[gwng8]

had to get another key fob....can i program it myself? dealer wants money on top of the key fob to program it

[F87source]

Originally Posted by gwng8

had to get another key fob....can i program it myself? dealer wants money on top of the key fob to program it

Yes you can program it yourself:

1) Using ISTA which is free, there are tutorials online on how to use it and Shawnsheridan can help you get you ISTA for free.

2) There is a software free way to do it but I have no idea if it works as I always use ISTA for everything: https://www.bimmer-tech.net/blog/ite...remote-key-fob

Note: If you lost your old key or are planning to dispose of it you must use ISTA to erase the old key from the car.

[gwng8]

what is ISTA?

[F87source]

Bmw's factory diagnostics program for dealership use.

[arciga18]

Sounds like you should not code this yourself

[F87source]

Originally Posted by arciga18

Sounds like you should not code this yourself

+1

At this point what I would suggest is that if the bimmertech method does not work to activate your key, I would bring it to the dealer or maybe contact a coder who can do it remotely. I think steve@codemybimmer might be able to help you although I do not know if he can use ISTA remotely.

[F87source]

I also wanted to ask, where did you get your key fob? Because if you purchased a used key I think you may be out if luck because iirc the key can only be written to one car.

[gwng8]

i bought the fob from the dealer....they wanted another hour+ to "program" it.....


All I needed to do was this, literally 10 seconds

[F87source]

Originally Posted by gwng8

i bought the fob from the dealer....they wanted another hour+ to "program" it.....


All I needed to do was this, literally 10 seconds

Yup that's what I thought which is why I linked it to you.

But remember the old key is still connected to your car, so if you plan on discarding it without deleting it from the car (which needs esys) you will have to thoroughly destroy the key and all the transponders and chips inside. If not just keep the key in a safe spot.