Key replacement - 1998/99 Corolla Car

[bunk2000]

Hi,
I have one key for my Toyota Corolla (S-Reg) 98/99. (Gen 8)

The key itself has a big crack in it and although it is still operational, I
need to get a replacement before it snaps in half!

I have spoken to my local Toyota dealer and they say 'because it is a sub-key,
they need to replace the ignigtion barrel and get a new key programmed in....
oh and it will cost about £300 ($450)!!!!!'

I find it difficult to believe that it'll cost that much money to just get a
replacement key. I don't understand why I would need a replacement barrel.

Has anyone else gone through something similar? Are they right in what they say?
Is there a cheaper alternative?

Thanks, Martin

[Ukrainian102]

Not really sure, but if its one of those keys with a microchip in it, it might end up costing more than you think. Although $450 is a bit over the top.

[Raddman]

Originally Posted by bunk2000

Hi,
I have one key for my Toyota Corolla (S-Reg) 98/99. (Gen 8)

The key itself has a big crack in it and although it is still operational, I
need to get a replacement before it snaps in half!

I have spoken to my local Toyota dealer and they say 'because it is a sub-key,
they need to replace the ignigtion barrel and get a new key programmed in....
oh and it will cost about £300 ($450)!!!!!'

I find it difficult to believe that it'll cost that much money to just get a
replacement key. I don't understand why I would need a replacement barrel.

Has anyone else gone through something similar? Are they right in what they say?
Is there a cheaper alternative?

Thanks, Martin

There's a thin wire in the steering column that wears out in time from turning your ingnition on and off and quits sending a complete signal to you module/computer....99% of the time its not your key(with the chip in it) the key replacement(with chip) from the dealer alone costs $35..my friend just had this same problem and paid $25 to a locksmith to bypass this signal going to the computer(took 10 minutes for him to do, this a simple procedure) and now he can use any regular key to start his car with no security light coming on and no problem starting...but if that worries you then the other option is paying the $450 because that's about the going price from a dealer...hope this helps...Radd Guy...

[trdcorolla]

is your corolla a ve, ce or le. Mine is a ce and it doesnt have the chip in the key. The dealer might be just scamming you. If there is a chip just go to a keymaker and they can do it ALOT cheaper.

[Crowbar911]

I have an 01 coorolla and I just had my key break. I went to the dealer, and they made a perfect copy of my key out of my vin number. I know that the 01 rolla's don't even have an option for a microchip, so im guessing that you don't.

[Raddman]

Crowbar, welcome to the forum but you have to check when the last post was made and its almost a year on this thread...The guy might have sold his car by now....

I'm not trying to be a smart ass just trying to help you in future posts...

[TakuSkan]

Originally Posted by Raddman

There's a thin wire in the steering column that wears out in time from turning your ingnition on and off and quits sending a complete signal to you module/computer....99% of the time its not your key(with the chip in it) the key replacement(with chip) from the dealer alone costs $35..my friend just had this same problem and paid $25 to a locksmith to bypass this signal going to the computer(took 10 minutes for him to do, this a simple procedure) and now he can use any regular key to start his car with no security light coming on and no problem starting...but if that worries you then the other option is paying the $450 because that's about the going price from a dealer...hope this helps...Radd Guy...

Does anyone know anything about the 'thin wire' Raddman mentioned here? Or perhaps how to bypass the signal going to the car's computer?

I thought the tumbler in my old '98 Corolla was wearing out until I learned about the microchip in the key from reading a few similar forum threads. In the past few weeks I've found the key will inititially start the car when I leave home. But when I park to shop for a while, when I return the key refuses to turn. I thought wiggling it for 3-4 minutes finally got the tumbler to work. But now I suspect there's some problem with the microchip/computer interface.

Can anyone give me a few suggestions on how to address this without an expensive visit to the dealership?

Thanks