I've lost the key/fob for my 2002 A3. I have a spare so the car is still usable but I think it was lost locally so I'm really concerned for security.

- Can a dealer "de-program" the car so that the lost fob won't work (but leaving the other one active)
- I suppose I can buy a replacement lock set from a scrappie. Does the same apply to a replacement fob? (I've heard that on some cars a fob can only be programmed once, so can't be used on a different car).
- Can this work only be done by an Audi dealer

Thanks for any help,
Andy

 

For immobilizer cars like what you probably have, A3's should be 05 and up cars, when programming keys, all keys need to be with the car when the tech programs the car. Any keys missing will get overwritten in the cars cpu, and that missing key won't start the car but it will mechanically unlock the door unless you have the locks changed.

So to answer your question they can re-program the car to exclude that missing key. But when you do that you might as well program in another remote version key if that is what you lost. It costs the same to program 1-4 keys. It's better to buy all they keys you feel you would need and program the car only one time to avoid paying more labor charges in the future for keys you may decide to buy later on.

I hope this helps you out, Jeff.