Car Keys!

[Will Power]

Yes, WHAT HAS happened to that other key? it's important to find out...before somebody pays you a visit

My previous Volvo came with 2 keys with an alarm function on them(great for annoying people or kids getting too near your car...)and they cost a lot too.
dropped one in the snow after locking... It got run over by a snow plough and a neighbour handed it back, mashed and battered but working-
I just asked the dealer for another one (dropping hints about customer loyalty) they supplied me with another in days. You should get on that dealer's back a bit as I SUSPECT it is illegal to sell a car with only one key and only tell the client after the deal is signed. Give 'em hell!

 

[Dunhausen]

The TI keys were broken back in January. It's only a 30-bit key (on the chip) so it's not hard to bruteforce it. However, if you're not already possessed of the technical knowledge and the equipment, it's probably not worth the money / hassle. (unless you're a car thief!)

The keyless ignition systems are a bit scary in that respect in that a technically-inclined person could feasibly copy your keys just by standing next to you.

And, of course, while the dual U-cut + RFID is a fair bit of work for anyone to emulate, they can always just smash a window, cut the immobilizer, and jam a screwdriver in the ignition.

So, at some point, the extra difficulty of you making copies might not be work the extra difficulty for someone else to make copies.

 

[jerrinfla]

re. the suggestions of buying keys off of ebay. be careful with this, you cant program keys of all cars yourself. Old fords you can program new keys with the 'red' key but new fords you have to have the dealer manufacture them for you by quoting your engine number and showing your vehicle documents, at least here you do. Also check out the alarm system, some cars have to have a remote control key. If you open my car with the physical door lock the alarm goes off...

If I remember correctly, there are only so many resistor sets for each key. So if you have a set of blanks, you can cut a key that will work with the car (if you have the correct blank!)
Thefts have probably increased somewhat since those types of blanks were first used, but it can't have gotten sorse than how it used to be before those keys were used.
Prior to the keys with the chips in them, you could buy a set of books from a manufacturer and cut a key on the spot based on the vin # of the car. You used a tool like a hole puncher that actually cut the blank key, and set it for each key cut matched up to the vin #.
The only way it wouldn't work is if the ignition set was replaced. In that case, the old "punch a hole in the steering column" worked fine. The use of resistors in the keys obviously stopped the "hole in the steering column" from working, though.
I've no doubt that with a wiring diagram and some wires with alligator clips, someone can get a car running whether it uses that type of key or not. However, it is not nearly as simple as it used to be, whether the car thefts are on the rise or not. (It requires a much technically smarter thief!)

 

[rosconey2]

my toyota has a key like that-
i recieved 2 plus another that wont work the trunk-a service key

 

[xbxb]

I ended up going to a locksmith to get one replaced and It cost me about $80. Even at that price I think i got screwed.