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I recently bought a 2005 Mercedes benz c320 at an auction and when I went to pick it up, I was informed that it did not come with a FOB due to the fact that the previous owner had not turned it in when the car was appropriated by the insurance. When I got home with it I went to my local dealer and they were asking $460 for a new one which is a bit out of my budget for now, so I went ahead and purchased a brand new aftermarket FOB on eBay and I am now wondering if it can be programmed to the car? Any help will be greatly appreciated!

Michael Negoi
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  • I don't know specifically for your car, hence this is a comment, not an answer. I have a 2000 Toyota Camry, and I bought a FOB from eBay and it's the correct one for the car. I can also take it to the dealer to be programmed to the car. It's not as cheap as one might hope, but your car is a Mercedes, so who knows if they restrict this somehow. So far I know that both Toyota and Chevy can, and will do this for you. – cdunn Mar 30 '16 at 03:24
  • As well as what @cdunn stated you need to bring the title and your state ID with you. Honda, Toyota and Infinity all work this way from my own experience. You may be able to do this without dealer software on a 2005 but I am unsure. Perhaps an answer to your question is coming or a call to your dealership. – DucatiKiller Mar 30 '16 at 05:00
  • You should give a call to your dealer, it's unlikely that you could do this yourself. – I have no idea what I'm doing Mar 30 '16 at 07:52
  • I talked to the Mercedes dealer about getting a new key fob . I was told to come to the dealership in person with proof of ownership and personal picture ID and $300 to order a new fob and then I would need to come back in person with picture ID to pickup my new fob . I guess the best part of this is that no theif can steal your car thru the key switch and if you lose a key , you will not need to have your Mercedes towed to the dealership to get a new key fob . – user44778 Jan 09 '19 at 17:59

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No you can not. It does not work like a lot of vehicles where you leave keys in ignition for x minutes then do the hokey pokey. If there is any sort of anti theft the key has to be programmed. Of course it's a blank key so it first had to become the right key. Programming varies even on the same make and model from year to year. There are professional locksmiths who can make an auto key for you. It's pricey but when you need it. The cost is marginal. On the matter of a Mercedes. You can have them attempt to use your purchased fob but I don't know if it will work. But no it takes the dealer to program a Mercedes key the key and the vin number and anti theft system are intrinsically linked and is only done so by the dealer. Call again to the Benz dealer. Give them ur vin. Bust out the pocket book and enjoy what is to be a gem of a Benz

Dustin
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  • Great thank you very much for the input! I will just return the FOB that I bought and like you said go see the dealer about ordering a new one because I know for a fact that they will not program an aftermarket one. – Michael Negoi Apr 01 '16 at 06:56
  • Even the proffesional locksmiths go to the dealership on these. The amount of time , money and equipment needed to program these is pretty high. Even then , ultimately you still need a code from the dealer... its the best ... and surprising cheaper route – Dustin Oct 23 '19 at 07:00