Front door 1, Key fob 0….

[skpyle]

Hello All!

I have had a vehicle of some kind with a remote key fob since 2013. Every day leaving for work, my keys are in the deadbolt. I slam the front door, lock the deadbolt, and go on.

Last week…it didn’t go so well.
6 month old GM key fob for my Escalade tried to act as a door stop. Not sure how it swung out just right, but it did.
The sickening crunch set the tone for the rest of my night.

I used the spare aftermaket key fob while waiting for a new GM unit to arrive.

This time, no silly money to a locksmith! I have a Tech 2.

Too bad it wasn’t that easy…
I have 4 key fobs for my Escalade:
Original #1 fob
Smashed replacement GM #1 fob
New GM #1 fob
Aftermarket fob.

NOTE: even though it was smashed, the replacement GM fob still functioned. So, it is still usefull for me to keep it out in the shop.



New GM fob and smashed replacement GM fob.



Yeah. Not good.




At least the back panel of the fob wasn’t damaged.

 

[skpyle]

According to my AllDataDIY service data, I was to invalidate all key fobs associated with my Escalade, then program them as a group.






Working through the Body section of the Tech 2, I was able to invalidate all the key fobs. I then tried to program them all in a group. And failed. Repeatedly.
The screen showed what looked like a good process, but none of the fobs did anything.




Invalidates all the fobs.



Tried to program all the fobs as a group. Failed. Note the ‘No’ for status on 2-4. Even though 1 said ‘Yes’ it still did not work.



I finally programmed the fobs one at a time, going slot by slot.
I assigned:
Slot 1: new GM fob
Slot 2: aftermarket fob
Slot 3: original fob
Slot 4: smashed replacement fob

All fobs properly worked after this.




All fobs programmed. Note the ‘Yes’ for status in all 4 slots.

 

[Geotrash]

Thanks for sharing this and for your characteristic ability to be both thorough and concise. That’s a rare balance.

 

[skpyle]

Thanks for sharing this and for your characteristic ability to be both thorough and concise. That’s a rare balance.

You are quite welcome! I am thorough, in the hopes that it will be useful to someone else.