I am a new owner of a 2004 HCH MT. I am very pleased with it (only 200 miles in) but my car only came with 1 key and fob from the dealer I bought it from. I called my local Honda dealer and he told me that I need to set up a service call and the keys are $45 each + $93 service charge. I had originally planned on getting 2 master keys and a valet key, but $239.40 (after tax) just seems unreasonable.

Am I just stuck going this route since they have a chip in them? Will the replacement keys be like the 06's and have the fob built in or am I stuck buying the keys and then buying the fobs as well?

--Larry

That's strange- my 2005 HCH came with two master keys, a fob and a valet key. Isn't that standard? Why would it vary from dealer to dealer?

I remember once our Geo Prizm had to get a new key and we had to wait a long time for the mold to come all the way from Japan (even though it was supposed to be an American car). It was pretty expensive, too. I guess sometimes they just give you no choice.

All modern vehicle keys are very costly, there is no way around that unfortunately. If you purchased privately, ask the previous owner for the extra's. If you purchased from a dealer, ask them to get you keys or pay for them (or at least pay for part of the cost). It's likely you may not have any luck anyways... but it's worth a shot. If you have multiple keys programmed at the same time there should be only 1 programming charge, not multiple charges...

Your car was supposed to come with two regular keys and valet key as others have stated.
Your dealer should provide those to you free of charge with sincere apology.

If they refuse I'd contact Honda.
-Steve

Efficient drivers do it better.
1003 miles a tank personal record. 74MPG calculated. HCH1 CVT

I agree, but by reading the post I suspect that he purchased it used from a non-Honda dealer. Obviously, calling American Honda will do him little good if that is the case.

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the replies.

Yes, I bought this 04 used from a non Honda dealer and it only came with one master key and one fob.

You are right, only one $93 charge for as many $45 keys that I want. Just seems a little exorbitant for something that I would guess takes a few minutes. I guess I'll just suck it up and bite the bullet. I'm saving more than that on gas as my previous vehicle got 14MPG on a 100+ mile commute.

Has anyone else gotten a replacement key for GenI? Will I get the new fangled key+fob deal that the GenII's have? Or will it be like my current, a Honda key and a separate Honda fob?

Thanks again everyone, I have really enjoyed reading this board!

Almost a couple of years back the guys on the Honda Pilot boards (hondapilot.org) wanted to fit the 2005 Pilot key & fob to the 03-04 models. Though it could be done it was way to much work for me (or most members for that matter). It involved taking the chip from the old style key and installing it in the head of the new one piece key and fob. Apparently this was because it was a totally different type of chip and the new one could not be programmed to the old one.

So, if the same holds true for 05 to 06 civics, the answer would be that it is possible, but likely not worth the time and/or effort.

I personally find this difficulty inexcuseable. They put so much effort into the security system that it makes the key huge and unruly, expensive to replace, and the security features dont really work anyway. A skilled thief will steal your car whether it has chip protection or not.

Heres the real kicker... you are about to spend nearly $250 on new keys which are expensive because they have anti-theft devices inside. My insurance deductible on a stolen car is $250. Its almost cheaper to have the car stolen than it is to get a new key. Now thats an absolutely worthless security feature (actually worse than worthless because it gets in the way).

I dont want a fob and I dont want a big plastic knob screwing up my keyring. All I want is a regular plain old flat metal key... or at least one with a small plastic coating. Also, ever notice how the GenI key is a full inch longer than it needs to be? (and at least an inch longer than any other key i have ever owned for anything). After inserting the key it still sticks out more than an inch. WTF were they thinking?

As for your costs, the $93 charge is probably for a minimum shop labor charge, typically one hour, no matter how small the job. Perhaps you could wait until you need some other service on the car, and ask them to do that during the same hour and get more for your money.

I found a place on the 'net that claims to have OEM blanks available. Of course, I would need to find someone to cut the keys and find out if I can even program the keys into the car without external hardware. Has anyone done either without going to the dealer?

Thanks!
--Larry

Update: Went to a local locksmith that claimed he could cut transponder keys and reprogram the car to accept them. I roll in this morning and he tells me that I have a "Sidewinder" key with a transponder and he cannot cut keys of that type.

I have an appt to my local dealer today, this time they told me they will do it while I wait, but the wait may be at least an hour. :::sigh::: At least he did confirm that the GenI and GenII key transponders are not compatible. Seems silly to have Honda maintain so many transponder lines if the previous have not been compromised.

Thanks everyone.

Thanks!
--Larry