I am the proud owner of a 2003 LC that we purchased brand new with 26 miles on it. The best purchase we ever made. I service it myself, as I trust no one else to do the job. In 13 years, the service engine light has come on only 1 time, and that was because my wife didn't tighten the gas cap. I will not be selling her any time soon. Anyway, to get to my point:
I got tired of replacing broken remote key shells. I've tried OEM and aftermarket replacements, but they all eventually break. I don't ever want to break another key again, so I decided to go a different route this time and use non remote master keys with separate remote fobs. There are no non-remote master keys listed for the 2003 LC though. The only options are master key with remote and valet key without remote. The solution is the Camry/Corolla key PN 89785-60160. The keys were $35 each from my local dealership and that price included cutting the blank from the VIN. I was all ready to register the new keys and hit a brick wall. I found quite a few sites, such as this one. None of them worked. I then found several sites that said 2003 had no on-board transponder registration and had to be done at dealership through diagnostics. I was just about to give up when I found a Youtube video demonstrating how to add a key on a 2003 Camry. It was very different from everything else I had come across, so I thought I'd give it a try. Boom! First try it went right into programming mode and accepted the new key. Repeated and did the second key. Here is the correct procedure for registering a new transponder on a 2003 LC. You must have a registered master key to add more. Hope it helps someone...
With vehicle off and all doors closed:
1) Insert and remove a master key in the ignition switch 5 times, but do not remove the 5th time. Do not turn on. At this point, the security light should be off.
2) Open and close the drivers door 6 times, then remove the master key. At this point, the security light should be on solid, not flashing. If the light is on solid, it is in programming mode, ready to accept a new key. Continue to step #3. If the light is flashing, it failed to enter programming mode. This could be caused from inaccurate counting or taking too long to complete steps #1 and #2. Start over at step #1.
3) Insert the new key to be registered and turn to the on position, but don't attempt to start. At this point the security light should be flashing. Wait approximately 60 seconds and the security light will turn off completely. Remove the new key. It is now registered as a master. Enjoy!
I got tired of replacing broken remote key shells. I've tried OEM and aftermarket replacements, but they all eventually break. I don't ever want to break another key again, so I decided to go a different route this time and use non remote master keys with separate remote fobs. There are no non-remote master keys listed for the 2003 LC though. The only options are master key with remote and valet key without remote. The solution is the Camry/Corolla key PN 89785-60160. The keys were $35 each from my local dealership and that price included cutting the blank from the VIN. I was all ready to register the new keys and hit a brick wall. I found quite a few sites, such as this one. None of them worked. I then found several sites that said 2003 had no on-board transponder registration and had to be done at dealership through diagnostics. I was just about to give up when I found a Youtube video demonstrating how to add a key on a 2003 Camry. It was very different from everything else I had come across, so I thought I'd give it a try. Boom! First try it went right into programming mode and accepted the new key. Repeated and did the second key. Here is the correct procedure for registering a new transponder on a 2003 LC. You must have a registered master key to add more. Hope it helps someone...
With vehicle off and all doors closed:
1) Insert and remove a master key in the ignition switch 5 times, but do not remove the 5th time. Do not turn on. At this point, the security light should be off.
2) Open and close the drivers door 6 times, then remove the master key. At this point, the security light should be on solid, not flashing. If the light is on solid, it is in programming mode, ready to accept a new key. Continue to step #3. If the light is flashing, it failed to enter programming mode. This could be caused from inaccurate counting or taking too long to complete steps #1 and #2. Start over at step #1.
3) Insert the new key to be registered and turn to the on position, but don't attempt to start. At this point the security light should be flashing. Wait approximately 60 seconds and the security light will turn off completely. Remove the new key. It is now registered as a master. Enjoy!
