Original Gen 1 keys

have the locksmith reset the imobiliser and add new master key/s aswell as the sub key your buddy has. most locksmiths can do this.

 

The car originally came with two master keys (black plastic handle) and two fobs, as well as one valet key (grey plastic handle).

Here's an alternative to paying big $$ to have additional master and valet keys made: just make a few mechanical keys that are based on the valet key, probably cost $10 or so, each. Cut off the head of the original valet key and tape it near the ignition key cylinder in an inconspicuous place. Then you should be able to use any of the mechanical keys to start the Prius.

 

Worth checking into ... in theory this isn't supposed to be possible without buying a new transponder key ECU ... just like in theory there shouldn't be key cloners. In practice I've seen services advertised on the web to reset the ECU you've got, so it wouldn't surprise me if your locksmith can do it.

How much of the $85 you were quoted for the clone key was for the blank itself and how much for service? I was able to get key blanks online for about $17 but they had ordinary chips, I didn't need the clonable kind because I have my master keys. I don't know how much more clonable blanks cost. Both of the Ace Hardware stores near me have cloning machines in their key departments. I don't think they charge $85.

If you want keys for several family members cloning may still be your best option. I think the ECU can only remember 2 masters and 1 sub at any given time anyway.

-Chap

 

This approach, which I have dubbed the "immobilizer trick", and it appears to be a foolproof solution.

My local professional locksmith (he mainly does security and safe jobs, but also an occasional Gen 1-type automotive transponder key ... or equivalent competitive key ... but, alas, no Gen 2 or Gen 3 fobs) stocks transponder heads separate from the mechanical portion, and he mates the two before delivering the result to the customer.

For the "immobilizer trick" to work, you need only have a Valet key, but having a Master key is OK, too.

After the new transponder key is confirmed to work, have the locksmith separate the transponder portion from the mechanical portion, and then tape the transponder portion to the immobilizer ring, and hide both of these inside the steering column.

Then, make as many purely mechanical keys on an ILCo X217/TR47 blank as you may need. Certainly at least two.

If your locksmith is really smart, he can attempt to duplicate just the first ten positions from your Valet key (will not open the trunk), thereby turning it into a Master key (will open everything).

Finally, place your Toyota key, whether Valet or Master, and the mechanical portion of the duplicate, which you had the locksmith remove for you, in a very safe place.

Thereafter, you would operate your Gen 1 as if it was a 2012-2015 Prius c One, using only the mechanical keys and no fob.

In a perfect world, the Valet key may not be used to register additional keys, but the Master key may indeed do so.

But, you most probably don't want to register additional keys, anyway, and any duplicate transponder keys which a locksmith may make for you will be precise duplicates of your "exemplar" key, not needing to go through the key registration process, as the "exemplar" already went through that process at Toyota.