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Renault - Clio - Replacement key w/central locking button

255K views 57 replies 47 participants last post by  Dancingdad 
#1 ·
My girlfriend's bag got stolen recently and her main car key was inside :(

She has a 99 Clio and we need a replacement key with central locking button. Renault have quoted her £101 for the key and £43.18 to reprogram it. :crazy:

Will sourcing a key from a car breaker be worthwhile? I'm guessing that might save on at least the cost of the circuit board and key housing (provided of course they are able to reprogram the circuit board for her car).
 
#2 ·
My girlfriend's bag got stolen recently and her main car key was inside :(
Sorry to hear that:steam:

Did she have anything with her name and address on in the bag if so it might be beneficial to replace the locks also.

Will sourcing a key from a car breaker be worthwhile?
It could be but your need to contact a mobile auto electrician/diagnostics to see if they are able to program it but I don’t think they can but there no harm it trying before going down the dealer route.
 
#3 ·
Thats a bit steep..... mine was £114 in total, must vary from dealer to dealer
I have heard of many people buying a blank key off ebay and then going to an independent garage to programme it. Not many garages have the capabilities to programme keys as the kit isnt cheap, so its worth checking before you try

Tom
 
#5 ·
Hope you got your key sorted m8.

Mine is similar prob.

I bought a spare key fob/blip off ebay for my renualt clio 1.6 si 1999. I have followed the instructions for reprogamming the key fob as I believe I have a clio II using these methods:-

CLIO II, KANGOO & MASTER INFRA RED RESYNCHRONISING
1. Turn Ignition OFF.
2. Press the central door locking button for more than 5 seconds. Note :
the door should lock then unlock.
3. When this happens, 10 seconds is allowed and the immobiliser warning
light illuminates.
4. Point the 1st key at the receiver and press the button twice, the doors
should lock and unlock. Repeat for other remotes as required.
5. Check the remote control unlocks and locks the doors.


CLIO II RF RESYNCHRONISING
1. Turn Ignition OFF.
2. Press the central door locking button for more than 5 seconds. Note :
the door should lock then unlock.
3. When this happens, 10 seconds is allowed and the immobiliser warning
light illuminates.
4. Press the remote control once, the doors should lock and unlock.
5. Repeat for second remote if required.
6. Check the remote control unlocks and locks the doors.


CLIO RE-SYNCHRONISING
1. Lock Car manually
2. Unlock Car manually
3. Insert key into ignition within 30 seconds.
4. Turn Ignition and start vehicle.


However I was unsuccesfull. Is it possible to do or is it off to the main dealer for a new key?

Any help muchly appreciated :crazy:
 
#26 ·
not posted for a while guys so hello alll
just got a wee cilo senic al though great car 1.6 was getting a bit and too dear to run anyway i wander a bit bought clio private guy says central locking knackered but works ok opening with the key
used above method in 1 min had it going thanks guys now i know why i joined this forum :hug:
 
#9 ·
hi there i,m a newbie. my central locking started busting. went to dealership and was told new key and programming would cost £150. with no other choice i got it done. The key didn't work. whilst re programming it something must of happened. They said i needed a new computer relay at £450. Took the car to a local locks smith who reprogrammed it and built me another key using the lock at a cost of £150. saving myself a hell of a lot of money. Do not trust renault dealerships with re programming your key. if they bodge it up instead of fixing it they say you need a new whatever. ask your local lock smith if he can help you.
 
#10 ·
Quote:
Will sourcing a key from a car breaker be worthwhile?


It could be but your need to contact a mobile auto electrician/diagnostics to see if they are able to program it but I don’t think they can but there no harm it trying before going down the dealer route.

Hi, can i ask what it is that needs programming? Surely if like the keys and the sensor unit are a matched pair (or are programmed to be) then swapping both the sender unit in your key and the receiver unit will work right? I dunno, it's just a thought.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Hello guys, i'm new to this forum and been reading carefully all your posts on this subject. There seems to be quite a bit of confusion here. I have the original service/technical manual cd´s from Renault and it cover´s all cars till 2004. The manual states that the procedures above and found wildly on the net is for re-sinchronising the remotes only! Is when the frequency is alredy programed in the car and the remote goes out off sync with it. It is NOT for peogramming a new remote frequency in to the car. The ONLY way to do it is with the diagnostic computer at Renault or a dealer that has one. You can onle program 2 remotes at once. As for programing the car to acept a new key (transponder chip) it can ONLY be done on the diagnostic computer too, and you can program up to 4 keys, witch is kind of dumb IMHO as if you shoud be alowed to program 4 remotes as well. So that saied you can buy a key on e-bay (will save you about £90) but you still have to spend some to get the car programmed to the key.
Resuming all of this, it is the CAR that´s programed to acept a new key (transponder signal), so the car doesn´t care if the key is new or used. What the dealer does is conect the immobilyser to the diagnostic computer and put the immob. in lerning mode to clear all the codes programed into it and then it is told to acept the new code from the key. If you have another key you have to bring it too as the immo.'s "memory" is cleared and then programed to acept the codes again.
Cheers.

Note: this is for RF fobs, i dont know if it´s the same for IR ones
 
#14 · (Edited)
Hello again, once i've read this guy's explanation on the key/immo. issue and it clarifies this very well. Quote:

"Each transponder chip has a unique code which is guaranteed to never exist in another transponder. So every single transponder has a different code. To add a key to the car, you put the immobiliser into learning mode and instruct it to accept some keys as valid.

So for example, imagine your car originally had two keys with transponder codes ending 1110 and 6326 (note the real code numbers are actually very long) The cars ECU (central computer unit) is told to remember these two codes as OK to start the engine. If it see any other codes (or no code) it will not start.

Now you lose one key (1110) and go to the dealer for a new key. He will put the immobiliser into learn mode, clear out all the existing keys and instruct it to read the codes from the original key and the new key he shows it and remember them as valid. Now the immo has two codes stored, the original 6326 and the new one, lets say 8889. You see, the transponder codes themselves can not change, they are built in at the transponder factory. it's the car that is told to remember valid codes and reject invalid ones.

I was trying to say that as far as the car is concerned, when it is put into learn mode it does not care whether the keys are new or second hand. So the answer to your question is yes, a used transponder will be OK since it is the car that needs programming and not the key." End quote.

Hope that helps in any way.
Regards.
 
#15 ·
I have been experiencing problems with the central locking on my car...So i read through the advice on here and it has sorted the problem, the central locking works fine now! :)

I was quoted £142 at my Renault dealership, but I've only had to pay £2 for two new batteries! To which i am very pleased!
 
#16 ·
I have been experiencing problems with the central locking on my car...So i read through the advice on here and it has sorted the problem, the central locking works fine now! :)

I was quoted £142 at my Renault dealership, but I've only had to pay £2 for two new batteries! To which i am very pleased! :d
 
#18 ·
I have a 2002 Clio II Expression and since I collected it from the Renault dealership on Wednesday after MOT the remote central locking hasn't worked. The red light on the key fob lights up fine, and I took it back to see what the problem might be and they changed the battery but it still didn't work. The key man is off sick and they're closing at the end of the month so he advised me to either find my spare key or take it to the dealership in another town.

I have now found my spare key (after having been unable to go anywhere since then as although I can lock the back doors from the inside, and the passenger door with the key in the door, the drivers side and boot remain open!) but the spare key doesn't work either.

Should I go to the dealership again? The fact that the spare key no longer works too makes me think it's something on the car and not the key, and also because it worked fine before the MOT makes me think perhaps it's something they've done? I'm a student and really cannot afford to pay for something that was their fault!
 
#21 ·
Buying S/H Renault R/F Keyfobs is a waste of time and money

Hi I bought a used renault key/remote on ebay, Renault UK and my local dealer both say that all keys/transponders are produced for a specific vehicle and even clearing the immobilizer memory will not allow these keys to work in a different vehicle.
Dont waste your money on used keys, bite the bullet go to the dealer and buy a replacent key/fob made for your car.:cool:
 
#22 ·
Having recently bought a 1999 Clio 1.6 RXE 5 door automatic and only have one set of keys, we need another set, as both of us drive. I have read all the posts and the only option I see, is to go to the Dealers.
Why does a key cost so much ?? I am not a lover of remote control keys as it depends on good batteries.
Guess I will just have to 'Bite the bullet' --- Thanks for the information.
 
#23 ·
I phoned a Master Locksmith on saturday, regarding a new set of keys, he assured me that they have the equipment and can supply a key, programmed and working, for £60. Shall be calling in there during the week, to see if that is correct. If so ?? I shall 'Go for it'--
Will let you know if all is ok.
 
#24 ·
Hi All, Went to locksmiths for a key, but the man with the programmer was out and need to book an appointment. So finally had a Normal key cut, for £30 as keys were before the immobilisers came about. now we have No problems and my partner is happy to drive.
Hurray!! --- £160 is far too much for a key, when we are on pensions.
 
#25 ·
I have a Renault Clio RXE Auto 1999. The key started to play up and I assumed correctly the battery needed replacement. I have replaced the battery in my keys several times over the years.....no problem.

Recently, due to just getting older I have a slight tremor on one hand. I opened the key fob and dropped the lot. The terminals do not have a straight forward indication of what goes where. After several attempts, as a poster here suggested; off to my local Renault dealer who I asked to do it for me with a new battery if necessary. Not asking for something for nothing here! Prepared to pay....

The counter assistant told me the metal terminals were not floating, they should be stuck down!

Never have been in all the time I have had the car! A mechanic took the key away and told me that it could not be done and that a replacement may be the way to go.

I went to an expert car electronics expert who was familair with the key's design. He told me the terminals were never stuck down and in two minutes arranged the terminals, tested the key which works fine now. Were Renault trying to get get me to spend £130.00 on a new key? Hmmmmm...

I don't know if I am allowed to mention the name of the company that did the key in Sutton Coldfield.

A bit of advice from me though. The next time you replace a battery and before it falls apart in your hands, take a couple of digital photos of the inside with terminals in position. It will take some of the guesswork out of the job and maybe save some money.
 
#42 ·
I don't know if I am allowed to mention the name of the company that did the key in Sutton Coldfield.

A bit of advice from me though. The next time you replace a battery and before it falls apart in your hands, take a couple of digital photos of the inside with terminals in position. It will take some of the guesswork out of the job and maybe save some money.
The photo thing is always a good idea ... alas I never seem to remember it myself except when it proves to be unneccessary!

As for the company, as my local *********** is the Sutton one, perhaps you could communicate it in a code or reference to landmarks that only locals would understand? :d

(SP Renault have actually been generally good in my own limited experience, and they were obviously good enough for my Megane's previous owner to use them for more than 7 years on the trot... and when I needed a new battery, that's what they gave me, for a slightly ludicrous but tolerable £3.50... however the prices they've quoted me for a new key etc are much in line with everyone else's, and I figure they'd much rather offer me a whole new unit rather than just re-cutting the tang on my existing one or whatever, plus their in-house servicing costs are almost certainly well above that of a backstreets mechanic!)



I went in to Timpsons last week and coded keys are £30, as I need IR also they couldn't help, so will have to put up with one key.
Do we think this offer is still on? My key's metal bit is looking rather well worn, and even seems like it's got some kind of chrome or other coating that's peeling off in places, which may be affecting my ability to deactivate the immobiliser (doubly troublesome and hard to diagnose seeing that I can't find the spare key ... if I was ever even given one by the place I bought the car from, as I can't actually remember and might have been meaning to get hold of a second one for so long that I actually forgot to do it). If all that's needed is to replace that bit and connect it up to the PCB inside the key, in order to solve my recent starting woes, then it's well worth it vs a £60 decoder ring or £110 new key which may not even do anything.
 
#27 ·
Hi I'm new to this forum. I was just wondering what if it is the sensor that is broke not the key. As a common fault with my age of (clio 98 rn) is the roof leaks where the aieral is and water can get on the sensor. Which is what has happened to mine.

So I'm just wondering if I have to buy a new sensor from the dealer or can I jst get one from a breaker?

If anyone else has had this probem what did you do to resolve.
 
#29 ·
hi ya

iv had this problem for years or shall i say had. when i first bought my 99 clio 1.4 rt the key worked fine, but then one heavy rain storm caused a leak in the roof. after this my key no longer worked. i went to a garage and they said the cost was not worth it and just to use it manually. recently i was reading on here and decided to give some of the advice a shot. i bought a new IR reader (the little circuit board) around £50 which just plugs straight in behind the interior light, re-synched my key (using the great advice on here) and hay presto its working again. should have tried this when it first happened!
 
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