I have a 2021 Toyota that I lost one of two key fobs. Toyota has a strict policy that only Toyota dealerships can program key fobs for their newer cars, so buying a key fob replacement from a 3rd party was not an option. Total out of pocket expense for getting new key fob, programming that key fob to the car, and making sure the other fob still worked; cost about $550. I feel that is an absurd amount of money to spend because of a lost fob. I appreciate people looking into and exposing weaknesses of car fobs because it might expose ways to circumvent the monopolistic costs associated with replacements. Wish there was a way to retrofit my car to use Ultra Wide Bandwidth as a key.
Essentially all manufacturers have that policy, because key replacement is a profit center for dealerships. Independent auto locksmiths depend on third-party programming tools and keys by companies like Autel and Xhorse. There's a constant game of cat-and-mouse, with manufacturers developing new immobilizer systems and the third-party companies reverse-engineering those systems. An auto locksmith with the right equipment should be able to copy a key, remote or keyless fob for any current US Toyota model.
Used to be, you could get a seedy OBD cable off Amazon and it came with instructions on how to "acquire" the dealer software, which let you reprogram the car to accept any fob. Not sure if things have changed in the last 5 years.
As long as they aren’t trivially exploitable like the Hyundai keys, more expensive keys are my problem. Stolen cars are my insurance company’s problem.
Agreed, but it’s a risk/return decision. In my city, car theft is like 80% less than it was 20 years ago. 60% of stolen cars are running in the driveway (warming up in the winter), and 20% of the cars in the peak year a few years ago were Hyundai/Kia with the egregiously bad locks.
Good enough to stop crackheads is my desire in this space. Doubling the cost of a $400 key to reduce my chances of a loss by 3% is a hard no.
