So I'm the type of person who will NOT take my car to the dealer. All
DIY maintenance and if I don't have the equipment for it I will buy or
borrow it and watch youtube videos and do it myself. I have come to the
conclusion it's better to go to the dealership to get keys rather than
ebay and a locksmith or DIY. I will roughly explain the process of how
the key making/programming is.
I just bought a
2012 528i and
it came with one key. I wanted another one but I HATE going to dealers
for anything. It's always at least 50% more expensive and I leave
feeling like a chump being taken advantage of. I searched high and low
for people in the LA area that can program a virgin key fob from ebay
and cut the slide out key. Cutting it is not a big deal but programming
it is.
So BMW has a pretty interesting system for authorizing
keys. There's a module under the instrument cluster called the CAS4
module. I don't know what it stands for but the two functions that I
know about it are keeping the mileage of the car and authorizing key
fobs to work. It comes from the factory with 10 pre-authorized key fobs
setup on it. The car is also has two fobs with it when it leaves the
factory. Those take up slot 1 and slot 2. The other 8 fobs are not made
yet but the car knows when it sees those keys that it's authorized to
start and unlock with them. It requires the key to be synced but other
than that they keys are ready to go as soon as you sync them using the
process of holding it against the steering column like in the many other
threads on this website. BMW is the only place that knows what keys are
authorized. When you go to the dealer and buy another key they send an
order to some BMW place in NJ that can look up that highly secretive
information and make a key. They go down the list until you get to 10
keys then you need a new CAS4 module (about $900). You then have to get
it programmed including transferring the mileage over from your old
module. You probably have to get the driver door and center console lock
cylinder rekeyed too. I'm not sure if the old keys get deactivated when
new keys are activated. Maybe someone else knows.
The 2nd method
bypasses all the pre-authorized system that BMW has in place. You can
get a virgin key fob off of ebay or at a locksmith and they can
reprogram the CAS4 module. It is quite the ordeal because you have to
override the memory on it with programming tools. If you have a hiccup
in the transfer or transfer the wrong file you can brick it. I'm not
sure if the dealer can fix it after. Maybe but maybe you have to get a
new one. They have several different hardware/software setups that can
do this. They each cost several thousand dollars and have a very steep
learning curve. I've seen BMW Explorer,
VVDI2 commander BMW, FVDI2, or a R270 programmer. They can also be used to change the mileage.
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VVDI2 being used
with Xhorse. It involves soldering hires directly to the CAS4 module.
Not for the faint of heart. Apparently there's a way to do it through
the OBDII port but I don't have any more info on that.
That's the
only way I know of for getting new keys to work with your BMW. I could
not get anyone in the Los Angeles area to offer to program the key for
less than $500. Why not get it from a dealer and do it the right way for
that kind of money?
I called several dealers and they all wanted
from $300-$500 to order a fob and cut the metal key even though it all
comes from the same place in NJ and they don't have to do anything
except put in the order. I actually had a dealer give me a number for
BMW USA to call or order the key from and it will be delivered to the
dealership so they can verify the registration and my ID when I pick it
up. BMW USA wanted $150 for it and they said I could probably sync it
myself but I should not be charged anything by the dealer unless I have
them do the syncing. The number is 1-888-575-5397 and is only for
California residents for some reason.
I hope this can help
someone. I spend half a day doing this research and calling many
locksmiths and dealers. I understand that I don't know exactly how this
system works but I wrote this post up to the best of my knowledge. In
your situation it still might be better to go to a locksmith and have
them program your key. It might be cheaper elsewhere in the country to
do that since there is not much demand for method 2 in California
because of the BMW USA key hotline. If I was in NYC or so I would
probably send my CAS4 module to the same guy who sells the keys on ebay
since he offers the service for $250. It does not make economical sense
for me to have a key made outside of the proper channels here in CA. If
you find any mistakes please let me know and I will be happy to fix the
post.
If you do decide to try and DIY,
here's a website that will probably help.
It's a good info and good write up. Thanks to dear spudsmac at bimmerfest.com forum.
