Whats the cheapest way to get a spare fob?

Dealership wants about $400. Local locksmith wants about $400. I'm in San Francisco so I'm sure that's a bit inflated. If I could get a locksmith to do it mail order I'm sure the price would be less.

I'm often deep in the woods and am paranoid that this gizmo is going to stop working. I want a backup to turn off and keep stored just in case. But fuck... $400 is a lot for that peace of mind. Any tips?

 

That's about on target with the going price. Those little guys are expensive.

But going back to your problem:

A) your truck should have come with two.

B) a dead fob will not strand you. You shouldn't run the risk of keeping an extra stored in your truck for that purpose. The process for starting a truck using a dead fob is in your owners manual.

** a lost fob, on the other hand, is a different scenario.

 

It's less the fear of a dead fob. I'm aware that I can use it with a dead battery (though I keep spare batteries.)

It's the possibility of a lost fob. Or the possibility of the fob just not working for non battery reasons. Neither are likely. But they're possible. And being deep in the sticks it makes sense to have plans and redundancy.

I have a spare mechanical key in a hide-a-key. I can get into the truck in an emergency. That's a start. I'd like to have a way to start it as well if need be. A lot is riding on a single fob when you're a long ways from home or help.

Wife has the other 2nd fob that came with the truck.

 

https://tomskey.com/collections/toyota-tacoma-2015-2021-push-button-start

The fob is on sale for $120 (assuming you can live without the Toyota logo, otherwise it's $200), plus $60 to rent their programming contraption. So you can have a spare fob for less than $200.

 

Sure was easier and cheaper to have a standard key and a non chipped key at that.

 

And cars were a lot cheaper when they had a distributor with points, a condenser, and a carburetor.

 

Yes.

The key has been overly complicated when it does not need to be. Remote start, keyless entry and proximity key are nice features to have. I always enjoyed the simplicity of a standard key.

Chipped vs non chipped isn't much of a difference. Added Expense vs Security would be the only drawback there, lots of vehicles get stolen but it's not like the same people have their vehicle stolen day after day.

 

I have an extra. Give me an offer (PM is cool). I thought I lost one, got the spare and then found the lost one. I suppose you should figure out how you will reprogram it first, and I wouldn't think the little key would fit for you. Cheers.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/push-button-key-reprogrammable.779469/#post-27870600

 

I guess being a software consultant makes me a bit of a tech nerd, so I'm all for technology that makes things more convenient. You can't turn on a light in my house without talking to Alexa. Door locks are automated through my alarm system. All my pool equipment is on a pool automation system and basically runs on autopilot unless I want to change a setting, which I do on an app. The upside is convenience, the downside is it makes you more dependent on things like Wifi and electricity. Although I'm having an whole house backup generator installed to take care of the power piece Truck is the same. Nice to have things like proximity entry, remote start, panoramic view cameras, etc., but it all costs.

 

Reading that made me anxious, but having all that stuff operate autonomously must simplify things. That's a lot of cool stuff going on there.

 

I got my spare at car and truck remotes.com years ago for around $120(ish) and dealer programmed for maybe $90. Can’t remember exactly but was all in around $200. I just went to the dealer because I was already going there for an inspection at the time.

 

Thanks. That's a good price. Bought the key. I think you need a windows computer to use their programer though. So I'll just have to find a locksmith thats a little more affordable. Good tip though.

 

To me that's terrifying.

And there is also an idea of "net convenience." Yes, in theory when it all works it's more convenient. I guess. In that you can change color temp or intensity or whatever without leaving the couch. But having managed large technical systems that work on both hard and software... it doesn't always work. Theres resets and firmware updates and software updates and outages and all the rest.

So is it net convenient? I'd argue it's not. A switch on the wall is, all things considered, pretty damn convenient and largely foolproof. The learning curve, downtime, and periodic upgrades make the "smarter" versions a net loss to me.

But it's also not all about the end result. I get that.

I've got a friend who loves playing with new options every time he camps. New shelters. New rigging. He loves tinkering with it. His mission isn't to streamline the process and find the perfect setup. He enjoys the process, not the end result. So if you like the tech and the process, more power to you.

Give me a dumb switch though. Or a dumb key.