A friend needs a spare key for a 2012 (I think) fiesta. I’m pretty sure the dealership would charge quite a high price for such a thing, so I was wondering what other options there are.
Is it possible to have just a key without the key fob (the thing that has the unlock/lock/trunk/etc) buttons? Just the key alone would be adequate for the spare. I know modern car keys can’t simply be copied like a house key - there’s some sort of transceiver or something built into the mechanism - but is there a relatively cheap option to copy the bare minimum key with none of the extra remote features?
Otherwise, can you go to an auto parts store or some other sort of car shop to have a replacement key made/programmed for cheaper than the dealer? Can they be coded to match the original key? Or, I suppose, both keys coded to some new code.
Generally, the majority of new cars sold in the US come with a key which contains three separate elements: the blade, the transponder, and the remote. Many people who have transponder keys don’t know they have them because the transponder is barely bigger than a grain of rice and it’s hidden in the head of the key, with no buttons and no battery to make it work. Contrary to popular belief, it is generally NOT necessary to go to the dealer to get a spare key. If you go to a locksmith, it is almost always possible to have a spare key made which has just the blade with the right cuts on it (no transponder, no remote) which will turn the locks, allowing you to unlock the door manually but won’t allow you to start the engine. It is usually possible to get a spare key which has the blade and the transponder but not the remote buttons, so you can turn the locks and you can start the engine but you can’t unlock the doors remotely. It is often possible to get a spare key that has all three: the blade and the transponder and the remote buttons.
The 2012 Ford Fiesta key is a little different from most other Fords. Rather than the common H92 key blank, the Fiesta uses the HU101 which locksmiths may not have in stock; it might be a special order item. The HU101 key blank has a transponder in it, but no remote buttons. The remote is available separately. The HU101 is called a sidewinder key and a special key machine is required to cut the key. I would be very surprised if a hardware store or auto shop would have that machine, but most locksmith shops would have one. Then there’s the programming. There are two options. The transponder in the new key might have its own identification code, in which case the locksmith needs to hook up a programming device to your car to persuade the car to accept the new code. Alternatively, the new key can be set to use the exact same code as the existing key; this is called cloning.
Typically, getting a key from a locksmith is 10%-50% cheaper than going to a dealership, but YMMV.
The bare minimum to be able to drive the car is a special order, sidewinder key, cut on a special machine, and either a cloned or programmed transponder. If you want remote buttons, you can get the remote separately. You can also get a transponder key with built-in remote buttons. Most automotive locksmiths can help you with all three of those options for the 2012 Ford Fiesta.
The actual chip/transponder just needs to be near the ignition. So one thing people used to do on Fords is make 2 physical copies of the good transponder key, then tape the good key to the underside of the steering column. Then the copies should both work to start the car since the transponder is permanently near the ignition.
This of course breaks any security a transponder key gives you quite a bit.
Obviously it’s not ideal, but you’re no worse off then we were in the ~90 years before car keys had transponders. I wouldn’t suggest it in a high-crime area, otherwise you can save a lot of money.
What I do is something similar. I only have one key which I leave in the ashtray (actually attached to a short piece of very light chain which reaches from the opened ashtray to the steering column lock). While I do have non-electronic keys (the $3 type any key making machine can make) I can lock the door with, I usually just leave the car unlocked and rely on obscurity and the fact that no one wants to steal old junkers.
My new ford Ford has a key for emergency use only. The fob stays in my pocket and I press a button to start the engine. No fob and it won’t start. Try to start it without the fob and (I think) it calls for help. Certainly it does if I crash it and set the airbags off. At any rate, they are pretty hard to steal.
Of course, what the crooks do is to break into your house, load your stuff into your car (having found the fob on its hook in the kitchen) and drive off.
My old car, I never used to worry - no self respecting car thief would be seen dead driving it. Then someone stole my bag - nothing valuable, it probably went in the skip when they opened it, but damned annoying.