2002 Toyota Avalon
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in Ventura County

2002 Toyota Avalon Transponder Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

A renter in Downtown Moorpark called me about his 2002 Toyota Avalon. He had one working key left and wanted a spare cut before anything happened to it. The dealer had quoted him a number that made him stop and think for a second, and then he went looking for another option.

I parked at his building and started where I always start on these: VIN check, door jamb label, confirm the build origin. His was a domestic-built car, which matters because the programming flow on Japanese-built examples can run differently. Knowing that before I touched anything saved time I would have otherwise lost mid-job.

I decoded his door lock to get the blade depths, cut a new key to match, then ran the transponder enrollment through the OBD port. The whole thing took about 35 minutes at the curb. He watched most of it, asked a couple questions, and seemed genuinely surprised that the job happened right there next to his car instead of in a service bay somewhere across town.

His total was a fraction of what the dealer quoted. Same key, same chip, same programming. The dealer has a parts counter, a service writer, and a building lease to support. I have a van and the same tools. That's where the difference comes from.

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