mudboy

My wife lost her keys (well, some of her keys) and with it, her key fob for my 07 TSX. She didn't lose the key...don't ask, I have no idea how that works either, I'm just married to her.

Anyway, I need a new fob (#2). Called the dealer and they want $86 freaKing dollars for a key fob.

Eighty.
Six.
Dollars.

And that's without "programming", which I understand I can do myself rather than having the dealership charge me a left tibia for it. What is it made from, unicorn ivory and the tears of Navy SEALs?

Anyway, are there any other options out there, aftermarket sources for a fob that will work without any problems?

Another option, one that has a bit more appeal to me, is to see if a 2009 TSX switchblade will work with my 07...has anyone tried that? Does it work? It'd be cool to be able to replace my key & fob with just a key...my old Passat was a switchblad, and I liked the design.

Thanks,

Pete

frank1123

well you can replace your keyfob by looking on ebay, I don't think they should cost much on there and programming it is really easy. The 2009 tsx switchblade key is laser cut key but you can buy one that is milled down from a moderator here that sells them. His name is AJ (csmeance) and he sells them for a pretty good price, $105 shipped. Go to http://www.switchbladekeys.com/ for more info.

sortudo7

You have an 07 TSX and not an 09. Don't buy the 09 key. The dealer can do the programming for a compatible immobilizer chip (usually $60-$100) but the 09 isn't compatible with our 1st gen TSX's. They would have to entirely swap out your immobilizer chip since they are totally different from our cars (idk how much they would charge for this). Plus side it won't need to be programmed since it's the same chip but will still run you some money. You can do it yourself if you feel comfortable hacking up your original key and trust yourself not to mess up the chip. You will also need it to be cut to your specific car.

Instead, you can use a 3G TL key fob that is unmilled and get it milled and programmed for you since their immobilizer chips are compatible. You can go to Marcus at Heeltoeauto.com. Send him in your key and he will do everything for under $200 bucks. Give you a genuine Acura key switchblade fob, mill it, cut it, swap immobilizer chips so you don't have to pay the dealer to program it. It should work fine, any issues and he will back it and try to fix it for you. From people's experiences with it they all say they work great so I would go that route. You can also just send him your key and order from him the milling and FOB itself with cutting of your key and it will be like $156 I think and then have your dealer program it for whatever they wanna charge you to do it.

Don't confuse programming your FOB with the programming of the immobilizer chip. The programming of the FOB is to lock and unlock the doors which you can program yourself. You need a dealership or someone with equal means to program the immobilizer chip as that is what will tell your car to start. Overall I would have Marcus do the milling, cutting, swapping of chips because overall it will still be cheaper and more convenient to have it all done at the same time.

mudboy

Hmm, OK, good info. I'm not a car nut, I just drive 'em, so I didn't know about incompatibilities and such. Just finding a replacement fob seems like the way to go, or I could just not let my wife drive my car ever...after all, she might lose it.

Seriously, my wife loses a lot of stuff. It's my only complaint. At least she hasn't lost our kids :P

Thanks for the info,

Pete

litesout

The switchblade key isn't that tough. It has to be one from the 07 TL. They're very common. AJ (Csmeance here on the forum) is a top notch guy. We tested the switchblade key on my 08 TSX and it works great, as it will with your 07. It will cost you the charge of the key, the cost of having it cut at either a locksmith or the dealer and the cost of having the immobilizer in the car programmed to accept the key. For me it was $100 for the key (I met him at the locksmith where he had the key, so no shipping) the cost of the cut (was $5 at the locksmith if I remember right) and a half hour of labor at the dealership for them to program the immobilizer. That was $45. I got it last summer and its working flawlessly. If you're interested in going that route, I recommend you visit his site and look at the FAQs section. If you get the key, he'll also send along instructions for you to program the buttons to lock/unlock the doors, pop the trunk, etc. as well as instructions to give the locksmith before cutting the key.

www.switchbladekeys.com

Alternately, if you just want to buy a new fob I'd just check ebay. You can get a new fob there cheap (under $20 shipped last time I looked.) If you do a search on the site here, you can find instructions for programming the car to accept the new fob.

Just be aware that any programming for new fobs erases the existing fobs from memory, so you'll need them all when you do the programming. The dealer also had me bring all my keys when they programmed the immobilizer for the new key. That also eliminates the posibility of the old fob being used to open the car. If you have any other questions, feel free to pm or post here in the thread.

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

We just listed a bunch of new info on the Fastline Performance switchblade as well:

http://www.heeltoeauto.com/pages.php?pageid=12

There is a very informative download as well as pics of the FLP key versus the competition. Check it out!

Marcus

xenonhid

This is Great. Any one here tried out the FLP keys yet?

MrHeeltoe

iTrader: (1)

We've sold at least 50 of these here and probably over 100 total since March.

xenonhid

^^ Thanks Marcus, Anyone in the Seattle Area, which dealership did you guys go to do get the Immobilizer chips reprogrammed?