Don't lose your key fobs

Bought a '23 OR this past weekend and the dealer had one fob only. Well, stopped by the dealer on the way home this evening for a price on a new one. Almost $500 all in!! If you lose your fob and don't have another? Add another $400.

Anyone have any ideas? I'm betting you can't get one off Ebay and dealer would be happy to program.

 

You should be able to order one online or from another dealer cheaper. I know lock smiths will reprogram them significantly cheaper than the stealerships.

 

Worse yet, if you lose it, it must be towed to a dealer for an even more expensive security reset.

I've seen lock smiths sell cheap 3rd party remotes, I'd probably do that for a spare.

During covid a number of vehicles actually only shipped with 1 key, it was crazy, they were promised a 2nd on a later date. (mostly highlander and sienna)

 

Also, next time you purchase a vehicle have the dealer put in writing exactly what extra's are to be included in the sale or any problems you wanted them to fix. Without that your sol.

 

Damn, I would have asked for a second fob as a condition of purchase.

 

I lost one of mine not too long ago. I’m down to only one and I started researching it. Looks like Tom’s Keys is the go to. Like $200 for a OEM fob, then a refundable $75 to rent the programmer to program it. I could be wrong, been a few weeks since I’ve read up on it.

 

They gave me two when I bought mine. Guess I they were felling generous that day.

 

Don’t ring your fob to the tailgate key.

 

Get yourself an Autel KM100 programmer and some blanks from Amazon.

When I got my 3rd Gen, it came with only one fob. Dealer quoted me the same price as you so I looked into programming my own fobs.

I bought the Autel programmer on eBay for $400. I bought three blanks from Amazon for $75/each. I followed a YouTube video on how to program them.

After I programmed them, I sold the Autel on FB marketplace for $320. So basically I ended up paying about $125/fob (it came out more because I initially bought a fob for $70 that didn’t work).

If you try it, make sure to get these fobs from Amazon. They worked. Another one I bought on eBay didn’t work.

 

You’re experiencing the same thing I did!

The first thing I did was buy a blank fob on eBay and then called a local locksmith with a key programmer.

The locksmith told me he couldn’t do it because he didn’t have updated software for a 2023 Tacoma. That’s when I started looking around the internet and found a guy on YouTube that showed how to do it with the Autel.

I ordered the Autel and tried programming the fob I got from eBay but it didn’t work. Then I got into the serials and codes and ordered one more on Amazon. It worked so I ordered two more. Now I have four functioning key fobs.

 

this! If I buy used, at least two fobs are part of the deal,, often they’ll do them at cost just to move the deal along, or just do it. Once I had to go back with my paperwork, as sales was giving me the runaround,, probably after realizing the true cost.

 

This is the programming video. After doing the first fob I realized that a couple of the steps here are unnecessary. But this is how I learned how to do it:

https://youtu.be/acAbAVPCQrg

 

Autel KM100 programmer Is $381 on Temu. I was looking at this about an hour before i seen this post. Im so happy you had good results with this. Its this route or Tom’s for me.

I hate how stupid expensive these keys are these days.

 

I was so stoked after programming my fobs that I even thought about advertising the service to other Tacoma owners!

That Autel device is straight up scary. I watched some other videos about it and you can basically program a fob for a vehicle without an original!!!

 

look at tomskey

 

Same here. Bought a used 21 a few weeks ago. One key. A second at my local dealer? $380!
My old Tesla opens with my phone or a credit card. We need to bring the old tech back!

 

Eric O at South Main Auto (on YouTube if you haven’t heard of him) uses Transponder Island for keys.

https://transponderisland.com/

 

I bought one of the many eBay ones available for ~$40 IIRC. Programmed it myself with Techstream. Its range is reduced from the factory FOB. I notice the range reduction as I have to get my body closer to the truck for the auto unlocking to happen when using the door handle. Any other range problems I do not know or care about as that is all I use the FOB for. I use it only as a spare as I found the reduced range bothered me too much.

Edit: It was not eBay, but: https://www.locksmithkeyless.com/

 

I do handyman work a few hours a week. I’m always replacing and changing locks for a guy that owns many office suites. The lock shop I use has a chart on the wall of hundreds of fobs and keys that they can duplicate or repair. I’ve talked to the shop owner and he said tacomas of any year are a snap to do. Maybe try your local lock shop before a dealer.

 

Got 2 with my 23 but remember the sales guy saying Toyota was getting cheap and only giving one with certain models.