2008 BMW X3
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in Ventura County

2008 BMW X3 Remote Head Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

I got a call from a woman parked near the Trader Joe's off Gonzales Road, right by Carriage Square. Her 2008 X3 started fine that morning, but her only key had taken a fall the night before and the fob housing cracked along the back seam. By mid-afternoon the remote functions had gone completely dead and she was rattled enough that she called the dealer before she called me.

The dealer told her the key would need to be ordered, that she should plan on a few days, and that she'd want to get the car in sooner rather than later in case the key stopped working entirely. She panicked a little at that last part.

When I got there, the key was still starting the car, which was good. The crack had separated one of the battery contacts just enough to kill the remote side, but the ignition circuit was still intact. I opened the housing carefully, reseated the contact, wrapped the crack, and swapped in a fresh CR2032. Remote came right back.

But she also wanted a spare cut and programmed while I was standing there, which I completely understood. One key on a BMW with no backup is a bad position to be in. I cut a new remote head key to the vehicle, ran the programming sequence through the diagnostic port to register it to the immobilizer, and tested both keys back to back on the door lock, the ignition, and a cold start cycle.

She saved a significant amount compared to the dealer quote and did not wait three days. She also had two working keys instead of one cracked one.

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