Customer Callout – 2022 Land Rover Defender

A recent client reached out to us sounding exhausted. His 2022 Land Rover Defender wouldn’t start, and the dashboard displayed: “Smart Key Not Recognised.”

He had already visited two independent garages and eventually the main dealer. The diagnosis? A failed KVM and BCM. The solution? Replacement modules, with a quoted cost of just over £2,500 and a two-week lead time.

By the time he contacted us, he wasn’t surprised—just resigned.

We kept it simple: “We’ll come take a look.”

When we arrived at his home in Reading, we found a spotless Defender parked in the driveway. Beautiful vehicle, but completely immobile.

We connected our diagnostics—genuine JLR equipment, not aftermarket tools—and ran a full system scan. The keys weren’t syncing, but the issue wasn’t with the hardware. No signs of water ingress, no damaged connectors. The problem was subtle: a corruption deep within the EEPROM of the KVM module.

It’s the kind of fault that doesn’t appear on standard diagnostics—easy to miss unless you know where to look.

Carefully, we rebuilt the data structure, reflashed the necessary segments, and re-synced the keys. After a thorough check, we pressed the start button.

The engine came to life instantly.

The customer didn’t say much at first. Then he smiled. Laughed. Told us his wife thought he was overreacting about the whole thing.

We packed up and left quietly—no sales pitch, no drama. Just another Defender, restored and ready.

Not an advert. Just a story.

If you're wondering who we are — AJ Auto Key Replacement