i have an 02 maxima se and when i bought it, the owner only had one key...i bought 2 new ones on ebay and had them cut. besides going to the dealer...is there any way i can activate the transponder in the key to make the car start? i think the guy at Nissan said $80 a key to program them...yikes!

 

Some locksmiths would program it for you, although others won't do it unless the key is purchased from them. In my case, I was able to purchase a key, cut and programmed, for $50. However he wouldn't touch a blank key I had purchase, which was the exact brand and model as the one he was selling.

 

I bought 2 keys on-line and a local locksmith cut them and programmed the car to accept them. Both for $40.

 

Does programming a new key erase the old ones? I have one key and I need an extra one - will I have to have both keys reprogrammed or can I just get one new additional key and my original will still work?

 

I'm kinda in the same boat. I only have one key and I wanted to get a spare and a fob. talking to the dealer though they only told me about programming for the new one because your current key is already programed for your car right so you just need the get the new one programmed.

 

Has any one experienced a key that was hot to touch when removed from the ignition switch?
Thanks in advance

 

If you are bringing your new key to places like Home Depot or Walmart, they cut it and clone the programming using the old one, without erasing anything. If you bring it to a dealer or locksmith, they will ask you for the old key as well. I guess if have none, it's a whole different animal in terms of programming a new key to your car. Although I think the procedures are different, they still charge you for the programming of only the new key.

 

Not I.

 

i had to reprogram my keys when i bought mine. thankfully i know a locksmith who did both of mine for $20. seemed reasonable to me.

 

So I can get a new key from Home Depot and they will "clone" my current key? Has anyone done this? Was it successful? How much did it cost? Thanks for all of the input!

 

Normally you cannot clone a 5th gen key. But there is some startup company that evidently can do this now. This company has been negotiating with Home Depot to set a booth in the store. Right now they are in a few stores in New Jersey and I think New York. Unfortunately I can't remember the company name.

OK found the thread that talked about this:

http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...ome-depot.html

The op said it costs $65 per key, not much different than some dealers. Check the local locksmiths, you can probably to better.

 

I know of 3 Home Depot stores in my area that offer that service, and I have seen it done to a friend's Xterra at a local Walmart for around $50. I had purchased mine, cut and programmed by a locksmith, for $50. I had already purchase a blank key online, but he wouldn't touch it; had to buy it from him (although mine was the exact same brand and part number).

 

Ok thanks everyone for their help! I'll try a locksmith tomorrow and see what kind of price I can get. The dealer told me they can program a key for $40 (reasonable) but the key itself would be about $80. I didn't ask if they would program a key that I bought elsewhere but I kind of doubt it.

 

They will (they'll take you for a ride) but they won't guarantee the key will 'hold' the program (they cut mine for free).

I wish my dealer told me they would've programmed it for $40