3 weeks back I purchased a Honda Accord from a car supermarket - The Great Car trade centre. I was given only one key which I now understand is not the security key. When I asked about the key I was told it is not necessary as I can open and close the car with the black key or the remote. What are the implications of not having the security key?
Thanks
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Basically, the implications are that should you ever lose the one key you've got, the car will need the locks replacing, the immobiliser recoding or possibly replacing, and maybe even the ECU replacing, depending on just how sophisticated the security system is on your Honda. This was a very expensive problem on Fiat Puntos, over £1100 IIRC!
Best thing is not to lose the key...
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Thanks for your quick reply. I will be careful not to lose the present key but even without losing it,is there any circumstances where there will come a need for recoding ECU? Can I take any preventive measures in future? If I make a new key with my present key,will it be enough?
Thankyou again
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depends on your security system its possible there may be a chip built into the key it's self if that is the case you may have to go to the main dealer for a replacement,
go back to where you bought the car and demand a spare from them
it will save you some cash in the short term and may be a lot in the long term.
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Dear MMT,
When my wife bought a (1995)Civic, she received a key on a 'plip' ring, a spare key and a 'red' key which we were told would be needed to reprogram any other spare key we obtained.
I bought a 1998 Civic recently I got a key on a 'plip' ring, a spare, and no red key. I enquired at a Honda dealer and was informed that the later cars don't need a red key, and that any new key can be programmed using the information on the ordinary key at a cost of about £25.
Hope this is of help.
Regards,
P.
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I would phone a Honda dealer to find out the situation with security keys for your model. Like P.Mason said you might find additional keys can be programmed from any key (not just the security key) in which case you dont have a problem.
If however it turns out you do need the security key then i would send a invoice to GTC for the cost of replacing the Code units/Locks e.t.c.
For Fiats/Alfa's there are ways around the lost 'Master Key' problem so its possible there would be ways around such problems with Honda's.
Modern technology at its worse.....
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I have recently bought an Alfa Romeo and only became aware of the existance of a master key after I had concluded the deal. Could you please let me know the ways around the dreaded lost 'Master key' problem that you know of. I have only one key in my possesion and it is not the master key :-(
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I have recently bought an Alfa Romeo and only became aware of the existance of a master key after I had concluded the deal. Could you please let me know the ways around the dreaded lost 'Master key' problem that you know of. I have only one key in my possesion and it is not the master key :-(
If you look in the handbook you may see reference to a keycard instead of a master key. At the request of the British inusrance industry these cards were not given out in the UK. To get new keys you have to present yourself, your keys, your car and your V5 at an Alfa dealership.
This only applies to 156 & 147 as far as I know.
No Dosh - but then who has?
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This is where it pays to deal with an Alfa specialist. The battery went flat on my 155 recently which kicked in the immobiliser. Although I had the red key, I didn't have the codes necessary to do the start-up procedure in the manual.
When I replaced the battery, I phoned my local Alfa man who talked me through a brief procedure about how to replace the battery and override the memory. The car then started instantly.
An Alfa dealer would have charged about £50 plus the cost of towing the car to him.
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You are exactly right. Thankyou all for the various suggestions. I rang the dealer today and they said they can do a spare key. £25 for the key and £25 for programming and I hope to get it in 5 days time. I shall keep you informed
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Don't start chasing around, yourself, get the dealer to sort it!
They have a duty of care to ensure you are supplied with the appropriate keys,blips,codes for security systems, radios....
We used to spend a fortune on 'Red Master' keys for Fords especially.Now most of the leasing companies/auction houses have it sorted.
Would'nt be surprised if there isn't a brown envelope with your spare keys in, tucked at the bottom of somebodys office draw.They will appear after a couple of phone calls!
Won't get into the possible implications, should your new car get stolen & the insurance company kick out your claim, because you were unable to present THEM with your keys!
Mark
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Duty of care? That's a tort concept, this is contract.
Assuming you knew how that only one key was included, and they didn't lie to youabout the cost of a new key, they had no duty to include a new key, car mats, the original manuals, or anything else that isn't necessary to make the car fit for its purpose.
Having said that, it is a good idea to get a new key because if it were stolen it'd be difficult to prove that the other key wasn't with it. A letter from the dealer might help in that matter.
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Yesterday I went to the Honda dealer and I got a new spare key programmed for £48. So it seems for Honda, it is not difficult to get a new key. Thanks for all your suggestions
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Oh for a return to the days of the Willmot-Breeden's at 7s 6d.
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Frostbite,
But remember what your Wilmot-Bredon would be starting up...Austin 1100??
MM
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Further to my previous post,- I obtained a spare immobiliser key for my Civic last week for £18 including programming. The local shoe repair/key cutting shop took just 30 secs. to cut the key and another 30 secs. to program it.(He just put the original key in a slot until a beep is heard, take it out and put in new key, press a button and it's done) I asked the owner of the shop if the programming boxes were difficult to get, and he said no, in fact anyone could buy one. Worrying?
P.
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Are you able to mention the name of this cutting shop? Is it a chain or franchise like Timpson or Mister Minit? Perhaps you will have to answer in code but please post something for our benefit, if you can!
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Hi, Armitage.
The details of the shop are as follows:
M&S Shoe Repairs, 28 Chapel Street, Petersfield, Hants. GU23 3DY
Phone: 01730 231310. Steve White, the owner, keeps key blanks for most popular makes in stock, and can obtain others within a week. (The above info. was posted with his permission.)
It might be worth checking up with your local auto key cutting shop, I think that most of them now offer a coding service for immobiliser keys.
regards,
P.
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Frostbite, But remember what your Wilmot-Bredon would be starting up...Austin 1100?? MM
>>
And every other Austin or Morrris or Wolsley etc.. in your street.
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A friend of mine stated that their BMW (318?) was stolen from a railway station car park about a year ago, and has never been recovered. I said, how is this possible? - in view of the coded key, etc. The answer given to the owner had been 'stolen dealer's master key'. Now as far as I know there is no such thing, as my local dealer was very emphatic in confirming. I always assumed that duplicates could only be produced upon application to the manufacturer by the owner.
Perhaps the above is the explanation.
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is there any way to get keys made/reprogramed without the original. it is going to cost me a lot of money to get it done by the main dealer is there any other way to do it.
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>> Frostbite, >> >> But remember what your Wilmot-Bredon would be starting up...Austin 1100?? >> >> MM >> And every other Austin or Morrris or Wolsley etc.. in your street.
Pah!
Who needed keys back then?
Actually opened drivers door and started my old MkII Cortina with the girlfriends nail file. Good old Friday night pub bet, cost my non-believing pal a goodly sized round! And he still believes, to this day, that I fixed it somehow, and still won't believe that I'd seen the same trick done with a flat bladed screwdriver.
Certainly got me into the habit of never leaving anything in my car, at least not anything I wanted to keep!
Cockle
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Well, a nail file or screwdriver, thats almost 'going equipped'
I recall a fellow youth leader who had a load of gip when the 'kids' found you could open his mark 1 escort with nothing more specialised than a 2 pence piece - honest !
just 'cos I know what I'm saying doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about
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i brought an audi remote keyfob/key off ebay, would a local key cutter be able to take old key out and recut a new one, and also reprog the key code? its an a6 1998?
audi wanted £150.
thanks
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In the Seventies, I was running a 10 year old MkI Cortina and had it stolen from the (nameless)city centre, whilst I was shopping. Car duly reported stolen and after three weeks given up for lost. Then I received a phone call at work from my wife to say that the police had found the car abandoned and undamaged in a peripheral housing estate and had recovered it to a city centre Police station - now that WAS service! A colleague at work offered to drive me into the city at lunchtime to get the car and having completed the paperwork I was directed to the car park. Only then did it dawn on me that I had stopped carrying my cars keys. We were scratching our heads when a constable crossed the car park and asked if we needed help. When we explained, he took a penknife from his pocket, opened a blade and easily opened the driver's door and turned the ignition switch to start the engine. Car security was great in those days.
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I recall a speech given by the head of my (then) department at University shortly before we graduated, on the subject of why we should all do a PhD.
The Prof explained that much earlier in his career, he had found himself locked out of his car and had hailed a passing beat constable (yes, I said it was a long time ago) and asked for help. The PC explained that he did know how to get into this model of car but that there were strict instructions not to do so without proof that the person owned the car. It seemed that the local force was a bit embarrassed that, having helped out in similar circumstances before, the person asking had turned out not to be the real owner.
He didn't have any of the documents with him (naturally) so could only produce his driving licence. "Ah!" said the PC, "Doctor [name]!" and proceeded to open the car for him.
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Our block of apartments has underground car parking with doors operated by remote controls. The transponder unit has a rolling code so,in theory and we found - in practice, making these things uncopiable by the local ironmonger. We deceided we needed a spare, so duly armed with a letter of authorisation from our community administrator we hied ourselves off to Marbella where the original supplier is. He was able to read the code on our existing key, check in his PC for the required information and code up a chip to go in a new case, all in the space of five minutes.
I have to say our eyes watered at the cost - 50 Euros (about £35) but looking at figures quoted here perhaps it wasn't too bad!
Roger.
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Frostbite, But remember what your Wilmot-Bredon would be starting up...Austin 1100??
and at least half the other cars in the street as well...
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Losing your Ford Mondeo Car key in London is not recommended. I had this problem last month after I borrowed my Brother-in-law's car last month while he was on a trip to Europe and it cost me over £100 in parking tickets before I found a decent service to sort this out. I spent ages ringing around the rip-off dealerships for quote before finally using a roadside company called AutoKey Squad. There website is www.autokeysquad.com
I was very happy with the response speed and quality of work. The boffin arrived took less than thirty minutes to get me a new key. he cut it on the spot using some sort of special machine in the van there and then. I thought he would need to take the lock away and didn't even realise this could be done before to be honest. They are experienced pros. BUT WARNING: they only seem to operate around the South East of England. Our work delivery driver tried to use them in Glasgow and it seemd like they had nobody in that region to help which was useless. He had to end up going to the dealer.
Regards,
Daniel
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During the 1980s one of my workmates had his company Vauxhall Cavalier SRI stolen. A couple of weeks later the police rang him at work and told him that the car had been sighted in a parking place in nearby Manchester. They couldn't recover it themselves , but he could do so. He hurried to get the RAC man, who lifted him to the place quickly to prevent the car being 'removed'. When they arrived my workmate had the keys ready to hand to the RAC man, but in the time that he took to get around the van to do so the RAC man had opened the door with what looked to be a credit card.
In the boot were a collection of breaking and entering tools which he duly delivered to the police.
Oh, those carefree far off days.
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I remember helping my dad (a copper) to break into the car of a distraught girl; she had managed to lock her keys and handbag in her car. We were on a family day out at a castle or something. He couldn't get his arm inside the door to flick the catch up once he'd taken the rubber seal off and pulled the door panel away, so I did it (I was about 9 or 10). I think the car was a Ford Fiesta. Early 90s cars!
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