DIY - Late MK4 key remote with early MK4 car

[creativconfusion]

I guess the inspiration for this little DIY came from the fact that my girlfriend has a Passat key with the nice shiny key ring and nicer buttons. I envy it and wanted one for myself. I'm sure other people have wanted that nicer key but until now it was said to be impossible according to this article: http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1216091 If the numbers on the remote don't jive with your particular immobilizer.

Well ... they keys seemed similar enough ... how hard could a little internal swap be ... right ?

Well here is the complete DIY for making it all work. It is broken into 3 sections, one for disassembly, one involving the swapping of remote parts, and another for the mobilizer swap.

ENJOY !

Requirements:
- Two keys (one old and one new ... otherwise whats the point)
- Box Cutter
- Sturdy Knife for prying
- Hairdryer
- small screwdriver
- Glue (quick drying if you are ADD like me)

Main Disassembly (Part 1):

1) First pry between the two parts of the keys in order to separate them into the key/mobilizer half and the remote half

2) Set aside the key halves (we'll deal with this later in the mobilizer section)

3) Pry open the two halves of the remote part of the key (exposing the battery and circuit board)

Hint: Keep your stuff separated and organized ... confusion is not fun

4) Remove both sets of batteries and the clasps that hold them

5) Pry at the corners of the circuit boards until you get them to come away from the plastic knobs that bind them (go straight for the corners if you can because on the sides there are resistors and if you hit them you better be proficient with a soldering iron)

Now gather the following parts:
- New remote casing (front and back)
- Old circuit board
- Old battery clasp
- Old batteries

.................................................. .................................................. .........................................

Remote modification and re-assembly (Part 2): (The tricky part)

1) Look closely at the button side of the new remote ... there will be two plastic pins sticking up in the in addition to the big circuit board holding pin ... remove the pin closest to the big one because it will interfere with the installation of the circuit board (refer to image if confusion occurs)

2) Observe the image and remove the highlighted section of the old plastic battery surround because it too will interfere with installation of the circuit board (the chip on the old board is a bit bigger than the chip on the new board)
3) Place the old circuit board into the button side of the new remote ... it should fit snugly and should pop down over the two big pins

4) Place old battery clasp and batteries into the spot where the new clasp and batteries were. The batteries should be roughly in the middle of the remote and pushed as far towards the silver ring as possible.

5) Take a small piece of plastic (no taller than the batteries) and push it firmly against the batteries. This will serve to keep them from sliding around in the remote since the newer battery was bigger than the old batteries we are installing.
6) Glue the plastic firmly in place but do not allow to much to creep out towards the non battery side otherwise it will interfere with the chip and you will have to shave it off later

7) Once the glue is dry try to put the pieces of the remote back together ... you may have trouble with the prongs of of the battery clasp not seating perfectly ... in that case you will want to trim the inner prong off and shorten the outer prong insuring that it will not touch anything other than the part on the circuit board it is intended to. Do not force the halves together ... if they don't fit ... something is in the way ... check fitment and trim plastic / glue as necessary
8) If all went well your new remote section should work with your car and you are finished with that part.

Note: Sometimes when the parts are disconnected they will clear their memory ... if your car has forgotten your remote you must re-sync the two using the guide at the link at the top of this page
.................................................. .................................................. .............................................

Mobilizer swap (Part 3):

1) Remove the VW emblems on both of the key halves.

2) Remove the small screw hidden behind the emblem
3) Pry the key portions in half (sometimes its a little sticky, in that case take it easy and slowly work your way around)
4) Mark the key blank that actually turns your car on so you don't confuse them
5) Look for the tiny pill shaped piece (the mobilizer) buried in each and try to pry it out. If it doesn't come out easily try heating up the whole piece with a hairdryer and then pry again.

6) Do not mix these mobilizers up either (they turn off the immobilizer in your car !)

8) Put the mobilizer and key blank from your original key into the plastic housing for the new key.
9) Make sure you wind the spring correctly on your key blank or else it will not spring open anymore (it might do nothing or it might spring closed)
10) Put the two sides together, put the small screw back in, and make sure the key blank pops out when you push the button.
11) You are now finished with the key half.

Final assembly:
1) Put the halves of your new creation together
2) Go test your remote and test to see that the key disarms the immobilizer when you turn on the car.

Troubleshooting:
- If the Immobilizer comes on you are disorganized and put the wrong mobilizer into the key
- If your remote doesn't work check the contacts inside the remote to make sure that they make contact with the battery and the designated spot on the circuit board ... and not anywhere else.
- If the remote still doesn't work check the DIY for re-syncing remotes here http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=1216091

The whole thing took me about 2 hours of messing around because i was taking pictures and trying different methods ... if it takes you longer and you need motivation you can always imagine me drinking a beer and laughing at you.

Good Luck and enjoy your sexy new key !



Modified by creativconfusion at 9:11 PM 11-21-2006

[creativconfusion]

Hey mods, i tried to find something like this forever and was really disappointed when i saw the other DIY ... this should prolly end up in the DIY section

[Robman]

Sweet

[vwsteve]

Quote, originally posted by creativconfusion »

Hey mods, i tried to find something like this forever and was really disappointed when i saw the other DIY ... this should prolly end up in the DIY section

added

[perpetualnewb]

good job. i was eventually gonna get around to doin this
you just made my job alot easier

[00boraslow]

nice

[vr6_d00d]

just did it... awesome diy

[nostradahmus]

the cover on my panic button is all ripped to shiz, definitely spending some xmas cash on this....any tips on where to get the new key???...


Modified by nostradahmus at 9:03 PM 12-17-2006

[vr6_d00d]

Quote, originally posted by nostradahmus »

the cover on my panic button is all ripped to shiz, definitely spending some xmas cash on this....any tips on where to get the new key???... Modified by nostradahmus at 9:03 PM 12-17-2006

i got mine off ebay for $40 and is in great condition for a used one (id say 8.5/10 and my original one was 3/10... scratched panic button was long gone and etc..0 just make sure you match the number on the remote you are buying with your remote...) i can find the guy who i bought it from if you need him... let me know

[Nevaeh_Speed]

I'd be happy if I just had a key fob....

[BuzzKilla]

how did you get the circuit board out? the one i have has these gold colored pins holding it down PM me if youve come across this. and my board looks different than yours , i wanted to take it out to swap circuits for an MK3 keyless project

[infamous20V]

Im having trouble removing the VW logo off the key to get to the bolt that separates the two halves of the part with the blade.

[Young Carter]

what the fark?

[jerseyjim0]

[Chockomon]

lol why would you do this, just buy the keyfob that has this part number:

HLO-1J0-959-753-T

Key fobs that end with T replace the ones with F, so pre 01 you can use F or T, post 01 you need one that ends in AM.

good job with the DIY though

[j. Kush]

Nice DIY. Should be added to the sticky thread. Okay I'm an idiot and saw it was already added now.... sorry!!

[marspball]

I have an F key with a housing that is starting to fall apart. Can I move the internals from the F key to that of an T or AM?


Modified by marspball at 2:36 PM 1-9-2008

[Mr.Miranda]

great DIY

[dallas04gli]

nice work

[Quedubber]

Awesome! I have a new key now.

Very easy to do

[155VERT83]

Awesome! I have a new key now.

Very easy to do

I agree. My only problem was that I cracked the old immo module while trying to remove it. I inserted it in the the new housing and it worked.

Note: I mistakenly left the alarm armed and did not have to go through the "re-learning" procedure. I simply disarmed the alarm and started the car.

[jawnsense]

just out of curiousity, does anyone know the dates for the old keys vs new keys? my freind and i have nearly identical 01 jettas and mine is the new style, his is the old. i guess i should look at the date of production on our door sill stickers but i always thought that was strange.

[VWskate]

Bump from the dead. This thing just saved my life. I have a MKV and the key chain snapped, me thinking quick tried to super glue it. Ended up just super glueing in all the broken pieces. Used this DIY to switch out the motherboard so I could just use the whole lower shell of the new key. Only thing I would add that in taking out the mother board, the two black circles in the corner are actually pieces of plastic that were melted a bit to keep the board down. I used a utility knife to shave off the top (VERY CAREFULLY) and then it popped out.

EDIT: Also one last thing. When taking apart the newer style keys (the one with the silver key ring and square buttons), dont bother pulling at it, they're tough. Take a small flat head, and where the key blade rests, theres a niche. Put the flat head in there and just twist it, it will come apart.

[Sotam123]

ive been waiting for this diy for sooooooooooo long THANK YOU and bye bye crappy old style key fob

[S1iver]

For anybody doing this:

Be careful with the immobilizer pill, if the glass cracks you need a new one.

[hfiles2011]

i love you... pause

[gti vr6er]

To anyone considering this...just settle with the working one u have. It's not worth it and doesn't work most of the time. You'll end up cutting yourself trying to get the damn emblems off, cracking the immobalizer since it wasn't intended to be removed in the first place and after all that realize you even jacked up you original key and can't use it. Nice DIY but doesn't always work as smoothly as it did for the op.

[seandean41]

lol why would you do this, just buy the keyfob that has this part number:

HLO-1J0-959-753-T

Key fobs that end with T replace the ones with F, so pre 01 you can use F or T, post 01 you need one that ends in AM.

good job with the DIY though

Is this accurate??

I have an early style fob and tried swapping internals, and I think I burnt killed somethin inside.

If I just get the later style circuit board, will that work and reprogram with the simple key-in-door program procedure ?

[kilifar]

Great DIY. It worked for me without any problems. I had to shave a lot around the battery compartment to make the two halves close smooth. Take your time, do not rush especially with the transmitter. I had mine soaked in Nail Polish Remover for 20min.
I have a 2000 Jetta GLX with the round button remote. So being so old you can imagine in what shape it was. I bought the square one from amazon.com for like 12$.
My only concern was that I have only one remote, and I knew if I mess up I was picturing myself making the trip to the dealership with the help of AAA.
Anyway I took the risk and it worked for me.
For anyone with one key/remote what I did is:
1. Lock the car with the remote(old)
2. Swap the key/remote with the new one
3. Unlock the door with the key
4. Start the car
5. Done

[deAutoKey.com]

We sell brand new 4 button keys that will work with this mod at super low pricing:

Only $11.99 shipped! quick shipping high quality!

http://www.deAutoKey.com/product/ent...-key-fob-shell

[deAutoKey.com]

Bump for a great DIY.

Now added on our site:
http://deautokey.com/transform-your-...square-key-fob

[AmIdYfReAk]

Anyone have the pics for this? Or a local pdf?

[HICaliber]

Ditto on the above

[deAutoKey.com]

The files seem to all be gone, I will try to get a write up on this as I remember how to do it...

The only picture that will be beneficial is where they show how to glue the extra plastic tab from the pen on the battery.

What you want to do is make the CR2032 plastic casing that comes in square key FOB smaller, so you have to dremel a little bit of the plastic out of the way so it won't hit into the electronics, and then glue the metal oval battery case inside the square battery case so it lines up with the metal piece on the electronics.

I know the way I am explaining it makes it sound confusing, but this is very easy to do.

Basic concept:
Oval key = small battery
Square = Larger battery

You can't just use the square battery with the oval electronics because the electronics gets in the way of the bigger cr2032 battery, that is why you need to cut the plastic away then glue the smaller metal battery casing of your oval key into that battery case. Along with the case you need to add smaller pieces of plastic to hold the metal battery case into place, that is best shown with a picture, but not hard to figure out without one.

If anyone is having issues, ask it here, I have done a lot of these for customers over the years, and many customers have also done this without issue.

Thank you

[deAutoKey.com]

Could not recover pics, but if you get stuck at anytime, we can help you figure it out.

Thank you