2012 Acura RDX
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in San Diego

2012 Acura RDX Remote Flip Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

I got a call from a woman near Loma Alta in Oceanside whose RDX had been cut and programmed by another locksmith about a week before. It started fine that first morning. Then it started sometimes. Then it didn't start at all.

She told me what the dash was doing: a key-not-detected warning that wasn't there the day she got the key made. She'd already put in a fresh battery. Still nothing reliable.

When I pulled the fob apart on the hood of her car, two things were wrong. The previous key had the wrong transponder chip inside it. On Acura's immobilizer system, a mismatched chip can actually pass the initial pairing sequence and let the car start for a few cycles. The deeper verification the system runs over subsequent drive cycles is what catches it, and that's exactly what happened to her. The car started being polite about it for a few days, then stopped pretending.

The second problem was the battery contact. The CR1616 that had been installed was seated at a slight angle, and the clip had taken a small bend. Marginal contact. That made the remote functions flaky on top of everything else.

I confirmed what chip generation was actually needed for her vehicle, programmed a new key with the correct one matched to her fob, reseated the battery contact correctly, and tested every function: lock, unlock, trunk release, and several cold start cycles right there in her parking lot.

She said the other locksmith had been perfectly confident the whole time. That's the part that sticks with me. Confidence doesn't mean correct.

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