2005 Nissan Pathfinder
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in Ventura County

2005 Nissan Pathfinder Remote Head Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

I got a call out of El Rio on a Tuesday afternoon. Guy had a 2005 Pathfinder sitting in the driveway of his place off Vineyard Avenue and his remote-head key had gotten to the point where it would barely start the car.

Some mornings it fired right up, other mornings he was sitting there cycling the key and waiting. The remote buttons had been dead for a while, which he'd gotten used to, but now the starting issue had him rattled.

He'd already been to a parts store and tried a new CR1620. Buttons still dead, starting still flaky.

When I got there I popped the key head open and looked at the battery contacts. The new battery was in there, but one of the contact tabs had lost its spring and was barely kissing the cell. Easy fix with a pick to reset the tab, and the buttons came back immediately. That part took about four minutes.

The intermittent starting issue was the other half of the job. On these, the transponder side of the remote-head key can get finicky if the key head is worn or if the chip is reading weak. I re-synced the remote and re-enrolled the key to the immobilizer through the OBD port with my programmer. Did a cold-start test and a second test after letting the car sit. Both clean.

He'd been budgeting for a dealer visit and had already mentally set aside most of a day for it. I was there and done in under an hour. The dealer comparison came up and I just told him what I tell everyone: call around, but factor in the tow, the wait, and the hourly labor they stack on top of the part price.

BSIS Licensed

LCO#6792

CA Bureau of Security & Investigative Services

NASTF Certified

National Automotive Service Task Force

Fully Insured

Liability & vehicle damage coverage

Google Guaranteed

Verified & backed by Google