howdy Posted January 31, 2007 Posted January 31, 2007 Add something else to my list of things to do to "restore" my RX300. One of my keys has cracked - the plastic around the back and a little supportign the blade is pretty much gone and I want to get a replacement. Has anyone had any positive experiences with any companies on the web? And would you recommend a reputable shop? I've had zero luck finding a key shop here that knows what they're talking about so I'm going out into the world wide web. Thanks for any help.
edbro Posted January 31, 2007 Posted January 31, 2007 I just had one made through Streetkeys.com. I was pleased. They ship you the key and arrange to have it cut and programmed at a local shop. Pretty cheap compared to a dealer. I paid $79 for a non-remote chipped key including the cutting and programming.
Richard Carver Posted January 31, 2007 Posted January 31, 2007 I had good luck on ebay, just try to stay with a real locksmith to make sure you get the right "guts". 20-60 bucks for a remote blank.
streski58 Posted February 2, 2007 Posted February 2, 2007 Check out the following website for replacement keys http://www.sparecarkeys.com
LexKid630 Posted February 6, 2007 Posted February 6, 2007 FYI you can actually remove the metal blade from the plastic shell it's attached to, which most people don't know. Take the key apart and you can see a little hump of plastic. You can cut out the plastic and pull the blade out, and superglue it in a different shell that had a different blade in it etc. The first pic is my new rx300 key (won it from ebay for $20) with the blade that was in my old scratched up rx300 key. just popped it out of the old key and glued it in the new one. The new key had an uncut blade, but i wasn't paying to have a new blade cut when i have one already... The second pic is what the blade looks like when it's out of it's shell. The third pic is of the final product... well it's my rx350 key but it looks the same as the rx300, just has the medium blade, where as the rx300 has the small blade...they all work the same way. bottom line, for $20, 2 minutes of using any type of wire cutters to cut the bade out, and a minute to glue it in a new shell, you get basically a NEW key! Just MAKE SURE the new key you get is OEM. Look at the "LOCK" engraving on the key. If that border around it has a very sharp < at the top left, then it's NOT oem. The oem keys have a more rounded border around the LOCK. ..and of course you can just pop in the old remote into the new key. The modifications with the blade wont affect it's fitting unless you're messy with the glue.
howdy Posted February 7, 2007 Author Posted February 7, 2007 FYI you can actually remove the metal blade from the plastic shell it's attached to, which most people don't know. Take the key apart and you can see a little hump of plastic. You can cut out the plastic and pull the blade out, and superglue it in a different shell that had a different blade in it etc. The first pic is my new rx300 key (won it from ebay for $20) with the blade that was in my old scratched up rx300 key. just popped it out of the old key and glued it in the new one. The new key had an uncut blade, but i wasn't paying to have a new blade cut when i have one already... The second pic is what the blade looks like when it's out of it's shell. The third pic is of the final product... well it's my rx350 key but it looks the same as the rx300, just has the medium blade, where as the rx300 has the small blade...they all work the same way. bottom line, for $20, 2 minutes of using any type of wire cutters to cut the bade out, and a minute to glue it in a new shell, you get basically a NEW key! Just MAKE SURE the new key you get is OEM. Look at the "LOCK" engraving on the key. If that border around it has a very sharp < at the top left, then it's NOT oem. The oem keys have a more rounded border around the LOCK. ..and of course you can just pop in the old remote into the new key. The modifications with the blade wont affect it's fitting unless you're messy with the glue. Well that's something I didn't consider. What type of glue did you use? And how long did you cure it before using it? Any problems like looseness or movement with the key in the new shell? Thanks.
LexKid630 Posted February 7, 2007 Posted February 7, 2007 I used some liquid loctite superglue, about $5 at most stores, in the glue section. http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/product...68_front200.jpg The glue only takes a few minutes to dry and is VERY strong. Just cut out the blade in the key you buy, removing a little plastic at a time until you can see the whole top part of the blade's "T" part that's burried in plastic. Just pull the blade "up" until it comes right out. There isn't any glue holding the blade in. Then cut out the blade in YOUR key. Look at these diagrams i drew to see where and how much glue to add. Good luck! I hope this saves you some $$$.
howdy Posted February 8, 2007 Author Posted February 8, 2007 I used some liquid loctite superglue, about $5 at most stores, in the glue section. http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/product...68_front200.jpg The glue only takes a few minutes to dry and is VERY strong. Just cut out the blade in the key you buy, removing a little plastic at a time until you can see the whole top part of the blade's "T" part that's burried in plastic. Just pull the blade "up" until it comes right out. There isn't any glue holding the blade in. Then cut out the blade in YOUR key. Look at these diagrams i drew to see where and how much glue to add. Good luck! I hope this saves you some $$$. The diagram you drew up is fantastic! Thanks!
LexKid630 Posted February 8, 2007 Posted February 8, 2007 your welcome; i hope it helps! If you need any extra help along the way feel free to ask :)
rhuras Posted May 17, 2007 Posted May 17, 2007 Both my keys' plastic housing broke over time. After layers of glue, I gave up trying to repair them. I bought a blank key with the plastic housing attached, on eBay but found no one in Canada would cut it for me. The dealer wanted approx $180 for a new key. I got the name of the dealer below, from this forum, sent my blank to him and purchased a second key from him as well. All in (incl shipping), I paid Approx $80 for 2 keys. I re-used the electronic components from my old keys. Sewell Lexus Ryan Van Winkle 6421 Lemmon Ave Dallas, TX 78209 The cost for cutting is only $10 per key, plus shipping to get the key back to you. All that they require is a copy of some kind of proof of ownership (make sure the VIN is clear and easy to read) and a photo ID. Also, include a note with a return address and let them know exactly what kind of service they are doing for you.
ShadyTree Posted February 9, 2012 Posted February 9, 2012 AutoTransponder.com is a great site for ordering whateve you need and very reasonable. They have any type of auto. The Lexus RX300 remote shell with the key blank I think was $19.95 and they will also cut the key for 29.95. They have a live chat or an 800# for any support or questions. They do require proof of ownership etc. Or you can get the key blank cut locally by looking at AutoLocksmithFinder.com for a laser locksmith in you zipcode. Their prices vary around $45 for cutting a blank.
IW2DFZ - Carlo Posted February 12, 2012 Posted February 12, 2012 Hello to all, I am an Italian RX300 (year 2000) owner and I am trying to replace a lost key. I tried with Lexus, but they do not have the spare anymore. The technician told me to buy the spare key on internet then they will help me in programming the remote and finding a locksmith to cut the blade. My problem: I found the blank keys with the remote, but they have 3 buttons on the remote. My one (I think a master key) has only two buttons to lock/unlock the car, but no Panic button. Are these 3 buttons keys compatible with my one? Can be programmed for my car as well as the 2 buttons ones? I do not care if the panic button will not work, I just need a second key to use the car... Thanking a lot for the help and the useful forum Carlo
1990LS400 Posted February 12, 2012 Posted February 12, 2012 This is a North American forum so I doubt if anybody here will be able to tell you if the 3-button key will function properly with your RX. Toyota and Lexus cars of the same year can differ dramatically depending on market. As one of the attachments show, there were different three different key transmitters depending on country. Maybe the part numbers will help.
Hadyourphil Posted March 4, 2012 Posted March 4, 2012 I found a replacement key at 1010keys.com. Very reasonable, fast turnaround and it came with a nice-looking key ring.
jaycee Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 I realize this is an old thread, however, I'd like to ask if anyone has tried the gluing the blade method discussed above ? If so, has it lasted without issues? Thanks p.s. I tied pm'ing lexkid630 and then saw he hasn't been on the forum in 2 yrs.
rx300350 Posted December 5, 2012 Posted December 5, 2012 The best one I found is with --- 1010keys user on ebay. For about $40 I got two keys made for my car. I gave them my keycode, they cut two keys with the new kind of plastic case and I just had to transfer the transponder.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now