amiracle91

I know it’s a total shot in the dark, but do you remember your VIN?

neutrino

I recently bought a used 2015 Cayman S with just one key fob. Today I spoke to 3 Porsche dealerships in my area (Bay Area). They quoted pretty much the same price for a spare (parts + labor) - $745, $750 and $790. I also called one auto locksmith and they also quoted $750. Finally, I called a locksmith who has 5.0 rating on Yelp with 445 reviews, and has done a lot of Porsches, and he quoted $480 for a single fob, and another $100 if I need a 3rd key (I don't have entry+drive, he mentioned it may be more expensive). He said he works with high quality keys, and has some warranty, so I might go with that if I decide I want the piece of mind of a spare key

barncobob

Porsche tax.

neutrino

I called a couple of more auto locksmiths today. So the price is about $450 across the board (push to drive type key fob), and they have 1-year warranty. One of them mentioned he needed to take out the panel under the steering column to do it. Ouch. He mentioned that there is another option, if I don't want the panel taken out - if I provide an original key from the dealer (should be around $350), he can do the programming for $250. So the total would be about $600.

barncobob

thats what i paid years ago,,,ask deler to throw in leather Porsche key ring fob.

eskachig

I'm in an exact same situation, down to the model, year, and location - except that I have entry and drive. Did you have any luck with the locksmith?

neutrino

First, one correction. An original key from Porsche dealer is not $350 as I thought. It's more like $500 when I called specifically for this. So the second option I mentioned is not really worth it. The only cheap option is the $450 with the locksmith removing the panel.

Meanwhile I shared this with my Porsche mechanic, and he recommended going to the dealer ($800). He said these locksmith keys may stop working after a while. He ignored when I told him they give a warranty, but said it may be OK, if this is your spare key.

So far I have not pulled the trigger. I guess I am betting that I will never need an emergency second key.

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PhilNYC

Here's a thought.

The mid 90s-2000s Ferraris had used a set of 3 fobs, 1 master and 2 slaves that used a rolling code to disable/enable the car's security system. Most f- car owners maintain originality and these fobs were getting impossible to maintain. There's a really good guy who uses the handle "gobble" on Ferrarichat that figured them out, decoded the software on the fobs and can reprogram and reproduce them specific to each car. Maybe reach out to him to determine if he do the same with Porsche fobs.

Sandy639

Can you share the name of the locksmith you used in the Bay Area?