Losing a car key or needing a spare can be a surprisingly stressful and expensive situation. For Jeep Renegade owners, the quest for a new key fob can quickly turn into a confusing journey. Dealership prices for replacement key fobs and programming can be eye-watering, leading many to explore online alternatives. But does buying a Jeep Renegade Key Fob online actually work, and what can you expect when trying to program it? This is the story of one Jeep Renegade owner’s venture into the world of aftermarket key fobs, and whether it was a tale of triumph or potential disaster.
The original key fob for my 2017 Jeep Renegade Latitude was starting to show its age, and the thought of being stranded without a spare was unsettling. Dealership quotes for a new OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) key fob and programming service were significantly higher than I was hoping to spend. Searching online, I found an OEM Jeep Renegade key fob on Amazon for a much more palatable price – around $70. This particular fob came with an uncut emergency key, the laser-cut type specific to my model year. Edge-cut keys, while cheaper, simply aren’t compatible with the 2017 and later Renegades. It seemed like a worthwhile gamble to save a considerable amount of money.
Confident in my “OEM” find, I scheduled an appointment with my local Jeep dealership for programming. A quick call ahead confirmed they could fit me in, but also sparked the first hint of potential trouble. Upon arriving, a service technician immediately honed in on the fact that I was there for key programming and asked point-blank, “Did you buy it online?” When I confirmed, emphasizing it was an OEM part, not a knock-off, the warning bells started ringing. “I have to let you know that chances are high it won’t work, but we’ll still have to charge you the $145 programming fee.” This was not the reassuring welcome I had anticipated.
However, another service technician, handling the check-in process, offered a more balanced perspective. “I’ve seen several fobs not purchased here programmed with no problems, don’t be concerned,” he reassured me. “But she’s right, pass or fail, it’s still 145 bucks.” This acknowledgment of both potential outcomes was at least more comforting than the initial dire prediction.
Then came another curveball. As he logged my vehicle details, mentioning it was a 2017 Renegade Latitude bought from that very dealership, a slight hesitation crept in. “Oh… Renegade,” he murmured, followed by, “Problem?” I asked. “Could be. Renegades are real picky about reprogramming keys. 2015s and 16s are easy. 17s and 18s are more finicky. We can try.” This was starting to feel less like a simple programming procedure and more like navigating a minefield.
The waiting game began. Stepping outside to vape, the anxiety definitely amplified the nicotine consumption. The thought of the programming failing, being out $70 for the fob plus $145 for the attempt, and still needing to buy a key from the dealership at full price was not appealing. Then, the service technician emerged with more news, this time seemingly escalated from the shop foreman. “There was a slight chance that while they were trying to program the ‘unknown history’ key that I brought in, it could fail and dump my original key also! So I’d have NO keys! I’d have to buy one of their keys (and pay full price, naturally) and end up with….one key. Just like when I came in.”
This sounded utterly illogical. My original key was already linked to the vehicle’s system. Surely, adding a second key wouldn’t erase the first unless something went drastically wrong. When I voiced this, the technician conceded my point made sense but reiterated the foreman’s warning, again asking if I wanted to proceed.
Just then, the actual programming specialist came to retrieve my Jeep. My service tech flagged him down, relaying the foreman’s doomsday scenario. The programmer’s reaction was a visible eye-roll, dismissing the extreme warning. He clarified that while he had programmed many Renegades, he hadn’t specifically worked on 2017s or 18s before. He acknowledged that security changes in these model years made programming more complex to prevent theft but downplayed the risk of losing both keys, though with a caveat: “But yours may be the first I’ve done to take out 2 fobs.” Not exactly reassuring, but at this point, I was committed. “Go for it,” I said, figuring it was a gamble worth taking.
More waiting and vaping ensued. The cynicism started to creep in. Was this whole “potential failure” narrative a tactic to pressure customers into buying dealership keys? The thought crossed my mind: “Are they going to deliberately mess up the key I brought so I HAVE to buy theirs?” The anxiety was definitely building.
Finally, the programmer returned, a broad smile on his face and a thumbs up. Relief washed over me. He drove my Jeep out, apologizing for the wait. When I asked about problems, he said there were none. The extra time was spent exploring whether he could enable remote start with the new fob, as it had the button, even though my original fob lacked this feature. He knew it was a long shot, likely requiring more than just programming, but wanted to check. He hadn’t managed to activate remote start, but I appreciated the effort. They had also performed a complimentary 27-point inspection, which was a blur amidst my key fob focus.
We tested both fobs, and both worked perfectly. Success! The OEM fob from Amazon was indeed programmable. The only remaining detail was the emergency key, which they couldn’t laser cut on-site and would need to be sent out for processing. Given that the primary goal was a functioning spare fob, I declined the emergency key service for now.
So, the extremely long story cut short: buying an OEM Jeep Renegade key fob online and getting it programmed at the dealership is possible and can save you a significant amount of money. While there are potential anxieties and warnings along the way, in this case, it resulted in adding a second fully functional key for my Jeep Renegade. Now, the question lingers: should I consider buying a third?
