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So I bought this Cooper S a few months ago and it has just one key which the dealer pointed out is very aftermarket and basic. No buttons, just a key; but it works.
I opted to order a key from the dealer which came pre-cut and ready for my car. We did the little binding ritual and it works, kind of… The doors will lock and unlock with the push buttons but it will not start the car.
The guy at Mini of Portland said they could try to diagnose why it’s not working but in typical dealer fashion that would be atleast $100 bucks to diagnose and may not even find an issue.
This kind of pisses me off after paying a premium for the key already.
I want to make this factory key work and it seems like that shouldn’t be that hard. What should I do?
If your dealer ordered a new key from MINI USA based on your VIN, it should have worked right away (remote lock needs a simple initialization, but for a 2005 the immobilizer chip on the new key should have been able to start the car with no further setup). Something might be wrong with the new key and I don't think you should have to pay for diagnosis. At least they should agree that you won't pay anything if it turns out that the problem is the new key.
Originally Posted by MA$TER_E
So I bought this Cooper S a few months ago and it has just one key which the dealer pointed out is very aftermarket and basic. No buttons, just a key; but it works.
Can you post a picture of your old key? I've never heard of an aftermarket key that works, unless the previous owner transferred the immobilizer chip to a aftermarket key.
So I bought this Cooper S a few months ago and it has just one key which the dealer pointed out is very aftermarket and basic. No buttons, just a key; but it works.
I opted to order a key from the dealer which came pre-cut and ready for my car. We did the little binding ritual and it works, kind of… The doors will lock and unlock with the push buttons but it will not start the car.
The guy at Mini of Portland said they could try to diagnose why it’s not working but in typical dealer fashion that would be atleast $100 bucks to diagnose and may not even find an issue.
This kind of pisses me off after paying a premium for the key already.
I want to make this factory key work and it seems like that shouldn’t be that hard. What should I do?
Thanks!
Eric
I'm guessing by "dealer" he means a used car lot or a new car dealer of a different make- most MINI dealers won't have a 2005 on the lot to sell. That dealer probably looked at the key- which I'm guessing looks like this:
And thought it was an aftermarket key. This is the little seen but fully legitimate, purchased from MINI, "general non-remote" key for the facelifted first generation models. The facelift models were delivered with two remote keys, but the above key could be ordered from the parts counter if an additional key or keys was desired.
As far as the "key from the dealer" that was recently purchased, if it came from other than a MINI dealer it should be returned for a refund of the full purchase price as the only real place you can get a MINI key is at a MINI dealer. If it came from a MINI dealer it should be returned and a new key should replace it at no cost as the first key is obviously defective.
If the ECU has been changed out at some point a key ordered by VIN won't work but that is a real long shot. When that was done either the lock cylinders would have to have been changed (meaning a key ordered by VIN wouldn't turn in the locks) or the immobilizer chip would have had to have been put in the existing key which probably would have been noticeable because these shells aren't really meant to be opened.
The OP should let us know where the recent key was ordered from and a pic of the existing key would also be helpful. My $ is on a defective key from MINI.
Here's a picture of the key that came with my Mini when I bought it. The new key I just bought is a genuine OEM key ordered from the Mini of Portland dealership. It was also not cheap, came pre-cut and ready to be programmed to my car. It does work the locks but will not start the car.
I really want an original key so I'm willing to do what it takes to make an original work. Why my new origianl does not work? Thats why I'm here.
I talked with the other shop and they said its possible all keys have been locked out except for one? But they would need to get into the computer to know. That makes sense in the event that your keys were lost or stolen you don't want someone getting in and driving away in your car. But at the same time I have know clue of such a feature even exists...
The dealership or this other shop could tell me anything they want, I wouldn't know any better...
That's an aftermarket key for something- just not a MINI. The case is not a MINI shaped case and the blade is not a MINI blade- see the two grooves along the edge, one on each side? That kind of looks like a BMW blade. MINI blades are perfectly rectangular.
I'm guessing that somebody took apart a worn out or non-working original key and put the immobilizer chip inside of this thing. Can you open it up and see what might be in there (and post a picture?)
Can you also post a picture of the key that MINI Of Portland sold you? At the very least they should hook up your car to their programming computer gratis so they can determine why the key does not work. Indeed, the car's computer is set to only accept 10 EWS (immobilizer chip) codes but an aftermarket programmer can make it accept more. I suspect that not all of the codes have been used- having and losing 9 keys during the lifespan of what is essentially a 10 year old car is implausible, although certainly possible. Like I said, MINI Of Portland should hook your car up and see what is going on. In fact, if your car had no more available EWS codes to use, they or the place that makes the keys should have alerted you to that fact and not tried to make you a key.
Unless your ECU has been changed at some point (meaning it has different EWS codes that don't match up with your VIN) I'm leaning heavily toward the fact that they have made you a defective key. If the ECU is the one the car came with then it definitely is a defective key.
Sorry for the huge pictures. I can’t figure out how to make them normal... But there’s pics of my aftermarket HU92RP key from Silca Italy and the new key I ordered from the dealership.
I cannot get the aftermarket key open and won't try anymore. That is my ONLY key and it is completly sealed. If I screw this key up I don't have a car anymore so I'm not risking it.
The OEM key, I spoke with service yesterday and they fed me some BS about doing the programming ritual then loading the key back into the ignition and waiting from 5-10 seconds to let the immobilizer recognize the new key. Well weird, I tried that and it didn't work. As an added bonus now the new key buttons won't work so it obviously did something.
I'm going to call service back today and run this issue up the food chain. But they have assured me and I'm fairly confident that the new key is just fine and there is something going on with the car. The odds of the new key coming miss programmed or not programmed at all for my car is ultra ultra unlikely.
Here's some information about the immobilizer module (EWS) in the car: https://sites.google.com/site/minian...he-immobilizer. It's possible for someone with the right equipment to program an immobilizer chip or even to reinitialize the EWS module entirely. The problem is that MINI expected everything to be handled through dealerships so that when they issue a new key, they know the state of the EWS and its preset codes, and which codes have been already assigned. An aftermarket vendor dealing with this would throw off MINI's expectations.
A possible scenario is that the aftermarket vendor chose an unused preset code, and MINI happened to choose the same code for the new key. The remedy would be for MINI issue another key with a different unused code. The worst case scenario is that the aftermarket vendor had recoded the EWS. In that case, MINI will insist that the EWS be replaced with a new preinitialized module. In any case, the dealer will have to diagnose the EWS.
There are a couple of ways to work around it without involving the dealership, but they involve slicing open one or both of the keys. A procedure like this to transfer the immobilizer chip: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...for-cheap.html, or clone the immobilizer chip in the aftermarket key (requires special equipment) and insert it into the new key.
Thanks for all the info! This website has been great! The pairing process the dealer was having me do was close but it didn't work all the time. Turns out a critical part was having both doors closed then use the center toggle switch to unlock the doors before puting the key in the ignition to start the process. Using the process from the website I can pair my new key just fine.
That being said the new key pairs just fine with the Body Control Module but the Immobilizer is a no go. I suspect as rkw mentioned the key from the dealer may be programmed with a code that has already been taken.
This is great information to have when I call the dealer back. I wasn't able to today. Work has been super...
I took the car in to Sebastian at Autobahn Motorwerks, awesome guy BTW
He plugged into my car and we found that everything is behaving as it should and that the key MINI provided me is coded as key #5 in the EWS. The issue with that is my existing key is also key #5.
I think that is really bad news for me as you can't remove or reuse codes and MINI of PDX is being really snotty about it.
They were super enthusiastic about ordering me a $150 key but now that it doesn't work they seem to be more annoyed with me than anything and set me up for an appointment in a week and a half to pay $100 to only diagnose the issue that Sebastian has already told me about... I HATE DEALERS!!!
Does anyone know if its possible to have a locksmith "recode" my new key to match the code in my old key?
At this point it looks like MINI of PDX has my $150 bucks for the new key that doesn't work, wants another $100 just to diagnose the issue I'm already aware of and I will most likely have to cough up another $150 if I want an OEM key that actually works...
The only upside to this is Autobahn Motorwerks. Sebastian really took care of me and I'm VERY thankful for that! The dealer? We don't need no water let that mother$%&@# burn!
I like sebastian as well, especially the waiting area, lol. Why not send your post minus the last part to the service manager at Mini? If that doesn't work follow up with Lithia corporate offices.
You had the misfortune that MINI thought #5 was unused and they issued a key for it. If you order another new key, they will use a different slot and it should work. I see these as your options, from least to most expensive.
Cut open both the aftermarket and $150 keys, and transfer the immobilizer chip. However, you said that you didn't want to take a risk with the old key.
Purchase a new non-remote key (approximately $60). Cut it open and also the $150 key, and transfer the immobilizer chip.
Purchase another new $150 remote key. This time it should "just work".
#2 and #3 assume that no other aftermarket keys had been made (using up other code slots).
