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I recently bought my '97 XK8 but it came without a spare key. Since there is no Jaguar dealer anywhere close to here and no one in town can cut one I asked the Jaguar dealer that originally sold the car how much it would cost to cut me a key. The answer I got back was that the part # is C2N1962, $261.37 for the key, $165 for programming + taxes. My Ford F150 also has a chipped key and a spare key cost me $110.00 for the key, programming and taxes included. $426.37 + taxes seems a little excessive plus there is a 9 hour drive involved each way. Are there any options for me to get a spare key other than paying this price or is this the sort of thing that's one of the joys of owning a Jag? I do have the dealership that sold me the car trying to get the spare key.
eBay vendor carlocksandkeys sells the proper Tibbe key, already cut to your car. Follow the instructions on the following post (basically send him a good quality picture of your existing key), and pay for the posted fee, he will send you a key. As already posted, 97 US cars do not have the chip in the key to prevent hot wiring, so no programming is necessary. I assume your Canadian car is the same.
I used the above referenced service on my '97 for a spare key. No chip / programming necessary for my vehicle. The new key does work, but the edges on the key are sharp, while the old key was quite worn at the edges. The new key has some difficulty being inserted or pulled from door lock / ignition, but once in it does work. I will keep it as a "spare" key, which was why I bought it, but will continue to use the worn key to prevent more wear on the locks / ignition cylinder.
Thank you very much for your help. As far as I know, from the Jaguar dealer that originally sold the car, the key is chipped.
I will be contacting carlocksandkeys to get a spare to unlock and lock the door. Maybe it will work in the ignition.
Thank you very much for your help. As far as I know, from the Jaguar dealer that originally sold the car, the key is chipped.
I will be contacting carlocksandkeys to get a spare to unlock and lock the door. Maybe it will work in the ignition.
Thanks again,
Tom
My Jaguar dealer here in Vegas gave me the same story! Either they don't know the '97 was not chipped, or they just say that to cover themselves.....
the Jaguar dealer that originally sold the car, the key is chipped
Check the plastic key handle. There is a small internal space for the chip (the size of a big grain of rice) capped with a plastic plug. This plug is visible on close inspection. Yours likely does not have one.
Other test is to wrap the key handle in aluminum foil as best you can and try to start the car. Hopefully, the aluminum would prevent the exciter ring from getting to the crypto chip and refuse to start the car. Your '97 will likely start right up.
Worst case, this mechanical key can be drilled and supplemented with a chip later. These Megamos 13 chips are generally available on eBay. Programming it one way or the other would be extra, though.
My key does have a large plastic / rubber plug in the middle with the growling Jaguar logo.
I will try the aluminum foil wrap when I get home from work tonight. Thanks again for the
help. You folks and this site is great.
PS: The wildcard here is that your car is Canadian, possibly different from the US cars. '97 UK cars, we are told, definitely have this transponder chip. US cars definitely do not. I earlier assumed US and CA are the same, but maybe the Canadian market is considered a higher risk for car theft, and the transponder was mandated from the beginning. Might have been a good way to lower insurance premiums...
Last edited by fmertz; Aug 2, 2019 at 11:18 AM.
Reason: PS
Thanks for the information and yup, it's definitely chipped.
Filed under, "you learn something new everyday" and for me
everyday I get to spend with the car I'm learning something
new. As a new Jaguar owner I'm discovering lots of things are
different than in my North American and Japanese vehicles.
Thanks again for every ones help.
So, were you able to confirm this with the aluminum foil trick? I suppose the presence of the plastic plug does not guarantee there is a chip in there. Maybe all these Jaguar keys come with it, chip or not.
I came home tonight from work and tried the aluminum foil around the head of the key
trick and the car started right up. After reading the last couple posts I am now leaning
towards no chip but.....? I'm going to order up a key from carlocksandkeys and see
if it starts the car then I'll know one way or another.
I used the above referenced service on my '97 for a spare key. No chip / programming necessary for my vehicle. The new key does work, but the edges on the key are sharp, while the old key was quite worn at the edges. The new key has some difficulty being inserted or pulled from door lock / ignition, but once in it does work. I will keep it as a "spare" key, which was why I bought it, but will continue to use the worn key to prevent more wear on the locks / ignition cylinder.
A dremel tool with a polishing wheel will break the sharp/machined edges.
While it is possible that a used key might have the same code, it is unlikely.... but you won't know until you know the codes. If you can get a good picture of the used key, you should be able to decode it and see if there is a match. The key fob should be transferable to your car. You will have to program it ( and maybe reprogram any others you have at the same time). See post 8 in this thread
The key is definitely cut different than mine. I have ordered a key from carlocksandkeys
using the link for decoding the Jaguar Tibbe key. I don't know if the key has a transponder
chip or not. My original key does have the pocket for the chip but after reading motorcarmans
post and trying the aluminum foil trick that fmertz suggested I just don't know. I'll find out
when the new key shows up. Thanks for the link for programming the fob. I;ll definitely try it.
Question about getting a spare key
