So, being a VW/Audi owner and technician means that I have access to some very nice key/remote assemblies. I decided to look into if there was an aftermarket setup for Ford do be able to run the same style key. For those of you who don't know - this is an Audi key assembly:



I hate the idea of having a separate key and remote and did some searching on eBay and found this:

New Ford Lincoln Mercury Flip Key Fob Keyless Entry Remote Combo - 3 Button | eBay

Problem is that at the bottom it states:

"Also, if you ignition has a plastic collar around it, this key will NOT fit"

I'm going to assume that means the large plastic "tab" that our ignition key slides into. I am curious if that "tab" is part of the cylinder or if it can be removed. If it can be removed then the flip key would work. Anyone else tried this yet?

 

Looks pretty neat. Now all we need is a guinea pig.

 

Like I said, the reason I see it not working on our trucks is because of the plastic tab that the key slides into. The remote portion is too fat to fit in the same hole. I wondering if you could just "shave" down the plastic to make it work or if that plastic piece comes off.

 

Alright, so that black plastic tab does in fact come off. It's just an appearance piece, doesn't actually do anything for the key or ignition cylinder. So, I'm gonna dig around and find the one that looks the "best" and order a pair of them. I'll let you guys know how it goes!

 

So, I ordered two of these:

UNIQUE NEW FORD FLIP KEY & REMOTE COMBO KEY REMOTE | eBay

They had the most amount of sales, quickest shipping, and are based in the US so I went with them. There's some others on there for about 5 bucks cheaper but they're definitely coming from China and would take much longer to get here. So, hopefully this all works out as I'm tired of this key jabbing me in the you-know-what when it's in my pocket.

 

According to the site....not compatible for my 03

 

Funny. Just was looking at these the other night. That seller is in my neck of the woods so I will probably go for the same ones. Keep us posted.

 

I really don't trust the Ebay tool But
This part is compatible with 1 vehicle(s) matching 2006 Ford F-350 Super Duty .
Notes Year Make Model Trim Engine
2006 Ford F-350 Super Duty All All
Portions of the information contained in this table have been provided by yourkeysupplier
That is the first one you were talking about
New Ford Lincoln Mercury Flip Key Fob Keyless Entry Remote Combo - 3 Button | eBay

Sean

 

I'm not sure what the difference is for an 03 compared to an 06. The only thing I was concerned about was the fact that the later trucks have an immobilizer, but ours don't as far as I can tell. Our trucks don't require a transponder key like a lot of the other Fords do. The ones that do have the "THEFT" light in the cluster that blinks once the ignition key is removed. Also, as far as the remotes go they're very simple for Ford and they can be programmed without having to use a scan tool on most models.

Will do!

Like I said above I would think any of them should work really. The remote design is not hard to copy. My only worry was the key blade wouldn't physically fit because of the trim piece over the ignition but that piece easily pops off with a small screwdriver. You could either leave it off or just trim it down until the key blade fits correctly. I wouldn't really trust those "compatibility" charts as they're very generic. I ended up going with the seller that had the most sales as it would seem more trustworthy.

 

Got my "flip" style keys in the mail a couple days ago. I decided first of all I should make sure the remotes will program correctly. Luckily on a Ford programming remotes is super easy. Cycle the key from off to on 8 times and the doors will lock and unlock. Then simply just press one of the buttons on each of the remotes and you're ready to go. Both remotes programmed without issue. So, now that I knew they worked I set off to find someone to cut the keys. A lot of people said they had issues with people not wanting to cut the keys because of the style, so I went to Ace Hardware near work. The guy there said he would give it a try and if they fit in the machine correctly he would cut them. They ended up fitting without an issue, so he went ahead and cut them. Took them out to the truck and tried them and they started it without issue! So, here's a few pictures of them:







Pete, a VW tech at work, had mentioned they appeared to be based off the Eurovan key FOB. Only one modification was required to make it work - I had to notch the plastic cover over the ignition for the remote body to fit:



A Dremel, Scotch-Brite pad, and some Plasti-Dip worked perfectly. I am SUPER happy they turned out as I had no working remotes to start with and the separate remote and key setup bugged the hell out of me. If anyone is looking to try this for their vehicle the company I got them through was Remotez4Less on eBay. Here's a link for those of you who want to give it a shot:

eBay My World - remotez4less

 

Nice job!!! I like this idea!

 

Glad they worked out. I see myself picking up a couple for my Fords.

 

I'll put in my two cents.

First off, any pre-2008 model year Super Duty truck does NOT use PATS keys. For this reason alone, I think is why these trucks are notoriously easy to steal. Excursions however, are the exception. That said, I would be interested in knowing if these fobs would work on PATS equipped vehicles.

Lastly and more importantly, the remotes will only work on vehicles equipped with a vehicle security module. An easy way to tell if your vehicle is equipped for you 2005 to 2007 owners is to see if your truck has autolamp and the five button keyless entry keypad on the driver's door. If the answer is yes, then your vehicle has a vehicle security module.

 

Thanks guys! It's a great mod indeed!

I had figured that any of the pre-2008's did not have them as they do not have the blinking "THEFT" light when you take the key out of the ignition. Obviously yes, this only works for the vehicles that had keyless entry in the first place. If your vehicle didn't have keyless entry then no, you can't just expect the remote to automatically work. The keyless entry pad works on the same setup as the keyless entry remotes do. They can be added to any truck that has keyless entry.

 

I've been thinking about this for a LONG time as I only have one key and one fob for my truck. I saved the seller and will hopefully get around to this sooner rather than later.

Good work!!!!