"dsi1" > wrote in message
...
> On 6/20/2014 10:51 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>>
>> Then you have to call a locksmith and have a new lock put in. That's
>> what we had to do when we bought this house. The former owner didn't
>> leave us the keys and we didn't know to ask. Husband was able to get
>> the lock out but they don't sell any locks that we could buy to put in
>> there. The locksmith says that by law only they can put them in. And
>> they can only give us two keys. You also have to prove that you are the
>> mailbox owner.
>>
>> If you lose the chipped car key, it costs something like $90 to get a
>> new one of those. I don't remember what the mailbox cost. That was
>> almost 10 years ago.
>
> I think it cost us $50 for two replacement keys for our mailbox in the
> condo. I suspect that the mailman does the lock replacement himself since
> it's probably a pretty simple operation.
>
> It probably cost more these days to get a chipped key from the dealer. You
> might be able to get one from your hardware store. The transponder key for
> my Ford costs $70 at the store down our street. That's a lot better than
> $120 to $140 from the dealer.
>
> A better deal would be to get the keys from eBay if your car allows it. It
> costs $13 for two uncut chipped keys. You have to cut the keys at a
> hardware store and program them yourself which, depending on the car you
> have, may involve having at least one working master key. You can also get
> programmable key fob remotes. My Ford fob costs $8 for a pair. Amazing and
> they work fine. Thanks, eBay.

I couldn't get a chipped key from the dealer. Not an extra one anyway.