Has anyone ever went to the dealer and replace their keys?? I bought my car over 5 years ago and had only 1 key. I have title in hand as proof of ownership. Hopefully Acura guide me the right way. Thanks guys
Has anyone ever went to the dealer and replace their keys?? I bought my car over 5 years ago and had only 1 key. I have title in hand as proof of ownership. Hopefully Acura guide me the right way. Thanks guys
If you have one working key, they don’t need title in hand. After all, you have a key already!
As for how the process works... since you have an 02, it has the immobilizer system. With that system in the NSX, there are essentially two ways they can make keys for your car.
The first and easiest way is that they get a new programmable key and use your key to BOTH cut and copy the immobilizer code to the new key. When done, it is essentially an exact duplicate of your key mechanically and digitally so it will start your car.
The second way requires use of the RED key that came with every immobilizer NSX. This is a programming key that is unique to the immobilizer unit in your car. There is only one red key per immobilizer unit, so if you don’t have this key, you cannot use this method. If you do have the key, how it works is that the dealer will order a new normal immobilizer key for your car and cut it either by copying your key or using the mechanical key code to remake your cut. That’s the physical side of things. These normal immobilizer keys have an immobilizer code built in and are not programmable like the keys I mentioned in first method above. The dealer will then use the red key to program the new key into your immobilizer unit. So in essence they are telling the car to accept the code for this new key. I call this the more proper way of getting a new key because then the key is exactly like a new key that would have come from the factory...and not a programmable key.
Actually, there is a third way if you don’t have the red key and that is to order a replacement immobilizer unit which will come with a new red key. Then you can use the second method above.
Hope this gives you some insight on how keys work on an NSX!
Curious how much I should expect to pay for a replacement with Immobilizer?
Your $10 might be true without the immobilizer which would mean just cutting the key. Programming the immobilizer key requires
an expensive machine and a programmable key.
If you have one working key, they don’t need title in hand. After all, you have a key already!
As for how the process works... since you have an 02, it has the immobilizer system. With that system in the NSX, there are essentially two ways they can make keys for your car.
The first and easiest way is that they get a new programmable key and use your key to BOTH cut and copy the immobilizer code to the new key. When done, it is essentially an exact duplicate of your key mechanically and digitally so it will start your car.
The second way requires use of the RED key that came with every immobilizer NSX. This is a programming key that is unique to the immobilizer unit in your car. There is only one red key per immobilizer unit, so if you don’t have this key, you cannot use this method. If you do have the key, how it works is that the dealer will order a new normal immobilizer key for your car and cut it either by copying your key or using the mechanical key code to remake your cut. That’s the physical side of things. These normal immobilizer keys have an immobilizer code built in and are not programmable like the keys I mentioned in first method above. The dealer will then use the red key to program the new key into your immobilizer unit. So in essence they are telling the car to accept the code for this new key. I call this the more proper way of getting a new key because then the key is exactly like a new key that would have come from the factory...and not a programmable key.
Actually, there is a third way if you don’t have the red key and that is to order a replacement immobilizer unit which will come with a new red key. Then you can use the second method above.
Hope this gives you some insight on how keys work on an NSX!
Guys, if you are paying anyone $65 dollars to cut you an new key based off your existing working key and "clone" your existing immobilizer code to the new key you are flat out getting ripped off. Point blank. My thread was to instruct later year car owners on how to make a titanium/monel key work on our later cars with the immobilizer. You have to put the immobilizer chip somewhere and I choose to hide it in my key fob. You could always just attach it to the ignition cylinder as well. But that is not very secure. My way forces people to know the trick to start your car. Also, I made several spare keys in the process. So i did not ruin my one good key. I cut up one of my numerous cloned copies to get the immobilizer chip out of the key head for my use stated above.
Anyways. If you have a working key which has the immobilizer chip in the key head. You simply buy blank honda/acura keys with the built in immobilizer chip off ebay for $5-10 bucks. You can get several at that price all day long. Then take it to your local locksmith or hardware store and have them clone your existing key to the blanks you got off ebay for a few bucks. You can make millions of copies this way utilizing the same immobilizer code and have as many working spare keys as you want.
The whole red key business only matters if you want to program additional new codes to the immobilizer to recognize. I believe the system can retain 6-8 different codes. But that is pointless as you only need one functioning code, since all the keys are going to be physically cut the same. Who cares if you have different codes that start the car? You only need one.