2009 Toyota 4runner
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in Ventura County

2009 Toyota 4runner Transponder Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

I was parked off Linden Avenue working on something else when the call came in from the Concha Loma neighborhood in Carpinteria. A woman had one key left for her 2009 4Runner, and it had snapped off in her hand.

Not in the ignition, thankfully. Just the head separating from the blade from years of keychain weight and wear. She found the two pieces on her kitchen counter and figured she was in for a long day.

She wasn't.

I got there, confirmed the blade wasn't damaged in a way that would complicate the cut, and got to work. The 2009 4Runner takes a specific blade profile, and I cut a new one to match the original. Then I connected to the OBD port, accessed the immobilizer system, handled the transponder registration, and confirmed it on screen.

What I noticed when I tested it: she had a tiny bit of hesitation in her voice when I turned the key the first time and paused before the second start. She'd been burned before by someone who handed over a key, said "good luck," and left. So I started it three times in a row. Walked around, waited between starts, and ran it long enough that she felt it wasn't a fluke.

She asked if the dealer could have done it faster. Maybe, I said. But they would have needed the car towed in, probably kept it overnight, and the number they quoted her when she called earlier that morning was not close to what she paid me on her driveway.

That's kind of the whole business model right there.

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