2004 Mazda RX8 - Problems with keyless FOB

[mcvickj]

Posting this for my friend. I figured we have a lot of knowledgeable people here in The Garage. Hopefully someone can point him in the right direction.

I purchased a 2004 Mazda RX8 manual transmission a year ago. It came with a single key and the keyless entry fob which I stupidly did not test before I left the lot. When I tried using it, nothing happened. I replaced the battery and still nothing. I read online about reprogramming it and attempted that but still nothing. I contacted the nearby Mazda dealership who said they wanted $150 to reprogram it and that's not even including a new fob. Any thoughts on how to get it working?

 

[NutBucket]

Buy one from ebay and try programming it? Maybe your current remote is kaput?

 

[NoCreativity]

My wife's G6 fob quit working. Dealer said it was a common problem where the battery contacts would separate from the chip. A little solder and everytihng worked great.

Check to make sure there are no loose connections anywhere to rule out one possible cause.

 

[amdhunter]

Buy one from ebay and try programming it? Maybe your current remote is kaput?

You'll need 2 working keys to program a 3rd one yourself. I ended up buying a remote from eBay for $30 and getting it programmed from Mazda for $90. $150 seems a bit high, they usually bill for one hour.

 

[NutBucket]

I assume the keys are chipped too?

 

[mcvickj]

I assume the keys are chipped too?

Yes the keys are chipped.