jeripens

One of the keys and a fob for my 2004 tl was recently stolen. Now i'm afraid someone out there will be by soon to pick up their new free car. does anyone out there have experience with getting a new key/fob? i'm hoping the dealership can reprogram the new key(s) and fob(s) so that the old one (the stolen one) won't work in the ignition anymore. any help???

JDM5lugHatch

Where are you? You will need a locksmith (like myself) to rekey the ignition, door and glovebox locks. Then the new keys will need to be programmed into the system and the other keys pushed out of the ecu. If you go to the dealership they are going to try and sell you all new locks. Also, call your insurance company to see if they will cover it.

jeripens

Here's the deal. I've been told a thousand things concerning this lost key/fob. First, I was told I'd have to get new locks all around. ($900) Then, a dealership told me I could get new keys/fobs and have them reprogrammed in the system. This would disable the stolen key/fob from working in the ignition.
What I'm looking for is a efinitive answer concerning this from someone with experience.

What do you think a re-key would cost?

JDM5lugHatch

That car is easy to rekey for the most part. The most time consuming will be the ignition though. So time and cost will play the biggest factor in price. First off try finding a locksmith in your area that has either an SDD or T-Code tool. If you find a locksmith with one of those tools he should be able to rekey the car and reprogram the transponders as well. I would estimate cost in the neighborhood of $250-$500 for all of that.

You do have an option to get the keys and remotes reprogrammed bumping out the old ones. However, doing so will still leave a key that will still open your car and turn the ignition on but not actually start the car. The problem with this is, you will never feel safe knowing that someone has a key that will open your car.

Now there is another option which is to rekey the car using the existing key. The locksmith might be able to make a few deeper cuts onto the existing key (if there is enough material on yours). Then he could rekey the locks to that key. The problem with this is that the transponder in your key will still be the same. So the person that stole the keys may not actually be able to get into the car which may deter him from ever trying again. However, say he breaks his way into the vehicle and the key won't turn the ignition so he breaks the ignition. The car won't start unless he holds the transponder up near the ignition/halo assuming he knows that and still has the key. Most people that steal keys won't go through all that work to take a car with the possibilty that they still won't be able to drive away with it.

So there are a few options for you to read through and consider.