2003 Mitsubishi Lancer
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in San Diego

2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Transponder Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

Got a call from a woman over in Old Escondido, one of those side streets off the older grid near Grand Avenue. She had a 2003 Lancer and she'd been down to one key for a couple of years. Kept telling herself she'd get a spare made. She never did.

The housing on her key had cracked along the top edge, probably from being dropped one too many times. She'd been ignoring it, holding it together with a rubber band. Then the blade snapped at the shoulder when she tried to work it out of the door lock. She had the fob body in one hand and the blade stuck in the cylinder.

I extracted the blade first, checked the cylinder for damage, and it was fine. Then I opened the cracked key housing. The transponder chip was sitting right there, intact. On a job like this, that matters. If the chip reads clean, I don't have to run an all-keys-lost procedure, which adds time and complexity. This one read clean.

I decoded the lock while I had it apart, cut two new blades on the spot, and transferred the original chip into a fresh housing. Programmed both keys, tested them in the ignition, tested the doors. She had two working keys in about 35 minutes.

The whole time she kept looking at the chip I'd set on the hood of my van. Small thing, smaller than a grain of rice, but it's the reason the car starts. She said she didn't realize any of that was in the key. Most people don't.

She saved a good chunk compared to what the dealer had quoted her for a replacement. And she finally had a spare.

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