Inside a key fob is a transmitter for the locks and, on keyless cars, the chip the immobilizer wants to see. Batteries die, buttons wear through, and now and then the car forgets the fob. That's the whole list of what goes wrong with the thing itself.
A locksmith who comes to the car in Kenner handles all three, on most makes, the same day.
Change the battery first. Fobs open at the seam, the cell type is printed on the one inside, and any pharmacy stocks it. Push-start cars have a fallback spot for a dead fob, marked on the column or console and shown in the manual. If the new battery fixes it, you're done.
When a new battery changes nothing, or there's no fob to put one in, call.
No fob at all is a normal call. The technician meets the car in Kenner, checks ownership, and programs a fresh fob straight to the car. The lost one is removed from the car's list at the same time, so it can't open anything.
Registration or title plus photo ID, every time, before anything is programmed.
One fob is the risky state. Adding a second while the first still works is a short visit; the new fob is paired alongside the old. Making the first fob from nothing after a loss takes longer because the car has to be read. Two drivers, one fob is the household this is written for.
Any time a technician is at the car anyway, a spare is the easy add.
Remote-head keys (blade plus buttons), fob-and-key pairs, and smart keys for push-start cars are the three types. A locksmith programs all three at the car in Kenner. The smart key is the one people assume is dealer-only; on most makes that's not so.
Send a photo of the fob with the car's year and model and the right blank comes on the first visit.
Dealer only. Not for most makes; a locksmith programs at the car. Tow it. No, the locksmith drives to it. Any fob off the internet works. Some do, many don't; ask before buying. Dead fob, stranded. The car has a fallback spot for exactly that.
Yes. Smart keys are routine, they just take a bit longer.
No. The work happens where the car is parked.
Usually. The lost fob is removed from the car's list so it opens nothing.
ID, proof of ownership, year and model. A picture of the fob if you have one.
Ask first. Some match the car's system and some can't be paired at all.
One street name and a tech is rolling.