I have a 2003 Z, which I bought in 2003. These things come with two keys, two fobs, and a valet key, as I'm sure you all know.

Business trip in late 2003: Key and fob dissappear, presumably from hotel room. Real fun ensues upon returning home, but I have the spare set so a taxi ride is all that's required to fetch it and be back to the airport.

Last month: I have an upcoming business trip, and before it, I drop my dogs off at a friend's house. When I arrive, I have a key and a fob. When I go to leave, just a fob. I look for two and a half hours, and finally get a ride home for the valet key. The next day I go to the dealer and order the key: as most of you know, due to the anti-theft measures, you can't just dupe the key like normal, they have to program it to the car. The key arrives, I make an appointment, but work pops up a meeting and I can't make it. I reschedule it to last week, where the Denver snowstorm you may or may not have heard makes me miss that appointment. Still no problem, I figure I'll deal with it when the snow melts a bit- in the meantime I've been driving my wife's Subaru station wagon.

Today I empty my pockets before bed, and look, no key. It was definitely there this morning, but today involves all sorts of driving around, an anniversary dinner, and parking lots with lots of snow (and even more by now). I search all the places it could have fallen out of my pocket that are inside the house or second car, no luck at all.

So now I have 1 fob. I can get into the car, at least, but that's it.


Now, I can call the dealership tomorrow and have them guffaw at me, but I figure you guys might be able to stifle the smirks long enough to tell me-

1- What is the procedure for setting up a new key? Does the car actually need to be present? Does a working key need to be present? What exactly does the dealership want $55 for?

2- There is a mod that lets you start the car from a special fob. Anyone have any information on this? Something like this would presumably show me enough about the ignition system to get it down to the dealership. I have a service manual somewhere as well, so I could probably get the dash open and such.

3- The anti-theft system seems mostly to serve as extra money for Nissan. Are there third party places that can do this? Is there a way to make it like a normal car? I know Zs get stolen like any other car, and I remember reading on slashdot that the encoding used by the keys was broken a couple years ago.

Basically, am I going to have to get my car towed because I lost a key?



Anyway, thanks. At least I can amuse!

 

I can only answer your question based on my experience.

I've gotten a key cut from the dealership without the car or a key present. I had to give them my VIN number and proof that I owned the car (Insurance card). They can cut you a key for 5 dollars that'll just open the door but to start the car you need a special key even if your factory alarm is disarmed. The Zs and Gs have a special key with a microchip inside that transmits to the ignition. Without the chip the car will not start. Next time you get a working key, point the key at yourself and look down to the base. You will see a little square notch at the base. That is where the chip is located.

 

You have to go up to the parts dept. w/ insurance card and they will look up the key code via nnanet. It is a 5 digit code. Then all of the keys and or keyfobs have to be present in order for them all to work. Then they program the keys with the consult. The keyfob you can do yourself, just been a while since I have done it.

 

Buy 10 keys/10 fobs and give them to 10 different friends/relatives.

Buy a key and have it implanted in your hand.

Stop making so many posts!

 

go to a carmax, they fab new keys for almost every car on the lot and can fab one for you as well. i would look into maybe haning your key from a big a$$ hubcab or block of wood so you dont loose them in the future. lol!

ooohhh look what I found just for you!!!

http://www.keyringer.com/

 

Simple. Go to the dealership (which one by the way?) and present them with the VIN and ownership documents. Even better if you speak to the rep you bought the car from. Dealers can look up keys based on the VIN. Once they are cut, they will program them and your fobs with the new code.

 

The dealership (the one I've been talking with is the closest Nissan dealer to my house, formerly John Elway Nissan, currently Go Nissan) claims that I will need to have my car towed there (presumably at no small expense), and that then they can do all the necessary work.

I don't understand why they don't have both the key shape and special magical key codes tied into the same database, so that, like some of you said, all I should need is the VIN and proof that the car is actually mine, and they should be able to crank out something that not only fits, but also works. Do you guys think I should call another dealership? Should I ask local places to see if they can give me a new whatever-I-need to make it work with $5 supermarket keys instead of $80, $55 labor, appointment based keys that I have to order a week ahead of time?

My wife, normally one to comment on unneeded expenses, has quite kindly refrained from pointing out the obvious: if I had *any* other car, I wouldn't even have this issue, because I would have 5 spares in two drawers, like I do with her car.

Pretty bummed about the idea of having my car towed first thing Tuesday before work over to the dealership.

Anyway, thanks for the helpful posts so far, much appreciated!

^cfalcon

 

you should just get a finger touch start up in your Z.. where it only knows your fingerprint on a finger screen and when you touch it... VROOM!! that will solve all your problems

 

it's the same way with hondas I get people calling me all the time to make new keys!
1. car must be present in order to program it with the interlock mechanism in the key.
2. all keys must be present or they will become simple door keys (unlocks or locks but doesn't start ignition)
3. person must validate they are owner of vehicle (i.e. registration, insurance, owner papers)

 

Is it John Elway Nissan on Arapahoe? I bought my Z there; very nice people indeed. Talk to Bob, their parts mgr., or better yet, Gene in service. The latter is a specially standout guy who will try his best to work something out for you. The programming can be done mobile, so ask him if they can send someone over for a nominal fee with the cut keys to reprogram the car.

You're missing the point of the chip-based system. The transponder in the key has to match the code in the ECU and each is programmed identically, albeit individually to make one recognize the other, hence necessitating the presence of the car and all fobs during code reassignment.

 

Your Z is trying to tell you something: "DON'T DRIVE ME IN THE SNOW AND WRECK ME!!!!"

 

They didn't mention this as a possibility when I asked if there was anything besides having it towed (I think I talked to Gene), so they probably don't do it there. I guess I will try to call another place and see if they, uh, make housecalls.


Well, if each key broadcasts a sequence we'll call A, which is recognized by the ECU as matching an internal code, it stands to reason that a good database would know, indexed by my VIN, how to reconstruct sequence A on a new key, instead of having generate sequence B, and then recode the ECU to recognize that instead of the original A.


Hrm, owner papers? I have registration and insurance obviously, is this something I'm not familiar with?

 

Dont You have the 5 digit key number?
I suppose You can go to the dealer with the number and they'll
make You another key?

 

ok, my post won't contribute much, but when I first read it I thought you meant it came with two asian guys. then, being I thought it over, and was about to say did those two asian guys steal your keys?... but decided against posting that.

now, i'm just wondering, are fobs our keyless remote? and wth does it stand for then?.

ChiShi

 

Is fob like, a new racist word or something?

The key fob is, to my knowledge, the keyless entry thing that has the buttons on it for unlock, lock, panic, and pretend-to-open-trunk-but-not-really.

 

Again, you're missing the point. That sequence A you're referring to isn't a result of a mathematical algorithm created with a list of parameters that an ECU comes precoded to deem an accurate transponder code. That is the way computer software activation keys are generated instead. Hence, it is relatively easy for someone to reverse-engineer the algorithm, recreate it, and then begin generating millions of keys of his own. I have such key generators so know how they work. The software packages they are designed for do NOT have a built-in database with every possible key; they just include the same algorithm with recognizes the entered key's alpha-numeric sequence and unlocks the software (a popular way of turning trial downloads into permanent use software).

Put simply, that sequence A does NOT currently exist in a Nissan database anywhere, nor is it on your ECU. It has to be created for your keys' transponders by the dealership, and then they will create an identical one for the ECU. And physical presense of keys, fobs, and the car is for good reason; you wouldn't want a crook to simply gain access to such a "database", read your VIN in a mall parking lot, code a transponder, and merrily drive the car away at his leisure, would you?

I cannot explain it any better

 

FOB = fresh off the boat, generally applies to asian people =P