Hi all, we are about to return our 2018 Chevy Bolt EV and lost one of our key fobs. The cost is about $400 to replace it including the fob, key insert, cut key and re-program. I’m trying to figure out whether it would be cheaper to turn the car in without the second key fob and pay a charge or whether to pay to replace it beforehand. No one will give me answers on the exact charge: GM Financial, the dealer, Autovin. Apparently the pre-inspection person will tell me but this is very close to my return time. Does anyone have experience of what GM charges after the fact for a missing fob? Thanks!
It was $200 a couple of years ago. But I don’t think it would be over $400
I doubt if they would notice if you just got a used one on eBay and took the battery out, the two keys would be together and nobody would actually check each one to see if they both work. About $25+ for a used one on eBay
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I wonder if a used key FOB can be reprogrammed for another car? This would be the cheapest “ethical” solution. Pick one up used, and have it reprogrammed for the car.
Inspectors check. or at least mine did.
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Who cares about ethics, GM isn’t actually going to replace the missing one anyways, they’ll just pocket the extra charge. Just try the used one and play dumb, oh the battery is dead
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Haha! Point taken. I am a fan of the “no questions” approach. I would rather change it out, then have to deal with the inspector finding it does not work. I can’t recall an inspector ever not checking both keys on a return.
Edit: curiosity got the better of me. These are under $40 for a new replacement on eBay.
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Thanks everyone for your responses. I like the idea of getting a used one or new replacement that actually works for less than the ridiculous new cost. Though I buy the ethical argument of taking the battery out since GM doesn’t seem to have much in the way of ethics, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I’m also wondering if a used one could be reprogrammed for another car or whether these new ones on ebay are reliable.
I returned a Mini Cooper two years ago with one key missing and BMW FS only charged me $150. Much cheaper than getting the replacement key.
Ask the dealership for missing key charge upon lease return. If it’s low enough, maybe you don’t even have to bother to buy a used replacement. Key re-programming can easily be a few hundred bucks based on my experience with BMW and Infiniti.
Thanks! Unfortunately, they can’t or won’t tell me. They just “ground” the car and GM sends the bill but GM won’t tell me the charge either.
Imagine the peace of mind you’d have right now if you’d only paid $500 for lost key protection when you were in the finance office.
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