2003 Oldsmobile Aurora
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in Ventura County

2003 Oldsmobile Aurora Transponder Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

I got a call from someone parked near the Funk Zone, one of those side streets just off the Milpas corridor where the wine tasting spots give way to a parking lot. She had driven herself there, walked around for a bit, came back, and the Aurora would not start. Turned the key, engine cranked, caught for a second, then died. She tried it a few more times thinking it was a fluke. Same thing every time.

She had a spare key in her bag from years back. Same result.

By the time I got there she had already called her regular mechanic, who told her it was probably the immobilizer and to get it towed to a dealer. She hadn't called a tow yet, which was lucky for her.

I checked both keys. The issue with the spare wasn't hard to figure out once you looked at the key head -- it had been on a ring with a bunch of other keys for years, and the plastic housing was cracked along the seam. That alone can cause problems with how the transponder sits and signals. The key she had been using daily looked fine on the outside, but when I tested it through the OBD port, the transponder had lost its programming. That happens occasionally, especially on older vehicles after a dead car battery or a jump-start done wrong.

I cut a new key to her vehicle and programmed the transponder on site. Tested it three times before I called it done. She drove out of that lot without a tow, without a dealer appointment, and without waiting until next Tuesday for a blank to ship somewhere.

She mentioned the dealer quote from the last time she had a key issue on another car. I just told her she saved a good chunk doing it this way. That was enough.

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