2002 Lexus RX
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in San Diego

2002 Lexus RX Remote Head Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

Downtown National City has a few gated complexes where the HOA controls vehicle access pretty tightly. I got a call from a resident whose 2002 RX was sitting inside one of those communities with a key that had stopped working. The remote functions were dead and he was not sure if the car would even start. Tow company was already turned away at the gate.

I got through behind a resident making a normal exit and pulled up to the RX in the driveway.

First thing I did was try the key in the ignition. It turned, engine came up, ran fine. So the transponder side was good. The problem was entirely in the fob head: no lock, no unlock, no panic. I popped the housing, pulled the CR1616, and it read almost nothing on the tester. Battery was dead. Swapped it, seated it clean, closed the housing back up.

Walked every button. Lock worked. Unlock worked. Panic worked. Stood back and did the range check across the driveway.

He asked about the dealer. I told him they would have wanted to look at it, probably order parts, and schedule time. He had already burned half his morning waiting for the tow that could not get in. This was done in his driveway, same visit, for a fraction of what that route would have cost him.

Car never moved. That is the point.

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