Forums Forums Enthusiast Forums A - Z Autowirral Mini Cooper Key Programming

hello guys and girlies ,
i needed a spare key for my mini so phoned up Halliwell jones the mini garage near chester and they quoted me £125 for a new key and for it to be programmed and cut for my mini. i nearly dropped the phone when they said the price coz i had in my mind about 30 quid and thought that was a lot lol.
anyways i got home and went on good old ebay and have bought a key for £11 and it needs a new blade part and cutting to fit my car then reprogramming. i dont mind all this messing coz its gonna save me a lot of money but does anyone know where i can get it cut and know how to programme it?
mini garages charge £60 to programme keys which is a joke lol. i will be greaful for any help.

nope...had exactly the same problem with the audi key..nowhere but dealers or bmw specialists can do it...you need the software to match it up..and BMW keep a very tight lid on key programming to stop key duplication = car theft...hence why you pay lots of cash.....

you can get the blade cut from a decent digital foto of the original on ebay tho...but it will just open locks and not start the engine...

think your gonna be handing over the cash unfortunately!

Try Lates - http://www.lates600.com/plips.htm - they specialise in MG Rover fobs, but of course the MINI was designed and developed by Rover and may have a similar system as the Rover 75 since they were both developed at the same time and both under the then BMW-owned Rover.

Drop them a line, see what they say. They are usually a lot cheaper then advertised prices anyway, most people I know have got fobs programmed for like £15 - £30.

thank you guys its worth a call isnt it. will let you know how i get on. eek £125 for a key is so expensive especially when im saving for new wheels lol.

Try Newhall cars in West Kirby (625 3838).They sell new BM's and Mini's. But not a franchised dealer.They also have a place on Durley Drive in Prenton. Trim technik or something like that..May well be just as expensive but worth a Try

Why cant Ja help you?
I would have thought he knows about them?

i have asked jay and he is unsure how you programme the key but he said he knows that i will be able to get it cut somewhere because they just take the blade out and put a new one in then cut it for your car but i dont know wheres the best place to do this.