Hi there, I recently bought a 1997 mk4 Ford Fiesta and it came with only one key (a black one with a red bit on the top). I know this isn't the master key, and I've heard that if I wanted another key (which I do) I'd have to go to my Ford dealer to get a "Red Master" key which costs around £100.
I can't really afford to do this, so I'd like to get all the info I can before I have to shell out on the key, but I'd like to know what's so special about the red master key? What's inside it? Why can't I just buy a blank key from eBay and get my local locksmith to program it for a tenth of the price?
Secondly, on a completely unrelated topic, how feasible is it to get central locking in my car or even to go as ambitious as remote central locking with remote boot opening?
Thanks for all your help in advance,
Ali Logan.
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what model is it? lx, ghia ect
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Bit strange, you do not want to shell out on the car, but will spend xxx on remote locking?
My new key cost £130 at Ford for programming a remote( all keys have to be done at once), better stick with what you have for banger motoring
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If you just want a spare key, a good automotive locksmith can "clone" the one you have onto a new blank chip key, and then cut it for you to fit the car. Two working keys (which as far as the car is concerned are the same key), without having to pay Ford a three figure sum.
I need to get around to this myself for the Mondeo.
Cheers
DP
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04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
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Ford sell kits for upgrading locks and security systems.There are others about but at least the Ford ones need no signifcant fitting/rewiring.
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@ r3d_dwarf - it's an Si model.
@ TurboD - it seems a bit counter-intuitive i know, but if I'm gonna get remote central locking I'm gonna need remote keys, not a red one, so I'm gonna have to buy a key anyway but I just dont want to have to pay £100 for something so simple.
@ DP - I'd love to be able to do that, it's pretty much what I'm looking to try and do, but doesn't that completely bypass the Ford PATS safety system, rendering it pointless if there's no "master" key which is exactly how it was designed?
@ jc2 - thanks for the info on being able to get a proper Ford one, any idea on how much it might cost to get it from the dealer (but not fitting it because I should be able to do that myself).
Basically I'm looking to find all the information on the "red master" key and why it's so special and 'superior' to the black "slave" keys.
Edited it for you - PU Mod
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.. a 1997 mk4 Ford Fiesta and it came with only one key (a black one with a red bit on the top).
I know this isn't the master key.
Are you sure you need a master key? Have you checked with Ford?
My 98 Mondeo does NOT have a master key but it is a must to have two keys compatible with the red chip in order to get a third key else it is off to Ford
and I've heard that if I wanted another key (which I do) I'd have to go to my Ford dealer to get a "Red Master" key which costs around £100.
>>
IIRC it is closer to £150 these days.
www.mirez.co.uk/Keys.htm
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Yea I'm sure it needs a red master key because it's the PATS 1 system. Your mondeo will be using the PATS 2 system which has no master key but needs two working keys to reproduce others.
Oh, and hooray about it being £150... :-(
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£148 for my C-Max two weeks ago from Ford. I think it's PATS 2 - or should that be PANTS, as it's just a money making scam for Ford dealers. My key couldn't be cloned by auto locksmiths. My Vauxhall one a few years ago was only £80 - still enough, but basically the same idea.
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think you find that the si model has central locking all ready, check to see if any fuses are blown ect.
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Well I wish it had central locking, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't as I've checked the fuses and all seem to be fine, but the car only unlocks one door at a time. I've also heard that if it has central locking, there is a boot open button in the "cockpit", but there isnt' one.
So I know exactly what is in my car and what isn't, does anyone know where I can buy a specsheet/manual for my car? I have a Haynes service and repair manual but that doesn't go into specifics about any model, and doesn't even acknowledge the Si as a model so I use the info for the 1.25L Zetec engine bits when it speaks of engine work as that is the engine it has.
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Cloning doesn't bypass PATS. What the locksmith does is take the transponder code from your existing key and "copy" it onto the new key. When you use this new key, and the PATS system reads the code, it gets the same code as the key you have now. This code is registered in the system, so the car will start. No need to program this new key to the car, and hence no need for the red master key. The system still works normally, and so won't let the car be started with any other key. AFAIK, they don't actually touch the car itself.
You're quite right, you need the red master key to be able to program a new key on the car.
Cloning doesn't work on the latest generation of PATS.
Cheers
DP
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04 Grand Scenic 1.9 dCi Dynamique
00 Mondeo 1.8TD LX
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Surely it does though, as you are making a new working key and rendering the red one useless; because if you were to program a new key using the car, wouldn't it just give the transponder the same code as the first key would have, so both methods would produce exactly the same result, so the cloning method bypasses the PATS system by rendering its key copying facility useless.
OK, I admit it doesn't completely bypass it because you still need a key with a correctly coded transponder to start the engine, but it does bypass the copy protection it has where you are meant to have the really expensive "red master" key in order to be able to make a new key.
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