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How To Start My Car Without A Chip Key?

ByTsukasa Azuma-April 26, 2023

Cars have gone a long way since they were developed. Various new features not only improve and make vehicles more pleasurable to drive, but they also make them safer. Cars with chip keys are one of these safety measures.

It adds a layer of plastic acts and an additional layer of anti-theft protection. Unfortunately, there is no real way to star a car without the chip key. But, if you want to use several keys for one car with one chip, there’s a way to get them all to work.

What Is A Chip Key

The Chip key, Transponder key, or key FOB, is a traditional-type metal car key with an anti-invaded chip attached inside.

Typically, vehicle safety features come in layers, with the key probably being the top-covered one. As we can all see, the most direct way to steal a car is to use its original key. If the thief has your key and is near around within your knowledge at the time, it’s game over.

Like in the movies, thieves will snatch keys in only a moment and make imprints to replicate after. The method they use is all planned out and ordered, so if you are an under-experienced driver, things can get messier real quick.

To prevent this from happening, manufacturers have introduced mainstream chips. Because there is no chip to broadcast RFID – Radio Frequency Identification – without the key, even a flawless replica of the key will not start the engine.

If you are still confused about any of these terms, here are some accessible explanations we have for you.

When the key is inserted into the lock, the vehicle checks to see if it can detect a unique RFID frequency. Only within the right distance of the key can the chip within the transponder key, which produces a weak signal, register. If you have the chip key, the thief will have no choice but to steal your key. So when we talk about how to start your car without chip key, we always have to deal with a complicated problem.

A chip key is a traditional-type metal car key with an anti-invaded chip attached inside. (Photo: Web Design Oswestry)

How To Start My Car Without Chip Key?

Before you start a business, you should know that car keys are not something that can be easily obtained, one way or another. This means that anyone without the FOB key will not be able to start the car.

Only an authorized dealer can read the required frequency from your vehicle and generate a replacement frequency. However, there is another workaround you can try if a transponder chip is available.

  • Remove the cap from your key. You can either use a screwdriver or re-screw the top layer keycap with a post as the gasket will fit snugly and securely.
  • Find a gentle way to remove the chip from the key. It may look like a very small black square or a transparent tube.
  • Place the chip on a small piece of tape, then stick it near the ignition key.
  • Start the key using your dismantled key or a new key that lacks a chip.
  • If the vehicle does not start, reposition the tape and try again.
  • Once you’ve found a place for the chip to work, secure it with super glue.

Because the chip in the key is constantly close to the lock, any duplicate of your automobile key will function as if it had a chip. This can be good but it can also be bad since we mentioned that any copy of the original key can work even without the chip.

The obvious drawback is that you are losing a layer of car security. However, a car security system acts as a deterrent – door locks and wheel immobilizers will prevent thieves from having a chance to drive your car away, but will rarely stop professionals.

In some situations, the closeness of the two transponder chips will generate interference, making it a superior security mechanism. This is also why, if you place a key close to the ignition, you should not use a key with a chip still inside.

The technology in chip keys has evolved into modern keyless keys that only need to be near an electrical outlet to start the engine. It’s normal for these battery-powered chips to stop working, so manufacturers make sure you have an easy alternative to open the car and start the engine.

Since you’ve never had to use it, you might not know that the fob contains a compact physical key inside it. There’s usually a small flap on one side of the fob – pull it out and you’ll see an L-shaped metal key.

Put it back in the fob, and it can be used just like a regular key to open the door and start the engine until you get the replacement battery. Another alternative to a smart key is to use a mobile app to unlock and start the vehicle.

How To Set Up The Chip Key Without The Original Key

You can easily get around this by applying the following steps:

  • Put the key in the igniter and put it in the On position
  • Leave the ignition in the On position for about 10 minutes, then return it to the Off position.
  • Repeat the process two more times.
  • Remove the key
No matter what some people say, chip key can’t be programmed so easily. (Photo: VEHQ)

This is a great method to waste half an hour and a decent amount of your battery. You won’t be able to program them alone. Even if you still have a chip key, without the assistance of an authorized dealer or independent locksmith, you will be unable to replicate one chip key to another.

The point is that you need the right tools to copy the frequency of one and save it in the other. When operating without the original, the locksmith must search a database for the radio frequency ID of your vehicle or use specific instruments to obtain it. This is more difficult by the fact that the car does not transmit, it receives. So there is no way to receive frequencies and determine what it wants to read.

Always Have a Backup Chip Key For Any Emergency

You should read this even if you still have a fully functional lock as it is only a matter of time until it becomes useful and saves you hundreds of dollars. First, if you still have the chip key, copy it immediately.

Duplicating an existing car key is much easier than creating one from scratch: copying the key is cheap and fast, and you can program the remote yourself. Because the chip has grown more popular as a building gate or entry lock, many locksmiths now have a way of recreating it for your automobile keys. You can even create another RFID chip, whether it’s a car chip or a gate chip, so you have an extra backup key for future copying.

Conclusion

We hope that after this tutorial, you have been able to learn and grasp the basics of how to start my car without chip key.

For more insightful guidelines and car maintenance tips, follow Car From Japan today.

Tsukasa Azuma is an awesome car blogger of Car From Japan. He owns a car repair shop at downtown Osaka, and he put all that experience to good use in his sharing posts. Tsukasa’s blog is one of the best resources for information about keeping your favorite imported car running smoothly. Moreover, because of being passionate to learn about the recent happenings in auto industry, he doesn’t only provide great car maintenance tips, he also always updates latest trends in among car brands and share them in his own interesting viewpoint.

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