Just bought a 2004 disco with no key fob Land Rover wants $270 for one plus $120 to program it. Can I buy a used fob put it in a new case (found some new cases on ebay) and reprogram it to work on our disco. THANX

 

I'm interested in this too. Would that still cost $120 to have it programmed?

I have two and one of them, according to the previous owner, needs to be programmed.

 

The fobs are just central locking items. They don't have any kind of imobiliser chip inside, or other engine related stuff. They just open the doors.

That said, they do need programming.

You can get hold of them cheap, don't pay a dealer for the chip. Even the actual key blade is common, and any decent locksmith can cut a blade for you.

Programming the chip can be done at home. I did mine with a Nanocam unit. If you don't want to buy one, you might find someone prepared to rent you it. It's a bit of a process, but straight forward enough.

There are a couple of units which program fob chips, not totally sure which though. I can highly recommend a Nanocom, it's fantastic for a whole bunch of reasons. 1, Turns off super lock. 2, Bleed brakes properly is just 2.

 

To answer your question..... yes, you can do this as long as the used fob with the electronics in it has the code for it.

You will then need to use a 3rd party device (such as a Nanocom, Hawkeye) or go to the dealer or independent LR repair shop to program the fob's code into the vehicle's Body Control Unit (BCU).

I have a Nanocom and it does not take more than 5 mins to do this. You are getting RAPED when your dealer is quoting $120. This translates into the dealer charging you roughly 1 hour of labor.

Regarding the dealer quoting you $270, they are quoting you for a brand new genuine LR key fob. Once again, you are getting RAPED. Not fun huh?

Your options:

1) Go to a dismantler such as Paul Grant in this forum and see if he has a used key fob with the code. I did this last year.

2) Take it to a buddy with a Nanocom or Hawkeye. Or a trustworthy independent LR repair. Let then know you are aware it does not take more than 5 to 10 minutes to do this.

3) Get yourself a Nanocom or Hawkeye for around $300 to $400. These units can perform a whole host of diagnostic and programming tasks. I bought my Nanocom for $350 including shipping a couple of years ago from the vendor in Cyprus. I prefer the Nanocom as it is a smaller unit. Programming the key fob only requires the 6-digit code on the circuit board. The key programming using the Hawkeye requires extra code translation steps.

4) There is also a 3rd party service based in the UK who ships their proprietary key programmer to you. You pay for the key fob (with the circuit board internals). You program the key fob using their device. You can return the programming unit to them and get your deposit back. Unfortunately, the name of this service provider escape me. There was a post somewhere in the forum. You can use the search function to look for it in this forum.

P/S. If you need a cheap simple key fob cover or key blank, this is the best option which I have used. The supplier is located in Chicago instead of China and is almost the same price as the China-based vendors:

Land Rover Uncut Remote Head Key Fob Replacement Case Shell Housing Uncut Blade | eBay

Good luck!

 

Some of you guys are giving, in part, inaccurate information. I also have a 2004, and for a good long time, have repeatedly tried to reprogram used key fobs, using my Hawkey, and have seriously spent a lot of time investigating the whole subject; here are the facts (don't believe any other information being spread around by some who only think they know the facts): To reprogram a used Rover key fob, as, say, was bought off ebay, you simply cannot do it with a Hawkeye (I have a Hawkeye, so I should know). Hawkeye will program a new key fob, as long as it has it s new bar code with it; otherwise it won't program used fobs, because each time the Rover fob button is pushed, it activates a security enhanced electronic rolling code so is out of synch from what it was earlier The Nanocam will reprogram used fobs, because it, electronically, stops the rolling code, or puts it into sych., so it can program it. Only about two other available diagnostic systems, along with the dealer $10,000 computer diagnostic system can do this, but they cost much more than the Nanocam. A company in England will rent you an electronic box that will program used key fob; you return the box to get partial refund of your payment, but Nanocam is better way to go, for it costs little more and you have it to own forever, and it will literally do everything and more that the Hawkeye will. Bottom line, there is no cheap way to reprogram a used Rover key fob.

 

So, what you're saying is, Nanocom will program new and used fobs. Hawkeye will program new fobs?

No need for a text wall.

And, there is a cheap way to do it. Rent a unit off a forum member for the postage and the price of some beer.

 

He is saying Nanocom will program both, but the Hawkeye will not program a used one.
The text wall explained very well.

 

Maybe I'm itching at giving out, what I thought was, decent info, for someone to insinuate my info wasn't decent.

Touchy? Probably.

But my info is correct. Especially about it doesn't have to be expensive. Which seemed to be the issue of the first two posts. When the reply was to explicitly say, "there is no cheap way."

Jus' sayin'.

Yolanda be cool.

 

check last months post there is a company that will sell you a new remove and a programming dongle.
you plugs the dongle in and it will program your truck for the remote the sell you.
you return the dongle and they will refund part of your money and give you the eka code as well.
IIRC it was only like $200.

 

Ok thanx! So many options OBOY what to do Might buy a Nanocom if its worth having