Seems the price has come down a lot! By the time you go down the ak90 route you may as well buy a dealer one at that price
Replacement key
- Thread starter MaxUprite
- Start date
Hello ViperKen,
I was in Boldon last week and they quoted me £60 for a standard non remote key and £217 for a 3 button remote, when they checked the epc my 3 button remote key is NLA, I also want another 3 button spare key if anyone can give advice.
My understanding and it is a few months old now, is that there were supply issues with Silica the OEM. Perhaps they were never resolved, were and have come round again, some dealers have odd ones in stock I don’t know.
There are plenty of Chinese copies around. I let my key cutting guy decide which to use (he told me about Silica) as there are some nasty ones out there that break the machines the metal is so hard. Then I source a transponder and code it myself with an AK90. And complete it with a secondhand PCB from an old key off eBay.
The last one I had off him was actually a modern flick style with PCB. Which works perfectly following transponder coding/addition. Strangely enough as a spare for my Dakar 2.2.
If it’s a one off key you’re probably best going to a local auto locksmith. If you think you might ever need more look into the AK90, fiddly, requires patience and correct selection of transponder, not to mention removing EWS from under dash but perfectly doable.
Just collected a new spare key from Cotswold BMW, cost £61.04. Just tested it and it works, opens and starts the car. So all in all I am happy with that. Note though for clarity my car does not have a remote fob or anything like that, it is just an old fashioned key with immobiliser chip.
Well you can’t complain at £60 for a key that does all that. Not the next of the world no remote and saved yourself £100.