New Owner - One Key

[Steve Graham]

First of all, hello. I've just bought my first Toyota, a January 2004 RAV4 xt4 vvti. I think the original owner must have sat down with the options list and a very large mug of coffee and ticked practically everything: leather interior, wind deflectors, front bars, side steps...

Typically for a second-hand car of this age, I only got one key, which is a minor worry. So after some internet study, including this forum, I bought a new key from carkeyhelp.co.uk -- not the full works with the remote alarm buttons: a solid-headed key but with the embedded immobiliser chip.

However, when I go through the procedure (5 accelerator presses, 6 brake presses, etc. etc.) to get the engine immobiliser to accept the new key, nothing happens.

The security light is blinking all the time, except when the original key is inserted, and at the part in the procedure where I remove the original key, it starts to flash again and completing the procedure doesn't affect it.

According to the company's web site, there are two types of chip in RAV4 keys, with the change happening in 2005, so I bought the older type for my 2004.

Does anyone have any ideas what might be wrong?

[flyboyprowler]

Hi Steve, and welcome to the forum.

I am certainly no expert, but would suggest that you check with the company you bought the new key from. I recently lost my BMW bike key, but one of the company's I contacted said they would need my spare key to program the new one. As you probably know, Toyota's keys are VERY expensive, but Toyota may also be able to program the new key for you, but unlikely!

Best of luck anyway.

[norush]

Steve, I'm in exactly the same boat as you having bought a key from the same place. Have tried every combination of pedal pushing and door closing with no joy. The only conclusion I've come to is that my existing key is a valet key and as such won't allow you to program a new key. The confusing part of it is that if indeed I have a valet key, it should take a few seconds to extinguish the security light, but mine does it instantly which is a sign of a master key! After several email conversations with Patrick from carkeyhelp, he suggested I send him my existing key and the new one he made to enable him to code the new key. As you can imagine, I'm a bit reluctant to post my only working key so as yet have done nothing about it. Did you have any joy?

[Steve Graham]

No progress. My original key extinguishes the security light immediately too. But as an experiment, I went through the sequence of key turns and door opens which is used to add an additional remote alarm fob (although I don't have an extra). At the point when the car responds by cycling the locks, it should have done it once for "add", but in fact consistently did two, which means "replace".

It's a wild guess, but I wonder if my car's computer is somehow "full up", and can't accept a new key.

I've meant to try to find a car locksmith with diagnostic gear to see if anything can be done, but haven't got round to it yet.

(I'm in Northern Ireland. If anybody knows of a useful company, please let me know.)

[Steve Graham]

Interesting that we both have 2004 cars, and the change to a new type of immobiliser chip is supposed to have been 2005.

[Joylove]

Sounds like the chip is failing to learn to the immobiliser. I found this problem, having bought various used key guts. I could use techstream to communicate with the car and delete all the old keys, and see that there was a communication error to the chips which made the LED extinguish. I only solved it by finding a new genuine remote guts on eBay.

http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=132157

[norush]

Steve, have a look here: http://www.locksmithcharley.com/transponder.html ,lots of info including deleting all keys except the one you have obviously! Might work for you but no joy for me. The annoying part about it is that I bought privately and was told that they had another key but just needed to find it and they would contact me when they did. After a couple of weeks they called to say they couldn't find it anywhere, damn!

Might take a trip to Mr T and see how much they want if there's no other options left. Let me know if you have any joy with the link I posted.