Question 1

Do I have to go to the Nissan dealer to get a replacement key for my 2000 Maxima?

Accepted Answer

No. A mobile locksmith with the right equipment can cut and program a replacement transponder key for your 2000 Maxima right where the vehicle is sitting. The dealer route means calling ahead, scheduling a service window, and arranging a tow if you have no working key. Then you wait while they treat it like a full appointment even though the actual work is not lengthy. We come to you, whether that is a driveway off Moonlight Beach or a parking lot anywhere in Encinitas, and handle the cut and programming in one visit. No tow fees, no shop supplies line item, no waiting room.

Question 2

What exactly is a transponder key and why does my 2000 Maxima need one?

Accepted Answer

A transponder key looks like a regular metal key but carries a small electronic chip embedded in the plastic head. When you turn the key, the immobilizer in your Maxima sends a signal to that chip and waits for the right coded response. If it gets the correct response, the engine is allowed to start. If the chip is missing, unprogrammed, or registered to a different vehicle, the immobilizer blocks the start.

This is why a freshly cut key blank with no chip, or a chip that was never programmed, will not start the car even if it turns smoothly in the ignition. The mechanical cut and the electronic programming are two separate things and both have to be right. Your 2000 Maxima has no remote buttons on this key. It is purely a turn-key with an anti-theft chip inside.

Question 3

How long does the dealer process take compared to calling EZ Car Keyz?

Accepted Answer

Dealers block out time slots for this kind of job the same way they block out an oil change. You call, get a quote, schedule the appointment, and if the car is not drivable you arrange a tow. The actual programming on a car this age is not a long process, but the scheduling overhead adds a day or more. Some owners report leaving their vehicle overnight just because the service department could not fit them in.

With EZ Car Keyz, you call and I come to you in Encinitas. The job gets done in one visit, on site. No tow, no overnight drop-off, no waiting to hear back.

Question 4

My Maxima cranks but stalls out immediately after starting. Could this be a key or immobilizer problem?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it is one of the more common complaints on early-2000s Nissan forums for this generation of Maxima. The pattern is almost always the same: the engine turns over fine, fires briefly, then dies within one or two seconds. No trouble starting mechanically, just that immediate stall.

That behavior points to the immobilizer not completing its handshake with the transponder chip. It can happen when a replacement key was cut but the chip was never programmed, when a chip has failed inside an old key, or occasionally when there is a fault in the immobilizer antenna ring that sits around the ignition cylinder. The antenna ring is a small component but it is the bridge between the key chip and the vehicle security system. If it goes bad, even a correctly programmed key will not communicate properly. Diagnosing whether the problem is the key itself or the antenna ring is part of what I check before recommending a fix.

Question 5

I found a replacement key blank online. Can I bring it to you and just have it cut and programmed?

Accepted Answer

Sometimes, but it depends on what you actually bought. The chip inside the key head matters. If the blank has the wrong chip type for this generation of Maxima, it will not register to the immobilizer no matter how well it is programmed. I have seen people show up with blanks that look correct on the outside but carry a chip that is incompatible with this vehicle's security system.

Bringing your own blank is not automatically a problem. Just know there is a chance it does not work, and if that happens you are not out the service call, you are out the cost of the blank too. I carry the correct blanks for the 2000 Maxima, so if you want to skip that risk I have what the job needs.

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