bobinyelm
11-06-2020, 11:18 PM
I've searched and read a lot of different answers to this question, so hopefully by NOW (11/20), there is a definitive answer.
I sold my 2006 e90 325i to a friend yesterday with the ONE key I owned. It works perfectly, but he understandably wants a second Fob with the same remote functions and a back-up mechanical access key like the original "just in case" and for his wife.
He called the dealer today and they told him it would be $268 (plus tax).
He called an online "BimmerTech" offering keys and they told him they START at $299, and said that ALL other keys are scams that don't work.
Question-
Can one buy a non programmed Fob after-market and have the key chip encoded to work with his car? I know that nowadays if you have at least ONE working key, most chipped (immobilizer vehicles) vehicles (only exception I am aware of is Mercedes) can have a second key made and registered to the ECU by a locksmith with a key-reader and programmer.
Is this true for the e90, or is the dealer the only game in town?
I ask because online (ebay) there are a multitude of Fobs w/ blank mechanical back-up entry keys that can be bought for $50 or under that CLAIM they are for the e90 series.
If it IS possible, perhaps explain what is needed. Just a "modern" locksmith? A thing called a "key reader" I see mentioned on YouTube under tis question? A certain bi-directional code reader/scanner (some vehicles can evidently have a new key programmed using a working key and certain bi-directional capable scanners).
Thanks
Bob
I sold my 2006 e90 325i to a friend yesterday with the ONE key I owned. It works perfectly, but he understandably wants a second Fob with the same remote functions and a back-up mechanical access key like the original "just in case" and for his wife.
He called the dealer today and they told him it would be $268 (plus tax).
He called an online "BimmerTech" offering keys and they told him they START at $299, and said that ALL other keys are scams that don't work.
Question-
Can one buy a non programmed Fob after-market and have the key chip encoded to work with his car? I know that nowadays if you have at least ONE working key, most chipped (immobilizer vehicles) vehicles (only exception I am aware of is Mercedes) can have a second key made and registered to the ECU by a locksmith with a key-reader and programmer.
Is this true for the e90, or is the dealer the only game in town?
I ask because online (ebay) there are a multitude of Fobs w/ blank mechanical back-up entry keys that can be bought for $50 or under that CLAIM they are for the e90 series.
If it IS possible, perhaps explain what is needed. Just a "modern" locksmith? A thing called a "key reader" I see mentioned on YouTube under tis question? A certain bi-directional code reader/scanner (some vehicles can evidently have a new key programmed using a working key and certain bi-directional capable scanners).
Thanks
Bob