Some stories about the daily learning curve of a automotive locksmith...

No matter how much you read, learn and prepare... there is nothing to prepare you for what its like to actually be a locksmith. EVERY day is a challenge, every car is unique and if you want to be the end all be all you need a process to help you through it. Costly mistakes can be made as soon as you pickup the phone, when you are on the job and there are even times where you will not solve the problem on the first try. Tools don't always work like they should, your internet connection does not always work like it should, and the constants you rely on may leave you hanging. There is the chance that you might end up having to do diagnostics to fix a problem with the car to even be able to program a key, there are times when the key is not the problem at all, or even the key the customer says another locksmith deleted from the vehicle turning out to just have been dropped in water making it no longer functional. All that and there still is the issue of having a key in stock that works with the vehicle or even aftermarket keys not providing exactly the same functionality as an OEM one. The list goes on and on...

Here is what I learned on a 2020 Cadillac XT4:

You can never have enough tools. In the beginning this job was a scramble. I was using the WiFi at a business establishment with my mobile router to extend the network signal to where I was working in the parking lot. I had 2 Autel Cadillac style universal key fobs that matched the look & feel of the customers keys.

I had no issues at all generating them with my KM100 so I went ahead and tried to program with the tool as GM vehicles are pretty straight forward (other then having to find Cadillac under GM instead of listed as a manufacturer in the alphabetical list). It did not want to cooperate with me today (haven't tried to program it since my little trist with the VPN in a earlier article). Lets try another tool - my Xhorse Key Tool Plus Max Pro did not want to cooperate either.

I finally pulled out my Autel IM508 and after the 10 minute wait managed to add both keys to the system. I had about an hour of messing around with the travel router which I suspect was my issue with the other two tools all along. VPN related key programming issues are not exactly common place lol.

Here is what I learned on a 2018 Ram 3500 (Fobik):

Same location, same customer, different vehicle. This one had only one working key that did not have a button for remote start. Customer said ever since he lost his keys out of town and had a new key made that his old one no longer functioned. This is actually relatively common in the vehicle locksmithing world. I had told him that it would be a couple of days before I could play with it as I was waiting for a replacement adapter for these gateway vehicles (something relatively essential). He ended up showing up while I had some time to kill just out of the blue so I was like "Lets see what I can do with what I have. No promises. "

Km100 guided add a key process failed. Failed to read PIN code with an error message coming back to a network issue. Not again... Doubled checked everything could not find any issue. I probably should not have started with the KM100 but its just handy and is a great tool. I have internet on the network and everything is working how it should. I figured, having watched a video recently from another locksmith where he had specifically mentioned that Xhorse tools were better for Dodge vehicles; I decided to try my Xhorse Key Tool Max Pro: kept failing to update which is step one before you can even try to program a key to a vehicle. Weird... Is it possible I still have some sort of internet issue? Well... onto the Autel IM508...

I selected the add a key (guided) option and hit start. Failure... This one did not give me a network error it just said "Failed to read PIN code." AutoAuth (something of a requirement to access Dodge gateway systems) was logged in so no issue there. I have now spent altogether too much time on this vehicle I was not even expecting to see for a couple days but the only way threw is forward. Back up a couple screens and I tried to add a key manually. This time it told me that to add a key I needed to delete a key... that there were already 7 keys programmed to this vehicle. Odd... why did the old key stop working?

I read the key with my KM100 and it populated all the data, system type, yata yata yata. I called up the dealer and got the PIN which is the only way to do it without the bypass cable or being able to decode it. I deleted all the keys (all keys lost) and re-added the working key no problem (finally some luck!). The key that did not work wont not add in and the dash even said "Wrong key." It does that if you do not have the right key for the vehicle. Great... its just some key for another dodge the owned that they were hoping to get work. I got new aftermarket keys in stock Ill program him a new one, put on the right shell, and he will be back in business for a couple bucks more.

To make a long story short I did not have the right key in stock... although I thought I did. The FCCID I had was CQT-53T and I needed a GQ4-53T. I tried to program 2 keys got the same wrong key message and ended up quoting a OEM key to ensure the best possible quality key that will 100 percent work/rescheduled the customer. Another hour of learning AND now I have a spreadsheet of the keys I have in stock with notes about how similar some of the FCCID numbers are.