I recently ordered 2 key fobs that were OEM from Ebay for my daughter's 2008 Mazda 3. I went through the programming procedure for Mazda 3 and neither fob worked. So, I went to ikeyless.com to purchase an aftermarket fob for the vehicle. Their disclaimer said that the fob would have to be programmed by the dealer. I have bought fobs from them for other vehicles and they ALWAYS had programming instructions. So, I am wondering if the the used fobs from Ebay were bad, and if I buy a new fob from ikeyless, will it work WITHOUT having to take the fob and vehicle to the dealer? Can I use the programming procedure? I don't want to waste money on another fob, if I can just take the 2 I have to Mazda for programming. The fobs are seperate from the key. It's not a key/fob combo. In summary, will ANY OEM or aftermarket fob activate using the programming procedure, or do they have to be programmed by the dealer?

 

If you have the correct fob (read: correct FCC/Visteon numbers) then you can program it yourself via the method provided online (combination of opening/closing the doors, pushing buttons, etc.).

There are a number of different remotes for the different years of the 3, as well as many different Mazda models. Lots of ebay sellers advertise that remotes are cross compatible across every model and year and that simply isn't true. All '04-'06 3's (at least in the US) can use the same remote. They're also cross compatible with some Mx-5 and Mz-6 remotes. In '07 Mazda changed the KEU system on the 3 and none of the older remotes will work with the newer models.

I'm not sure about the visteon numbers on '07+ models, however the OEM remote p/n is BAN6675RY if that helps you in shopping around for one.