Is PATS bypass tuning legit?

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Cool, I have a key machine, just need the blanks and Forscan and cable now... I've had my '00 Explorer with one key for 10 years now, dealer wanted $150 to make keys like 8 years ago... I've contemplated zip tieing the one key to the back of the switch and making simple keys but haven't gotten that far... getting a couple fobs would be nice too...

Forscan can't disable PATS, right? It just lets you add stuff?

I’m careful about buying chip keys, I’ve heard some of the ones you find for sale can have problems so I always buy Strattec key blanks from a known supplier when I can. There’s two locksmith suppliers I usually buy from. I’ve also bought replacement fobs and the only thing I’ve found with some of the cheaper fobs is that they don’t have quite the range of an official fob. Not really a problem for me. Fobs are their own programming thing and don’t require Forscan.

Forscan can add keys with the extended license, but as of the last I checked, you couldn’t delete individual keys, you had to dump the whole lot and start over if you needed the space or something because I think PATS only has room for like 8 keys in memory. Dumping all the keys is a risky move because if you can’t get two keys to program, you can potentially brick the system. And whatever you do, don’t lose connection while you’re working on it, they recommend using a cable and not a Bluetooth dongle.

Correct, Forscan doesn’t have the capability of disabling PATS. You can program/delete keys, “marry” the PATS and ECU, and that’s about it for the anti-theft stuff.