2009 Pontiac Solstice
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in San Diego

2009 Pontiac Solstice Transponder Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

A call came in from the Naval Base Area in Coronado. The owner of a 2009 Solstice had been dealing with an intermittent crank-no-start for a couple of weeks. It would start fine in the morning, then refuse to fire an hour later. He had already been to a shop that replaced the crankshaft position sensor. Did not fix it.

When I got there, he showed me the key. It was a copy. Someone had cut him a duplicate at a hardware store at some point, and he had been using it as his daily driver key without knowing it was an unprogrammed blank. The transponder chip inside was never enrolled. He had been getting lucky on starts because his original key was still on the ring, and occasionally the right key was closest to the ignition cylinder.

I verified the original key, confirmed it was still recognized by the immobilizer, then programmed a proper replacement key with a correctly matched chip on site. Tested multiple start cycles. Consistent every time.

He asked what the dealer would have done. Probably the same thing, eventually, after running their own diagnostics, scheduling an appointment, and charging accordingly. He saved a good chunk, and more importantly he got the right diagnosis the same afternoon instead of another week of chasing ghost faults.

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