2017 GMC Savana
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in Ventura County

2017 GMC Savana Transponder Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

I got a call from an insurance adjuster stuck in a parking structure in Carpinteria on a Wednesday morning. He had a full day of claims to work through and his 2017 GMC Savana key had stopped working after it went through the washing machine.

He was not sure if the blade was bent, the chip was fried, or something else entirely. He just knew the van would not start and he had nowhere to be except at his desk.

The dealer option for him was: call, schedule days out, arrange a tow from the parking structure, and wait. He did not have days. He had a lunch window.

I drove to the parking structure, pulled into the spot next to his van, and got to work. First thing I checked was the blade condition and whether the key was turning the cylinder cleanly. It was. The issue was the transponder chip inside the key head. Water damage on these can kill the chip quietly without touching the blade at all. The key physically works in the lock but the immobilizer never gets the signal it needs, so the van cranks and sits.

I cut a new key to his vehicle and programmed the replacement transponder at the OBD port. First start attempt, the van fired right up. He walked back to his desk after lunch with two tested keys in hand. His van never left its parking spot and he was out of the workday for maybe twenty minutes total.

He mentioned the dealer had quoted him a price that was more than double what he paid me, before the tow bill. That part came up almost as an afterthought. The bigger thing for him was that it got done the same day, on site, without blowing up his schedule.

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