Ok everyone - I only have one key -due to the abuse the dealer took at my hands over the deal we made - they are not interested in helping me acquire another key easily or cheaply [this was not a Porsche dealer]

Most of the threads here are years old - so - can anyone help me find a second key? I know I will need to take it to the dealer to program - in Southern Cal and can get almost anywhere like Vegas or Phoenix in my airplane - have relatives in both places so I have excuse -

Questions:

Can they re-program a key programmed to a different car?

Buying a key blank and a head online [ebay or Suncoast] that was programmed to another car? How about that?

Any dealers, former employees or friends here can steer me to a decent dealer that has normal human beings and not the snobs of West LA and Calabasas?

I'd be happy to steer business to friends and family to not pay $350-$400 for the pleasure.

 

I am in a similar situation -- car only came with 1 key and I'd like a spare. While going the "traditional" way seems the easiest (buying transponder, having blade cut, and then having dealer program it all), I thought I could outsmart the system and bought a couple keys from other 997s from Ebay. So, they have already been programmed. Bought them from a locksmith with tons of positive feedback. But I jumped in a bit quick.

While I haven't tried it, the preliminary feedback I've received from the forum as well as a couple Indy's with PIWIS is that you can't reprogram a key that was already associated with another car without some 22-digit code (that came with the key originally). I'll gladly sell the keys (I bought 2) to you cheap if you want to try it out!!

Although you are quite a bit north of me, I know that at least Redline Motorsports, Hergesheimer, and Newport Beach Porsche all have the ability to program a new key. I think from a pricing standpoint your best bet is to buy the parts from Suncoast and then have a Porsche dealer in your area do it unless a local Indy has a track record of successfully programming keys and/or coding with PIWIS.

However, I don't think you are going to find anyone that will charge much less than an hour of labor ($110-$180 or thereabouts) to program the key. And after the cost of the blade and transponder, you are definitely going to spend $300+ on this.

 

Look for a new key head on eBay or online for about $170. Then take it to your dealer for key cutting and programming. They may farm out the key cutting but should be able to program it to your car. My dealer sent me next door to the Audi dealer for a key blank and cutting for $20. You should be between $250 to $300 total.

 

thanks - will get a virgin key and blank and make it happen in a couple of weeks -