Transponder Key at Home Depot?

[dpodo]

Posting in 4th gen cause I have a 4th gen. I saw where Home Depot (I'm just outside Atlanta, GA) has a sign up that says they can do transponder keys for various makes (Toyota, Honda, Chevy). The guy at Home Depot says they've never had anyone complain that the transponder key won't work. Anyone in this forum ever try a transponder key from Home Depot?

Seems like it would save a few dollars over what the dealer charges. Let's hear from you if you've gone this route. Thanks.

 

[Redwolf]

You should probably post this in general discussions. It will give you a better shot of someone actually using those keys. Also...I am interested on the answer, not sure I want to be the guinea pig though on this one.

 

[jimithing]

Your best bet IMO is to go a route like this:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/99215-how-make-spare-chipped-keys.html

 

[jengic]

I work at home depot, we legally aren't allowed to cut chipped keys and have a reader to check for chips

 

[Atlanta_man]

I recently bought two chipped key blanks off Ebay for $8 each.
Had a locksmith copy my existing key on to them, $2 each.
(They warned me they would not work)

Then I used the instructions on this forum to get them registered with the ECU.
Easy. Cheap.

 

[jmp55]

I recently bought two chipped key blanks off Ebay for $8 each.
Had a locksmith copy my existing key on to them, $2 each.
(They warned me they would not work)

Then I used the instructions on this forum to get them registered with the ECU.
Easy. Cheap.

Agree, this would be the best option.
I also bought chipped key blanks off Ebay, and had ACE Hardware cut the keys.
The guy at ACE Hardware said they are capable of programming chipped keys so I let them try but the final answer was a "No" for 4th gen 4Runners. But they only charged $1 for cutting, so who can complain about that?

Used the instruction on this forum and worked wonderfully.

This forum rocks!!

 

[ericjs61]

Re: Transponder Key at Home Depot

Hello Everyone, I am new to this forum and would like to share something with you that I found. I needed a 2nd transponder key for my 2005 Toyota Corolla. I purchased one on Amazon.com and went to Home Depot to have it programmed. I brought my original key as well as the real Toyota blank and they were not able to program it. Later I realized why....

Home Depot has unlock codes for the different model transponder keys for the brand of transponder keys they have. At this Home Depot, they use Hillman Transponder keys. This means that only a Hillman Transponder Key will work in their program computer they have. Because of this, they will force you to buy their vendor's transponder key.

In my case, my Toyota is capable of programming its own keys once they are cut from the original.

Also, while at Home Depot, one employee did tell me that he could not cut the key because it was a real Toyota key because it is copyrighted. "Crazy". I went to another Home Depot and no questions asked and the employee cut the key for me for free.

Now I have my additional key for only $7.56

 

[iBison]

1. Go to ebay and buy a couple keys for around $10 each. Make sure you have enough keys to keep a spare one at your house.

2. Take it your Toyota dealer to get it cut from the VIN. You'll need your registration and ID. Even my local dealer that charges 20% over list for parts cut mine for free. The key will be a perfect copy of the key that came with your truck new.

3. Use programming instructions in the link by nicolachel in the thread in my sig.

4. Drive.

I took one of my blanks to my home depot and they told me there was a good chance it wouldn't cut it right. They tried on a regular blank key and that key wouldn't unlock my door.

 

[black4vcobra]

Your best bet IMO is to go a route like this:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/99215-how-make-spare-chipped-keys.html

I literally did this yesterday and it worked.

I got the key blank off Amazon here for $8.61 + $1.98 shipping - Amazon.com: New Uncut Blank Transponder Key for Toyota 4Runner FJ Cruiser Tundra Yaris Avalon Corolla (Chip #4D-67): Automotive

it looks similar to the stocker except the head of the key is rubberized instead of plastic. I had it cut for $2.19 at my local Ace hardware store and followed the instructions above.

 

[ultrarevvin1]

I have been in the automotive key and remote business for 5+ yrs and there are 2 different types of transponder keys.

1) A cloneable key
Most of your hardware stores Home Depot, Ace...... will use a cloneable key. What that means is they take your current key stick it in a reader and pull the code off it. Then they stick the blank key into the reader and it encodes the key making a copy. This is fine but if your buying a key off ebay amazon..... your most likely not getting a cloneable key. So there style of programming is not going to work.

2)Unique Key
This is what you would get from a dealer, ebay, amazon..... Depending on your vehicle you may be able to self program it using 1 or 2 original keys. The other method that would work on all vehicles is diagnostic software that any good automotive locksmith would have. Basically you plug into the diagnostic port and it programs thru the vehicles computer.

Hope this helps clear up any questions.