Is your Camaro key fob feeling loose, buttons sticking, or the shell damaged? Before you rush to a dealership and spend a fortune on a replacement, you might be able to fix it yourself. This guide walks you through disassembling and reassembling your Camaro key fob. And if the damage is beyond repair, we’ll also cover replacing just the shell – a cost-effective way to refresh your key fob without needing reprogramming.
Many common key fob issues stem from everyday wear and tear. Flipping the key out repeatedly, accidental drops, or just time can loosen the mechanism, wear down buttons, or crack the outer casing – the key fob cover. Luckily, these problems are often easily addressed with a little DIY.
First, let’s get your key fob disassembled. You’ll only need a small flathead screwdriver for this process.
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Begin by removing the battery cover and the battery itself. With the key flipped open, place your thumb in the space where the key sits when closed and pop the battery cover off. Then, remove the battery.
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Next, carefully start to pry apart the key fob shell. Using your small flathead screwdriver, gently pry at the top side of the key fob. If your fob is already slightly loose, this should be easy.
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Continue prying along the backside of the key fob, near the metal keyring loop. Work slowly and carefully here to ease the two halves apart. You might find it helpful to hold the plastic part and push against the metal ring section.
Once the front face is free from the back, be prepared – it might spin a couple of times due to the spring mechanism inside.
Now you can remove the physical key blade and the internal chip.
Reassembling your Camaro key fob is generally the reverse process, but there’s a little trick to getting the spring tension right for the flip key mechanism.
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If you removed it, place the push button back into the key blade.
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Position the chip back into the front half of the fob, facing downwards.
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Insert the key blade into its slot in the “out” or open position.
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Put the spring back into the push button area. It will seat into a locked position.
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Now, carefully place the back face onto the spring, ensuring the spring’s small “foot” is correctly positioned in its designated slot. This foot is crucial for the flip mechanism to work.
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Hold the key fob like this, with the back cover in place but not snapped shut.
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Rotate the back cover in a counter-clockwise direction. This will wind the spring and create the outward spring action for the key. Rotate it approximately two full revolutions.
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Finally, snap the back cover firmly back into place. You should hear a click, and finger pressure should be sufficient to close it completely.
With these steps, your key fob should be back together and hopefully feeling more solid. This simple disassembly and reassembly can sometimes resolve minor issues like looseness.
However, if your Camaro Key Fob Cover is cracked, heavily damaged, or buttons are irreparable, you might need to replace the shell. The good news is you don’t need to buy a whole new key fob with expensive cutting and reprogramming. You can purchase a replacement Camaro key fob cover shell online and simply transfer your existing internals into the new shell. This is a significantly cheaper and easier alternative to full key fob replacement.
Replacing just the Camaro key fob cover shell is a smart DIY solution to extend the life of your key fob. It saves you money and avoids the hassle of dealership programming. So, whether you’re just tightening things up or doing a full shell swap, taking a DIY approach to your Camaro key fob can save you time and money.
