DIY 3 button key transponder programming and sync - cheap ! | |
My RR came with just the one key, and despite only needing the one, it's always good to have spares for an emergency, but then they are expensive from a dealer ( I believe £200 ish each ), and that's too much.
There is also the issue that somewhere out there is at least one working key to my car, and possibly more. So not great from a security point of view, but also something we can remedy.
It's well know the early L322 key system and security is direct carryover stuff from the equivalent year BMW. So in this case the BMW EWS 3 system is used, same as BMW E46 and similar year cars, so there is a wealth if info on the web for this.
I'd seen a guy on YouTube making his own keys using a simple tool from eBay for around £20 and fancied giving it a go myself
Cheap keys can be had from eBay, AliExpress, etc in the same style, or others with a flip key function. Transponder chips are... cheap as chips , but easier to pick a key with a transponder already in - some come with, some without. I paid $17 for a copy of the original key and the same again for a flip blade key, both with transponders.
Cutting a blade was £10 at my local key cutting shop.
Speaking of keys, they come in a couple of different types depending on the where the car was sold. UK cars need a 433mhz key. The other option when buying a key is 315mhz, which I think is US market cars and others.
The key blade can vary if buying a flip blade key, we need a key with a HU92 blade.
So to work...
I opened the original key on my 2002 FF and found the transponder with the number PCF7930AS. Most of the copy replacement keys seem to come with PCF7935AA transponders, and these worked fine for me.
So with a replacement key and transponder already fitted, we can now get down to programming these. This will involve purchasing a key programmer and removing the EWS box from the car to read the relevant info from.
WARNING ! Screwing up you EWS will have serious ramifications ! Break this and your car won't be starting and possibly means spending thousands.
I purchased the AK90+ key programmer off eBay for £20.95 from this vendor - missed the ' buy it now ' and just purchased it - doh ! Anyway, it took just over a week to arrive from the land of China .
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/163642962811
I bought a couple of keys with transponders too, one a cheap copy of the original key, plus a flip blade key.
The copy of the original key is cheap and cheerful looking.
Back opened up.
Transponder chip in the corner.
The flip blade key is much bigger and about 3 times the weight ! Comes with a BMW logo for the other side. I purchased a 14mm badge off eBay to fit.
Opened up with the transponder in place, actually glued to the board.
All three keys.
Here's the key programmer , 3 keys , EWS box and some spare transponders I purchased.
You'll need to remove parts of the center console to get to the EWS box.
Use these guides to show you how.
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The last vid misses out mentioning removing two screws on the side. This requires pulling aside the wooden side trims to get at .
The other two at the top ar hidden quite well too.
Once you have done that, you can pull the console back and upwards to get to the EWS box on the right side. Unplug this and remove the 8mm bolts securing it.
The programming part has been documented on YouTube a whole bunch of times and in more detail than I can type here, so I'll add the links to how I did it.
To add the software.
Key programming in detail.
Another good guide.
One more
Watch each one as they contain hints and tips.
Random things to mention.
The silver paint on the dash panels above the center console is very delicate - careful when removing the console.
Reading the EWS chips required pushing the reader down quite hard. Without doing this all I got was ' pin no touch' .
When looking at the EWS data, I saw there has been 4 keys assigned to the car. The original key I have was number two.
Not sure how many were assigned from new, but from the BMW vids, it seems 3 is normal for BMW.
The programmer gives you the option of switching off the other keys and writing this back to the EWS. I've turned off keys 1,3 and 4 and will sleep a little better.
That won't stop anyone manually opening the car, but the transponder shouldn't allow it to start. Least, that's my understanding.
Save a copy of the EWS data as a bin file. You won't need to remove the box to program any more keys.
Some keys use a much smaller board inside the key allowing the transponder to move about. The ignition lock can be sensitive to this, so make sure it's secure in the spot as per the factory key.
When syncing a second key, this needs to be done immediately after doing the first. I tried without doing this and no go after 20 times. Worked first time after syncing the original and immediately doing the new key. See 21.35 in here.
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Anyway, using the vids linked above, I was able to make 2 new keys quite easily.
Time and costs.
10 mins to remove the console.
5 mins for software install
5 -10 mins to read EWS and program key, turn off others and write.
AK90+ Programmer £21
Key ( Each ) around £15 with transponder.
Key blade cut £10 each
LR badge £2
Please remember, damaging the EWS can be very expensive to rectify.
I'm no key expert, everything above is from watching the linked videos and carrying this out today. This isn't a ' how to guide' from expert knowledge, more ' how I did it'.
Cheers
Last edited by BMG on 10th Jun 2019 5:38pm. Edited 3 times in total
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