spare keys
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Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,622
Likes: 0
From: nevada
spare keys
Just stopped at the Ford dealer to see about getting a spare key made after reading the topic on the home page about PAT's. He sold me a blank for $30, and I can do it myself with the instructions on the FTE home page. Looks easy, but you need both of your keys and blank to do it. He said if you have just one ignition key, you have to get the truck recoded, and it costs $150. So if you lose a key, and just have one, its $150. FYI. A friend lost a key to his Nissan, and his dealer told him the same thing.
Sick 'n Tired
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 2,969
Likes: 47
From: League City, TX
Ya, the dealer really cleans up on programming those spares. They must use that money to subsidize the healthcare needs of a small country. OR, use it to pay the new Ford CEO $40 mil for the next four months of work.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,595
Likes: 52
From: Lawton, Oklahoma
We charge 21.50 for the key and 21.00 to program it or as many as you have to program. All one price. So if you have a dealer chargine 150.00 to reprogram that is gross overcharge. Something tells me that some parts person is full of DOO DOO. Of course if he sold you a blank for 30.00 it is possible the rest of the store is overpriced. Do you live in Hollywood or West Palm Beach?
Elder User
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 615
Likes: 0
From: Austin TX
I've "heard" the computer/machine or whatever needed to reprogram the keys is very expensive and obviously not given to dealerships. They're a business (like a franchise), so they have to pay for such things. I'm told they're just trying to recoup some of their upfront expense. Of course, we know a dealership won't do anything without making a few bucks ... and nor should they.
I look at the 3rd PATS (spare) key like insurance. I'm paying $20+/- up front for the piece of mind that I have it available. I keep mine at another home in town ... where others can get it for me as needed, etc. I bought my PATS on eBay and had it cut by a local locksmith. Total cost $20.
I look at the 3rd PATS (spare) key like insurance. I'm paying $20+/- up front for the piece of mind that I have it available. I keep mine at another home in town ... where others can get it for me as needed, etc. I bought my PATS on eBay and had it cut by a local locksmith. Total cost $20.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 267
Likes: 0
i doubt it's so expensive that they have to charge $150 for it. i bet at most it's a couple of grand. the markup at dealerships is unreal. part of the reason is everybody wants OEM/factory and too many $%#@!%!@# with money pay the outrageous prices so they keep charging the prices. i bet if everybody stopped buying from the dealership the prices would come down with the quickness.
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Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 3,595
Likes: 52
From: Lawton, Oklahoma
Like Gordo says, you have the opportunity to program all the keys you want for free while you have your two new keys from the factory. If you choose to wait till you lose one or both before you get another that is your choice to take the risk of paying the dealer to program it. You can always have the locksmith use his programmer, which many have. A new generation NGS with the CAN adaptor is about 4 grand, WDS is about 10 grand, and IDS about 5 grand depending on options. But you arent paying for the machine, you are paying for use time. Why should they sacrifice diagnostic time on another vehicle to program your key for nothing? At my dealership we certainly do a lot of small stuff for free as a customer service, including retrieving door codes for all those who lose thier card, even from other dealerships. Not every dealership is greedy. Its not the dealership, its the people who run the dealership.
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Former Vendor
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 452
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Sheesh easy guys. The system is designed for security that you cant have 1 key and make a duplicate. The system uses both keys to unlock the programming mode where anyone can add up to 13 more keys. If you don't have two secure keys the the vehicle must go in the shop and have the PCM reprogrammed from scratch. That takes approx. 45 minutes. That way even if thiefs got their hands a diagnostic system it would still take them 45 minutes to program a key. This is the same equipment that must do all of the diag in the shop. Most dealers have one machine do to cost. Key blank $30, remote fob $50, programming $50. If you have 2 keys now, I would advise buying a third for $30 and program it your self
New User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
it only takes about 15 minutes to reprogram a key- 10 min of which is gaining security access. save some trouble and have a few extra keys cut and program them yourself. as long as you have two programmed keys, you can always program more.
Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by NASSTY
The instructions are in the owners manual.If you don't have a manual I can go out and get mine and type out the procedure.I can't remember how I programmed mine,it was about a year ago. 
