Has anyone gotten and added a new LS 430 2006 smart key master to their car, and they didn't have problems or complications?
I bought the key from Bell Lexus online, so it is genuine. I went to a certified locksmith, but now I think their specialty is definitely more in mechanical than programming.
The tech was able to take care of the immobilizer, so the key can be manually inserted to start the car, but the proximity does not work. So, the device can't be used to unlock the doors or open the trunk wirelessly (or do the other fun stuff like open the windows). They said they could get it, eventually, after trying different things. To me, this is not a recipe but coding (programming). They shouldn't have to try different things to figure it out. Plus, the owner changed his mind and said the would have to do a reset, including the original, rather than just adding a key. By this time, I was definitely not going to let them mess with the working, original key.
The guy speculated it should be like a Prius 04-09 key, but Toyota Car Care Nut (Toyota master tech on Youtube) said that Prius key is one of a kind.
Shouldn't this be easier? Has anyone had success without spending a fortune at the dealer? How did you find your qualified locksmith?

 

how much did the locksmith charge to program the key?
I bought a key from Bell Lexus and the local dealer charged 1 hour to program it.
I had to go to a locksmith to get the key cut as the dealer no longer does that so
key was @ $100 and programming another $125
locksmith was another $40 so about $275 total

 

3 for 3 from Bell Lexus. I bought mine in person and they didn’t charge any additional to cut but they wanted $120 to program and said it would take at least two hours.
I didn’t have time to wait so I drove south on Scottsdale rd and found Mercury Lock and Safe in the Safeway plaza on Scottsdale and Shea. Mercury L & S charged me $80 to program. Obviously this info is no good to anyone who doesn’t live there but the guy had a HELL of a time getting it done. It was a hot, 100+, Arizona day and he did it in the parking lot with no shade. I’d guess it took at least 45 min to finally get everything to take.

These security systems are designed to be ironclad for a reason so no this shouldn’t be easier.
If you have trouble with a wall safe do you ask a Lexus Master Tech to fix it?

 

I have added another master key to my car some time ago using Techstream. It is a two-part process. Programming the FOB to the ignition and also adding it for the wireless and proximity functions (Smart Code Registration). In Techstream the 2 menu boxes to do these are: "Steering Lock" & "Smart Key", then follow on the on screen prompts. I'm not sure what your locksmith uses, but maybe it will give an idea.

 

I was told I would pay $75. Since they could not do it all, they charged 50 and said they would credit that if I came back to finish it if I do. I'm not sure I will.

 

Thanks, I've been thinking about springing for Techstream and a cable. They don't use it, as they use other tools used for all makes and models like XTool an Autel. Was this the first time you ever tried programming anything for your car or used techstream for electronics?

 

Good point. I was surprised that these locksmiths don't require proof of ownership of the car. A valet or Ferris Bueller could take your car, have a key made, and come pack and steal it. What a racket that would be. But, for these locksmiths, it's $$$$

 

It should be done with Techstream, not a locksmith, whether it's by the dealer or with an "eBay" version. My recollection is that I had the dealer do it when having other work done. They charged me a half hour of labor.

 

This was not my first time using it, as I used it to turn off my DRL's and stop the sunroof from open when rolling down the windows with the key FOB. I am using a pretty old version of Techstream on a Windows XP system. It took me a little bit of time to program the new key, but once I realized what I was doing it was less than 30 minutes.