Cheap Keys

[jillmaican]

Hi new member here, who found the page due to my anger with the cheap keys that were made for my car. Has anyone had a problem with the cheap plastic keys that were given to you ? In a year and a half, my both of my brand new keys have broken. The chip still works to enter the car remotely, but the black casing has broken, resulting in the face of the key coming off.

This is ridiculous! I just looked at a friends Honda key which is made of a sturdier plastic. For such an expensive car I would imagine that I could get keys that will not crack... and now it will cost me $400 to replace them.

Does anyone have any ideas of where to get them cheaper... or possibly making a complaint that will result in either the dealer?

Thanks

[SKperformance]

i also had that problem of the case cracking where the key chain slot is

but i was stupid enough to be turning the key by using the rest of the keys for, instead of the keys itself some reason ,

till i realized it was adding strain which is why it cracked

[jillmaican]

Yes I realized that this could be a problem. The dealer here gave me an keychain that held a significant amount of keys, which I think was responsible for the first key breaking. This is why the I took that chain off on the second key... which has still cracked.

I just called the dealer and found that the keys are not under warranty! Its as if Lexus knows that their keys are cheap and will not cover it.

I'm disgusted with this really. I will be taking the car in for the 30K tuneup which will cost me $700 dollars, and I just took the car in a month ago, and there was nothing wrong.

I wonder if the 30k really necessary ??? It seems like highway robbery to charge $700 when they said the car was fine this month, I should reach 30K in about 2 months... any suggestions ?

[dgorrie]

I just bought a replacement key from www.streeykeys.com for $100, plus shipping. That's the big key with the lock/unlock/panic buttons. They sell a service for an additional $60 to get it cut (and maybe programmed - can't recall) by a locksmith in your area -- that could be the best deal. They aren't inclined to give you the names of the local locksmiths they use, though. I think you can get a better deal on the $60 if you could reach tyem directly.

But I took my new key to a local Lexus dealer in Dallas, where they can either cut the key using your VIN number OR copy the pattern from your old key. They charged me $8 ti cut it -- very reasonable.

Different Lexus dealers may or may not have a key cutting machine. The high-end machines cost a bunch and have an associated computer to run them. But they all do the actually cutting using a vertical drill bit-type cutter, as far as I know. You don't want to mess up your $100 key -- that's the main concern. But not all dealers have the expensive cutting machine -- the one that does it REALLY right.

One local Lexus dealer quoted me $185 to cut my key or $185 if THEY provided the key AND cut it. Needless to say, I won't be dealing with them much if they think like that. I'm not even certain they can cut a key on site.

Regarding the $30k service, I have a philosophy on that. I do a lot of my own work on cars, and feel that much of the 30K service is stuff I can do or is optional. I can grease the hinges and latches, and that's if they need to be done at all.

So for any such service, I suggest asking them what they do, then ask which of those are actually necessary, and which are necessary to maintain your warranty. Then ask pricing for the "necessary" items and decide.

Keep in mind that a lot of things don't be done by the dealer. Changing a serpentine belt or doing an oil change are examples of things that can be done by any qualified mechanic.

After you ask the dealer about the 30k service, you could post their comments here and get feedback on what they NEED to do. But along the way, keep in mind that you may get limited info from them on what they do, simply because if they give you an accurate list, you may just have your local garage do most of it. It's to their advantage to keep you somewhat in the dark, so you may have to call more than one dealer to get accurate info.

Just my thoughts

Doug

[SW03ES]

Check out www.lexus-parts.com they'll ship you the key already cut to your VIN for like $160.

As for the key, I've had one of these keys on my keychain for 6 years now, never had a problem with the key breaking or cracking or seeming cheap...

It must be how you turn it, how it sits in your pocket etc. The plastic will actually bend...

[jillmaican]

Okay I will look into all of those suggestions. Thank you both for your comments.

Doug-

The dealer does have a list of all repairs that they will do listed at the service counter, I'll see what I can remember. My guess it is the programming of the key that is causing the price to be so much. Whats annoying is that the key is completly functional, however it came apart. So they will be charging me to program a new chip specific to my car, when the one that I have works fine.

Oh well what can you do right?

SW03ES-

I will check out the webiste and see what I can do...

I have looked at the key and it looks like if I use a eye glasses screwdriver I might be able to fix it on my own! I hope so...

-