Factory Keyless Entry Remote Transmitters Do Not Have To Look The Same To Be Equivalent

Many people believe factory keyless entry remotes must look identical (or nearly so) or have the same FCC ID in order to be identical from a signal transmission standpoint. This is not the case.

For example, look at the remote key fobs originally used on 1995-1997 Lincoln Continental and Mercury Grand Marquis vehicles that were equipped with factory keyless entry systems. Those cars used a 4-button hourglass-shaped remote with FCC ID LHJ002, manufactured for Ford by Temic Automotive. See the remote at this link.

After the 1997 model year, the factory keyless entry systems in Lincoln Continental and Mercury Grand Marquis used the same radio signal characteristics, but the system was manufactured by Alps Electronics. Their 4-button remote looks almost square from the front and this keyfob has FCC ID CWTWB1U343. See the remote at this link.

Nevertheless, these two remotes are fully interchangeable. Either remote will work for systems before and after the changeover years of 1997-1998.

If you are buying a remote for your Lincoln Continental or Mercury Grand Marquis car, you should be aware that programming on these systems differs by year. Most vehicles that use one of these remotes are user programmable. However, there are a few exceptions – such as the 1998 Grand Marquis – for which programming requires a scan tool.