Acura Car Key Replacement in San Diego

An Acura smart key for an MDX, RDX or TLX is $259 at your car; the dealer's usual figure is about $520. Chip keys for older Acuras start at $149.

Acura keys come out of Honda's parts bin: the same blade families, the same chips and the same programming procedure, wrapped in Acura shells. That helps you, because the tools and blanks we carry for Honda work on Acura too.

What changes from one Acura to the next is the key type. An RSX or first-generation MDX takes a plain chip key, a TL from 2004 on takes a grooved blade or a switchblade flip key, and most Acuras from the 2014 MDX forward start with a button. We read your VIN on the phone and bring the right one.

If a Honda shares your garage, its keys are covered on the Honda page, and one visit can handle both cars.

The new key next to the original.

What a Acura key costs at your car

A spare Acura key with a working key present. The dealer figure is what a San Diego Acura dealer typically quotes for the same key, before tax.

Prices as of 2026-09-30. Every price includes the drive to you anywhere in San Diego County. There is no trip fee and no after-hours rate inside our open hours. All keys lost adds $60.
Key or job	Typical dealer	Value Car Keys	You keep
Transponder chip key, 1999 to 2006Edge-cut blade, usually with a Megamos 13 chip, and a separate remote: TL through 2003, RSX, the 2001 to 2006 MDX and the 2000 to 2001 Integra.	~~$280~~	$149	$131
High-security laser-cut key, 2004 to 2014Grooved blade with a 46 chip and no buttons, mainly for the 2007 to 2013 MDX and the 2007 to 2012 RDX, which pair it with a separate remote.	~~$320~~	$169	$151
Remote head key, 2004 to 2014Switchblade flip key with the remote in its body: TL from 2004 and TSX from about 2006.	~~$350~~	$189	$161
Smart key for push-to-start, 2009 and newerTL on upper trims from 2009, RDX and ILX from 2013, MDX from 2014, TLX from 2015, Integra from 2023. Many are Driver 1 or Driver 2 fobs.	~~$520~~	$259	$261

All keys lost. The dealer column adds a typical $150 tow, because a dealership programs only with the car in the bay.
Key or job	Typical dealer	Value Car Keys	You keep
Chip key, all keys lost1999 to 2006	~~$280 plus a tow~~	$209	$221
Laser-cut key, all keys lost2004 to 2014	~~$320 plus a tow~~	$229	$241
Remote key, all keys lost2004 to 2014	~~$350 plus a tow~~	$249	$251
Smart key, all keys lost2009 and newer	~~$520 plus a tow~~	$319	$351

Acura models with their own page

Known Acura key and ignition problems

Faults that come up on Acura models often enough to have their own page, with the years, the fix and the dealer figure next to ours.

Honda ignition repair

Many Honda and Acura ignitions built from 1998 on develop worn or broken wafers, and the key sticks or will not turn.

Car key problems by make, and what each dash message means

Which Acura key do you have?

Toothed key, remote on the ring

An RSX, a 2001 to 2006 MDX or a TL through 2003 uses an edge-cut key with the chip in its black head, and the remote hangs on the ring as its own fob. That key is $149 cut and programmed. If you already have a replacement remote, we pair it at the same visit for $79 to $119.

A blade that snaps out of the remote

Press the button on the side and the blade swings out. Acura put these switchblade keys on the TL from 2004 and the TSX from about 2006. The blade is grooved, the chip sits inside the remote body, and cutting, chip programming and remote pairing all come inside the $189 price.

Grooved blade, no buttons

The 2007 to 2013 MDX, the 2007 to 2012 RDX and the TL and TSX of those years all used this grooved blade; on the MDX and RDX it came as a plain key with a separate remote. Our van's code machine cuts it, and we program its 46 chip for $169.

Push-button start and a Driver 1 or 2 fob

Smart keys arrived on upper-trim TLs around 2009 and spread from there: RDX and ILX in 2013, MDX in 2014, TLX at its 2015 launch, Integra in 2023. On cars with memory seats the fob is Driver 1 or Driver 2, and the two are separate part numbers. Say which number went missing; the hidden metal key gets cut too.

Lost every Acura key?

An Acura with no working key gets the same result as a spare, with more steps: a key code looked up by VIN, a blade cut on the spot, then the immobilizer programmed to the new key at the car. The price runs $60 above the spare-key figure, so a TLX or MDX smart key from scratch is $319 and an RSX chip key $209.

Before we leave, the lost key is struck from the car's list of approved keys, free of charge. Anyone who picks it up afterward is holding a key that will not start your Acura.

What the dealer charges, and why

An Acura service department writes up the fob and its programming as two charges, commonly near $280 for a chip key, around $350 for a flip key and $520 for a smart key, with tax on top. Driver 1 and Driver 2 fobs are different parts, so if the right one is not in stock, expect one to three days of waiting.

Our figure already covers the part, its cutting and programming, and the drive to you. No tow, no loaner paperwork, no second trip when a part arrives.

Two things we say on the phone first

What we check before we drive. A 2013 to 2015 ILX can have either a remote key or a smart key by trim, so the VIN or a look at the dash settles it. And the 2022 and newer MDX and the 2023 and newer Integra carry Acura's newest fob, which we confirm against your VIN before we quote.

Acura key questions

Is an Acura key just a Honda key with a different logo?

Underneath, close to it. The RSX shares its edge-cut blade and chip family with the early 2000s Civic, and the grooved blade on a 2007 to 2013 MDX or TL is the family Honda used on the Accord and Pilot. The fob and shell are Acura parts, so we bring those, but the programming is the same Honda procedure.

How much is a new smart key for my MDX?

$259 at your car for a spare, or $319 if no key is left, including the emergency blade, and the fob matched to the Driver number you want. The Acura dealer's usual figure is about $520 for the same part and programming, plus a tow if the car cannot be driven there.

Does it matter whether the replacement fob is Driver 1 or Driver 2?

It does if your Acura has memory seats. The car recalls seat and mirror positions based on which fob unlocked it, and Driver 1 and Driver 2 are separate part numbers. We bring the one you lost and confirm the seat moves to your setting before we pack up.

Every key to my RSX is gone. What will it cost?

$209 at the car: $149 for the chip key plus $60 for cutting by VIN and programming the immobilizer from scratch. The dealer's key price alone is about $280, and without a key the car needs a $125 to $200 tow just to get there. Have your registration or title handy, with a photo ID that matches.

Why does the Acura dealer charge about twice as much for the same fob?

Mostly because the bill is built in two lines. The fob is sold as a part at retail, programming shows up as labor at $100 to $180 on its own, and service-lane overhead rides on both. We buy keys direct, program at the car and put everything in one price.

My TSX flip key still works. Can I get a spare without the dealer?

Yes. While one key still works, a second switchblade key for a TSX or TL is $189, cut to your locks and programmed for both the chip and the remote. The dealer typically quotes about $350 for that flip key, and a spare now costs far less than a lost-keys job later.

Where we make Acura keys

Any Acura parked anywhere in San Diego County, with no trip fee. Cities where we cut Acura keys most often:

Related services

Text us your Acura year and model

Call or text (619) 340-1518 with the car's year, make and model. If a dealer already quoted you, send that quote over for our answer on the same key.

Call (619) 340-1518 Text us your car

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