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Nissan Note - new key required

I've just a bought a 2-year-old Nissan Note, which unfortunately came with only one 'plip' key, and I must have a spare which I realise will cost a packet if I go through official (dealership) channels.

Now, there are various people selling keys on ebay, eg this is my model:

However, does anybody know if it's possible (and/or cost effective) to buy a second-hand one and have it "re-programmed?" Is it something only a Nissan dealer can do?

I do have one working key, and the key number as provided to the original owner of the vehicle.

Thanks David

Reply to
Lobster
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some nissans can program their own keys, try this: turn the ign on then off six times as quickly as you can (within a total of ten seconds max) and at the sixth off leave the key in the ign and wait, after two seconds the indicators should flash, this indicates programming mode, in which case buy yourself another key and I'll tell you the rest of the sequence.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

Thanks for that. Nothing in the owner's manual about that, but I guess it's not something Nissan would want their customers knowing about anyway?

If I try the above test, and end up in 'progamming mode'; will it then just go back to 'normal' mode if I don't do anything at all after that? Don't want to risk buggering up a properly working system...!

David

Reply to
Lobster

yes it will be ok, just turn the ign on or leave it for two minutes to exit program mode

Reply to
Mrcheerful

Nope, didn't work unfortunately.

Any further suggestions? ;-) Or is down to the Nissan dealership with my credit card :-(

David

Reply to
Lobster

it may not be too spiteful, just ask for a quote first, have you tried the previous owner for the missing key?

Reply to
Mrcheerful

Certainly on older Nissans with the "NATS" system, you can program a new door unlocker to unlock and lock your car but to start the engine, the engine immobilizer in the car has to be programmed with the identity of the new key (it's held in a small RFID chip that fixed into the blade part of the key).

It certainly used to be the case that you couldn't do this yourself. I suspect you just have to stump up the money.

Tim

Reply to
Tim Downie

Just tried the nearest Nissan dealership: quote was 127 GBP for the key, plus a further 50 for reprogramming! Presumably excluding VAT but I didn't hear that bit as I was lying prostate on the floor by that time. When I recovered I did enquire as to whether they could programme a second-hand key (ie a 15-quid ebay one) but was told no - though I'm not at all sure I believe that... anyone know different?

Yes my first port of call had been to phone the one previous owner, however he'd died (hence the car had been sold), which made for a slightly awkward conversation. I did establish from the family that everything they had relating to the vehicle had been passed on, though (and I did get all manuals, warranty info etc).

I was expecting it might cost in the high double figures to get this sorted, but FFS! I could buy another car for that sum.

David

Reply to
Lobster

There are independent places that reprogram keys, ask at a local key shop, they are still about.

on the subject of self programming look here:

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they say the instructions that I had with a little twist: remove the key. have a read and a play.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

I think the problem is that Nissan (at least with our old Micra) used several different "batches" of RFID chips in the keys. I bought a key off of ebay and found that the plastic embedding the RFID chip was a different colour from the original. Because of this, I was told by the garage that it couldn't be "mated" with my car's immobiliser.

I think there are about four different colours of chips used (maybe more now) and as long as the colour matches the colour of the original chip, the key *can* be mated with the car. Note, this isn't a case of *programming* the key, it's gettting the engine immobiliser re-programmed to accept the code emitted by the RFID (which isn't reprogrammable). It's like trying to connect a computer to a router with MAC filtering turned on. To connect a new device you have to tell the router to allow devices with specific MAC codes access.

I would try your dealer again (or perhaps ask someone actually in the service department) to confirm that a key with the right coloured chip *can* be mated to the car's system. I rather think they were being a little economical with the truth when they said another key couldn't be programmed. The problem is though, it has to be the *right kind* of key to start with. If you get one of those, you should be okay (perhaps).

I'd be tempted to drop a line to someone like this

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what the gen is. With a 99.8% positive score over 3600 sales, he'sprobablynot selling duff keys or giving out duff information. You'll stillbe stuck withthe £50 programming charge from the garage but it's betterthan £177.Of course,the Note may be different from older Micras but given what a nicemoney earner itis for Nissan I can't see why they'd change their system.;-)Tim

Reply to
Tim Downie

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