I have a car key question that I BET y'all cant answer correctly

I have a car key that happens to have some kind of magnetic gizmo inside it which the car cannot start without.
like this


To make a copy of this key is very expensive so i thought perhaps i can just take off the black part and leave that in the car and just make copies of the metal key.
is that possible?

12/30/2010 11:37:51 PM

Buy blanks on ebay take to hardware store

12/30/2010 11:55:01 PM

my parents just had a chipped key done at Ace Hardware. I think it was $50? dealer wanterd like $90.

12/31/2010 1:03:32 AM

^^thanx, this should save me a lot of money

12/31/2010 2:41:24 AM

Key harbor @ Triange town center still there?


I do this all the time with ford keys. Take a working security key and tape it inside the steering column. put column back together, use cheap old style ford keys from now on.

12/31/2010 10:51:06 AM

year make model

this can be done easier on some cars than other, "chip" technology differs a bit

12/31/2010 11:00:49 AM

This must be a ford.

12/31/2010 1:54:18 PM

I bought a few key blanks for my 2003 honda accord from http://www.dealextreme.com

takes a while to ship, but dang they're cheap.

1/1/2011 10:22:55 PM

cheap isnt good if you have to wait for it.

1/3/2011 12:23:09 AM

^ it is if you don't need it ASAP

my parents have an uplander that they need another chipped key for...can they just take one of the ones they already have and do the tape thing, using a "regular" key from then on?

1/3/2011 9:05:12 AM

wait, you drive an oakley?

1/3/2011 9:48:53 AM

^^I was thinking of how the key works and I think the chip inside the key needs electricity to activate which it gets when you stick the key into the ignition

so it may or may not work without a power source but thats for you to try

1/3/2011 11:24:49 PM

^ i believe that's only the case for those keys with resistors (i can't remember if my parents' key has that or not, but i don't think it does)



IIRC, most of the other keys have transponders and work via induction...which makes sense, because brass is a relatively poor conductor of electricity, so those resistor keys likely have non-brass contacts

my question was more in regards to the nature of GM's induction configuration, specifically where the key would need to be in order to be always within the field generated when the ignition is turned

[Edited on January 4, 2011 at 9:50 AM. Reason : though i suppose that if they're nickel-plated or a nickel alloy, it would work fine]

1/4/2011 9:48:18 AM

^^No. No power source needed.

RF energy is all it takes.

^You're right about the resistor keys. That shit is old school though.

[Edited on January 4, 2011 at 9:50 AM. Reason : blahblah]

1/4/2011 9:49:11 AM

so is it worth buying a transponder key for $10 from fleabay and having it programmed? how do you go about getting it programmed?

1/4/2011 9:51:59 AM

Take it to the stealership and have them do it for $60-$120

1/4/2011 9:54:58 AM

When my folks got their Avalon, they only got one key.

Dad calls me one day...he's out in the Lowe's parking lot after having gotten several keys cut...and of course, none of them will crank the car. I tell him that the original is a transponder key, and we'll have to either get them from the dealer or I can order the blanks and we can get them cut and do the programming sequence ourselves.

Picked up two blanks for 25 bucks each off of ebay, found the programming instructions online (they vary from manufacturer to manufacturer), cut keys, programmed, and all was good.

Your results may vary depending on what hunk of shit you're driving.

1/4/2011 10:13:32 AM

i tried this in my old e36 when i lost one of my keys. i could get about 1 ft away from the ignition with the real key to still start the car with the transponderless key. results are going to vary a lot between makes and models.

1/4/2011 12:47:24 PM

I bought my legacy used and it didn't come with the code or a spare key... Can they still pull the code from my key and make duplicates ?

1/4/2011 1:04:55 PM

You won't know the code or algorithm or whatever it uses. You have to have the original key for most of them. You can google for a programming or code learning sequence. Most antitheft or powertrain management systems have the ability to learn up to a certain number of keys. You have to train the car to recognize the key. You don't have to program the key itself.

In order for most cars to go into this learn mode, you have to start with a key that already works.

1/4/2011 1:21:31 PM