2002 Jeep Wrangler
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in San Diego

2002 Jeep Wrangler Transponder Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

Out near the Lake Poway Area, I got a call from a guy who'd been fighting his 2002 Wrangler ignition for a few weeks. The key would catch going in, he'd have to wiggle it, push it sideways a little, wait. Sometimes it turned on the first try. Sometimes he was sitting there for a minute before it gave.

He called the Jeep dealer. They quoted him a new ignition cylinder, a new key, and programming time -- the whole replacement, not a repair. He was about to book it when somebody at the oil change place nearby mentioned he might want to get a second opinion first.

When I got there, I could feel the problem before I even looked hard at it. The key was catching on worn wafers inside the cylinder, not binding because the cylinder itself was gone. That's a repair job, not a replacement job. I decoded the lock to confirm the key cut, replaced the worn wafers, and cut him a fresh transponder key matched to the repaired cylinder. Then I programmed the chip so the immobilizer would recognize it.

I showed him the old wafers so he could see exactly what had been grinding against that key every morning. He held them up and just kind of shook his head.

He saved a good chunk compared to what the dealer quoted, kept the original cylinder, and drove home with a key that slides in clean. Nothing replaced that didn't actually need replacing.

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