Hi,

A while ago I went to the dealer to get my remote key replaced. It took me a while and a lot of discussion to get this done and I can pick up the key tomorrow. Now the service department says this is going to take a whole hour. I feel they are giving me the run around because I have questioned their capacities before.

Online I found YouTube video's of the Mazda3 and 6 and Miate on how to program the key but none about how to program the key for the Mazda5.

Does it really take an hour to do this? Or is there an instruction on how to do it so I do it myself?

 

One hour is pretty much the minimum. You pull up, the service writer makes a repair order, the dispatcher gives a tech the repair order,the tech gets the keys,goes and gets the car. The tech then gets the tool to program the PCM (if needed) The tech programs it, flags the ticket,sends it to dispatch. Dispatch sends it to the office for billing and calls you. It could take longer.

 

Add into that going to the parts department to get the remote, accessing the online Mazda system and entering the vehicle details to receive the access codes to enter into the Mazda diagnostic laptop.

Also at the time that you hand over the keys there may not be a tech free at that exact time, it may take 15 minutes after the workshop controller receives the job that a tech is ready to start.

 

I have yet to find any dealer live up to servicing any of my vehicles in the time they quoted... let alone START at the appointment time we agreed to.

Most of the time you arrive before the set appointment time, then it takes up to 10-15 minutes before you're waited on. After that your vehicle sits in the lot for another 20-30 minutes before a mech even looks at it. Make sure the appointment isn't set right before noon (lunch time) because you'll wait a hour for the mech to eat their lunch.

Then after lunch the mech will start on what's needed to be done... and after he's finished it'll take another 15-20 minutes for the retrieving and processing of the work order.

I've had a simple 20 minute warranty job take as long as nearly 3 hours, ie: that being from the time I arrived a few minutes before appointment time, to driving off their lot.

CX-5T Lover

 

I posted the question above a while back. I finally had my keys programmed. They told me it would take them about 2 hours so I sat with my daughter in a local coffee house. And when I returned they gave me all the parts of the keys and had me put it together myself. That was probably the most annoying experience in my life. I wish I could mention the companies name.

The next time I buy a vehicle I will get a chair and sit with the service department for at least 2 hours to see how they do. Just to see how their service is. A sales person is on a differnent 'pay' scale and will provide you different service. But I guess I don't have to tell you guys that. The Mazda dealer in Saint John New Brunswic SUCKS when it comes to their service department. D-

 

There's a couple things to note about programming keys on Mazda cars. First off the key and remote are two separate systems (even if they're combined into a single piece like the flip key) and program differently. If you have two working keys in hand you can program in additional keys (up to 8 total) in about five seconds. This is important and I'll come back to the why later. If you have only one key then the quick programming doesn't work. The dealer has to plug into the computer, remove all the existing RFID codes and manually program in new ones. I don't know if it's intentionally delayed to help deter illicit reprogramming/addition of keys, or if it's just a silly system. Couldn't say.

For the remote portion you can have up to three programmed, and you can program those yourself with only a single working key. Note, you must program all remotes (existing and new) at the same time or it will remove the ones you don't do in the process. The steps are a little confusing and can take a few tries to get correct. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I seem to recall it being a combination of turning the key on and off, opening and closing the driver's door, locking and unlocking the door while at the same time doing a 'Night at the Roxbury' head bounce and singing the lyrics to Hit me with your best shot by Pat Bennetar backwards.

Now back to the reason the self programming details are important. I highly recommend all owners buy and self program a third key. This doesn't have to be a fancy flip key with remote as Mazda uses the same RFID chips in the regular keys (RFID compatibility varies between areas of the world), so you can get by with buying a relatively cheap $30 transponder key from Mazda. Get your third key and program it in with the quick simple self programming. Now you have three working keys...... which means if you lose one you still have two....... which means you can then program in a new "third" key. As long as you have three keys you'll never need to visit the dealer and spend an hour waiting for your key to be programmed. Especially when that's an hour of dealer labor you have to pay for. So a third key is pretty awesome insurance.

 

LOL! Pat Benatar backwards.

 

We just bought a 2013 Mazda5 that only had one key... just bit the bullet and paid $314 for a new switch blade and the cut/program.
If I want to do third key do you have a part number for the cheap $30 transponder? And possibly a link to the programming song and dance?
Thanks!

 

Thank you very much for the advice. I took it.
My mazda 5 2007 came with two keys and I've just successfully programmed a £13 fob from Aliexpress.
Getting the key blade cut cost £5, so total was £18 for a complete working third key & peace of mind should one key ever get lost or stop working.
Followed the procedure from the forum and it all worked first time, great.
The only very slight negative is that the 3rd key alarm 'interior sensor' disable (the boot symbol) button does not seem to work as the hazard lights do not flash 3 times after locking to show its activated. The two original keys work fine doing this. I'll maybe try programing them again but instead of the instruction to 'press any button on the remote twice' to register it, I'll try pressing the boot symbol button instead of one of the lock /unlock buttons.
But tbh, I'm really happy that it all went OK & don't want to screw anything up by being a perfectionist for a key fob alarm function that's rarely used.