2011 Infiniti Qx56
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in Ventura County

2011 Infiniti Qx56 Smart Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

A restaurant owner over in Windsor North/River Ridge had been fighting his 2011 QX56 for a few weeks before he called me.

Not a dead key situation -- the fob still worked, the truck still started -- but the ignition was giving him grief every single time. He'd insert the key, get resistance mid-turn, sometimes sit there for a full minute coaxing it. He ran a valet operation at his place, and his guys were starting to complain.

He'd already been to the dealer. They told him the lock cylinder was worn and gave him a quote for a full replacement: new cylinder, new key, reprogramming, the whole package.

I drove out and looked at the cylinder myself. The wafers inside were worn, which is what causes that sticky mid-turn catch. It's a friction and fitment problem, not a dead cylinder. I decoded the lock, replaced the worn wafers, and cut a fresh key matched to the repaired cylinder. His existing fob registered back through the OBD port without drama. I laid the old wafers on the hood so he could see exactly what was causing the problem.

The ignition turned clean. The fob worked. Nothing got replaced that didn't actually need replacing. He saved a good chunk compared to what the dealer quoted, and the whole job happened in his parking lot without a tow, without a service appointment, and without leaving his truck somewhere overnight.

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