location of RS3000 ECU (2 Viewers)

[WyoCruiser]

I am new to all this. Have never posted before. Need to know the location of the ECU(computer) for the factory RS3000 security system so I can program an additonal (new) remote transmitter. I have the RS3000 owner's guide that tells how to program the additional remote, but it does not give the ECU location (it says to take it to the dealer). Dealer wants $78.00 to access the 'secret location' and push a couple of buttons. Vehicle I just purchased is a 96 FZJ80L with all the options (including lockers), except the CD changer. Currently have one remote that is very beat up, but functional. If it is too hard to get at for my limited skills (a 2 if 10 is expert and 1 is dangerous), I can continue to support the local dealer as I do not want to trash anything in order to access the ECU.

 

[elmariachi]

I am new to all this. Have never posted before. Need to know the location of the ECU(computer) for the factory RS3000 security system so I can program an additonal (new) remote transmitter.

Under the driver's seat. You can see the "magic button" if you look from the side beneath the seat controls with a flashlight.

 

[Beowulf]

... with all the options (including lockers), except the CD changer.

Welcome to 'Mud.

Programming a new FOB is a simple procedure that does not need the dealer or a mechanic. Under the driver seat as Jim mentioned.

The 96-97 LX models are the only ones with a CD changer (assuming you're talking about the 6-CD cassette). Toyota didn't offer that as an option in the 80 series Land Cruisers.

-B-

 

[SeanAndHis80]

Dealer wants $78.00 to access the 'secret location' and push a couple of buttons.

That's not a dealer - it's called a stealer. If I were you I would look elsewhere for parts - like New Mexico

 

[elmariachi]

That's not a dealer - it's called a stealer. If I were you I would look elsewhere for parts - like New Mexico

Because the thread question has been fully answered above, I am getting on my soapbox for a minute about considering dealers "stealers" as it is often used here:

The thread was about labor, not parts costs. For every hour of shop labor charged ($78 there), the mechanic has to be paid, the service writer gets paid and the dealership retains the balance, from which he has to pay all the shop overhead. There is no way to charge $10 or $12 or $15 for miniscule instances of simple tasks like programming an alarm fob and ever keep up with it. So they charge $12 instead of $78. Then the guy doing the work gets $4.00 for 10 minutes of work...no way. That's an accounting nightmare that would never work. No mechanic making his part of $78 wrenching on a headgasket wants to be pulled off and told to program a remote for $4.00.

A Toyota dealer has a multi-million dollar investment in land, building, vehicles, parts, equipment and fixtures....they are entitled to make money too. I agree that shop rates are out of control, but so are electricity costs, labor costs and insurance costs. I appreciate that "stealer" is a tongue-in-cheek term, but I assure you if it was YOUR $50,000,000 invested in Toyota of Wherever, you'd see it a little differently.

Off my soapbox.

 

[WyoCruiser]

Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it. Now that the 'magic' green button has been located, I have ordered the new (additional) factory remote from the dealer. Cheers!

 

[elmariachi]

Thanks for the help. I found the green button under the seat. Now to the dealer to buy the new (additonal) factory remote.

Mud user CDan is a parts guy in Albuquerque at American Toyota...you can get nice parts discounts and great tech info from him. You can also find these remotes on eBay, but be sure and buy the black ones and not the gray as they are not on the same frequency.

 

[SeanAndHis80]

$78 for a 5 minute job is excessive plain and simple. A dealer that wants your continued business would do it for much less if not comp it altogether. I have used 4 different dealers since I got the TLC two get my return business while two are just stealers.

If it was my $50M invested - which is a very high figure because usually dealers get asset-backed-security loans for the vehicles they purchase and not spend cash - I would want return customers rather than make a fortune on the little things.

A side note: I work in the software industry. Among the 8 jobs I do one is technical support. Any number of times I am asked to debug third-party software. I usually do it, not because I have to - I could easily tell them to call someone else - but instead I think it far more valuable to solve their issue and make the customer think I have gone above and beyond, it reflects positively on my company. Do I ask this of the people I deal with in my life? No. Do I expect that they don't take me to the cleaners for something like pushing two buttons @ $78? Absolutely.

 

[elmariachi]

I would want return customers rather than make a fortune on the little things.

The problem is, its not just alarm fobs, its every little nitpicky item. The idea is not to charge people $78 for small instances, but to establish a threshold to keep people from making endless demands of shop personnel all day long because they know they can do it for free. I agree that $78 is too much for such a job, but there are alternatives...such as reading the manual (or downloading it off Yahoo) and doing it yourself.

And you say you would want return customers, yet most consumers are so anal they'll drive 20 miles away to save $78 when they buy their next car, having long forgotten about the free remote programming two years earlier.

 

[MH_Stevens]

No if you want to talk stealing, I just paid $175 + tax for a sun visor!

 

[MrOffshore]

I've worked in the automotive service industry as a Goodyear Franchisee from 1984 to 1994...it's a tough business, everyone thinks you're taking advantage of them or ripping them off, it's almost a no win proposition, even when you speak in laymens terms and your service manager show them everything up close and in person.

I agree that paying $78/hour for simple things like programming a keyfob is ridiculous...that's why you have general service technicians that make minimum wage to $15/hour depending on their skill set...all mechanics/technicians have to start somewhere and just because they come out of some high school joint vocational program does not mean they're entitled to top pay...these are the guys that get trained to do the simpler things...oil changes, tire mounting, balancing...even simple brake jobs as they become more proficient at their jobs.

Even back in my day the dealerships were thought of as thieves...I loved it because it meant more business for me and with the Goodyear name behind me I was able to give a sense of trust with my business. But I am all for taking care of customers so that they develop more trust...remember trust isn't given, it's earned. Take care of them, not advantage of them and let them know you're on their side...then they will come back. My base of customers...loyal returning customers is what drove my success...not the people who came in once...I needed my base, just like any auto dealership.

The problem with auto dealerships is they're out of touch with their customers. I called a service advisor on my Nissan Quest...it was hesitating, even stalling out and had codes in the computer...I pulled them myself and discovered the problem. They told me that I needed to replace both sensors, not just the one bad one...as they typically go out one after another...I stated that I know of many vehicles that never have to replace them, so I found it odd that one would bad just after the other.

I wasn't convniced they knew what they were talking about...most people would have taken their story at face value and paid twice what the repair needed to be. I took it to a local repair shop that a neighbor recommended...I introduced myself and told them I knew one of their customers who told me to go to them...this let's them know I am new and going their because someone else trusts them. He explained he didn't want to simply replace the crank sensor but wanted to charge me to pull the codes himself ($49)...I understood his position and let him do it...he came up with exactly what I told him BUT he explained that only one of the two sensors needed replaced and that it looked like oil had dripped down onto the sensor and shorted it out...I asked if there was an oil leak and he explained no, it looked as if it was from my last oil change...done just three weeks earlier, right before I started experiencing the problems with the stalling...NOTE: oil change done at the Nissan dealership.

I didn't even bother to call the dealer and complain as it MAY have been a coincidence and there would be no way of proving their negligence. However, I won't go back there...not even if I need a dealer repair, I will find another Nissan dealer first. You get one chance to earn a customer and even then it only takes one bad experience to lose a loyal customer. If your service writer is trying to take advantage of someone and repair more than is necessary you're basically stealing in my opinion...thus the term "stealer" is appropriate in my experience. A lot of dealers are good at what they do...some aren't...we all get a bad wrap in the repair business for those that aren't ethical in their business practices.

I bet it wasn't a $78/hour service tech that changed my oil and let it drip down onto my crank sensor shorting it out...it was probably some inexperienced wannabe mechanic earning his wrenches at my expense...the problem is he never learned what he did wrong, but in some cases, he is unknowingly (hopefully not on purpose) bringing more business to the dealerships.

Time to start changing my own oil again...great!