When to call
Call once the main key starts the car and the spare still does not. A photo of both keys usually tells a blank copy from an unprogrammed chip key or a fob married to another car, so you hear the price while we are still on the phone.
Spare Key Opens the Door but Won't Start the Car
A spare that unlocks the car and leaves the engine dead is usually missing a chip, or was never programmed to that car. A programmed chip key is from $125 at your car.
A spare can match the working key cut for cut and still be refused. The blade only has to fit the lock. Starting the engine takes a chip the car has on its list, and that is where most spares fall short.
Where the spare came from usually names the cause: a key machine at a hardware store, an online order, a used fob, or a drawer it sat in while the car was reprogrammed. While the main key still starts the car, the fix is priced as a spare key, with no $60 all-keys-lost charge.
Try this first
- Start the car with the main key to be sure the car itself is healthy.
- Test the spare with the main key well away from the car.
- Look at the head of the spare. An all-metal head means no chip.
- Press the start button using the spare fob itself, pedal down, to rule out a flat cell.
- Photograph both keys, front and back, and note the year, make and model.
Most likely causes, in order
A hardware store copy with no chip
The tell: the copy opens the doors and turns the ignition, then the security light flashes and the engine cranks and quits, or does nothing. A key machine reproduces the cuts, not the chip, and a head that is all metal usually has nothing inside. Keep that copy in a wallet as a door key; starting the car takes a programmed chip key, from $125.
A chip key nobody programmed
Keys ordered online, and blanks a parts counter cut from a code, often carry the right chip and blade and are still strangers to the car. Cutting shapes the metal; programming adds the key to the immobilizer's list at the car. If the chip generation fits the year, programming is the whole fix. If not, no programming will help, and a photo settles which before anyone drives out.
A smart key registered to another car
A push-to-start fob from a secondhand listing, a salvage yard or a relative's car of the same model usually stays locked to the first car. The tell is dead buttons and a dash reporting no key with the fob on the console. On most makes that is permanent, though a few parts can be wiped with special equipment. A new fob matched by part number is $229 to $399.
A spare the car was told to forget
If the spare once worked and now gets the flashing light, the car probably dropped it. On some makes a programming visit clears any key not at the car that day. Our lost-keys jobs also erase the missing key on purpose, so if it resurfaces in a jacket months later, it stays shut out by design. Re-adding a remote or smart key in good order is $79 to $119.
A spare fob that went flat in the drawer
A smart key spare left unused for years can simply run down. The tell: no button works and the car reports no key, yet the engine starts once the fob sits right at the start button. A fresh coin cell is the whole fix, and fob battery replacement covers which cell.
Known problems by make
If your car is one of these, the make page is the faster read: it names the years, the part that fails and what the repair costs.
What the fix costs
From the same price sheet as every other job. Confirmed on the phone before we drive.
| Key or job | Typical dealer | Value Car Keys | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Programmed chip key in place of a blank copyCut to your lock and registered beside your working key. | $125 to $199 | $105 to $181 | |
| Remote head keyButtons in the head, with the chip and the buttons both paired. | $165 to $259 | $135 to $191 | |
| Smart key in place of a fob locked to another carMatched to your car by part number before we drive, emergency blade cut on site. | $229 to $399 | $171 to $351 | |
| Program a remote or fob you already boughtNew or never paired, with a part number that matches your car. | $79 to $119 | $41 to $81 |
Questions people ask
Why does my spare key open the door but not start the car?
Because the door lock reads only the cuts, while the immobilizer checks for a chip it recognizes. A blade-only copy, a chip key nobody programmed, and a fob registered to another car all pass the first test and fail the second. A photo of the spare usually tells us which, and the fix starts at $125, drive included.
Can a hardware store copy be programmed to start my car?
Not if it has no chip, and most metal copies do not, so there is nothing inside for the car to learn. Some stores clone the chip for certain older cars, and a clone can work until the car's key list changes. A key programmed at the car as its own entry, from $125, is the version that lasts.
Can you program a spare key I bought online?
Often, if the chip, the blade profile and, for a fob, the part number all suit your car. Send a photo of the key and your VIN before ordering, since two chip generations can look identical and only one will start the engine. For a remote or fob you already own, the pairing visit is $79 to $119.
My spare worked before. Why doesn't it start the car now?
Most likely the car dropped it. Some makes forget any key that is absent when keys are programmed or a module is replaced, and a lost-keys job erases missing keys on purpose. On a push-to-start spare, a flat coin cell is the other common reason, and the start button test above tells you which.
Should my main key be there when you fix the spare?
Yes. One working key at the car keeps the spare at the normal key price, because the new key is simply added beside it. If nothing starts the car, the visit turns into an all-keys-lost visit, $60 more, and we need the registration or title plus a photo ID that matches it. Your main key gets tested again before we leave.
Prices by make
Toyota keys
from $129 at your carKeep up to $251 vs the dealer
Honda keys
from $139 at your carKeep up to $241 vs the dealer
Ford keys
from $129 at your carKeep up to $211 vs the dealer
Hyundai keys
from $129 at your carKeep up to $231 vs the dealer
Kia keys
from $129 at your carKeep up to $231 vs the dealer
Guides
Get the dealer's key without the dealer's bill
Call or text (619) 340-1518 with the car's year, make and model. If a dealer already quoted you, send that quote over for our answer on the same key.