Washed my smart key

Take the battery out. If there is charge, there is a potential for a short.

If the car started then the key still has its programming. If you lose the key or it dies, it is a lot more than $250. Between $600 and $900 usually since you have no backup.

Go get a spare key made. A spare from a working key is much much much cheaper than a new key coding.

 

You can try sticking it in a bag of rice to get rid of all the moisture. Next day replace the battery and try.

 

A two year old decided that all my keys including my Smart Key needed to be inside of the fish tank. I used the rice in the bag trick and two days later my key was fine. Saved me a couple hundred!

 

So did the fish get good mileage when they took the car out for a spin? I have a 2 1/2 and can picture him doing that. Thanks for the laugh this morning. ound: Glad you key still works

 

That the car starts is only proof that the RFID chip works. this is separate from the rest of the electronics, which might still be toast.

Let it dry for some additional days before giving up on it. Replacing/recoding a FOB is quite expensive.

 

I believe that it will be a waste of your time and money to buy a used Smart fob, as it is likely that the car's immobilizer and Smart ECUs will not accept its registration.

Since the fob is working intermittently, I suggest that you open it up again, and leave it under a source of moderate heat for a few hours, like a 100W incandescent bulb. That will give the circuit board a chance to thoroughly dry out. Good luck.

 

218+30 is quite expensive compared to a bag of rice, or the power used to dry it using a light bulb, radiator or similar ;-)

 

I am crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. I know from experience that my fob will be getting an unexpected bath sooner or later.

 

In cases where your accidentally immerse something like this in salt water (or anything that might be either corrosive or cause a residue) then the best thing to do is to wash it thoroughly in clean fresh water and then dry it out again (using the methods listed above in this thread).

 

$30 is the cheapest I have ever seen for programming, and $250 out the door for a programmed key is very reasonable. Most dealers charge an hour of labor for a new smart key because it is a two step process. Given that you can start the car, you should be able to have a new smart key programmed without needing a smart ECU seed reset. A seed reset adds as much as $100 to the programming cost due to an additional layer of complexity and getting a new seed from Toyota Corporate.

Do not buy a used smart key off ebay if you intend to take it to a dealer.

 

i did the same thing. i personally dont believe the "bag of rice" being the best option. what i did is diassembled it and sat it on my floor register and ran the heat for a few days.

that worked, but the battery died about a month later. battery replacement at dealer; about $30...at Batteries Plus; $5.47 after tax. self-installed

 

Since it is your only key, don't leave it in the car while drying and lock yourself out.

 

Where are you getting immersed in Salt Water? The OP said he left the fob in bike clothes he washed?

I could hardly recommend thoroughly washing it "again"...dryer is better....if he keeps dunking it in water it's going to be hopeless.

To the OP? Since it seems to slowly be intermittently working...yeah, I'd just wait a few days...see what happens...

 

If just drying it out and replacing the battery fails, there's still more you could do. Open up the case, remove the circuit board, and spray it with circuit board cleaner (Radio Shack should have some). Be sure the battery connectors are free of corrosion. Then reassemble the case & install a new battery.

To open the case, first disassemble it down to removing the battery. Insert a pair of needle nose pliers into the space where the mechanical key goes, and spread the case apart. The case should split open along the glue line. The circuit board is jam fit in half the case - remove it by prying with a small screwdriver. Note also the small 1/8" square by 1/2" long chip that is separate from the circuit board. That's the transponder, and it is the functional part when the remote is inserted into the dash slot. Don't lose it...

You can test the circuit board while it's out by just holding a battery in place and pressing any button switch. If it's working, the red LED will light up.

Reassemble using a moderate strength glue. I used ordinary white glue, and it came apart after a few months. But if you use too strong a glue, you'll never get it apart again. Don't use epoxy or any instant set glue.

As for buying a used keyfob, first find some place that can do a seed reset. Some locksmiths have the equipment, and all dealers have it. But the dealers generally don't know (or refuse to admit) how to do it. It requires an extra 16 minute reset of the security computer, plus looking up a seed value on the Toyota website. The mechanic can do something else during the 16 minute delay, but you'll probably get charged for the full time.

Probably the cheapest replacement keyfob is a used one off eBay ($40 is a good price), and have the car programmed by a locksmith. But find the locksmith with the proper equipment first.

Next best deal is to purchase a new, never programmed before, keyfob off ebay from a dealer like toyotapartsnow or toyotagreg

Be sure to get a silver logo keyfob if your car has SKS (don't have to insert the keyfob into the dash to start). You'll also need an uncut mechanical key (most used keyfobs come with a key already cut for somebody else's car...). The only thing special about the mechanical key is that it fits inside the remote. You could also get a $2 copy made on an ordinary key blank anywhere duplicate keys are made.

The most hassle free way to get a functional keyfob is to go to a dealer and pay their full price. If the first remote that they try doesn't work, they'll just take it back to the parts department and get another. You'll get the one that works. The one that didn't work will probably end up on eBay...