The remote key fob for our car (Mazda6) seems to have come "disconnected" somehow. The battery has been replaced, and we've tried the reprogramming hokey-pokey directions that I've been able to find online, but no dice.
Has anyone else fixed this on their own? Our auto parts store doesn't have a compatible generic version. Any tips before I give in and call the dealership?
For my Mazda3, when the battery died in the fob it reset the thing and had to be reprogrammed. However, following the
hokey pokey instructions did the trick. A lot of fobs never come back after a battery replacement though, so you may just need to buy a new one. AFAIK you can get them off eBay for ~$45 (or $100 from a dealership + ~$50 to program...). You don't need a working fob to program it, so I'd go the eBay route. If you have an
Advanced Fob, those require dealership programming no matter what.
While on eBay, I also strongly suggest getting a few blank transponder keys for cheap. If you have two working keys, you can self-program additional transponder keys. But if you only have one working key, a dealership has to do it (~$50 for the programming, ~$50 for the key). I bought two transponder keys for my Mazda3 for about $10, got them cut at a local locksmith (chain stores can't get it through their heads that you only need it cut, not programmed), and used the two keys I had to program them. So now I always have two on hand even if I lost one, and don't have to deal with the dealership if I lose a key.