I was going to buy a few key blanks off of ebay and cut them myself.I would use the original key for a template and mill them.I then talk to a dealer and he said the keys have a chip in them and would not work to start the car. Is this correct? I hate to go thru the trouble of doing these and discover that they wont start the car. thanks Jim

 

Nobody knows??

 

Correct..... the keys have to be "mated" to the car by the dealer.

 

All keys must be present when keys are added or removed...you could still make them...if you have the tools to do it...then pay the $$ to have the dealer add/reprogram the keys to the imobilizer...might still save a few $$. Then you must program the keyless entry....

 

This key replacement is one bullcr*p engineering by the mini.

 

Do you need extra keys or are you trying to replace a damaged key? I have a good writeup about first generation key repair under the "how-to" section. If you just need some extra keys the non button (non-remote?) kind are available from the dealer at about $60 or so, pre-cut and ready to go for your car. That sound cheap to me compared to having to mill the cut and getting your car to "recognize" them.

I heard somewhere that each car shipped with 10 keys; two (one remote and one non remote) plus an emergency key went with the car and the rest are kept in an underground, super secret storage bunker in New Jersey. If somehow all 10 are lost or destroyed during the life of the car, a new key-recognizing-computer-thing has to be installed in the car.

Val

 

I agree that it is total BS! I would hate to loose my keys on vacation and have to go thru the crap that would be required to get another one made!

Could you imagine? aout in Bum @#%$Egypt. Keys far out of your pocket into a lake while fishing or what ever...Call everywhere and nearest dealer is 900 miles away. Now what! Totally stupid...


Ok rant over..

Yes Val, I need a couple spare keys. I bought this car and I only have one key. Cant find out the preveous owner to see if they may still have the spares so here I am. I HATE getting screwed by dealers..I wored for one for a couple years and I know the crap they pull.Gouge anyone they can.... I have to travel 100+ miles to a dealer so I was hoping to keep from blowing a day and paying a bunch for a couple keys. 60 bucs would be ok tho....

I ordered the keys off ebay. Ill see if I can cut them and at least have a couple spare door keys..I have locked my keys in the car twice in the last 2 years... thank god for AAA! I hate to have them tearing at my glass seals trying to open the mini.

Ill check out your post .Thank Val.

 

Hmmm..... you only got 1 key for your MINI and there are keys available on Ebay. Replacement keys are expensive.
Seeing a correlation here?
Maybe you'll get lucky and buy the key that your previous owner declined to include with the trade-in and is selling on Ebay?
For the record, I included ALL of the keys when trading my MINIs. That's a pretty sleazy way to make a few bucks.

 

If the keys were easy to get, then it is easy to steal. Be thankful that it is this hard. No buying a key off of ebay and going around and stealing MINI's.

 

Well its funny you can get a key for most other makes from the dealership..If someone wants your car they will get it.Period!

 

Same as the MINI....as long as you can prove ownership. You can't get a key to start the MINI w/o having the car at the dealer as they have to initialize it with the car.
So why the complaining........sheesh

 

If you would have read the complete post maybe you would SEE my point. If you were on a trip in the midwest where there are NO dealers and lost your keys.Would you ship your car to the East or the West????so THE dealer could program the key.
I can complain about anything I want if I feel it is as ignorant as this key deal..

 

Still don't understand the complaining........so do you want a car that can be easily stolen or not? Same system as BMW, Lexus, Benz,etc......

Welcome to the world outside of the Toyotas and Hondas and Nissans and all the rest of the beige/boring rides.

 

Yes your dealer was correct. You need to order the keys from the dealer and they will be coded for your car, some earlier cars the remote functions further have to be programmed by the dealer. But DO NOT BUY KEYS FROM EBAY, you'll be in for a world of hurt when they don't work.

 

Oh yes I feel MUCH safer now..
They have NEVER stole a Bmw , Lexus, Porsche, Jag, Ferrari or Benz. Nope never. So I will sleep good at nite now knowing I have the most protected vehicle key design going...

As I said before.If someone wants your car they will take it.Period..I have never had a car stolen and odds are I never will.I must be living right cause 3 corvettes,a BMW and a **** load of others have managed to hide from those darned car snatchers..I should go buy a lottery ticket now that I think about it,LOL..

 

Thanks Way. Ill be going to a dealer in a week to get a key ordered and a key fob programed and the airbag light turned off..

 

Glad you will feel so much better. Nice to see you finally appreciate the steps taken by MINI to try and make sure your car is there when you want it. Unless those baddies put it on a flatbed..........

 

You, your dealer, your local mechanic, your neighbor, no-one can re-program a key to work in your car.

As stated earlier, there are 10 valid key "codes" that will work your car, once you've used up all 10, you're sol, and need to replace a computer.

The only way to get a key that will start your car is from the dealer and that will be a brand new key, and it will be one of the 10 possibilities that has not been issued out yet.

 

Well I did succeed in cutting a key to open the door. I took a pic of it but camera battery is dead so it wont load to photobucket. Doesnt matter.. It was alot easier than I thought it would be to do. I bought 3 blanks to try to do it and the first one worked.

That saves me from buying a spare key to carry just in case I lock the key in the car. I have done that 2 times in the last year! I will put it somewhere on the car just in case..

Latter guys..

ps.. I am the type that tries to do everything for myself. And I mean everything,...Its a sickness me thinks..Just to see if I can do it.Just so you understand why...Its because I can or think I can..

Here it is.

 

To lock the doors on the MINI you have to use the remote or use the key. You can't lock it without using the key. Not sure how you could lock your keys in the car.

 

Opened hatch and left key in there is the only way I know of.

 

Well I hope that keeps me from locking them in..lol..time will tell

 

it's common to practically any car nowadays that have a fob involved.

 

You would still have had to lock the car with the remote before closing the hatch.

 

Not if you have your car set to auto lock after x minutes of being unlocked.

Or, lock the car with the remote, press the 3rd button "trunk" and open the hatch, set your key down, close the hatch. You're now locked out.