2015 Altima Lost Key Fob...

[JeffKeryk]

Dan only had 1 key fob. The mobile locksmith came out with everything needed, including the new key fob.
2 hours after the call to the locksmith he was back on the road; Dan only lost 1 day of work.
And his car didn't get trashed, towed, etc.

Expensive? Heck yeah.
But it's fixed.

Will he learn? Dunno, hope so.
Will I learn? Probably not. But I do save my money... Ha!

 

[KneeGrinder]

Every vehicle that I have ever bought at an auction that did not have a FOB, or a chipped key, I always stopped by the dealer on the way back to the shop with the car on the trailer. I have never paid more than $200.00 for one FOB or key.

When a locksmith has to come to you, your at their mercy. That's a bad place to be.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by JeffKeryk
Gotta love all those 20-20 hindsight posts...
I was helping a friend in need.

Of course now he sez he is gonna get 2 more...
2 for $70 on Amazon and $15 each to program.
And I will be keeping one.


As others have noted, it's not really hindsight when you only have one key and you do nothing to get a second key. It's a well known failure method known as single point of failure. You always try to avoid that in any situation. To mitigate that, you'd normally get a second key or maybe attach one of those lost key bluetooth devices to your only key. When you don't do it, then when what seems like the inevitable happens, then there's really no one to blame but yourself for not taking precautions.

That $670 key is more than a Mercedes key, they charge $300-$500 for a key and it takes a couple days to be sent one from Texas, depends if it's a regular key or a keyless go one. The newer cars have even more expensive keys. I think one of the cheapest cars out to get duplicate keys would be the Ford/Mazda ones, you can use a free software package called Forscan to actually delete and add keys to the car's computer.

 

[barryh]

I mislaid one of my car keys for several weeks and only found it yesterday. I had got as far as pricing a new one. £300 from a Mercedes dealer or £200 from a local Auto locksmith. The Fob itself is only £16 so it's a good earner for these businesses.

 

[Hootbro]

After normal prime 9-5 business hours, most Mobile Locksmiths are then on call at home or doing normal life stuff. Calling and getting off hours service and you are going to pay a 200-300% premium for that service.

Been a few years but I locked my keys in my truck and had to call a mobile locksmith service at about 1am. Guy showed up in his sleep cloths and basically told me it was going to be either $500 for a fresh key cut or $250 for him to slimjim my door and get the keys already in there.

 

[Doc8404]

Here's the site i use.
Then take to local lock smith.

Plan for the future.
Especially if you have kids driving

https://www.keyless-remotes.com/

 

[Eddie]

I would never accept a new or used vehicle with only one key. Exception would be to lower price by dealer cost for additional programed key. Ed

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted by Eddie
I would never accept a new or used vehicle with only one key. Exception would be to lower price by dealer cost for additional programed key. Ed


Yeah, I've talked to used car dealers and they've admitted that they build in the cost of the extra key if it just has one into the price because they know everyone will want two keys.

 

[Andrew1972]

I think he paid at least double dealer cost.

 

[klt1986]

Originally Posted by madRiver
I think he paid at least double dealer cost.


I think you are about right. Friend of mine left the keys to his wife's 2015 or 2016 Altima with push button start on the back bumper of his truck. Next day he was driving down the road when he suddenly remembered putting the keys on the back of his truck. He found them a couple miles down the road but as luck would have it, a vehicle had run over the FOB. He tried putting it back together but it would not work. Dealer replaced the FOB with a factory Nissan part and programmed it for $325.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted by SirTanon
....... I bought a 2013 Altima about 6 weeks ago, and it came with just one key. I went on Amazon and bought one of these keys for $40, and had a local locksmith here in Phoenix program it to my car for $45. Took him all of about 5 minutes.

Now, if he had lost the ONLY key he had for that car, that may have thrown a wrench into the works, but as far as I know, a locksmith with the right equipment can program any number of keys to these Altimas without a whole lot of work.

Bottom line, this kind of thing is EXACTLY why I went and bought a 2nd key for the car ASAP, and got it programmed as soon as I had it. I have since tucked my original key away in a secure location, and I'm using the new, aftermarket key fob as my only/main key. If, for some reason, I lose the key I'm using, I'll be buying another immediately and getting it programmed.



Good to know it's not all that expensive to have a new later model Nissan FOB made for you aftermarket style.

I do believe the extra FOB the dealer supplied me with for my 2016 Quest was all aftermarket. The internals don't look the same between the two. You'll get familiar with that with Nissan FOBs as the big'ol button battery in them don't last that long.

 

[dadto2]

I think now that he paid through the teeth for a new one, he's going to find the original in 5... 4... 3...

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted by dadto2
I think now that he paid through the teeth for a new one, he's going to find the original in 5... 4... 3...

That is how it works usually. Then they come back to us and demand a refund on their cut key.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Originally Posted by dadto2
I think now that he paid through the teeth for a new one, he's going to find the original in 5... 4... 3...

Yeah, but he won't be the one crying...