Why won't Hyundai replace our i20's key which has broken under warranty?

At the end of January last year I purchased a new i20 from my local Hyundai dealer. All was going great until about a week ago when my wife noticed the key (it’s the jacknife type that flicks out when you push a button) had fallen out of the fob part. Luckily, she was not too far from home and managed to get the spare. The car has done less than 2,000 miles in under nine months and one of the reasons we got this car was because of its five-year warranty. When I visited the parts/service department I was told that the warranty did not cover keys. I would have thought that a key would last longer than nine months. They want to charge me £259 for a new key. Please could you advise what I can do next?

Asked on 27 October 2010 by AW, Farnham Common

Answered by Honest John
Hyundai cannot be held responsible for damage to a keyfob from jangling against other keys in a pocket or a handbag. Car keys should always be kept separate from other keys. Never share a ring with house and office keys. You can get the broken key repaired or a copy key made up by one of these: www.keyrepair.co.uk; www.morganlocks.com; www.theautolocksmith.co.uk; www.autolocksmiths.net ; www.pots-of-gold.co.uk
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