Hello friends, when I bought my 01 CLS it came with only 1 key, i went to the dealer and purchased a new blank (charged me $30) and now they are telling me that to program it they charge $250... i think it is too much... is there a way around this? only the dealer can program the key? any help will be really appreciated. Thanks

 

go to a different dealer that is way to much should be no more then 1 hour charge

 

there is only one dealership here... that is why they charge what they want... does anybody know if there is a way to do it myself?

 

some beter locksmiths can do it aswell

 

It takes special equipment to code the key so I don't think you can do it yourself. Is there a Honda dealer in your area?

 

it shouldnt be an extra $250 to program it! I think they are trying to pull a fast one on you...I had the same issue, mine was $30 for the key and programmed....

 

same here... but it was $25 for me. thats the key cut and programed...

 

u r getting raped the dealerships around the bay area only charged for the key and free programming and cutting.

 

I think you should print out this thread and show it to them.

 

Are they charging you $250 to reprogram your car? You only need to reprogram your car if you loose both keys and they have nothing to duplicate the codes from. Since you have a working key, cloning the code to the new key is cheap as many others in this thread have stated.

 

I just bought a key last week from one of the three local Acura dealerships. It was $24 for the key, cutting, and programming.

 

They programmed my key from a code in a book. They took that code from my vin if i remember correctly...

 

They just took my original key and made the duplicate from it.

 

what area are you in?? so in case anyone else in your area get a heads up if they ever run into this also

 

He might be in Mexico (guessing from the IP... We've got a few non US and Canada members here... At least one in Puerto Rico too.

I'd recommend finding a honda dealership to get a price quote...

 

didnt kno they got Acura's there =x

 

well a dealership here in miami was trying to charge me about 150 to get it cut and programmed..

 

I think they launched Acura down in Mexico back in 2004, but I could be wrong...

 

Hello, thanks for all the input, I live in Panama (central america... panama canal ring a bell?) there is only one honda dealership here, they do not import acura's, i bought mine in the U.S. and shipped here (i have the only cls in the country, there are no clp or tl nor any of the newer models, only a few rsx and old integras around here). The honda dealership is charging what they want because they know there is no option. I will call acura customer service in the US but i don't think they can do much. What kind of special equipment is needed to program the key? (just to know). For the person guessing from my IP... i am now in the dominican republic, due to my job, i have travel a lot through the caribbean islands. I enjoy a lot this site, is always full of information and everytime learn something new. I bought this car because i have loved since the first time i saw it. Now it has 70K miles (01 model), tranny was serviced when new by acura in the US, no problems with it yet... only issue is with the dealership, they are robbers, all parts i have needed i order from delray acura (less than half of what the dealership quotes me), i ordered the key through the dealer just to make sure they would guarantee it worked... they never told me the price for programming ($250), i thought it was included in the $30 i paid. Any help i can get will be highly appreciated.
By the way: If anyone wants to come for vacation to Panama, let me know, you can be my guest and I guarantee tons of fun.

 

If you make it to the States walk into any Honda dealership with your key and vin, they shuld set you up in just a few minutes. My key was $35 if I remember right.

 

If you don't need a key immediately, have you considered stopping by a Honda or Acura Dealer in a city you visit? Do you ever get to stop over in Miami?

 

Haha this reminds me of when the local Honda/Acura dealer didnt have any Acura keys left. They were on backorder too (was really weird) and so they gave me a Honda key at a small discount of $3.. So I paid $22 for that one..

 

thanks a million my friends, i am very often in Miami (usually just go strait to the beach), i thought the actual vehicle was required to program the key but now that you tell me it is not needed to bring the car, just the key, i will take it to a dealer in miami (together with VIN and proof of ownership) and see if they can help me. Thanks again and count on me if there is anything i can help with and be sure i consider this site part of my family (count with my support at all times).

 

I am fuming right now. I know this thread is kind of stale, but I just called three locksmiths and a local dealership in South Florida and wanted to jump through the friggin phone. I have a working key and I recently purchased a blank just to have an extra for my 01 cl. The best price I found to cut/program was $90. That is clearly BS!!! This can't take more than 10 minutes and that's being generous in my opinion. I don't mind paying what seems fair for something, but come on...$165 one place quoted to cut and program a damn key. The dealership I ordered it from quoted $15, but they are in another state so I'm SOL with that deal. I'm going to keep looking and I really feel like bashing these locksmiths all over the internet, but what good is that going to do me?