I learned a hard lesson over the past couple weeks. I lost a key ring with 2 Toyota Fobs (2 different cars - both Prius - a 2015 and a 2020). I should not have had two fobs on one ring. I should have had some ID on my key ring - some way to be contacted through a 3rd party. After an exhaustive search I did not get my keys back. Luckily I still had 1 working FOB for each car, so I was able to have a locksmith make copies. If you lose both FOBs for your car you could be out over $1500 for towing and car reprogramming at the dealership, plus new FOBs. I knew the prices to replace a FOB at the dealership would be ridiculous so I skipped the dealer. I found that certain car locksmiths in the Boston area can replace your FOB and cut a new internal emergency key for prices ranging from $225 to $375 (as long as you have at least 1 working FOB for the car). So I was able to replace both lost FOBs for $450 + tax. I didn't feel comfortable with what I was reading online about Techstream and buying virgin FOBs to program myself, but that might be a good option for some people. Plan for this potential reality today. I'd never lost a set of keys before in my life.....but it finally happened. AAA membership includes limited reimbursement for locksmith charges - I highly recommend AAA.
For future reference ... If you're an Apple user you can hang an AirTag on your key ring. There are 3rd party similar device locators as well. As an aside my son who looses things all the time purchased lost key insurance when he purchased his '21 corolla. No idea what it cost but it replaced his lost FOB 100% when, you guessed it, he lost his SmartKey FOB.
I have feared losing the fob when I first purchased the 2017 PP and planned to have a third fob pre-programmed in advance. I purchased virginized FOB online for ~$100 (not brand new, but very clean and looked new). Then asked around to see how much it cost to have it programmed. This is when I found out that a local locksmith would charge more than the dealer would. The dealer gave me an estimate of ~$100 but a few locksmiths I called quoted above $200 for just programing, and some would not work with BYO keyfobs, so I had to purchase a brand new OEM fob from them at MSRP. The only thing is that I never took the fob anywhere. I never programmed it for my 2017 PP. I am glad I did not, for I sold the car 2.5 years later. I still have the virginized fob with me if I lose the fob for my new 2021 PP. At this point, the chance of losing both fobs at the same time is low enough so that I am going to wait to use it until I really need to have another fob programmed. Just curious, did it apply to the entire cost of replacing both lost FOBs for $450 + tax. What was the limit? Now come to think of it, would the comprehensive part of the car insurance cover such loss??? I think not, but never hurt to ask. We had AAA membership for a long time but have not used their services for years. The cost has gone up too much, something like $130 for two of us on Premium membership. I dropped our membership and switched to an insurance company's roadside assistant plan. The coverage is on cars rather than on the member, but it now costs only ~$20/yr for two cars for more miles of towing, Although I have not used their roadside service yet, so I don't know how well their service works in a case of emergency.
AAA is regional so it might be different depending on the region you're in. Here's a link to the coverage in my area - if you click on the circled "!" at locksmith benefits you'll see the details. I have AAA Plus which is $82 per year - I have used the 100 mile towing, jump services, tire problems - not so much recently for my cars, but it covers any car I'm traveling in. AAA Plus reimburses $100 per incident on locksmith parts and services, but I'm not sure if I have 2 incidents or 1. But I have two separate receipts - one for each FOB. I'll let you know how it works out. I'm not sure about comprehensive - might be worth a call. (I paid in full out-of-pocket at the locksmith - I have to send in a claim to AAA - in the past they've been pretty good with reimbursement) AAA Membership benefits
Yep, I was a proud member of NEW ENGLAND AAA for over 20 years. What I had was the same membership as yours. AAA Plus. $82 for myself and $51 for associate membership, total $133/yr. It was a wonderful service when we had less reliable cars and did more long-distance traveling and especially when our kids took a car to a college. But, after all our kids are out of college and got newer cars, and doing less and less long-distance traveling, the chance of using AAA service was getting so small I decided to stop the membership a few years ago. For the last 5+ years of AAA membership holding period, the only service I used was the free passport photo. That was worth less than $15. Not worth keep paying the membership dues. I do remember calling AAA for unlocking my car door with the key inside more than once. But since that was AAA service truck that came, I did not have to pay out of my pocket. I never lost a key.
AAA Northern New England stepped up and reimbursed me $100 for each of the Key Fob replacements. I had to mail in a claim form and the receipts, and about 3 weeks later I got a check for $200. That help was much appreciated. Made a horrible situation a little less horrible.
I also lost one of my key fobs and was hoping to replace. Do you know the locksmith you used? I also live in the Boston area. Thank you so much
Sorry......I'm just seeing your post now. I used these guys in Peabody - they were the cheapest. Good quality FOBS. https://www.masskeyless.com/contact
I have attached a nametag with my phone number to my key fob. Very old school. Works great. I live in a small town and the Post OFfice has a box of keys that have been lost all over town.... everyone knows to go to the PO when all else fails and to drop found keys off there too. I found a set of Toyota keys that I'd lost over three years ago (had not tagged them back then).
In Canada the WarAmps ( waramps.ca ) have run a keytag service since 1946. I've never lost my keys, but I've always carried their keytags just in case. They're also a charity that helps amputees of all types so it's a win-win situation.
One of our two key jobs for our 2019 Prius Prime was lost on a beach. I have AAA (California) Premiere plan with up to $150 for auto locksmith, but just learned IT ONLY APPLIES IF YOU HAVE NO SPARE, NO FOB TO PAIR IT WITH. I am waiting for quotes from the Toyota Dealer and Los Angeles Locksmith, that does this. I'll report further which turns out to be the best deal.
Apple AirTag for iOS devices probably works the best. Samsung Galaxy SmartTag for Galaxy owners and Tile locators for both iOS and Android don't work quite as well. Each is in the $30 range per unit. AirTag tells you how to find it anywhere in the world by networking through any nearby iphone with bluetooth and the cloud. AirTag just tells you when you're getting close to it.
Tile works the same way but only for those with the Tile apps loaded (hence, people with Tiles). Therefore with many iPhone users moving to airTags, the chance of being 'found' drops.
In Canada through War Amps, you can get tags to add to your keychains. If someone finds them, they simply drops them in a mailbox and they're returned to your home address. I had the chance to use their service once. I lost a keychain in the snow and after a few months, it was returned through the mail with a letter apologising for the delay saying they had to look in their archives since that keychain tag was a few years old. Oups, I make sure my tags are always up to date now lol.
The AAA $150 should apply to any lost FOB that requires a locksmith to replace, regardless of whether you lost one or both. I would double check with AAA.
