bobaroni

I bought my jeep used 2 years ago. One of the keys never worked, it starts my Rig but the remote doesn't work and the alarm goes off if you unlock it with the key lock. Lately the other "good key" has been going nuts. Some times it locks on both buttons, sometimes it unlocks on both buttons, some times it locks it self, sometimes it unlocks itself. If I park it close to the house it has kept unlocking itself all night and the headlights turning on over and over ran the battery dead. I also had to disable the honk/lock function because it would honk at random over and over. If I take the battery out of the key all of the problems stop but I look like a car the if every time I try to open the jeep and the alarm goes off.

I'm guessing this means the key is bad?
If that is the case, is there is a cheaper place then the dealer to buy a key? I have seen them online for like 40 bucks but I'm guessing I still have to pay the dealer a ton to program the new key?

rob_engineer

I haven't tried them, but I see that lowes and Home Depot now advertise keys with chips in them. May be worthwhile checking that out.

jedg

Unfortunately I think you'll end up with a trip to the dealership as you have to have two good keys (keys the jeep trusts) in order to add another key. Since you have one key that's never worked correctly, I'm thinking you will be out of luck on trying to add another.

Mark Doiron

This may turn out correct. But, since the Jeep does start with that bad key (it stays running, right?), it might work to do yourself. I'd give it a try. Been many years since I bought a key, but it was only $20 online (I have no remote systems). Couple bucks to have ground, then followed procedure in owner's manual to reprogram. That's where you need the two good keys. If it fails, try again. Mine worked after three or four tries. If that fails, you'll have a pricey trip to the dealer, as Jedg says.

jedg

True enough... won't hurt to give it a try. They non-remote keys are still $20 online (just bought two for my wife's JK). I can't remember what we paid for the remote versions for our JKU.. seems like it was around $40 a piece for the one with the remote start.

OSkullivan

I paid $89 at my local ACE hardware a few weeks ago. I did not have 2 keys to self-program.

Mind you this was key ONLY - no FOB/buttons/remote.

HTH

jedg

That's why you order them online... WAY cheaper.

OSkullivan

I researched the online methods that I could find but all seemed to require 2 working chip keys already programmed to be able to make a 3rd. Right?

I only had 1.

Maybe I missed something.

jedg

Okay, misunderstood... thought you paid that for the key not counting programming...

OSkullivan

Oh ok. Gotcha. No this was full programming and the chip key. Took about 20 minutes and 2 trips to the peking lot with the guy who did it.

When I said "key only" I meant hat mine was a regular chip key without any remote or buttons. Sounds like the OP has the alarm system and remote etc. I was just wanting to be clear for OP about what I had and what ACE could provide.

WalMart claims to do them for $40 but my 2 closest walmarts did not have a chip blank to fit my jeep.