New Transponder Key Problem

[arash007ir]

Hi Guys ,

I bought a 2000 ES almost a month ago , and the previous owner managed to lose one of the Master Keys and Break the other one , so all I got now is the valet key which doesn't work niether on the trunk nor on the glove box .
So I ordered a transponder Key from Ebay :

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemVersion&item=110524688751&view=all&tid=518751163001

I took the trunk lock cylinder out and had it rekeyed because I wanted the blank key made from the Master key not the Valet key so it works with trunk and glove box too . that cost me $ 35 .
Then he told me it's goanna cost me $ 75 more to make a duplicate from the key he just made for me and transfer the codes from the valet key to it .
After I showed him the key that I got from Ebay , he took the from me and went to the back of the shop and came back after couple of minutes and says I checked the and it's no good , it has already programmed and I can't redo it again .
So it got me thinking how is it the a blank key has codes on it .
I took the key to some other locksmith and he said it's not "JMA" key and we can't do it , our machine only does JMA keys .( which is the same machine that the first locksmith had ). I asked him to check the key anyways , he checked it and the key showed codes . But he said it can't be done with this machine , this only does JMA keys .

So which one is it :

1 - The key is no good and has already programmed when I got it .
2 - The key doesn't work with JMA machines cuz it's not "JMA Key" ( as the 2nd locksmith said) .
3 - He took my key to the back of the shop and programmed it with some other key , so I have to buy another one from him .

sorry it turned out to be such a long post .
I wanted you guys to know the whole story .

Many thanks in advance.

[varroa]

i don't know if this will be of any help to you, but here's what happened when i decided to make a duplicate of my master key:

i just went to a local locksmith, and told the lady that i need a key. she said it'll be $75 and started cutting the blank (she had a blank that was similar to the galant's, and it had the transponder).

then she proceeded to pairing the new key to the ECU. she told me that in order to program a new key, she will have to reset the immobilizer and then re-program both the old existing key and the new one. and that's what she did. both keys work fine now.

so what i got from her actions and talking to her later was that our particular type of the transponder-equipped key has a number already built in, and when they pair the keys to the ECU, they just record the keys' numbers into the ECU memory.

so, in that light, it seems "normal" that your key "already has a code on it", and it's just a matter of programming that code into the immobilizer portion of the ECU.

* all this ^^ is just my opinion, based on what the locksmith told me.

[arash007ir]

So the whole process of programming the key and ECU must have been done on your car, but these guys were doing it differently.
They put the key in that machine (JMA) they had, and give it the code.

I made a duplicate for my previous car and the whole process was done in the car, but he didn't change the code on ECU because I had couple more key which was still working after I made a new one .
I think they pair the key with ECU somehow.

[arash007ir]

This is exactly the kind of machine they were using, and those are the JMA keys.

[varroa]

the locksmith hooked up a thing that looked like the diagnostic handheld computers (size of a huge brick) to the car and then programmed the ECU with the keys in the ignition, one by one. she fucked up the first time and the car wouldn't start with either key, but then she fixed it.

[arash007ir]

actually I was reading the manual last night and it was saying the same thing . all the keys and ecu has to be programmed again.
But there was another topic here , which was saying that if you have 2 Master keys you can add more keys (up to 6) without any diagnostic tool or anything . which isn't going to work for me , because I don't have any of the Master keys .

Does anybody know where I can get this done in Chicago ?

[varroa]

i say just start calling all the local locksmiths

[arash007ir]

Well , I went to the dealer today , and they took care of it .
cost me $ 60 . and half an hour to program my own key .
If you buy a key from the dealer it is gonna cost $ 85 for the key only + 60 to program .
I got this for $ 12 of ebay .

BTW : I test drove the 2010 Lancer GTS today , it was great . Liked the 6 speed transmission , very seemless gear changes .