I just replaced the valve covers, entire cooling system, tires and brakes on my 05. Only 122k miles on it, but about 8 years ago the keyfob stopped working and the dealer said the entire system had to be replaced (~700 bucks!!). My wife is demanding that I get this fixed or she wants a new car...

Are there any after-market keyless entry replacement systems that will work or am I stuck paying the dealer or manually sticking my key into the hole for the rest of my life and buying my wife a new car?

 

Put new batteries in both key Fobs. (My G37s Fobs take 2032 batteries) If they still do not work go to a different dealer for a second opinion.

You may also want to consider your wife's option?
A brand new vehicle comes with all new parts, a warranty, and many new features.

Telcoman

 

keyfobs are fine. apparently the receiver unit is bad. If I can install an after-market keyless entry I would prefer to, but I just dont want to waste my money on something that wont work.

 

I-key or standard key-fob? Check all your fuses first. If it's I-key that means #1, 6, 18. 19 & 20 in the in-cabin fusebox, plus #71 & 78 in the IPDM (behind the battery).

If it's "Remote Keyless Entry" that's fuses #1, 6, 18 & 21 inside and #71 & 78 in the IPDM.

Did anybody do any work behind the glove box - like cabin filter - about 8 years ago? Both of these systems rely on small black boxes in that area (maybe not black). You might want to check to see that these units are all properly plugged in.

Hope the answer is that simple.

 

It is the Intelligent key, not standard keyfob. The functions on the I-key keyfobs stopped working and when we took it to the dealer they said the unit had to be replaced, and new i-keys issued...it just happened out of the blue. We've just been using the physical keys ever since. Thanks for the fuse numbers, I'll double/triple check them and try to locate and check out the unit.

 

Here's where the i-key box is located. If you end up going the dealer route, ask why you couldn't keep your current fobs and program the new unit to receive them.

To answer your original question, I think this system is so integrated into your car's other systems that the only way to go would be OEM. You could go digging on ebay or salvage yards for the actual unit but you'd need to match your vehicle's part number exactly so that it all ties together.

Let us know how it works out.