Spare key questions...

So I went to walmart and tried to have a spare key made, expecting they could at least make an "entry-only" key. The clerk told me he couldn't make the key because using a chipless key even in the door would break the doorlock mechanism. Is this guy on crack?

 

Ive heard that too.

But BTW nice truck!

 

Entry Only... On Crack.
Walmart doesn't carry the spare blanks though. Not even the chipless ones. Don't go to the dealer for this as you will over pay out the bung hole.
A reputible locksmith is your solution. Approx $10 or less.

 

If you want a spare key just to open the doors in case you lock yourself out then any $2 blank key will work, you can even it use it in your ignition and not damage anything. the engine will just crank but never start, you CANNOT damage anything by using a blank key as a spare. But if your still paranoid you can go to a dealer and have them make you a spare non-chipped key using the vin #. A chipped key should run you about $110-$120 with the programming ($50-$60 for the key and $60 for the programming) or at least thats what we charge at my dealership

 

The guy at Canadian Tire told me the same thing.... He was an idiot. I told him to cut it anyway, and he reluctantly did. There's no possible way it could damage your vehicle. I've used it to get in the door with no problems, and it will even crank the engine over... it just cuts off all power to the sparks and fuel injector.

 

Ha, this made my day, I got a blank since day one and use it to carry it in my wetsuit when diving, and leave the beeper and coded key dry and locked away in the console vault.

It works the same as the coded key, but as stated before, it doesn't start the engine.

I got my chipless key since I saw a friend drowning a honda coded key swimming at the beach and the car wouldn't start at the end of the day in the parking lot (what a costly nightmare), I can imagine what taking it to 85fsw would do to my Taco coded key so I opted to keep it dry.

$5.00 at a reputable locksmith shop with the Toyota logo and all, I believe that Yaris blanks are used for this.

 

I have seen some vehicles where you can code the chip key but inserting it into the ignition and doing a series of turns, etc. Is this the way the Tacoma key is "programmed"? $60 for 30 seconds of work is simply outrageous and seems very "customer unfriendly". I found this on another thread and a member confirmed it worked, I think as long as you had a Master Key (which I assume is the original truck key with programmed chip...):

The keyblanks are X217 which cross-references to TR47

Add Duplicate Key-
Requires one working Toyota/Lexus Master Key.
1. Make sure all doors and windows are closed.
2. Insert Master key into the ignition cylinder.
3. Cycle the ignition cylinder from ON to OFF, five times
4. Open and close the drivers side door six times.
5. Remove the Master key and insert the new duplicate keys.
6. TURN THE IGNITION CYLINDER ON.
7. The new key will be registered after 60 seconds. The theft
light on the dashboard will go out, indicating that program-
ming has been completed.

 

This also has to be done between 12am-1am, the truck has to be parked at the registered address , and the gas tank has to be 1/3 full.

 

it does take a couple more seconds than what you think but like many car repair shops ( not just dealers) the charge is based on the job not the actual time spent on the vehicle. I believe that is the correct procedure to program a key without the Toyota scantool, it's been a minute since I've programed one the manual way

 

Great, where I can get those blanks?

Any links?

 

I really don't know. Sorry

 

Excellent Raskal......I was thinking the same thing!.......

 

Sorry, it's a gratuitously expensive "job" - no matter who does it (my guess is dealers do it 90+% of the time) - that only serves to piss people off, as you can read herein. My daughter barely makes enough income to eat and she goes into a dealer and is told of this type of expense and she just calls me in tears. Frankly, it makes people hate dealers.

 

Look inside your owners manual, there is a solid plastic key in there that can be carried in a wallet. It is only for emergency door opening and being that it is plastic, it likely won't hold its form for more than a couple of uses. Given that it is solid plastic obviously it doesn't have a chip in it. I doubt Toyota would supply this if it would damage the vehicle in any way.

 

Not in my 2006 there wasn't.

 

Then I'm glad to hear your daughter has a resourceful dad that has found a way to get a key without having to pay the dealership. The system was designed to help prevent auto thefts not piss people off, unfortunately the downside is additional chipped keys are expensive and even more expensive if you lose all your keys. But like stated before there are several other ways to get around this and I hope the OP has reciever the info he was looking for.

 

Just go to frikin' Lowe's, They'll ask that you understand that it'll be an entry key and not a chip key. Nod your head in an up and down motion and never make eye contact.

I went to Lowe's on the way home after I picked my truck up on "Happy New Truck To Me Day".

$5 and change and it worked as needed. We've had this chat before in another thread. If you leave the chipped key in the little dash bin or taped to your forehead...The spare key will start the truck because the truck can read the chipped key. Just something I did to kill time waiting for Chris to harm himself or destroy his neighborhood in an unfortunate incident involving basic household cleaners and an electric toothbrush.

 

Yep, I keep mine in my KeySafe......

 

I understand it was intended to make the vehicle harder to steal. But this technology has been around for 2 decades now and it has become a dealer gimme $. The unintended consequence is unhappy customers. I go to my Toyota dealer to rotate my tires only. Nothing else because they have just become too expensive, to some degree due to unions. Don't intend to start an argument or change the thread topic, just my opinion based on my own experience an knowledge.