Pelican94
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I thought this might be useful for others with VF S2 Remote Start Key Issues.
I recently had to replace one of my remote start fobs after it failed completely; even opening the door with the key blade set off the alarm, so I needed to get another fob. Holden wanted $400 and the dealer wanted another $150 to program it to the car and cut the key blade. Locksmiths are cheaper but still $400 all up but for an aftermarket key which they claim are “better” than the eBay ones (which I knew cost less than $30 with battery). Needless to say I was keen to look at other options including any which gave me additional keys in case another failed in the near future.
So the plan became to buy 2 new eBay keys and program them to the car using a borrowed Autel programming tool. This went well but left me with 3 working key fobs but only one with a useable key blade. What could I do about this? There were 4 options.
To me it is clear that the Holden fobs are overpriced but no more reliable than the aftermarket ones. But even if they were less reliable, provided aftermarket fobs remain available (or you keep some spares), and you have the means to program them to the car, you will have reasonably priced fobs with full access to your car long after Holden parts and service have dried up.
I recently had to replace one of my remote start fobs after it failed completely; even opening the door with the key blade set off the alarm, so I needed to get another fob. Holden wanted $400 and the dealer wanted another $150 to program it to the car and cut the key blade. Locksmiths are cheaper but still $400 all up but for an aftermarket key which they claim are “better” than the eBay ones (which I knew cost less than $30 with battery). Needless to say I was keen to look at other options including any which gave me additional keys in case another failed in the near future.
So the plan became to buy 2 new eBay keys and program them to the car using a borrowed Autel programming tool. This went well but left me with 3 working key fobs but only one with a useable key blade. What could I do about this? There were 4 options.
- Live with the single cut key blade. But this would mean I had to always keep the full key (or the dead key) with me in case I needed it to get into the car when a fob battery went flat or failed completely. I rejected this as too cumbersome and risky.
- Have a second blade cut by a locksmith but this may be an unnecessary expense (since the failed fob blade could somehow be used) so I decided to look at other options.
- Break open the original failed Holden fob and one of the aftermarket fobs and swap the key blades over. I did this but had a lot of trouble prying open the Holden fob (it seemed to be glued, definitely not meant to be opened) without damaging it but the aftermarket fob was easier to pry open. But now I ran into a bigger problem as the Holden key blade button and button mechanism are slightly larger in diameter while the aftermarket blade housing button hole and layout are slightly smaller. This means that the parts are not interchangeable. It may be possible to modify the aftermarket housing to take the larger button mechanism but at the risk of ruining a fully working fob. I thus rejected this as well.
- Proceed as per 3. above but swap the circuit boards instead of the key blades. This worked well as the boards are the same size and shape and swap easily. I was only concerned that there might be problems assembling the Holden housing (would I have to glue it?) but I found it was a tight interference fit and stayed together without gluing for now. It may need to be glued sometime in the future – but we shall see.
- The Holden fob had a smoother (nicer?) exterior than the aftermarket fob. It also has the Holden logo recessed into it.
- The Holden fob housing is glued together while the aftermarket fob is clearly designed to snap together. Otherwise they look to have the same plastic thickness and strength.
- The Holden fob key blade button/spring mechanism is slightly larger than the aftermarket fob such that the parts are not interchangeable.
- The Holden fob circuit board is more complex (double layered board with internal interconnections) and has more discrete components than the simpler aftermarket board.
To me it is clear that the Holden fobs are overpriced but no more reliable than the aftermarket ones. But even if they were less reliable, provided aftermarket fobs remain available (or you keep some spares), and you have the means to program them to the car, you will have reasonably priced fobs with full access to your car long after Holden parts and service have dried up.