Odds are, if you are wondering how much a key fob is, you either want to buy a new key fob, or you have lost your key fob and are considering a replacement. The thing about the price of a key fob is that it can vary. The price will depend on the make, model, and year of your vehicle as well as when and where you purchase the key fob.
In this article, we’ll review roughly how much a key fob costs, what factors determine its price, and what you can do with a key fob once it’s no longer useful to you.
How Much Is a Key Fob Replacement?
Key fobs start as low as $20 for some cars if you buy them online. You can order them from retail stores for a bit more money. The average key fob will cost between $50 and $100 online. Keep in mind that in these cases, the key fob will need to be programmed before use.
You can purchase a key fob from your car dealership. Car dealerships charge a lot more for key fobs, but they will program the key fob for you. This saves you time and additional expenses. If you go this route, the price will likely be closer to $400.
How Much Does It Cost to Have a Key Fob Programmed?
As car key replacement costs vary, how much it costs to have one programmed can vary greatly, too. If you have found yourself here looking for “key fob programming near me,” you should know that you have quite a few options in programming.
There are auto body shops that provide the service of programming your key fob. This can cost anywhere from $75 to $150 depending on where in the country you are and which shop you choose.
Some car dealerships charge as much as $250 for key fob programming alone. However, some dealerships provide it as a free service. This is especially true if you purchase the key fob through them.
In some cases, if you bought your car at that particular dealership, they may be able to help you with some type of lost key fob replacement discount.
Can I Program a Key Fob Myself?
The short answer is that you can program your key fob on your own. But, the truth is, you probably don’t want to.
While there is a formula for programming the key fob yourself, it takes a while to do. First, you have to go through the whole mess of unhooking your battery cables and hooking them back up. Then, of course, this resets everything else in your car too, like your clock and your radio.
On top of that, the whole method depends on the exact timing of switching the car on and off, and it seldom works the first time. This is especially true if you are not a mechanic who does this all the time. If the programming doesn’t take, you have to start all over again by removing the cables.
How Much Is a Key Fob Battery Replacement?
If you still have your old key fob, don’t give up just yet. If your problem is that the old key fob isn’t working, it may not be broken. Instead, you might just have a dead battery in your key fob.
If this is the case, key fob battery replacement is fairly inexpensive. You will probably want to try this option before you look into a key fob replacement. There are many online videos on how to replace a key fob battery on Youtube.
What Do I Do with an Old Key Fob?
So often, when you lose a key, just as soon as you get a new one, the old magically pops up. So what do you do with the old car key? One thing you should not do with an old key fob is to just throw it away. They are valuable because they have small amounts of precious metals in them.
In many cases, the car dealership or store that you purchase your key fob from will give you a discount if you turn in your old one. Likewise, if you take the key fob somewhere to have it programmed, that business may also provide a discount for turning in the old one.
Do You Have Lots of Old Key Fobs?
Are you one of those people who seriously have to replace car keys twice a year because someone in your household keeps losing them? You are certainly not alone, but it can easily mean you have half a dozen old car keys in your junk drawer.
If you have a lot of old key fobs or are in a business, like a towing company, auto repair shop, or car dealership with many key fobs, you can sell them!
Sell Your Old Key Fobs
Old key fobs are still worth money because they have valuable components inside them. While they might not mean much to you, they can be recycled, which is actually a great thing!
You can easily sell your old key fobs to a company like We Buy Key Fobs. They are a reputable company that will buy your key fob. This means you can at least recoup some of the value of the key fobs you had to replace.
How Do I Sell an Old Key Fob?
With We Buy Key Fobs, the whole process is simple and completely transparent. Since the price of key fobs varies so much, what you need to do is gather up all of your old key fobs. Then, take a good clear picture of them with your phone.
Visit We Buy Key Fobs and send them the picture of your key fobs. They will promptly provide you with a quote. Along with the quote, you get a shipping label to ship your key fobs to them, and you are all done.
The best part is that you get some value out of the key fobs you aren’t using, plus you can feel good about making a positive impact on the environment and the economy. In addition, recycling your key fobs puts money in your pocket, keeps trash out of landfills, and helps to keep the cost of replacement key fobs down for everyone.
