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ok, unless the dealer is telling me something different.....this is what happened to me. after they programmed the 2 keys off ebay, we went home & the valet key & one of the other smart keys were not working properly. after i brought it back, they told me that it was because there were too many keys programmed to the car, so they basically had to clear everything & reprogram everything to the keys that i had. during that process, he told me they were unable to program one of the ebay smart keys, so that's why i just purchased another key from the dealer. they said i would just be buying the key. there wouldn't be another programming fee since they were already programming the other (like they were already in that process, so they can't double charge me....if that makes sense)
when the car comes new it has 2master and 1 valet fob which is programed to the ecm.if you loose the 2 master keys you can not program a smart key.you will have to install a new ecm which comes with the above number of keys.
anytime you program a new smart key fob you will need a master key to program it with the computer software so the ecm will recognize it.
this is a security issue.if you could program a fob with no master key a lot of valet workers with a computer the right software would be poping out keys for a later visit of your car.
So when I bought my car, it came with a single master key. I then had a locksmith make an additional key (which ended up being a Valet key).
my car did not have a master key, only a valet. the dealer was able to get me 2 new master smart keys. so now i have 2 smart keys & 1 valet. the dealer did not have to install a new ecm in my wife's car. again, this was my situation. i don't see the dealer lying about it, they could have made more money off me if having to install a new ecm were the case.
Lexus previous 2001 have the non-reprogrammable ECU so, if the master key is not available it will cost $1500 to substitute the ECU.
However, I called Lexus corporate and they let me know that they have a program for cars prev 2001 for which they will replace the ECU for free, it all comes down to what the dealer will ask to do this, which is usually at the condition that you buy two master keys from them ($260 each) and pay for programming ($50)
Some dealer will cut you a break by accepting a key you bought elsewhere, but this has not be verified yet
as mentioned, sewell sells new, blank keys. so does autotransponder.com. the latter costs $129 for smart + blade. not sure how much these are at sewell with cl discount.
in any case, a possible reason one of the ebay keys was able to reprogram and not the other may have to do with the circuit board in the key. if you look on the back there are fcc and ic identifcation numbers, as well as numbers on corner of the circuit board (opposite side from battery).
my guess is that if you can match up all of these numbers, you may have better luck with the used keys. i think i'll just stick to buying a blank key though.
You can swap out the already programmed electronics from your original key and install it in the ebay key. The metal key shank on the new (ebay) key will have to be cut by dealer or locksmith with Lexus experience.
The keys specifically don't get programmed, the cars security ecu is what gets programmed to accept that key. The keys have a set code in them. Example, key #1 has a encoded digits of XYZ11213 and key#2 has ZZY96742, well no matter what car they go to. that code is recognized by the ECU, which means the key code on the key physically stays the same and the security ECU is flashed to accept that key ID. The car can hold up to 5 key ID's i believe so anything more then 5, the last one gets the boot. Also certain older models cannot be flash to take new keys if no master is present, on some older Toyota models (not sure about Lexus) if you have no keys, the car's ECM has to be replaced and a new ECM with matching keys have to be ordered from the dealer.
as mentioned, sewell sells new, blank keys. so does autotransponder.com. the latter costs $129 for smart + blade. not sure how much these are at sewell with cl discount.
in any case, a possible reason one of the ebay keys was able to reprogram and not the other may have to do with the circuit board in the key. if you look on the back there are fcc and ic identifcation numbers, as well as numbers on corner of the circuit board (opposite side from battery).
my guess is that if you can match up all of these numbers, you may have better luck with the used keys. i think i'll just stick to buying a blank key though.
update on this-
called the local lexus dealer. price for programming was quoted @ $65. however, the person (mechanic?) i spoke with said he's tried many keys purchased from the internet and none worked. 100% failure rate. some ebay and some purportedly new, unprogrammed keys. i didn't think of asking him about flashing the cars ecu.
for san diego people, i called just a few places but prices varied from $350+ (although they came to your house) to $125 for busy bee locksmith in little italy. i went with busy bee. nice staff, had everything done in 15 minutes, including cutting the new blade. there is also a $10 buys $25 coupon on yelp that i applied. i'd bet these guys would do ebay keys too. i don't know if they programmed the key or flashed the ecu, but judging from what username32 and others had mentioned it was probably the latter.
total = 129 (new smart key+blade) + 110 (programming and blade cut) = $239 for new key set. could probably have cut that down with a used ebay key.
(lexus dealer quoted ~$350. said prices came down from last year on these keys)
what my dealer told me about smart keys (all dealers will tell you crap if they don't know) the car has 3 spots for keys and comes with 2 keys plus valet key(s). so you can make a new key for your car. but if there has already been an extra key made at some point then all three spots are full and you cannot make another until you delete one of the spots. I guess reflashing will erase spots also, but don't really know. if this is right then you could not have 4 smart keys for 1 car. aldreson lexus Lubbock texas 2013. my service advisor is an idiot, but might be right once in a while I only had valet key and was charged $195 for key and 1 hour for programming and it took 3 hours to do. total $305 but key has worked for 2 years and recently had battery replaced and still works. my valet key is my only emergency key.
Apologies if this has been promulgated... I have found some smart key info that could explain frequent failures in functioning, subsequent to program attempts. In the attached diagram, you'll notice the remotes may differ in modulation(FM/AM).
Or the dealer just want to force a sale of ONE key on you? IDK?
Originally Posted by ebxgsxr
ok, unless the dealer is telling me something different.....this is what happened to me. after they programmed the 2 keys off ebay, we went home & the valet key & one of the other smart keys were not working properly. after i brought it back, they told me that it was because there were too many keys programmed to the car, so they basically had to clear everything & reprogram everything to the keys that i had. during that process, he told me they were unable to program one of the ebay smart keys, so that's why i just purchased another key from the dealer. they said i would just be buying the key. there wouldn't be another programming fee since they were already programming the other (like they were already in that process, so they can't double charge me....if that makes sense)
I can't speak for the guy, but I think it probably weighed on his mind for a while and he got some indigestion on Thanksgiving from it. By Christmas, he rarely thought about it much anymore and then, when New Years's Eve rolled around, he had many stiiff drinks, put his past behind him and didn't think about it anymore as he welcomed in 2014 . . .
I just purchased a used '05 LS430, but got only one key with it. Top priority was to get a replacement. One local Lexus dealer (here in Kansas City) wanted $275 for the key and another $75 to program it. That seemed kind of steep so I checked out eBay and ended up getting a brand-new, OEM smart key identical to the one I got with the car for only $95 (still in its original, sealed Lexus pouch). I took it to another local Lexus dealer (there are only 2) and got it cut and programmed for $36.
So instead of paying $350 to the first dealer for an extra smart key, I paid a total of $131 to the eBay seller (a Lexus dealer in Scottsdale, AZ)and the second KC dealer..
When the second KC dealer told me they wanted $970 to fix my trunk latch ($804 just for the part), I again returned to eBay, got the genuine Lexus part (again, in a factory-sealed carton) for $385, and installed it myself.
$350 vs. $131. $970 vs. $385. So far eBay has served me well when it comes to Lexus parts.
The lesson in this story has nothing to do with keys and illustrates the bigger picture. I am on my third LS and love it. The reality, however, is that these cars are getting old and parts will be scarce. The reason you are able to get cheap parts on ebay is that some dealers are pruning their parts inventory and disposing of older parts. The moral of the story is stock up while you can.
11-16-13, 04:57 AM
Genuine Lexus Smart Key on eBay
