General Has anyone had to get a new key?

[TrevC]

I've stupidly mislaid or lost the spare keyfob for my 500X. It has keyless entry and start.
Has anyone had experience of the process and cost of obtaining a replacement? I'm bracing myself for a call to the Fiat dealer tomorrow.....

 

[s130]

Could be painful to the wallet. Suggestions.

1) After making the call to get the price etc. then hold off for a short while. The missing key may turn up

2) *Immediately* get a mechanical key cut from the emergency key in your remaining fob and store it somewhere safe. This would be your last and only means of quick entry to the vehicle for recovery and allowing the Fiat dealer to connect their kit to the car to program new keys.

NOTE! The 500X does not have a Security Pin Code that can be ordered or has been published unlike the old Fiat Code I and Code II systems. The necessary code/authority is a dynamic interchange between the vehicle, Fiat WiiTech and Fiat servers.

Let us all know how you get on.

 

[TrevC]

I did think of getting a quote from here:

https://www.replacemykey.com/vehicles/fiat/500x

I'd rather go the official manufacturer's route though. I'll see what they say tomorrow. I'll give full feedback to the forum, I'm sure I won't be the only idiot to lose an expensive key.

 

[s130]

Well a quote comparison from ReplaceMyKey, coupled with extra info such as are old lost keys deleted, etc. would be informative for us here.

 

[irc]

I did think of getting a quote from here:

https://www.replacemykey.com/vehicles/fiat/500x

I'd rather go the official manufacturer's route though. I'll see what they say tomorrow. I'll give full feedback to the forum, I'm sure I won't be the only idiot to lose an expensive key.

Have you checked your insurance (car/home/breakdown/packaged bank account)?
I appear to now have 2 different key replacement policies (AA and car policy)... Fortunately I haven't needed either yet, but both seem to have been added on as "freebies" without me noticing over the last few years.
They both appear to cover the replacement and reprogramming costs completely. Although I expect there's plenty of small print if you actually make a claim. Or maybe I'm just too cynical...

 

[TrevC]

That's a good suggestion, I hadn't thought of checking for that. I'll look out the paperwork tomorrow. Thank you.

 

[Geolith]

Hey, I found this unlocked virgin key on eBay!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-2016-F...MITY-REMOTE-FOB-TRANSMITTER-KEY-/122523469195

 

[TrevC]

Well, yesterday was an expensive day.
Firstly, neither my RAC cover nor my home insurance include key cover.
The Replacemykey website didn't respond to my reg. number.
So, I bit the bullet, and after a final search phoned the Fiat dealer. I then went over there with V5 and ID, and ordered another key. This comes from Italy, takes 7 days and costs an eye-watering 261.70. When it arrives, I go there and they reprogram my remaining key and the new one. This costs a further 50 quid. If I ever find the missing key it will no longer work, but could be reprogrammed to become a second spare.
The guys at the garage couldn't have been more helpful, courteous and sympathetic. Obviously there was no point in ranting at them about the cost, but it is outrageous, even if it is self-inflicted.
Presumably they will cut the emergency mechanical key to match.
Oh, and thanks for the link, Goodcoin, but that key is different to mine. No PANIC button on my key, although it would have been appropriate when I found I'd lost one!

 

[Alboreto]

Sounds about right, I got my car 3 months old, but they still wouldn't supply a remote spare, think I paid about 200quid, it's not a keyless entry one,

 

[s130]

Presumably they will cut the emergency mechanical key to match.

The fob will/should already come with the correct emergency key already cut. The programming will take care of the rest.

Gone are the days of simple mechanical keys. The crooks always win. No matter how sophisticated the security gets, which costs more money, "if they want it they will get it" and so when we have a lost of failed key we have to pay a fortune to replace it. Yes we end up paying more and more.

 

[TrevC]

Its the first time in 45 years of car ownership that I've lost a key, just had to be the most expensive one.Just hope the rest of the process works OK, I'll report back when it has happened.
It's a warning to second hand buyers though - if the car is offered with only one key, make sure you get a good chunk knocked off the price to cover provision of a spare!

 

[s130]

These expensive industry security models also sort of become self defeating compared to good old (but admittedly old bulking etc.) traditional solutions.

Today, when people lose a key they often get their remaining key cloned. Not ideal but saves money and gets them back up and running. The insurance companies will never know unless they catch the owner with two identical keys. Not going to happen.

Some have had the security removed from their ECUs. Again until the car is stolen and an insurance claim comes through AND the car is recovered then the ECU security nobbled state will not be known. And when recovered who can prove the vehicle owner had the mod made and it was not the crooks that took the car.

Please note I'm not condoning owner's cloning keys, bypassing security etc. but in reality a simple bill of £600 to £1000+ to legally and correctly replace and engine ECU, Key Control Unit and possibly locks as well (more cost plus) waged against the vehicle value is not affordable. On the other side of the coin a perfectly good vehicle gets scrapped (criminal environmental waste) because of closely coupled expensive security systems.

But this is possibly what the car manufacturing industry wants. Trash a perfectly good vehicle for the sake a key etc.