When you buy a modern car, usually it comes with two or three remote keys.

I'm only getting one. I'm going to assume that the original owner or dealer have the other two.

Possible to make it so that the remotes don't work? How? Dealer? Cost?

Maybe it's not useful? Since they probably have the mechanical key as well if they have the keys.

Don't worry about it? Or what do you guys do?

Make the dealer make you a new key. You should make it a condition of buying the car that they include 2 oem factory keys.

For my car, as long as I have the 2 factory keys, I can program up to 6 more keys to start the car and 2 more fobs to open and lock the doors and pop the trunk. If I only have one of the factory keys, then I have to go to the dealer or a lock smith and pay them to make extra key copies.

I wouldn't worry about it. It's not worth the trouble.

Not a huge market for stolen LX570 or their parts.

If the vehicle is at home, then they can just as easily break into your house to steal actual valuable things. If they really wanted the car, the keys would be in the house.

The odds of them stealing your car from a random place out and about is really low.

Ebay

Programmed key fob or key can be quite an expense and hassle. Like said above I would make that part of the deal o have the extra fobs added. Some vehicle key fobs have to all be programmed together.

I had the same issue when I bought a used Lexus recently, salesman claims
Lexus only gives out one. I bought another one at the dealer right away,
which the salesperson was able to arrange "dealer pricing" for me, and had
it cut and programmed right away. You can ask the technician for a "master
reset" through the Toyota Techstream software and then only the two fobs
currently programmed will work. Get your salesman to hook you up. He had
the tech program my for free. I believe I paid $100 for the key fob with
blank and the key cutting.

I bought a used car and the seller said that he didn't have either of the two remote fobs. Just the keys.
So I bought 2 original OEM (They need to be original, not "compatible") fobs on eBay for 20 bux apiece and had them programmed locally by a locksmith for $40.00

Took 5 minutes.

quote:

When you buy a modern car, usually it comes with two or three remote keys.
I'm only getting one. I'm going to assume that the original owner or dealer have the other two.

Maybe... and it's worth trying to find out.
When I bought a car that only came with one key I found a record of the prior owner in the car and wrote the woman a letter.
I was very polite and offered to pay shipping if she could find the other key. I provided my phone number. Within a few days she called me, she had the key, verified that I was the new owner of the car, and she sent me the key.

While chellim's situation is ideal, I believe in most cases either the prior seller or the wholesalers of the cars tend to strip the second fob out of the deal and sell it on the side for additional profit. If buying from a dealer getting a second as part of the deal makes sense. However if the car is coming through a used dealer via auction, etc. the second fob is likely long gone.

I wouldn't worry about the person who had that key somehow tracking down the car and stealing it. They are greedy in most cases, but likely not felons.

Thanks guys. Okay, not going to worry about it too much. The fob also has a mechanical key so even if erased the fob (possible?), they would still have the mechanical key.

I'm not so concerned about car theft as perhaps maybe getting into the car and stealing stuff, possibly without even us noticing until much later.

But I'm not even sure if the original owner is local or not -- I bought from a used car dealer, not a factory dealer. Car could be sourced from anywhere I guess.

But at least, maybe when I register the car, I'll get new plates.

I'm just overly paranoid I guess.

Short of a new ignition (probably can't rekey the existing one), and all new keys (that need cutting), and all new fobs (that need programming), and maybe a new brain/computer module (if the existing one doesn't lock out old fobs) - which would be a few hundred bucks or so - you're stuck with it as is.

I wouldn't worry. The likelihood is small and that's what insurance is for.

Okay. Done. No worries, be happy. Stop being so paranoid. Drink less coffee.

quote:

Originally posted by 46and2:
Short of...... - which would be a few hundred bucks or so - you're stuck with it as is.

I admire your optimism. What you just described would likely in the 4 digit range easily.

Looks like konata is chilled now, so no worries!

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Thanks guys. Okay, not going to worry about it too much. The fob also has a mechanical key so even if erased the fob (possible?), they would still have the mechanical key.

The key will let them into the car, but if not programmed, the car will not even turn over.

I just had a key made for a family member who lost one. Took it to a reputable locksmith - less then half the cost the dealer quoted. Now that I have two, I'm going to program a third so that I have two unique key codes in case one of the three gets lost. The programming you do at home will disable any key not present.

If you lose the last key, it can get quite expensive to handle - you either need to pay towing, pay the locksmith for a visit, and you'll probably need to get new locks as well at that point.

You can have the car reprogrammed for a new code and program new fobs, but it's expensive.

I had it done on a '98 Ford Expedition about ten years ago and it cost me $200. I'd imagine it's probably about $600 now.

You should insist that the dealer or seller provide you a second fob or give you a credit for one. They can be CRAZY expensive to replace, some are $300 or more nowadays. You should always have a spare fob for when you lose or misplace it etc.

I bought a car at a CarMax type place and in my paperwork it stated that TWO keyfobs would be included with the car. Got home and realized they never gave me the second, contacted them and they didn't have it but told me they would honor my paperwork. Went to a dealer and had to shell out like $185 for one then sent them the bill and got reimbursed.

quote:

Originally posted by terma-nator:
I bought a used car and the seller said that he didn't have either of the two remote fobs. Just the keys.
So I bought 2 original OEM (They need to be original, not "compatible") fobs on eBay for 20 bux apiece and had them programmed locally by a locksmith for $40.00

Took 5 minutes.

This^^

Lexus has an official owner's club/website that you can register your car and see the service history. You will then have an idea where the car came from. If you have carfax on the car, it also shows the service history.

For what you're paying for the car, i'd insist on getting a second fob. Those things are like $400.

Each new or used car or motorcycle I bought in the past 10 years came with TWO key Fobs and an emergency key.

If the dealer doesn't have the second Fob, make him get one for free.