I just bought a 2008 Toyota Highlander with only 1 key and fob. I don't want to pay toyota $400 dollars for a spare. I would rather buy a programmer and do it myself. I under stand a good programmer will be more expensive but are there any you can recommend?
Find a locksmith.
Yes, DIY might be a frustrating experience if you haven't done it before. But I know my local locksmith is happy to do that kind of thing much cheaper than the dealer, and he's a real nice guy, too.
If you can find a locksmith nearby.......
Do an online search and you'll find a hundred places that'll sell you a new fob at at decent price, or do what yaser said above.
The FOB is an easy issue to address but not so much a key with a transponder (as in modern vehicles). I'm looking for a programmer since I can't find a local locksmith and I don't want to pay Nissan such ridiculous amounts of money. It'll be less expensive to buy a programmer than drive 200 miles round trip and pay the dealer to do the job. The nearest Nissan dealer is 100 miles away.
My local locksmith sells new OEM fobs for $60 to $95 programming included. Aftermarket ones are cheaper. About 1/3 of dealer cost. Or less.
I wish I could find a local locksmith. I have a Nissan key that needs to be reprogrammed - one day it just stopped working. Good thing I have 2 extra keys.
come to florida
That'll be a long trip.
Scotty answered at 8:05
Scotty answered again at 8:54
The advice from the others is good advice. That said, I need a fob for my Avalon and my daughter's. $225 was the lowest price I could find for each. I bought an x-tool d8 for $700 and got 2 unprogrammed fobs for $55 each. I am going to program the fobs later this week. The d7 also shows key programming capability, it is a couple hundred less.
So now, you have spent $810 for two keys? What a bargain!
Well, another way to look at it is I have a high quality scan tool for about $350 when considering the savings on the fobs. And I can program keys for other people.