KCCOAbel

hey guys, i picked up an 02 IS about 2-3 mos ago now. when i purchased it, it came with the valet key, and the fob portion of the standard key only. the shank had been broken before the previous owner. so i looked online, of course you can get them online for CHEAP. but i wanted to make sure it would work the right way and have no issues. so i talked to a lexus dealer and had them order a new case and pre-cut shank to my VIN number. they got it in and sent it over to me, i swapped over the buttons from my old fob to the new one. took a look at the shank cuts, and found that the new shank has almost the identical cut, but plus some extra cut off. now ive tested it in the vehicle.

the weird thing is it is only good for ONE thing:

-fits in glove box, but doesnt turn
-fits in ignition, but does not turn
-fits in trunk, but does not turn.
-fits in door lock, but ONLY unlocks my car. will not lock.

this is what brought my suspicion on for the cut style. i talked to the lexus dealer and all they could tell me was one of the previous owners probably re-keyed the whole car at some point.

my question is why would the original valet key still work (as my main key) if the car was "re-keyed"...

now im at a loss for what to do seeing as i have new key that does nothing for me. granted i got dealer to dealer pricing so it wasnt full price but was still $70 for something thats not working for me. im trying to find somewhere in town that can do lazer cut keys and see if i can have them match the valet key. if thats the case i will just buy the ebay shank/case for one tenth the price and have it cut.


anyone have ideas or help besides what ive already thought of??

KCCOAbel

i have searched and found related topics to this issue but i havent found a solution just yet. anyone have any other ideas??