My Mini R53 only came with one key. It is a full key that runs the car and has the remote locking buttons. However if I loose or damage it I will be screwed.

What is the easiest / cheapest way to get a working spare key?

As I already have a working key can I easily program the car to accept a new key or is it a dealer only job to get another transponder that works?

 

https://sites.google.com/site/minian...moving-forward

The above site was written by another NAM member a while back and has lots of useful information about the keys for the first generation cars. While it is possible to cobble together a key from parts of others, the easiest way is to get one from the dealer.

Both the two and three button keys also come in a "general, non-remote" version that will operate the doors with the blade and also start the car. These run around +/- $100 and are a good option for those who just want to have a spare key on hand.

Be very suspicious of those who promise to be able to make a MINI key- sometimes they work, sometimes they don't, sometimes they don't stay working.

Bruce

 

+1
One very common thread thru out this forum is folks trying to do something on the cheap to save a few pennys and wind up having to spend more dollars to rectify the situation. Do it right the first time. To have a functioning remote key, the dealer needs the car's VIN, a copy of your registration and DL...the voice of experience, had to replace a dead key a couple years ago.

 

Still have it? Maybe it just has a dead battery. I could take a look at it for you and my prices are very reasonable.

Bruce

 

Dang it!! Day late and a dollar short. I hung the new spare on the key hook and destroyed the old one. I'll keep that in mind though, the one I'm using is the other original, 8 yrs old now, so it could die at any moment. Thanks for the response, I added this page to my MINI file so I won't forget...easy to do at my age.

 

I bought my R53 used and it only came with one key. I don't need bells and whistles, so I got a standard key.

My question is, other than a dealership, where would one get a mill cut key? When I was a tech at Ford, there was no independent shop that could cut Mill Cut keys, we could'nt either. They had to be ordered by VIN. Or is the article more about the programming aspect?

 

we picked up a new MINI last week and were offered insurance on key loss .....

not unique to MINI btw .....

the CAR key is no longer a simple hunk of metal . . .

 

This is more about the programming aspect of it. There is a locksmith up the street from me that can cut a blade for $38 and a hardware store down the street that can do it for $20.

Both seemed a little high to me so I bought a sidewinder or mill key cutting machine of my own so the price of getting a key repaired (or upgraded to a flip style) wouldn't be too high. I haven't cut a successful blade yet but I've only worked with it for one afternoon and the motor was turning at about half speed since I purchased the 220 volt version (!). The step up transformer will be arriving Monday so hopefully I will be proficient in these keys by the end of the week.

Dr. Bruce Hart
MINI Key Hospital

 

Nice. Prices aren't that bad on the machines either.

 

You didn't say what model year you have. Early Mini keys cannot be programmed (paired with the car) by the owner. Things changed in '05 with the 3-button key to allow the owner to program a new key (pre-programmed from Mini) to the car for remote unlocking.

My '04 R53 came the same way, one fully-working key. The only way to get a properly coded replacement key is from the dealer, but there is a secondary charge for aligning the key to the car: 1hr on their computer. But this is only for the remote lock/unlock function; the new dealer key I bought unlocks and locks the doors manually as well as starts the car.

So instead of paying for the secondary programming (for only the remote locks), I just took the guts out of the older key (which is already programmed 100% to the car) and swapped them into the new key. (This is very simple, BTW; the plastic key head just pops open...) This way I have a new(er) unworn, fully-programmed key for my daily, with a spare that will still unlock and start the car - it just won't <i>remotely</i> unlock it. What's a spare for, anyway?