I'm going to preface this post with hopefully some helpful information before this turns into a wild goose chase cluster. I bought my 2008 3LT in May of last year and have absolutely enjoyed every minute of it. When I purchased the car, it only came with one fob and key, which really didn't bother me all that much since I'm the only person to ever drive it.

About a month into owning the car I went to get in one morning to drive to work only to realize the battery had somehow died. I went to use the key in the rear trunk/hatch and it would not turn. I recently found out a few months ago that the key I was sold with the car is a dummy key that was not "cut" to open the hatch.

Fast forward to yesterday when I decided to purchase a new fob to have programmed to the car as my current one is broken and will not hold the key securely in place anymore. After about two hours at the dealership the service advisors came to inform me they could not get the new fob to program to the car. Apparently the car has 3 "fobs" already programmed in the system and they can not delete the 3 existing ones to add a new one. (At least this is what I was told.)

That being said and what little research I've been able to put into the issues they've told me thus far, apparently the key has to go into the hatch and be turned a certain way to enable the "programming" (for lack of better wording) I'm just blindly wondering if they couldn't get the fob to program because the key wasn't enabling the "programming" feature because it hasn't been "cut" to the car.

My apologies if this sounds like an extremely stupid post, but I'm just shooting in the air at this point trying to figure out what the issue may be or if I'm even in the same ballpark of troubleshooting on my end.

 

You can arm yourself with a little knowledge by reading the long programming procedure in the owner's manual. That will put you in a position to better deal with the dealership.

 

Typically I'm one of those people that it's a cold day in hell before I will associate with a dealership at all, but something like this I figured would be fairly straightforward and simple, but unfortunately not in this instance.

 

If it is the physical plastic part of the fob that is broken and it still works okay, you can buy new (empty) cases on eBay for a few dollars and just move the electronics and key to the new case.

Otherwise, the long programming instructions are easy enough to do ... just takes time.

 

Dealership should be able to cut you a key based on your VIN.

 

well that was part of the reason I went to the dealership yesterday in hopes of at least getting a the key cut. Apparently their machine has been broken since June and no one has bothered to come repair it 🙄

 

if you use a Tech 2 you don't need a physical key. I did my own, no problems. You should be able to clear all old keys, or at least enough to enter new ones. Crazy GM no longer has anyone that can use a Tech 2

 

It's not a dumb post, but it does leave several questions, of places I marked in red, that lack clarity.
1. While 2008 is important to identify the fob style, whether is a base model or Z06, identifies where the car's battery is located.
2. One fob and? one key, makes it sound like they were given to you in 2 parts vs "one fob with key..
3. Which battery? The car battery or fob battery?
4. & 5. First mistake was not getting the key cut at that time.
6. The PC board in a fob will fit in any case of the same design. Be aware there are also internal differences. Sometimes a service mgr will have leftover/extra fobs stashed in a drawer, so ask first.
7. The car will accept up to 4 fobs. 2 primaries and 2 secondaries.

If you currently have the new fob in your possession, swap the PC board with your broken fob. Then go to nearly any GM dealer with ownership identification to get your blank fob key cut. IIRC, the key blank code is B106, if you want to have an extra key cut that you can use to get in the car if you accidentally lose or lock the fob in the car. Next, buy a case to put the un-programmed PC board in, to become your spare fob and go through the programming procedure you can find on this forum. Wrap the spare fob in aluminum foil and store it in a cubbie, or some other hidden place on the car. Better to have a backup, even if you're the only driver.

 

1. Base
2. Bought the car from an individual and not a dealership, received fob with key together at time of purchase (guess I should've clarified that better, my apologies)
3. Car battery was completely dead.
4. At the time 3 happened, based on my research at the time of the situation, I found several threads about how certain cars left the factory with the inability to open the hatch from the rear access was 'common' (let me state once again, just what I read on my own research in multiple posts across various forums, not saying I believe everything on the internet to be true just because it's posted there.)
5. Wasn't until earlier this year I realized after showing my key to someone else and having them say "oh yeah that's a dummy key that's never been cut, you need to get that fixed" did I realize what might be the problem with the hatch not working/key fob woe scenario I'm currently dealing with.

I'm very particular about who I allow to service my vehicles and very seldom go to dealerships, the only reason I went to a dealership in this instance is I was in high hopes this would be a simple resolution (life lesson learned.)

 

I do my own work too and the only time a dealership shop has ever touched any of my cars, was on their dime for warranty work. They even screwed that up three times. But you will still need a GM dealer to cut the key, since they have to get the correct factory code to match your car.