I have bought a 02 picasso, with only one key. Citroen want silly money to obtain the key & transponder number, cut the key & reprogram the car. Is there any way of doing this cheaper? I heard that keys can be cloned. BTW I am based in Leicester.
Yeah, I should imagine keys can be cloned. If they can perfect a technique for Dolly the Sheep, it should work on anything :-)
Peter
Ask your local car thief.
But Dolly was white, not khaki :)
OK, I'll get me coat
Parish
Or a locksmith
Well you are a bloody idiot for not insisting a 2nd and 3rd key were provided FOC by the garage as part of the deal.
Tim..
Technically correct but a bit harsh Tim :-)
Chris
Not really, a spare key check is probably in the top 5 on the checklist when buying a nearly new car!
Tim..
I wouldn't say so, considering I used it for bargaining. Managed to get a tidy sum off as I coped the sales manager as they were closing & he wanted to go home. Looking at prices in autotrader I couldn't have bought the car (same model, mileage etc) for this amount privately, & the cheapest trader was another £750 + I have a 30 day no quibble guarantee, along with a 12 month RAC warranty (not worth much I know, but better than nothing).
Ok, fair enough...And you moaning at the cost of obtaining spare keys when you made such a saving??!
Tim..
Maybe the cost of the replacement keys would completely negate the saving? Coded keys and transponders can be ridiculously expensive to obtain from main dealers; my local vauxhall dealers (Hartwells, well-known ripoff merchants) told me it could cost up to a grand to reprogram my Omega.
But the OP is right, it is possible to clone keys; one of the better engine diagnostic units includes this facility. Google or try Yell.com for a good auto locksmith who should be able to do it for you.
My main reason is I don't really want the hassle of booking the car in for them to program the ECU as the nearest dealer is 15 miles away & I need to leave it with them. If I could have got a cloaned key, I wouldn't have to do this. Plus if I can save more cash what wrong with that! Pays for a tank of diesel. Citroen want over £100, seems expensive when my escort immobiliser key only cost £12. It looks like only they can do it, so they have the monopoly & can charge what they like.
Dave
Thanks Chris. I don't feel as ripped of paying £100 now! The £100 is a lot less than the saving I made, so I'm still happy. I have tried doing a search, & found one place that'll do it, but they are based over 100 miles away & it'd cost more, so it would be easier to just book the car in to the dealer.
Dave
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