$133.19 for a #$%#$% key!!!

I don't know about that, but I hate those keys. I had a non chip key made so that at least I do not have to carry two of those gigantic boxes on the chance I lock my key in the trunk. It will not start the car, but it will open doors and trunk.

You could have had a couple made for a few dollars and used it to lock the transponder key in the trunk.

Leon

When I first got my car (2002 MX-5, Miata to you?!) I noticed it didn't have a spare so I asked the dealer (Mazda) and they sorted one for me for free. However, had I not just bought the car from this particular dealer, it would have cost around £110 (ish), which back then was probably around the $210 mark! I reckon other dealers might not have been so friendly, this particular dealer had a good reputation...

I agree, seems like a bit of a rip-off to me.

R.

I got boned to the tune of about $130 for 2 new keys for my 2000 Mazda 626. Took them around 3.5 hours while I waited in the show room. I figured correctly that they would program both keys for one fee. They had one bad key that disrupted the whole process and had to locate another key and start over. They washed my car for free to TRY to make me happy.

The 626 had a Bose in it that ate the damn CD too and quit working before the son changed out the headunit. It's still in there. Sounds like some things never change.

There is usually a way to get the CD out. It's likely that the Dealer's mechanics know only how to change out the electronics, not trouble shoot them, other than by the book. The last time I got into something like this, it was dead light bulbs in the digital radio/clock panel. The repair center wanted to replace the whole display panel at some really silly price. (As much as a new radio) I ended up getting the radio apart, then the lcd assembly. A quick trip to radio shack for some "grain'o'wheat" bulbs with pigtails (You have to replace all of the bulbs to get balanced lighting on the display.) For less than $5.00 in parts and several hours of fussing around things were back to normal.

What is the range of those keys anyway? Will the car start if a transponder is merely nearby?

When I had the non transponder made, I tried playing a bit around, but IIRC, the key must actually be in the lock. It does raise a good question whether you can take out the transponder and install it in the shroud next to the lock though. I think at the time I was considering just leaving a key in the glove compartment. If I remember it Monday, I will try once more what the range is.

Of course, you hate the idea of taking a $200 key apart on a guess.

Leon

If it's an RFID chip it ought to be good for a couple of feet at least. I think I'll get a non-transponder key made anyway. Maybe I can hide the spare transponder key in the trunk or glovebox.

I've talked to some other people about these keys, and apparently all dealers charge similar amounts for this type of key. Amazing.

What upset me was that the fellow I spoke to on the phone quoted me $46, the price for the key alone. Pretty useless if it won't start the car.

But is it? I am pretty sure now that I tried holding the chip key real close to the lock while trying to start with the plain key and that it did not work. On the other hand, the metal seems to be just one piece, with nothing to close a circuit. Then again, with high-enough frequency, maybe you do not need to close the circuit.

Anyway, I will try again tomorrow.

You probably talked to a parts person. They know how to go through the Mazda data base to find parts, but have no clue what it takes to install it.

Leon

That may well be. Perhaps I'm predisposed to think the worst of this dealership. The day we bought the wife's Protege the salesman installed the license plate for us. He used the wrong size screws and made two dents in the sheetmetal. We discovered this some months later and tried to get them to fix it. They said no proof, etc. etc. The salesman had a guilty look on his face but of course he "didn't remember anything like that".

We've had pretty good luck with independent mechanics over the years. But I have never found a decent dealership, Mazda or otherwise, ever.

I did the experiments again, holding the real key as close as I could to the fake and the lock. No response. I even tried holding the metal of the two keys together in case it wants electrical connectivity. Nothing. And the resistance of the fake is too small to measure.

How big are those RFID wave lengths anyway?

Leon

To answer the original question, distance is not the only issue. It wants the transponder exactly where the key should be. I managed to start the car by holding the box right next to the fake key, in the same position as where it would be if the true key was used, save for the 1/4 inch or so displacement the fake enforced.

Of course, that seems to be useless. There is no point in glueing the box to a fake key.

Leon

I must say our local dealer did give me two keys. They are a quite decent dealership, and I have quite a lot of trust in their service department. They are just relatively expensive, no doubt due to the fact that competition between dealerships does not really exist in Tallahassee and its immediate surroundings. Let me point out that Tallahassee *does not have* an immediate surroundings. ;)

Leon