My 2004 XJ8 only came with a single key and remote (FOB). I purchased two new OEM style FOB's which I have programmed to the car and had the keys cut. So far I'm in for $70 total. Looking for a cheap way to get the keys programmed to the car.

I was thinking of just purchasing a clone SDD and doing it myself (I'd like to have the unit for future repairs and troubleshooting) but stories on the forums have given me second thoughts on the safety and reliability of the clones. Buying the Drew Techologies unit seems too expensive for the amount of times I'd need it (but I might still go that route).

So are there any other choices (I live North of NYC in Orange Co near the Rockland Co border). Should I bite the bullet and take it to a dealer, buy the Drew, a clone, or anything else?


Thanks

 

Other than the OEM SDD or the dealer, you've listed the other options already

 

You need to be aware that there are several types of RFID "chip" that are used in these keys, and there are some traps when it comes to programming.

The genuine original OEM keys have a more sophisticated chip in them, which can be programmed multiple times, and programmed in the car, by the RFID transceiver in the key barrel.

Some aftermarket keys have a cheaper type of chip which can only be programmed once, and only by the aftermarket key programmer devices.

Some aftermarket keys have a chip which can only be programmed once, but the programming works in the car.

Learnt this the hard way, with some help from a Mr Minit guy.

I would not try to program aftermarket / eBay keys for an X350 using IDS/SDD. The "safest" way is to get an original key cloned, and that ID written to the new key's chip by one of those cloner/programmer tools.

The reason for this is that the key programming routine in IDS/SDD requires a minimum of two keys to be programmed, and during the routine the existing keys are "deleted" from the vehicle. So if something goes wrong, you can be left without a working key.

What can go wrong? Well if your aftermarket key cannot be programmed in the car, the programming routine stops and you are left with no functioning keys at all, since it must do a minium of two each time.

Found this out when I was reprogramming keys in my XJR, adding the missing valet key. Lucky for me I had bought an original blank valet key from Jaguar which I had cut, and one of my other keys was also original. One of my keys was a clone of the original, with an aftermarket RFID chip in it, and would not program in the car.

So with one original key, and one genuine valet key, I was able to program two keys to the car and get it started, and drove back to the Mr Minit guy, along with the IDS, to try and figure out what was going on.

He had a key cloner/programmer, something like this, but not exactly;



He could read the chip in all three keys, and could see that the key which would not program in the car had a different ID to the ones which were programmed.

But the writing of the new ID to the old key kept on failing, both in the car using IDS, and in his cloner/programmer.

Disassembled both keys and extracted the chips, and looked at the cuts on the blade of each closely, and yes it was obvious that the key which was failing to program had a different chip in it to the other, and had been cut in a way which indicated it was not an original key.

We tried programming a couple of different chips from his stock in the car using IDS, didn't work. Eventually we were able to clone the original programmed key to a new blank chip using his programmer, which worked and started the car. Then we tried to re-program the same chip again in his programmer, and it failed. So those chips can only be programmed once, and not in the car...

Your mileage may vary, but that's my experience...

 

Like pragmatic, my 2005 X350 3.0 V6 only came with an original key plus the original valet key when I bought her in 2013. The previous owner couldn't find the other original key, pointing out that the dealer wanted USD450 per new key and he could live with just one key with the valet key as spare. Wasn't happy with just one full key. So I did a lot of research and bought two more programmable key fobs and key blanks off eBay, and was assured by a local Jaguar specialist that it could help programme the new keys with the car present and the original keys, only for about USD130. In about 30 minutes I walked away happily with 3 + 1 keys; no problems with any keys so far. I believe the workshop used the Autologic BlueBox to programme/re-programme the original/new keys. There are many listings on eBay that claim that their dealer level device equipped with the IDS/SDD can programme keys. So Combo's advice above gets me worried, as there is a risk that the original key may lose function once overwritten with new code alongside the new keys....

 

I think we need to be careful about what we mean by programming a key.

As I understand it the process of using an IDS/SDD, or the 'two existing keys' method, programs the car with the ID number in the transponder chip (and the remote chip, if a button has to be pressed during the process). I'm sure that is the case as there is a maximum number of keys that can be registered with the car. If it were the car's ID being registered in the key then it's hard to see how there could be a maximum number of keys.

From Cambo's description I suspect that some of these replacement keys contain some kind of 'universal' transponder chip which is programmed by reading an existing transponder chip (in a key which works) and then 'flashing' the 'universal' chip in the new key, all done using a gadget like Cambo's pic, and yielding a new key that is identical to the old one, a 'clone'.

Two thoughts then occur: i) some 'universal' chips may not be sufficiently 'universal' to be compatible with the Jag chip and hence be rejected by the car, and ii) the new key's chip may only be 'flashable' once.

Just sharing thoughts.

 

Well this is good to know. I knew if you programmed keys the previous keys would not work until programmed back in. I did not know you needed to program two keys at a time with the Jaguar software.

So if my replacement keys are correct I'm fine with the IDS/SDD software but if they have the wrong chip I'm going to have no working keys.

 

Ah, no ... if you have two keys that already work then you can register a third/fourth/fifth (I think that's the limit) without an IDS/SDD, but you can't use the procedure if you only have one working key; then you do need an IDS/SDD.

See https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...now-faq-87749/

 

I only have one working key.

 

Yes, although there is a pretty good chance that an aftermarket chip "may" be programmable in the car with IDS/SDD, there is a slim chance that it is not, and that's where I got into trouble.

In which case your safest bet is to get that key cloned, and written to the replacement key with one of those cloner/programmer tools. That's the least risky option.

 

There are three different options for programming "keys" in IDS.

Program new transponders
Program additional transponders
Program new keyfob transmitters

Transponder = the chip inside the key
Transmitter = the remote device with the push buttons

When you run the "Program additional transponders" routine, a message pops up "At least 2 programmed keys should be available prior to commencing this routine"

When you run the "Program new transponders" a message pops up "At least 2 keys must be programmed with this routine"