When i purchased my car in May it only came with one master and one valet key. I decided to get another Master before I put the car away for the winter (that idea is depressing!). I have read a bunch of posts on the topic, but most assume you know a lot about the transponder/key combination.....I don't. I am looking for input from people who have been in this position.
I called the dealer, they charge $197 for the key plus $50 for programming, so $250+tax.
I have looked on Sewall, about the same price.
I have looked on Ebay, but I don't know what I am looking at.....long key, short key, used transponders,???
I am not adverse to doing some work/chasing things down, but I don't really know what to look for.
Any/all help is appreciated.

 

You can program the key yourself:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sc-...ogramming.html

You do need the dealer to cut it or another key maker that can cut lexus keys.

If you want a brand new key with a new remote then they'll run about $150 like this one on ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/191164001301?lpid=82
If you want a new key with a used remote, they can be had for $90 on ebay but the real question is will the diy programming feature work on a previously programmed remote. I don't know. But even if you do that, the dealer will still be able to do it for you so you'd be looking at $140 total. If you get the brand new key with new remote, you can program it yourself but you still need to have it cut.

Either way, you should be looking at no more than $170 and with a used remote, $150 after dealer programming. You might get lucky and the used remote with the new shell might work with the DIY instructions and then you'd be looking at $90 plus the cost to cut it which shouldn't cost more than $20.

 

That's pretty much the way we got our 2004 SC430, one master and one valet.

I went the inexpensive route and purchased a used mater key off EBay. I also purchased a new master shell with the blade cut via a submitted photo from another EBay seller.

The short blade is correct for the 2004 model year and I believe it is the same for all SC430's, but not positive.

I transferred the internals from the used master over to the new shell w/cut blade and using the directions found on this site, successfully programmed the remote keyless entry and transponder chip to the SC430. Fairly easy process. Remember to replace the battery at this time. ( CR1616 )

Total cost was about $105 ( used master = $75 and new cut shell = $30 ). That was 2 years ago.

 

I bought my 2002 in April of this year, and as it turns out only came with a valet key (!). I looked at all the different options on this forum and the web, I opted not to go though the possible malfunctions associated with DIY. Also I didn't have a master key. So I pushed the easy (sic) button and had the dealer make one, a little under 300.00 since they didn't have a master to go from. They of course said "You should have two", and I replied "yeah. I'll Bet. I'll get back to you on that one" I did read however, that they are unforgiving of being dropped on hard surfaces, so I got a thick rubber cover for the key.

 

When I got my 07 last year I had to get another key before storing it for the winter. The dealer here in Rochester charged $210. Good thing I had it made because the place where I store the car could not locate my key when I picked the car up in the spring. They did find it and delivered it to my house later in the week.

 

Thanks for the feedback information.
I think I will be going with one of the Ebay options....probably the new key. I guess it goes with the territory, but $200 for a key seems excessive.