The R129, W163 and I believe even late W140 key fobs are affected by this issue of availability.
The W211 keys are just as bad. I was going to get a spare for the eldest’s E320 CDI until my friendly dealer parts guy chuckled and told me what my cost was. He said my reaction was nothing compared to that of consumers who come in and want to buy one over the counter (list price). Nope. A 99 ML320 will have a key with a transponder chip in it. It should be a “Mickey Mouse" key with a black plastic fob that has “ears” on it - unless it’s just the key blade. If that’s the case, the car would crank but not start. The straight key blade is only intended to unlock/lock doors. I have both the “switchblade” fob and a Mickey Mouse key for the wife’s R129. The fob will unlock the car at night, but not in the daytime as the IR stuff much be so weak it can’t see the signal when there’s ambient light present. -D > On Jan 14, 2020, at 4:43 PM, Buggered Benzmail via Mercedes > <mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > > This whole key business is complete BS. Apparently R129 keys are just now > becoming available in the US in some limited quantities, have been in yurp > for a few months. Spendy. I guess the IR lock part needs to be programmed at > the stealer. I think 210 and 163 keys are also quite spendy. > > On the 05 ML500 I had to reprogram the recognition of the key (which has a > small chip of some sort in the housing) using the fancy computer to pair it > to the car then a sequence of key buttons presses. The car computer only has > 8 keys (chips actually I think) it can recognize, I don’t think you can get a > duplicate of one you have had but a new key has to be paired against one of > the remaining codes the car will recognize. And of course the metal part > needs to be cut. The chip and metal key are apparently central to the thing > actually starting the vehicle. But the remote aspect does the (un)locking and > that is what the car listens for. > > There are supposed programming things ($$$) on eBay that will (re)program a > key but reports suggest its hit or miss. Some locksmiths “might” be able to > do it with some fancy box but I don’t know. > > I’m wondering if the 99 ML320 stuck in limp mode might have had a chipped > key. The 05 does but all I have for the 99 is a straight metal key, and I > can’t get the fancy computer HHTWIN program to talk to the car though a cheap > WiFi OBD reader will see some codes, so I’m not sure what the deal is with > it. The computer talks fine to the 99 E320, go figure. > > --FT > Sent from iPhone > >> On Jan 14, 2020, at 4:15 PM, Rick Hawkins Java Letterpress Cycles Photon via >> Mercedes <mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: >> >> Folks >> >> I lost the key to my 2007 Kia Sedona. And the remote. I screwed around and >> talked to some locksmiths etc who told me a bunch of lies and bullshit >> Anyway, with some difficulty I got the key code for free from Kia Country of >> Savannah Then I found a nearby locksmith who made me 2 keys for $50 which >> was too much, but they fit. These are NOT transponder keys which I does not >> have. Has anyone tried to program a $10 remote on a Kia? That is the next >> project >> >> Now, since I have the 2004 Dodge [sprinter] with only one key, I thought I’d >> look into getting a spare for that. I called the stealer in Savannah and >> they will happily sell me a switchblade fob and key for .... get ready for >> this .... $499. But wait, there is more THEN you have to contract with the >> service Dept to get that programmed ... I didn’t even bother to get a quote >> on that. They lost me at $500 for a key. >> >> Has anyone been here and done that? Either the Kia remote or a sprinter >> transponder key? >> >> Xx rick >> >> _______________________________________ >> http://www.okiebenz.com >> >> To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ >> >> To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: >> http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com >> > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
