War_in_D
Well-known member
Apologies in advance for the book! LOL
Picked up a 2006 BMW 650i a few weeks ago, and it only came with one working aftermarket key fob (the other OEM key fob had been washed and was kaput). I thought I would like to have a couple of spare keys, so I started looking at buying a couple of new/virgin OEM BMW key fobs online and having them programmed to the car by the local locksmith. Found a couple on Ebay, and bough them ($100 for the pair). Now that keys were secured, I thought I'd better call some locksmiths to see who could program them.
Yeah, I should have checked on that first because nobody local could program BMW keys! Said it couldn't be done and that I had to go to the dealer. So, I call the closest dealer up in Springfield, Mo... Sure, they would be happy to order them! For $400 a key!! Nope!
So, I starting calling some locksmiths in Springfield, MO to see if any of them might be able to program BMW key fobs and found one guy who said he could do it. I was like "Cool, I've got the keys I just need them programmed". No go, the dude tells me he only programs his keys and could do a pair for $300. I had already spent $100 on the OEM keys, so I asked him what it would cost to just get one done.. thinking it be around $150. Nope.. He says "One key is $275, and I basically throw the second one in for free".
Well, by this time I'm getting pissed, and I would rather buy the OEM keys from BMW than to deal with this shyster on principle alone after pulling that BS. But, I'm also not too keen on dropping $800 on a pair of key fobs. So, I do what I always do and started researching the interwebz to see if there was any kind of solution. I mean, SOMEONE out there has to have gone through this and figured it out right? So, I find some options out there but they are all crazy money and require what appears to be a PHD in computer programming to make work. And then I find the XTool line of scan tools and key programmers. Relatively cheap, and have great reviews online and on youtube. It looks like the D8 and KC100 are what I need, so I pulled the trigger. Xtool happened to be running a sale on Ebay for the D8 (I think I paid like $489) and their KC100 key programmer was $239 on their website (eBay listed it for $299). The D8 shipped from Cali and got here fairly quickly, but the KC100 shipped direct from China and took the slow boat getting here.
So, after it's all said and done... I now have two spare OEM BMW key fobs that work for the car, and since I only had one working key for my F150, I bought a couple of the "chip" keys (and fobs to lock/unlock the doors) for it off of eBay and programmed them too. All this for less that what it would have cost to get two key fobs from BMW, and I still have the scan tool and key programmer to keep and use for myself. I'm seriously thinking about staring up a side biz programming keys for folks to help generate a little side income!
Picked up a 2006 BMW 650i a few weeks ago, and it only came with one working aftermarket key fob (the other OEM key fob had been washed and was kaput). I thought I would like to have a couple of spare keys, so I started looking at buying a couple of new/virgin OEM BMW key fobs online and having them programmed to the car by the local locksmith. Found a couple on Ebay, and bough them ($100 for the pair). Now that keys were secured, I thought I'd better call some locksmiths to see who could program them.
Yeah, I should have checked on that first because nobody local could program BMW keys! Said it couldn't be done and that I had to go to the dealer. So, I call the closest dealer up in Springfield, Mo... Sure, they would be happy to order them! For $400 a key!! Nope!
So, I starting calling some locksmiths in Springfield, MO to see if any of them might be able to program BMW key fobs and found one guy who said he could do it. I was like "Cool, I've got the keys I just need them programmed". No go, the dude tells me he only programs his keys and could do a pair for $300. I had already spent $100 on the OEM keys, so I asked him what it would cost to just get one done.. thinking it be around $150. Nope.. He says "One key is $275, and I basically throw the second one in for free".
Well, by this time I'm getting pissed, and I would rather buy the OEM keys from BMW than to deal with this shyster on principle alone after pulling that BS. But, I'm also not too keen on dropping $800 on a pair of key fobs. So, I do what I always do and started researching the interwebz to see if there was any kind of solution. I mean, SOMEONE out there has to have gone through this and figured it out right? So, I find some options out there but they are all crazy money and require what appears to be a PHD in computer programming to make work. And then I find the XTool line of scan tools and key programmers. Relatively cheap, and have great reviews online and on youtube. It looks like the D8 and KC100 are what I need, so I pulled the trigger. Xtool happened to be running a sale on Ebay for the D8 (I think I paid like $489) and their KC100 key programmer was $239 on their website (eBay listed it for $299). The D8 shipped from Cali and got here fairly quickly, but the KC100 shipped direct from China and took the slow boat getting here.
So, after it's all said and done... I now have two spare OEM BMW key fobs that work for the car, and since I only had one working key for my F150, I bought a couple of the "chip" keys (and fobs to lock/unlock the doors) for it off of eBay and programmed them too. All this for less that what it would have cost to get two key fobs from BMW, and I still have the scan tool and key programmer to keep and use for myself. I'm seriously thinking about staring up a side biz programming keys for folks to help generate a little side income!