...so i rang my local stealership about getting a spare. $330 for the key, $66 for encoding the transponder and $66 for cutting the key.........

Honestly, is this a friggin joke? I can't put my immediate reaction on here because there'll probably be a filter that will ping me, but the spares guy is in no doubt at all what i thought of the pricing. $470 for a goddam key!!!!!

Please tell me this dealer is gouging and there's somewhere else that does them for about a third of this.

No, that is roughly the going dealer price. It goes up a lot if you loose the one key as well, starting with a towtruck trip to the nearest dealer.

The days of a $3.50 copy of your key are far gone. House key yes, car key no.

Check your local keycutter - Mr Minnit for example - for someone who can supply the blank, cut it and clone the original.

Thanks Max,

I just pulled out all the old service receipts and started ringing the contact numbers on there....maybe the former owner/s still have the 2nd key. VM box messages say that they're still the same people.

Do we know if anyone has bought any of the blanks off fleabay? There's a heap of them on there for $7.50 each. I know, i know......my head says they'll be really cheap plastic with a cardboard key blank and at that price, no transponder. Is it possible to recode a transponder from a 2nd hand key from a wrecker and drop it into a new blank?

Mr Minit in Nambour will do one for $170. So much for having a bit extra to play with this weekend......ah well, cheaper than new black boxes and towing and waiting a week for a key to get here and then paying the full dealer price.

Do we know if anyone has bought any of the blanks off fleabay? There's a heap of them on there for $7.50 each. I know, i know......my head says they'll be really cheap plastic with a cardboard key blank and at that price, no transponder. Is it possible to recode a transponder from a 2nd hand key from a wrecker and drop it into a new blank?

eBay blanks may be ok, who knows? Check if the blade is the right one though.
The transponder is encased in the head of the key. So I'd say "no" to the last bit.

Some people get the cheap keys, then cut the head off their key and tape it out of sight to the steering column. That way, any cut key will start the car. Of course, you have no immobiliser that way, but it is a cheap kludge.

I'd go with the $170 option.

For anyone thinking of buying a second hand car - no second key is a good reason to ask for a $500 discount on the car's price!

The bit about only having one key and pushing for a discount - you have no idea what state my head was in at the time :nuts: Suffice to say it's a lot clearer these days.... I think i'll just stump up the $170, i really don't have the inclination to go cutting keys up, taping them to the steering column and changing out door locks and ignition switches.

The guy i spoke to at Mr Minit said even 470 was cheap compared to some eurocars - he said they can cost over $1200 and up to 2k. That's just obscene....

Ring a few locksmiths in your area. I had one done for my old th from the local mobile locksmith and it cost $110 and they came to me. Worth a few phone calls at any rate.

Ring a few locksmiths in your area. I had one done for my old th from the local mobile locksmith and it cost $110 and they came to me. Worth a few phone calls at any rate.

If that is to supply blank, cut blank then code and test on the spot, that's good for the price!

Harry, what area are you in? I just rang 2 and the best i got was $350. 170 looks better and better after every phone call.

Harry, what area are you in? I just rang 2 and the best i got was $350. 170 looks better and better after every phone call.

I'm in the Maryborough area, not much use to you if you're in Nambour.

I'm in the Maryborough area, not much use to you if you're in Nambour.

Oh, i dunno....i go through there fairly regularly when i go for sunday drives, as i will this weekend :happy: nah, i think i'll leave work early and just go get one tomorrow night. It'll be a bucketload cheaper than the eventual cost of losing the one and only.

Do we know if anyone has bought any of the blanks off fleabay? There's a heap of them on there for $7.50 each. I know, i know......my head says they'll be really cheap plastic with a cardboard key blank and at that price, no transponder. Is it possible to recode a transponder from a 2nd hand key from a wrecker and drop it into a new blank?

I'm just trying to understand why this won't work?? cos some ppl in here have bought the flipping key and all they do is transfer the "electronic part" of the existing key and place it in the new key and get it cut. (or am I wrong!!???) Then all you need is to reprogram it to match the existing key..........

http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101307&page=3&highlight=FLIP+KEY

Here's the link to the thread I'm talking of the flipping key

Imagine if you lost a key for a BMW!

My old man had a 745iL for a couple of months and lost the spare key, to replace it would of been $1400!

I went through the same thing with one set of keys for my TL wagon the ones on ebay did not suit, different transponder code. Ended up getting one from my mobile mechanic for 60 bucks( been dealing with him for over 20 years) he set up coding etc for transponder and cut the key as well for me for $120.00, mates rates I guess. He also erased all the previous keys and set up a new code so if someone had a spare key out there somewhere, they could still unlock the car but would not be able to start it.

http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101307&page=3&highlight=FLIP+KEY

Here's the link to the thread I'm talking of the flipping key

It's called a "flip key".
People got excited about those on this forum a while back, but the excitement soon dwindled for some reason.
You could take the transponder out of a normal 380 key and put it in a flip key, but if you only have the one key to start with, how does this help? You still end up with just one working key.

It's called a "flip key".
People got excited about those on this forum a while back, but the excitement soon dwindled for some reason.
You could take the transponder out of a normal 380 key and put it in a flip key, but if you only have the one key to start with, how does this help? You still end up with just one working key.

Yep, so pulling apart the one key now is senseless. I looked at the flip keys but didn't really see the benefit - yeah they'd be smaller and wouldn't jab you in the thigh but i think the OEM key is a decent enough quality item that it doesn't need to be messed with.

I think i'll just bite the bullet and get one done. Better to be safe than very sorry.

So if I get a key from a wrecked car and reprogram it to match my existing, then buy a new shell with uncut key and i put in it the reprogrammed key PCB and then cut ... Will it work?

Will it work?

Sounds fine in theory.
Let us know how you get on! lol

The price you got quoted is...odd.

The dealership near me (Elizabeth, SA) charged me $210 out the door, ordered, cut, programmed.

The price you got quoted is...odd.

The dealership near me (Elizabeth, SA) charged me $210 out the door, ordered, cut, programmed.

Odd? Is that a euphemism for blatant rip off? I suppose each dealership can charge what they want. I can't see a dealer having a key cutter in the back room, so they either order one from Mitsu pre-cut by using the original key profile linked to the VIN, or they send out their spares gopher to Mr Minit with the key you supply when you drop off your car. The guy did say there were no "new keys" in Qld and it would take about a week to get one in. It's probably more a case of it being a lot of hassle for them so they charge like a wounded bull and you either like it or not.

Mine was ordered pre-cut through the VIN, took a week and a half to get it in. I *think* he said it had to be ordered in from Japan.

And yea, I was trying to be at least somewhat diplomatic with the 'odd' comment.

$700 gets you a MUT3 clone from China.

You can then program as many keys as you want...check OBD codes properly instead of misdiagnosing them....reset ECU learned values etc...

Works on magna,380,lancer,pajero etc etc.

Can't believe none of the guys in this club have one apart from me and foozrcool

There are a few with MUTIII units around now days.

Wangaratta Mitsubishi charged me $65 for a blank key & the locksmith charged $15 for cutting. That was 4 years ago.