Revive Your Broken Remotes
As a Locksmith, one of the most common failures of keyless remotes that I would come across is a broken housing. Over time, the stress from keeping your keys in your pocket or purse can weaken the plastic and eventually break it. Most commonly the key ring loop is the first to give. Remote head keys face a similar problem but they can also break where the key attaches to the remote, Lexus keys are notorious for this.
So what are you supposed to do with a broken remote key or remote housing? Luckily the housing or “shell” can usually be replaced at a substantial savings over replacing the remote itself. They are very easy swap out, it usually just involves unsnapping the old case and swapping over the transmitter into the new housing. You can shop for remote housings right here at CheapFobs.com, check out our homepage and enter your vehicle into the search bar plus “shell”. ie: Lexus Shell or Dodge Shell .
Not every vehicle will be listed but it’s worth it to search before having to replace the entire remote, especially in the case of the Lexus where the key shell is around 10 dollars and the cost to replace the entire key can be over 200 dollars!
July 7th, 2008 at 5:48 am
YES, I AM having a problem with my remote…it only works for about 3 weeks after I put in a new battery then dies….when i replace the battery it works fine….would a new “casing” fix this??
July 7th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Hi Cheryl,
A broken housing could definitely cause the remote to fail. For instance, if the two halves of the housing didn’t make a proper seal then the internal components could become loose and cause the remote to stop working. Or it may just work intermittently.
If your housing looks OK and doesn’t appear to be broken or loose then I’m not sure if a new one would help. If you can get exactly 3 weeks out of a new battery, every time, it sounds like the remote itself could be failing internally.
It is unlikely that you have a bad batch of batteries but I guess anything is possible and it would be hard for me to rule that out as a possibility. If I had to call it, It sounds like your remote is on it’s last legs.
They can do strange things like this when they are about to fail.
Hope that helps.
July 25th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I HAVE LOST ONE OF THE BUTTONS ON MY KEY FOB. THE LOCK BUTTON FOR KOBDT04A.
July 25th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Hi Pamela,
Usually if a button is lost it is necessary to replace the entire fob but in the case of the Chrysler’s, some of the replacement shells do come with new keypads. Check these out.
Hope that helps.
August 3rd, 2008 at 7:24 am
I having a problen with my Dodge Durango remote. It will lock the doors but not unlock them. Would a new casing solve this problem.
August 3rd, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Hi Angelia,
It sounds like your unlock button may be worn out, when this happens there is usually nothing you can do about it except to replace the remote. Double check that you can still unlock the vehicle using the power unlock switch. This will rule out any problems with the vehicles power door lock switches / actuators.
Hope that helps.
October 8th, 2008 at 11:37 am
where can l find the code or what l need to reprogram my keyless entry .without going to dealer.2003 gmg jimmy
October 15th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Hi Bonnie,
Try the Chevy Silverado keyless programming instructions, it should be the same for your Jimmy.
November 24th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Where can I find a keyless remote shell for my 2002 toyota avalon (4 button, THREE ON THE FRONT AND ONE ONE THE BACK.)
September 22nd, 2010 at 4:14 pm
i have a 2004 dodge durango. it has a keyless entry to lock and unlock doors. i replaced the battery it does not work anymore. i called the dealer said it was the fob said i had to take it to get reprogramed. is there away i can do this myself? and do i have to do this every time a battery dies? i noticed that it is in some of the manuels that come with the car i didnt get one.
September 28th, 2010 at 5:25 pm
Need a shell for a 2000 honda accord. Can’t seem to find on the web.
Thanks, Phil
November 19th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
I WAS WONDERING IF YOU EVER BUY USED KEYLESS ENTRY REMOTES THAT ARE IN GOOD CONDITION? I HAVE ABOUT 10 VARIOUS REMOTES THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO USE. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED SEND ME AN EMAIL AND I COULD SEND YOU SOME PHOTOS AND INFO ON WHAT I HAVE. THANKS, PHYLLIS
February 22nd, 2011 at 7:20 am
I am looking for just the housing for a couple of ford f250 work vans. the remote works but the fob is broke. I could not find a direct link for this item. IC:1788A-FWB1U345 Any assistance in this matter would be appreciated. Thank You, Tony