I tried to have a spare key made at Home Depot for my 2001 CL-S. It locks/unlocks the door and turns/cranks the ignition but the engine won't turn over. Do I have to get a spare through Acura? Is there some kind of chip in the key?

 

Yes - there's a chip in the key and it needs to be coded the same as your others. You need to bring in one that's working and they can code.

 

Acura will charge about $35 for the chipped key. Use the one you made as a door spare.

 

About $35 huh...Thanks for the responses.

 

Well each dealer is different on prices. You have to call around to see who is cheaper. I've seen some dealers charging for the key alone $50 then another $50 to program it! You can program it yourself do a search, the instructions were posted a while back.

 

What programming would be involved? This is for a key, not a remote (fob).

 

It almost is a remote. The chip sends a signal to the car to start the engine when you are trying to crank.

 

But there is no programming I can do. The programming is in the chip the dealer puts in the key.