2013 Mazda3 proximity key

Maintenance/Repairs
,
1

After CVT failed on my wife’s 2013 Nissan Sentra I sold it and as of yesterday I’ve became a happy owner of 2013 Mazda3 :slight_smile:

Now comes the issue…

Dealer had only one “proximity key” for the car (the one you never get from your pocket, AKA “push-to-start”), so I’m trying to get an idea how to make a spare key and not to spend $350-400 at a stealership.

Any ideas, guys?

EDIT: here is how key looks like - https://www.ikeyless.com/keys-and-remotes/Mazda/MAZDA3/2012/1004583

All the DIY procedures I’ve found so far imply you have two working keys, then you can add up to 6 keys on your own

2

Head to your local locksmith. They tend to be about half the cost of the dealer for anything smart key related, even for keys the dealership swore could only be obtained from the dealer.

1 Like
3

I would have started walking away when they did not furnish a second key at their expense.

1 Like
4

Yeah maybe see a lock smith but why beat your head against the wall? Sometimes you just need to pay up. We bought a new Acura but they couldn’t find the second key. They had to order it, then program it. I’m sure it cost them several hundred dollars. I also needed to get new fobs for my Pontiac and the dealer had to program those. About $125 but it was done right and they worked. This should have been part of the negotiation when buying it and they should have been responsible for the second key, but at any rate I wouldn’t put it off and just do it.

5

You can order a new key on Amazon and then program it yourself

6

Did you ask the dealership about this?
Perhaps you could even file a complaint through the system described in the paperwork that came with your owner’s manual.

It seems odd to me that any car would come with only one key. IMHO it’s worth checking into. Most families have two drivers, and if you’ve taken the other car to the office with the key in your pocket and the wife wants to go get some groceries she’d be stuck.

7

ok, so rundown is…

dealer: $350 or $140 if you bring your own key
local locksmith: $320 or $98 if you bring your own key

found exact FCC ID: wazx1t768ske11a03 online for $83

looks like my damage is tad bit under $200 if locksmith can do it or $40 more if I have to go dealer route

8

I doubt the vehicle manufacturer would be interested in a complaint that the previous owner of the car lost a key.

9

The time to negotiate for a second key was before you bought the car. The dealer would have ordered one and programmed it for you if you had made it a condition of purchasing the car. Of course they never offer it because it cuts into their sales margin. It’s an expensive lesson to learn these days with smart keys and keyless ignitions.

10

it was a non-Mazda dealer, I pushed them down to the point they were making little profit, but they wanted to get rid of this car before they have to pay taxes on it for standing on the lot another day, so it was unlikely to get the second key in the first place and I was not in mood to walk away since the rest of car is in sound shape

11

You’re right. I missed that it was used.