Re: Transducer car keys

["E DAWSON" <ewind7@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Bob La Londe" <none@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:nbuvrm$rr2$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>I recently went this route.  I bought two keys for one of my trucks.  Then
>I went all over town trying to find somebody to cut them for me.  Lowes,
>Home Depot, CAL-Ranch, ACE, True Value.  The guy at CAL Ranch took a shot
>at it, but didn't get the setup quite right and ruined the key.  It annoyed
>me a bit since I used to cut a lot of keys in my Dad's hardware store
>growing up, and I know I could have cut the key without screwing it up on
>one of the old hand guided machines.
>
> Home Depots machine was out of service, and the rest just sad no, or they
> didn't know how on their new style computer guided machines.
>
> I was pretty ticked and realized I had wasted half a day several dollars
> in fuel, and one chip key trying to save some money.  I realized it would
> have been cheaper to just let a lucksmith screw me and be done with it, so
> that's what I did.  I went over to Burge Locksmith and handed him a good
> key for the truck.  When he told me the price I said,  "Yeah I know.
> Don't care. Make me two of them."  20 minutes he was $140 richer (probably
> more since I am sure he pays a lot less for those keys than I did) and I
> was driving away with one of my new keys in the ignition.
>
> So, while yes you can save money on this sort of thing, make sure you have
> somebody who can and will cut they key for you first.  If not it can be
> cheaper to just pay the gouge and be done with it.  Programming the key is
> no big deal for most basic chip keys.  You just have to find the
> instructions.  I still have a copy of them in the glove box of the truck.


Sorry to hear you had trouble getting your keys cut. It is maddening when
someone does not know how to do their job right. This should not be the
norm, but the exception.

I just went back 2 days ago to Lowe's to cut my last blank. It is a key
blank with the remote. I remove everything so that I am only left with the
steel part of the key and one side of the remote shell that is attached to
it when I go to the store. Also, it is important that you do not bring in
the key to copy that has a transponder chip in it. They usually will not do
it. You do have to get a plain key without a transponder from the dealer
first- they will usually do it for free- they think they will get your
business.

The only thing that I found at Lowe's, is that they do have to choose the
correct "cutter box configuration" for your type of key. They insert the box
into their machine, insert your blank in one slot, and your copy key in
another slot. As long as they correctly insert the keys all the way in, and
if the operator knows what he is doing, it should go well. It was a
different guy this time, so I asked what I owned him for his services. He
just said that it was on the house this time. I said thank you very
much...again.

I was not worried too much about my blanks getting messed up by the
key-cutter, because both keys with all the guts of a full 5-button remote
built-in, was only $29.95 for BOTH...shipping included. And yes, when I did
go to the dealer for him to cut and learn one key into the vehicle computer,
he made sure to warn/scare me that it might not work at all or stop after a
while.

...I should have told him that his security system might just quit suddenly
because he did not purchase it from us.

Walmart checks your copy key first to see if it is a transducer key, and if
it is, they will call security. No, not really, but some of them seem to get
quite upset about it.

Also, the process for learning your own keys into the vehicle computer is
not only for the transponder chip, but it also programs/learns the remote to
be able to operate/work. It is all done at one time.

Did Burge Locksmith & Gouging Inc. learn the keys into your vehicle
computer, or did they just clone them?