Flip-Key How To 2015 Edition: 2004-2005 Elements
Materials Needed:
35111-SEP-307: Acura TL Memory 2 Remote. Depending on which is cheaper, 35111-SEP-306 can also be used. 35111-SEP-306 is the Acura TL Memory 1 Remote
35113-S9A-A01: The Blank Honda Element Transponder Key
35118-STK-A01: Acura MDX Remote Faceplate: Optional, although I believe it makes the final product look a lot more clean
A small phillips screwdriver. Make sure it fits into the screws well, otherwise it will strip the screws
The Process:
1. Take the Acura TL key, and start the mod by unscrewing a screw below the metal "loop"
2. The section which has the buttons, and stores the battery and wireless transmitter should come off. This will expose the guts of the key
2w. To perform the RDX faceplate swap, simply push on one of the buttons. This should pop the top off. For the RDX faceplate, you simply need to "delete" the trunk release physical button. I also cut the rubber nub that protrudes, as to not mess with the circuitry. This makes sure that the button isn't always depressed, causing the battery of the remote to be drained (More pictures can be added to further elaborate)
3. Pry the top plastic piece off of the key. It is attached with double stick tape, and also is fitted pretty tightly. Make sure not to snap the piece, as it is quite flimsy. I used gradually increasing pressure and a small standard screwdriver to pry it off
4. Unscrew the three screws that are holding the switchblade assembly together. Be very careful not to strip the screws, as they are cemented in there with some blue loctite. It is essential to have a proper fitting phillips screwdriver
5. Take off the metal piece on top. Be careful, as the spring is also loosely attached to it. There is also a copious amount of grease on the underside of the metal piece
6. Now the blank TL key with goodies inside can be taken off the plastic backpiece of the remote. To keep track of the screws, I used a small piece of cardboard. The plastic backpiece can be set aside until reassembly
7. Housed inside the back of the key is the TL transponder, which is fit snugly into the crevasse. To remove the transponder I heated up the surrounding areas with a hair dryer and then took a knife to slice around the transponder. After it was loosened up I used a combination of the knife and a screwdriver the pry the transponder out
8. Now it's time to pull out the blank Honda Element Transponder key
9. I put the key in a vice and cut the top part of the loop off from each side with a hacksaw. Accidentally, attempting to further tighten the vice popped each half of the key off, giving me access to the Element transponder. It worked pretty swell. The Element transponder looks like a cocoon
10. Back to the TL key. In order to make sufficient room for the Element transponder, I used a knife to widen the crevasse. I also needed to make it longer. Be careful that you don't break the plastic, as it gets to be quite narrow and brittle. Once the space was sufficient, I removed the cocoon from the Element transponder and placed it into the crevasse. Additionally, some kind of epoxy is recommended to hold it in place, but since I had none, I used an adhesive like putty (for hanging posters on walls)
11. Now the key can be reassembled. I recommend putting more grease back on the moving components. Also be sure not to over-torque the spring. When putting the screws back, I decided not to reapply loctite, in the event that I would need to make repairs or replace the spring
12. You are all finished. Now the key just needs to be cut and programmed. The wireless entry can be programmed as so:
https://www.handa-accessories.com/crv/KEYLESSPROG.pdf
Be sure to hold the lock and unlock buttons until the red light flashes, to allow full functionality of the remote. Be aggressive at the stealership you choose to get the key cut and programmed, and have pictures, and this thread prepared to show the employees, so they know, in fact, that this mod is possible