2017 Toyota Prius
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in Ventura County

2017 Toyota Prius Smart Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

Leisure Village in Camarillo is a retirement community, and the residents there tend to be organized. When someone calls me from there, they usually have the year, the model, and a clear description of the problem ready before I even answer. This call was no different.

The owner's Prius had been sitting in her driveway for two days. The fob had stopped being recognized at the door handles. She could still get in using the mechanical blade, but the push-button start wouldn't see the key, so the car wasn't going anywhere. She had called the dealer. They told her to have the car towed in and to expect a wait for parts.

She wasn't interested in a tow. The car was in her driveway and she wanted it back in her driveway when it was done.

I pulled up, popped the fob open on my tailgate, and the CR2032 inside looked fine at a glance. But the battery contact on the positive side had a slight bow to it, the kind that happens when the case gets forced instead of opened cleanly. The cell wasn't making solid contact. I corrected the contact, seated a fresh CR2032, and closed the case properly.

Then I walked every function. Touch unlock on the driver door, touch unlock on the passenger door, push-button start with the fob inside the car, lock button, and the remaining buttons on the fob. Everything came back.

Her car never left the driveway. She paid a fraction of what the dealer quoted just to look at it, and she had both a working key and a clear explanation of what had actually gone wrong. That part matters to people in Leisure Village. They want to understand what happened, not just be handed a bill.

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