.
A co-worker of mine has a computer and was convinced that he could program any car...well we tried and he was unable to do it either.
Started calling locksmiths. First one didn't even sound interested once I said "Suzuki" Said if I really wanted to, he'd give it a shot for $100, but that it wasn't likely.
Last place I called was a success! Robblees Total Security (for anyone who might be in the Puget Sound area) got the job done for $159. That was their flat rate...get as many fobs programmed all at once. They started by putting new batteries in all 4 key fobs, the 2 old and 2 new ones, for no extra cost (not that batteries are expensive, but I thought this would be one of their added "we gotcha" charges.) When programing the new keys, the old ones get wiped from the car, so he re-programmed those as well. The tech did mention that he saw a Kizashi once before several years ago, and the programing wasn't available to him at the time to fix it. Glad it is now!
'12 Kizashi SLS AWD w/RF sound
easy to chip Vivid Red and 25% window tint
Michelin Crossclimate 2
Power Stop Rotors and Pads
206,xxx miles and still lovin it!
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KuroNekko
Posts: 5264
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

Awesome but also a bit dreadful that programming the Kizashi fob is a matter of finding the right person among many who can't.
2025 Mazda CX-50 Preferred Hybrid
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Sold)
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n8dogg wrote:My original key fobs have been slowly wearing out to the point where they were almost non functioning. In spite of my solid experience with my Kizashi, I knew that the day would come that the key fobs might make continued ownership difficult. I would take them apart and try cleaning them, checking for corrosion and what not, install new batteries, but to no long term success. So in spite of what I've heard about the difficulty of getting new keys programed, (especially living in the Pacific Northwest where almost no one has heard of a Kizashi!) I had no choice but to give it a shot and buy some new ones.
I bought the key fobs from ABKEYS out of UAE. 2 new keys shipped for under $200 total. I called the Ex Suzuki dealer (now Kia) where I bought my Kizashi, who has previously worked on my car for recalls and warranties, to see if they could program the keys. I wasn't surprised but the response was hilarious! The girl answering the phone asked why I didn't call a Suzuki dealer! Her and most the staff there aren't even aware that they were ever a Suzuki dealer and are still the recommended Suzuki Service Provider for recalls! A tech on staff finally confirmed what I already suspected...says he can only do Kia's.
A co-worker of mine has a computer and was convinced that he could program any car...well we tried and he was unable to do it either.
Started calling locksmiths. First one didn't even sound interested once I said "Suzuki" Said if I really wanted to, he'd give it a shot for $100, but that it wasn't likely.
Last place I called was a success! Robblees Total Security (for anyone who might be in the Puget Sound area) got the job done for $159. That was their flat rate...get as many fobs programmed all at once. They started by putting new batteries in all 4 key fobs, the 2 old and 2 new ones, for no extra cost (not that batteries are expensive, but I thought this would be one of their added "we gotcha" charges.) When programing the new keys, the old ones get wiped from the car, so he re-programmed those as well. The tech did mention that he saw a Kizashi once before several years ago, and the programing wasn't available to him at the time to fix it. Glad it is now!
I’ve been looking in to purchasing a unit that can program these fobs. Did you happen to see the brand name of the unit he was using ? Advanced Diagnostics or maybe Autel?


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