Know Your Vehicle

Basic tip: always verify year, make, and model of the vehicle you are ordering or programming a key/fob/remote for. Take the time to ask the customer detailed questions and, if possible, use the 10th digit of the vehicle vin# to verify. The year, make, and model is slightly different considering that there are always multiple models per make and they all may use a different key/fob/remote based on what system the manufacturer used on that particular model.

If you are taking info from a customer who is calling for service, do your best to get correct information. Ask what the registration says for year/make/model since there are split years to deal with when ordering the correct key/fob/remote. Nothing can ruin a productive day more than driving an hour to a customer to do what seems like a simple programming only to discover it is not a Ford Focus, but a Ford Escape Titanium and requires a different fob altogether.

Many wasted trips can be saved with the gathering of correct information, this makes ordering the correct key/fob/remote a simple process. Additionally, remember that your sales rep can always answer any questions and make sure you get the correct item the first time, so use the resources provided by your vendor.

If you have any questions or would like us to address a specific topic in a future article, feel free to send us an email. Stay tuned for our next Tech Tip!