Finding replacement key

I thought the same thing and did not do it but when it came time to get the key cut no one would do it. Home Depot, ACE Hardware etc will not cut a key that you bring in, only if they supply it. I called many locksmiths and could not get anyone to respond. I finally found a locksmith willing to do it he wanted to charge me $150 a key + trip fee. When I balked we finally agreed to $155 to cut two keys (including trip fee). He came to me and did it in less than 10 mins. Had I gone with Toms, it would have been cheaper and much less effort on my part. If you can find a cheap locksmith willing to do it, then yeah, do that but it took me a while and it was not cheaper at the end of the day.

 

Another vote for Tom's Key. I've used them and it worked out great.

 

Update on my experience. I ordered uncut keys, which got delayed, but Tom's figured it out and got things moving before I had to contact them. Then I ran into exactly what SlippRott did.

The programming seemed to work fine, but I couldn't fully test it without cut keys. Ace wouldn't do it and Lowe's machine was a mess. The lady got it working and then got all confused because I wasn't buying the key from them and didn't know how to proceed. That didn't inspire a lot of confidence.

So then I asked Google to lead me to a locksmith near me, and I ended up in a crappy low-rent strip mall with no locksmith. I checked their website and got a page saying the account has been suspended. Yay. Gave up for the day.

I started calling locksmiths the next day and found one that would do it if I came to him in the McDonald's parking lot at lunch time, but with no guarantees that it would work if he didn't do the programming. He was really cool and removed the door lock to get the key code and cut both my keys from the code since the original was a bit worn. Both new keys worked, and he replaced the battery in my original remote for $4. I paid $100+tax (he did the 2nd one for free basically), plus $4 for the battery. So I now have 3 working keys and remotes for about what I would have paid Tom's for cut keys.

He asked how much I paid for the key blank, and said his are just $10 more.

My advice would be to either opt for the cut keys from Tom's or just get a local locksmith to do it all (not a franchise like Pop-A-Lock, their prices were ridiculous). Next time I will opt for the local guy just to support my neighbors and avoid the hassle even if it is a few bucks more.

 

I have a brand new “H” key from my previously totaled 2021 TRD OR 6MT. Is there any way to replace just the blade, cut it and then reprogram the fob portion? I would like to use it as a spare for my 2023 TRD Pro 6MT.

 

Highly unlikely that in 2923 it will be possible. 900 years in the future is a lot to predict.

However, in the near-distant future you might want to open the key to see what the battery compartment looks like and perhaps the key-blade can be removed?

 

LOL. Edited.

 

I have used Tom's Key, and it worked for me.

I was down to one fob plus the tailgate key, and didn't want all my eggs in one basket. My solution was to crack open my fob, google the P/N's on the fob's PCB, and see who was offering deals on fobs. I ended up acquiring three for $120 or so during a Black Friday sale in 2022. Rented Tom's Key programmer, erased all but my one key, and added the three spares, for a total of four.

Now, be advised, my tuck is push-to-start, so I didn't need the physical keys for the back-up fobs cut. Your needs may vary.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/key-fob-replacement.814542/#post-29227303

 

Yea, I opted not to bother disputing the charge with Tom's, but with what is for all intents and purposes, a total lack of customer support, I'll pay my local guy next time, too.
He's only $30 bucks more than Tom's, and he doesn't charge if the shit won't take. Just a busy dude, which is what had me opting for Tom's again.
Just got my deposit back on the programmer, so there's that..

 

great follow up and message! Also nice you are able to admit when something didn't go as planned.
I have read these threads and wondered if it wasn't much more money and A LOT less hassle just to have a local locksmith create a dup.

 

Thanks (I'm not the OP but was in a similar situation, haven't heard from the OP and kind of hijacked here). Just taking one for the team, I guess.

In all fairness to Tom's, I think they have a decent product but should disclose a bit more about the cutting challenges people may face and lower their price on the cutting to be competitive -- although there may be some technical and support challenges just trying to do it from photos. They seem to focus more on selling you a fob and the programming, which doesn't get you all the way to good.

Also, some people may not live in an area where a reasonable local locksmith is even available. Even the highest-rated local locksmith here was a bit high on their prices, and I could tell the guy I got to do it was considering not taking the job.

 

So just used Tom's key and worked like a charm, instead of the $400 the stealership wanted to charge me, I got a replacement and my old master OEM key working again. Smooth process and glad I found this on the forum, saved me some jingle. Now to buy more accessories......