Duplicate Porsche Key

My dad recently bought a 2007 Cayman S with 85k miles and some deferred maintenance. Engine is solid and it was mostly suspension and minor mechanical and cosmetic work. It got a clean bill of health from the dealer and a specialist before he bought it.

He is ready to get it back on the road but he only has one key for it. The dealer wants $475 for a key and programming. Do any of you know of a cheaper alternative?  He is thinking of hiding the programmed key somewhere in the car and using a non programmed key as the everyday key. 

Thanks!

Just pony up the dough.  Potential for much worse if the one programmed key goes missing.

Sometimes I think the dealer just throws the other key away so you have to buy a new one from them. I had to do this with a Mustang and GTI recently. Next time I’m negotiating for a spare key.

Also, there is no cheaper alternative. I’ve tried.

I recently bought a '06 F250, completely base model work truck. I had only one key and went to dealership where I was delighted to be informed that' 06 Super Duty was the last year offered w/o chipped key. 

DEALERSHIP price for a new key was $2.43. Yeah, less than a Starbucks coffee! 

Make sure that price includes a free wash and vacuum as part of Porsche service.  Drive until its dirty, then get a key.

I took apart my 996 key looking for the actual reason why my 'real' key would start the car and the 'copy' wouldn't. At least on the 996, it comes down to a tiny little 'pill' stuck into the key's case. The actual circuit board in the key for the keyless entry is completely unrelated. I thought about simply sticking that 'pill' under the trim right next to the ignition switch so either key would work, but i never got around to it. There is at least one place in England that will copy your physical key cut just by sending them a good picture, and they will mail you the copy.

Vigo said:

... I thought about simply sticking that 'pill' under the trim right next to the ignition switch so either key would work, but i never got around to it....

I have done that on a few 1999 - 2001 986s and a VW Passat. It worked well. I have been informed that I am foolish for defeating an important security feature. I live with that shame (and a few extra hundred dollars in my pocket). Here's my old write-up on the 986 Forum. I doubt that it will apply to a 2007 though:

http://986forum.com/forums/diy-project-guides/56448-diy-making-cheap-spare-keys.html

In reply to John Welsh :

Superduty trucks have the keys without the chip. My excursion spare key was 250 bucks because it has a chip.  Guess what though, my 06 f250 was stolen with a false key in less than 2 minutes. Which apparently can't happen with excursion. Why Ford decide to do them differently? Who knows!

In reply to yupididit :

My F250 is a true fleet vehicle as a former Ohio Department of Transportation pickup truck.

The Ford guy was not real clear but further wording may have been that '06 was the last year offered with a "chip delete" option. As a real fleet, I can see the value of cheap keys vs additional security. 

One more reason to dislike dealerships. They have got you and they know it. $475.00 for a key? Ridiculous. 

PMRacing said: He is thinking of hiding the programmed key somewhere in the car and using a non programmed key as the everyday key.

That's what I did, sort of.  As mentioned above, what you do is open the key and remove the glass pill that holds the transponder.  On my 911, the transponder has to be pretty close to the ignition switch for it to unlock.  I removed the trim around the switch and glued the transponder to it with silicone, then snapped it back in place.  Then I ordered a new key blade from keys in the post (the UK place) for $15 and an eBay fob.

 I have been informed that I am foolish for defeating an important security feature.

Bah.  No one knows you have defeated the security feature, do they?

In reply to noddaz :

Only the entire internet.

I don't know about the Porsche but there are a local high-end lock shops locally that do transponder keys for almost anything for about half what the dealerships do.  

In reply to PMRacing :

Send me a PM, I may be able to help to a degree.

On a related note, is there any market for a used modern key? My father's 2017 VW was totaled and he's got a spare key fob for it in perfect shape. Obviously it would need a new key cut and to be reprogrammed, but can that be done? If so, is it worth selling it? Or is it just an expensive but useless lump at this point?

The transmitter might be worth something if it can be synced with another car, but the key blade and transponder are worthless.  New keys come with a 24 character code that tells the DME to accept the 8 character RFID code in the transponder.  You also need a PST-2 to interface with the immobilizer.  Most people don't have the tools let alone the codes, hence the extortion er.. service fee dealers are able to charge.

In reply to Gearheadotaku :

I didn't get one.  Can you send to phil(at)philmatherracing(dot)com?

I also tried to email you through PM here and it bounced back.  FYI

Thanks!!!

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