dhandmg
New Member
- Joined
- September 15, 2014
- Messages
- 2
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Utah
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2013 Explorer Sport
First off, I'm new to posting here, but have very much appreciated all the vast information on this forum. You've all helped me make my decision to buy, and I Just bought a 2013 Sport two weeks ago. Love it, great vehicle!!
Now on to my rant/complaint about my first ever ford dealership experience!
My sport only came with one key fob. I have the remote start, push button start, auto lift-gate version. Anyways the wife and I wanted a second key, so I did my research and found a brand new one online for $78. It even included a new uncut "emergency" key.
I read the owners manual, where it tells you if you have two programmed keys, you can program a third and fourth key yourself by putting the new key in its special pocket inside the cubby between front seats, press unlock 3 times, brake once, lock 3 times, brake once, then start button. But if you only have one programmed key, to the dealership you go, and they have to program your second key....
I tried just for fun to program my second key, using the instructions above, and of course it didn't work because I didn't have two original keys in the car. The car did confirm though, through the "my key" information page that two "administration keys" were programmed to my car. (this is important at the end of the post)
So I went to the dealer who told me it would take 30 minutes, and $55 to program. I agreed.
15 minutes later, he came back and asked where I got this key. I told him online, and he told me I got the wrong one because its not working. I told him I'm 99 percent sure I did not get the wrong one, and that all the FCC ID, IC, and MHz numbers on my new remote, exactly matched my original remote. He said, to be honest, he wasn't sure what those numbers meant, but that he orders the key from the VIN number, and that's all he knows about keys. Worse he told me, unfortunately we are still going to have to charge you. My options were, pay $55 today and return the key I bought online, get another key somewhere, and bring it in again and pay another $55 programming fee. Or pay $185 for a key that he will order, and then (after me complaining about paying for two programming fees) he agreed that I'd only have to pay the one $55 programming fee. I felt trapped, didn't want to pay 55 dollars for nothing, so I agreed to buy his key.
Sorry this is such a long post about a dumb key, but....
I returned the next day, and he told me since he got the right key, it should only take 20 minutes max.
My wife, little girl, and I sat for over an hour and a half. Meanwhile I'm sitting there thinking, I bet his "correct" key is the exact same as mine that I brought in yesterday. Only now, they are really trying to get it to work, instead of just giving up claiming that since I brought the key in, it must be wrong.
He finally came in, and said it should be done in 10 minutes. I asked why it was taking so long, and if he was running into the same problems as yesterday. He admitted yes, and that the technician had to reset the system in order to get it to work. I was getting upset, and asked why he didn't reset the system yesterday in order for my key (which was $120 cheaper) to work. He gave me a funny look, and just said, he wasn't sure why, but that this is the right key so they are making sure it will work....
I asked to see the new key, because they all have those FCC ID, IC, and frequency numbers, I spoke about earlier, on a tag attached to the key. And would you imagine that, his new key tag numbers exactly matched the key tag numbers of the remote I brought in. I showed him that they matched exactly, and of my frustrations that I felt they hardly tried with my key the previous day, as evidenced to the 15 minute wait. He said he didn't know why mine didn't work. I said because you didn't work on it for 90 minutes, like you did today, nor did you reset the system with my key. He didn't have a good answer, but just said here is your 200 dollar bill and the new key now works.
I thought great, before I pay the bill I'll prove to him that my key would have worked, because now I have two programmed keys, and now I can program my key as a third myself. I proceed to go program my key, but find that now my car says instead of just "two administration" keys programmed to the vehicle. There are now four keys programmed. I instantly knew I was screwed. In the manual, where it tells you how to program the keys, it says that you can have a maximum number of 4 intelligent access keys per vehicle. So there is now no way for me to prove that my key would've worked, because the system will not program another key to my vehicle.
I was so sick of the whole mess, and wasting my whole afternoon, that I just tucked my tail, told him my car will not even let me see if this remote will program; paid the bill because I now needed to get to work and left resolved to never go to another ford dealership again!!
I really feel that the technician on the first day with my key, tried to program it utilizing the instructions in the manual (that clearly states will not work, unless you already have two keys programmed), then gave up when it didn't work. I didn't feel I needed to question/educate them because they are the dealer. I just trusted that maybe I did get the wrong key, until it took 90+ minutes, and I saw that the dealers new key numbers matched mine.......
Here are the numbers found on the key tag of my key, and the key the dealership got me.
315 Mhz
FCC ID: M3N5WY8609
IC: 7812A-5WY8609
Can someone please educate me? Am I wrong, in that if the numbers match, it should have worked?
Thanks for enduring such a long post about a dumb frustrating key!!!
Now on to my rant/complaint about my first ever ford dealership experience!
My sport only came with one key fob. I have the remote start, push button start, auto lift-gate version. Anyways the wife and I wanted a second key, so I did my research and found a brand new one online for $78. It even included a new uncut "emergency" key.
I read the owners manual, where it tells you if you have two programmed keys, you can program a third and fourth key yourself by putting the new key in its special pocket inside the cubby between front seats, press unlock 3 times, brake once, lock 3 times, brake once, then start button. But if you only have one programmed key, to the dealership you go, and they have to program your second key....
I tried just for fun to program my second key, using the instructions above, and of course it didn't work because I didn't have two original keys in the car. The car did confirm though, through the "my key" information page that two "administration keys" were programmed to my car. (this is important at the end of the post)
So I went to the dealer who told me it would take 30 minutes, and $55 to program. I agreed.
15 minutes later, he came back and asked where I got this key. I told him online, and he told me I got the wrong one because its not working. I told him I'm 99 percent sure I did not get the wrong one, and that all the FCC ID, IC, and MHz numbers on my new remote, exactly matched my original remote. He said, to be honest, he wasn't sure what those numbers meant, but that he orders the key from the VIN number, and that's all he knows about keys. Worse he told me, unfortunately we are still going to have to charge you. My options were, pay $55 today and return the key I bought online, get another key somewhere, and bring it in again and pay another $55 programming fee. Or pay $185 for a key that he will order, and then (after me complaining about paying for two programming fees) he agreed that I'd only have to pay the one $55 programming fee. I felt trapped, didn't want to pay 55 dollars for nothing, so I agreed to buy his key.
Sorry this is such a long post about a dumb key, but....
I returned the next day, and he told me since he got the right key, it should only take 20 minutes max.
My wife, little girl, and I sat for over an hour and a half. Meanwhile I'm sitting there thinking, I bet his "correct" key is the exact same as mine that I brought in yesterday. Only now, they are really trying to get it to work, instead of just giving up claiming that since I brought the key in, it must be wrong.
He finally came in, and said it should be done in 10 minutes. I asked why it was taking so long, and if he was running into the same problems as yesterday. He admitted yes, and that the technician had to reset the system in order to get it to work. I was getting upset, and asked why he didn't reset the system yesterday in order for my key (which was $120 cheaper) to work. He gave me a funny look, and just said, he wasn't sure why, but that this is the right key so they are making sure it will work....
I asked to see the new key, because they all have those FCC ID, IC, and frequency numbers, I spoke about earlier, on a tag attached to the key. And would you imagine that, his new key tag numbers exactly matched the key tag numbers of the remote I brought in. I showed him that they matched exactly, and of my frustrations that I felt they hardly tried with my key the previous day, as evidenced to the 15 minute wait. He said he didn't know why mine didn't work. I said because you didn't work on it for 90 minutes, like you did today, nor did you reset the system with my key. He didn't have a good answer, but just said here is your 200 dollar bill and the new key now works.
I thought great, before I pay the bill I'll prove to him that my key would have worked, because now I have two programmed keys, and now I can program my key as a third myself. I proceed to go program my key, but find that now my car says instead of just "two administration" keys programmed to the vehicle. There are now four keys programmed. I instantly knew I was screwed. In the manual, where it tells you how to program the keys, it says that you can have a maximum number of 4 intelligent access keys per vehicle. So there is now no way for me to prove that my key would've worked, because the system will not program another key to my vehicle.
I was so sick of the whole mess, and wasting my whole afternoon, that I just tucked my tail, told him my car will not even let me see if this remote will program; paid the bill because I now needed to get to work and left resolved to never go to another ford dealership again!!
I really feel that the technician on the first day with my key, tried to program it utilizing the instructions in the manual (that clearly states will not work, unless you already have two keys programmed), then gave up when it didn't work. I didn't feel I needed to question/educate them because they are the dealer. I just trusted that maybe I did get the wrong key, until it took 90+ minutes, and I saw that the dealers new key numbers matched mine.......
Here are the numbers found on the key tag of my key, and the key the dealership got me.
315 Mhz
FCC ID: M3N5WY8609
IC: 7812A-5WY8609
Can someone please educate me? Am I wrong, in that if the numbers match, it should have worked?
Thanks for enduring such a long post about a dumb frustrating key!!!
