Mazda Car Remote won't re-program

My son has a 2004 Mazda 6. The remote key fob stopped working so we put in a new battery. That did not fix the problem so I went on line and got some reprogramming instructions involving turning on the car and pressing the door shut sensor button multiple times. I did all the steps and got all the corresponding beeps, chimes etc - but the remote still does not ‘connect’ with the car. Any advice that is cheap?

The problem is that the remote and the vehicle sytem do not recognize each other. It’s possible that you need a new remote key fob. That’s the most common way to fix the problem. Reprogramming may make work for a time but it will fail again in the near future.
I’ve included a set of instructions to reprogram your fob. New fobs can be found online for about $25.

Open driver door,

Press lock and unlock using door switch

Put key in ignition, turn to on position then off position 3 times leaving key in at the off position

Close door and open three times leaving door in open position

Doors will lock then unlock to confirm ECU program mode

Press any button on remote twice, locks will confirm by locking then unlocking, your done remove key from ignition and doors will lock and unlock couple times to confirm exit from ECU program mode.

If this does not work then the ECU cannot pick up the correct signals from the key fob.

I watched YouTube videos all last night trying to find a solution for my problem. It seems that the instructions themselves were technically correct, but it could have used just a little bit of clarification and I would have saved a whole lot of time.

Instructions I was following: Programming Instructions

Modification I made: for step 2 of the instructions, pause for a count of 1 second after switching the key to the ON position.

It worked right after that.